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Speculative fiction is an umbrella phrase encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres , specifically science fiction , fantasy , horror , supernatural fiction , superhero fiction , utopian and dystopian fiction , apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction , and alternate history in literature as well as related static, motion, and virtual arts.
It has been around since humans began to speak. The earliest forms of speculative fiction were likely mythological tales told around the campfire. Speculative fiction deals with the "What if?" scenarios imagined by dreamers and thinkers worldwide. Journeys to other worlds through the vast reaches of distant space; magical quests to free worlds enslaved by terrible beings; malevolent supernatural powers seeking to increase their spheres of influence across multiple dimensions and times; all of these fall into the realm of speculative fiction.
Speculative fiction as a category ranges from ancient works to cutting edge , paradigm -changing, and neotraditional works of the 21st century. It can be recognized in works whose authors' intentions or the social contexts of the versions of stories they portrayed is now known. For example, Ancient Greek dramatists such as Euripides , whose play Medea (play) seemed to have offended Athenian audiences when he fictionally speculated that shamaness Medea killed her own children instead of their being killed by other Corinthians after her departure. The play Hippolytus , narratively introduced by Aphrodite , is suspected to have displeased contemporary audiences of the day because it portrayed Phaedra as too lusty.
In historiography , what is now called speculative fiction has previously been termed "historical invention", "historical fiction ," and other similar names. It is extensively noted in the literary criticism of the works of William Shakespeare when he co-locates Athenian Duke Theseus and Amazonian Queen Hippolyta , English fairy Puck , and Roman god Cupid all together in the fairyland of its Merovingian Germanic sovereign Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream . In mythography it has been termed "mythopoesis" or mythopoeia , "fictional speculation", the creative design and generation of lore, regarding such works as J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings . Such supernatural , alternate history , and sexuality themes continue in works produced within the modern speculative fiction genre.
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John Wood Campbell Jr. (June 8, 1910 – July 11, 1971) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He was editor of Astounding Science Fiction (later called Analog Science Fiction and Fact ) from late 1937 until his death and was part of the Golden Age of Science Fiction . Campbell wrote super-science space opera under his own name and stories under his primary pseudonym, Don A. Stuart. Campbell also used the pen names Karl Van Kampen and Arthur McCann. His novella Who Goes There? was adapted as the films The Thing from Another World (1951), The Thing (1982), and The Thing (2011).
Campbell began writing science fiction at age 18 while attending
MIT . He published six short stories, one novel, and eight letters in the science fiction magazine
Amazing Stories from 1930 to 1931. This work established Campbell's reputation as a writer of space adventure. When in 1934 he began to write stories with a different tone, he wrote as Don A. Stuart. From 1930 until 1937, Campbell was prolific and successful under both names; he stopped writing fiction shortly after he became editor of
Astounding in 1937. In his capacity as an editor, Campbell published some of the very earliest work, and helped shape the careers of virtually every important science-fiction author to debut between 1938 and 1946, including
Isaac Asimov ,
Robert A. Heinlein ,
Theodore Sturgeon , and
Arthur C. Clarke . (
Full article... )
Carnivàle () is an American television series set in the United States
Dust Bowl during the
Great Depression of the 1930s. The series, created by
Daniel Knauf , ran for two seasons between 2003 and 2005. In tracing the lives of disparate groups of people in a
traveling carnival , Knauf's story combined a bleak atmosphere with elements of the
surreal in portraying struggles between good and evil and between
free will and destiny.
The show's mythology draws upon themes and motifs from traditional
Christianity and
gnosticism together with
Masonic lore, particularly that of the
Knights Templar order.
Carnivàle was produced by HBO and aired between September 14, 2003, and March 27, 2005. Its creator, Daniel Knauf , also served as executive producer along with Ronald D. Moore and Howard Klein. Jeff Beal composed the original incidental music. Nick Stahl and Clancy Brown starred as Ben Hawkins and Brother Justin Crowe , respectively. The show was filmed in Santa Clarita, California , and nearby Southern California locations. (Full article... )
“
Science fiction rarely is about scientists doing real science, in its slowness, its vagueness, the sort of tedious quality of getting out there and digging amongst rocks and then trying to convince people that what you're seeing justifies the conclusions you're making. The whole process of science is wildly under-represented in science fiction because it's not easy to write about. There are many facets of science that are almost exactly opposite of dramatic narrative. It's slow, tedious, inconclusive, it's hard to tell good guys from bad guys—it's everything that a normal hour of Star Trek is not.
”
—Kim Stanley Robinson (b. 1952), Interview, Locus (September 1997).[1]
August 19 :
Film releases
Television series
Births
Deaths
Possible events in the future as suggested by science fiction:
The Committee of Public Safety seizes power in Nouveau Paris and takes control of the government in 4007.
In 802,701, The Time Traveller encounters a garden world and sees Humanity has divided into the meek Eloi on the surface and the subdwelling, cannibalistic Morlocks.
