- Portal:Speculative fiction
-
Main Science fiction Fantasy Horror People Publications 
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term 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 both cutting edge, paradigm-changing and neotraditional works of the 21st century. Speculative fiction can be recognized in works whose authors' intentions or the social contexts of the versions of stories they portrayed is now known, since ancient Greek dramatists such as Euripides whose play Medea seems 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, and whose Hippolytus (play), narratively introduced by Aphrodite, Goddess of Love in person, is suspected to have displeased his contemporary audiences because he portrayed Phaedra as too lusty.
In historiography, what is now called speculative fiction has previously been termed "historical invention", "historical fiction," and similar names and is extensively noted in literary criticism of the works of William Shakespeare as when he co-locates Athenian Duke Theseus and Amazonian Queen Hippolyta, English fairy Puck, and Roman god Cupid across time and space 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.
Jump to a specific section below
Selected profile
Doris May Lessing CH, OBE (née Tayler; born 22 October 1919) is an Iranian-born British writer, author of works such as the novels The Grass is Singing and The Golden Notebook.
Lessing's fiction is commonly divided