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Science fiction (task force ): The 4400 , Babylon 5 , Battlestar Galactica , Doctor Who , Firefly , Futurama , G.I. Joe , Heroes , Hitchhiker's Guide , Life on Mars , Lost , Pokémon , Red Dwarf , Star Trek , Star Wars , Stargate , Superman , Transformers , Twilight Zone .
Fantasy : Artemis Fowl , Discworld , Fabelhaven , Harry Potter , Highlander , His Dark Materials , Inheritance Cycle , Lemony Snicket , Middle-Earth , Narnia , Oz , Percy Jackson , Redwall , Roald Dahl , Shannara , A Song of Ice and Fire , Warriors .
Horror : Buffy , Twilight .
Other and related: Animation , Anime and manga , Balzac , Children's literature , Comics , Disney , Machinima , Games (Board and tabletop games , Warhammer 40K , RPGs (D&D ), Video games (Square Enix )).
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The Woman (novel) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by CyberGhostface (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2024-08-18, score: 80
Augusta Bethell (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Azarctic (talk · contribs · new pages (6) ) started on 2024-08-18, score: 40
Music of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by 223.178.85.2 (talk · contribs · new pages (13) ) started on 2024-08-18, score: 80
Asmara Abigail (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Androptrnt (talk · contribs · new pages (4) ) started on 2024-08-18, score: 40
The Void in popular culture (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Skyerise (talk · contribs · new pages (21) ) started on 2024-08-18, score: 40
Prop Culture (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Tvfunhouse (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2024-08-18, score: 20
The Unknown University (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Flaggingwill (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2024-08-18, score: 20
The Crestoran Odyssey: Heroes Inception (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by CayDyn5 (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2024-08-17, score: 20
Alma and the Wolf (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by KingArti (talk · contribs · new pages (7) ) started on 2024-08-17, score: 60
Annihilation (soundtrack) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by 223.178.85.2 (talk · contribs · new pages (13) ) started on 2024-08-17, score: 85
Caoilinn Springall (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Afrowriter (talk · contribs · new pages (14) ) started on 2024-08-14, score: 20
C.D (Criminal or Devil) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Waonderer (talk · contribs · new pages (6) ) started on 2024-08-17, score: 20
Massacre Mansion (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Tevildo (talk · contribs · new pages (13) ) started on 2024-08-17, score: 40
Banhishikha (1976 film) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by The 108th vigilante (talk · contribs · new pages (5) ) started on 2024-08-17, score: 80
2025 in film (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Thewikizoomer (talk · contribs · new pages (28) ) started on 2024-08-17, score: 20
Cocaine Werewolf (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Nhoiialmanzor (talk · contribs · new pages (11) ) started on 2024-08-17, score: 60
O Último Ancestral (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by PARAKANYAA (talk · contribs · new pages (43) ) started on 2024-08-17, score: 40
In the Lost Lands (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Afrowriter (talk · contribs · new pages (14) ) started on 2024-08-16, score: 60
Lola Robles (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Nattes à chat (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2024-08-16, score: 40
The Neon Demon (soundtrack) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by 223.178.85.2 (talk · contribs · new pages (13) ) started on 2024-08-16, score: 40
Emesis Blue (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by NegativeMP1 (talk · contribs · new pages (4) ) started on 2024-08-16, score: 100
Caleb Alloway (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Owllovers5 (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2024-08-15, score: 40
Longing for Home (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Tebus19 (talk · contribs · new pages (3) ) started on 2024-08-15, score: 40
Bai Bai (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Prince of Erebor (talk · contribs · new pages (9) ) started on 2024-08-15, score: 20
Asymmetric warfare (short story) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Engrigg22 (talk · contribs · new pages (9) ) started on 2024-08-15, score: 65
The American Garden (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Mellamelina (talk · contribs · new pages (55) ) started on 2024-08-15, score: 80
George Raffalovich (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Mike Christie (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2024-08-15, score: 20
Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968 film) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Woodensuperman (talk · contribs · new pages (33) ) started on 2024-08-15, score: 60
The Daily Life of a Middle-Aged Online Shopper in Another World (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Narutolovehinata5 (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2024-08-15, score: 20
Richard Elwell Banta (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by LR.127 (talk · contribs · new pages (82) ) started on 2024-08-14, score: 30
Stark Holborn (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by SafariScribe (talk · contribs · new pages (79) ) started on 2024-08-14, score: 65
Better Living Through Algorithms (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Jlwoodwa (talk · contribs · new pages (13) ) started on 2024-08-14, score: 60
V/H/S/Beyond (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by CANthony0125 (talk · contribs · new pages (10) ) started on 2024-08-14, score: 180
Peglin (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Squiddyonwiki (talk · contribs · new pages (3) ) started on 2024-08-13, score: 20
Klerykal fiction (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Oliwiasocz (talk · contribs · new pages (33) ) started on 2024-08-05, score: 80
All of You (2024 film) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Mellamelina (talk · contribs · new pages (55) ) started on 2024-08-14, score: 80
Karelina Clarke (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Its Transalvia (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2024-08-14, score: 20
Caoilfhionn Dunne (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Hildreth gazzard (talk · contribs · new pages (243) ) started on 2024-08-14, score: 20
Friday the 13th: Hell Lake (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Lord Crayak (talk · contribs · new pages (3) ) started on 2024-08-14, score: 60
The Beast Within (2024 film) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Nhoiialmanzor (talk · contribs · new pages (11) ) started on 2024-08-14, score: 40
Looking for Eternity (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Bearcat (talk · contribs · new pages (108) ) started on 2024-08-14, score: 60
Deadlock (video game) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Zxcvbnm (talk · contribs · new pages (8) ) started on 2024-08-13, score: 25
Nemtudomka (Hungarian folktale) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by KHR FolkMyth (talk · contribs · new pages (6) ) started on 2024-08-13, score: 20
Alex Klokus (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by TheSandDoctor (talk · contribs · new pages (5) ) started on 2024-08-13, score: 40
Amigo (2024 film) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Monhiroe (talk · contribs · new pages (9) ) started on 2024-08-12, score: 20
Space horror (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Asqueladd (talk · contribs · new pages (22) ) started on 2024-08-12, score: 170
Spider-Noir (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Trailblazer101 (talk · contribs · new pages (11) ) started on 2024-08-12, score: 20
Glory (novelette) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Samuel Adrian Antz (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2024-08-12, score: 45
Riding the Crocodile (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Samuel Adrian Antz (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2024-08-12, score: 45
O (2022 film) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Manick22 (talk · contribs · new pages (6) ) started on 2024-08-12, score: 80
Crawl (soundtrack) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by 223.178.84.235 (talk · contribs · new pages (14) ) started on 2024-08-12, score: 60
Anthropomorphized Food (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by AntientNestor (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2024-08-12, score: 20
The Judge from Hell (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Aidillia (talk · contribs · new pages (12) ) started on 2024-08-12, score: 20
Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Soulbust (talk · contribs · new pages (26) ) started on 2024-08-12, score: 20
Funeral Soundtrack No. 4 (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Rylesbourne (talk · contribs · new pages (7) ) started on 2024-08-12, score: 20
Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by CFA (talk · contribs · new pages (212) ) started on 2024-08-12, score: 80
The Year Without Sunshine (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by DragonflySixtyseven (talk · contribs · new pages (10) ) started on 2024-08-11, score: 40
Fourth Child (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by TeenAngels1234 (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2024-08-11, score: 20
María Romanillos (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Asqueladd (talk · contribs · new pages (22) ) started on 2024-08-11, score: 40
Oliver Bayldon (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Pdebee (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2024-08-11, score: 45
Park (2024 film) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by DareshMohan (talk · contribs · new pages (30) ) started on 2024-08-11, score: 20
The Life Eaters (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Piotrus (talk · contribs · new pages (5) ) started on 2024-08-11, score: 65
Rowley (surname) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Clarityfiend (talk · contribs · new pages (20) ) started on 2024-08-11, score: 20
Geniearth (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by M.A.LasTroniN910 (talk · contribs · new pages (3) ) started on 2024-08-11, score: 40
Dragon-Child and Sun-Child (Armenian folktale) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by KHR FolkMyth (talk · contribs · new pages (6) ) started on 2024-08-10, score: 20
Rabbit Test (short story) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by DragonflySixtyseven (talk · contribs · new pages (10) ) started on 2024-08-10, score: 40
Fear Below (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Doctorcolin (talk · contribs · new pages (5) ) started on 2024-08-10, score: 40
Aarambham (2024 film) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Jayanthkumar123 (talk · contribs · new pages (19) ) started on 2024-08-09, score: 95
Silène Edgar (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by PetiPandaRou (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2024-08-09, score: 20
El Eternauta: segunda parte (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Cambalachero (talk · contribs · new pages (14) ) started on 2024-08-09, score: 20
Fear Street Part Three: 1666 (soundtrack) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by 223.178.85.99 (talk · contribs · new pages (10) ) started on 2024-08-09, score: 40
Christian Stavrakis (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Phasmos (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2024-08-09, score: 40
Fear Street Part Two: 1978 (soundtrack) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by 223.178.85.99 (talk · contribs · new pages (10) ) started on 2024-08-09, score: 40
Fear Street Part One: 1994 (soundtrack) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by 223.178.85.99 (talk · contribs · new pages (10) ) started on 2024-08-09, score: 60
Ultra 85 (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Lowryder71 (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2024-08-09, score: 40
A Quiet Teacher (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Reading Beans (talk · contribs · new pages (18) ) started on 2024-08-08, score: 20
The Doloriad (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by MakoDan (talk · contribs · new pages (6) ) started on 2024-08-08, score: 120
Andrew de Burgh (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Jeffreygerald5550 (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2024-08-08, score: 40
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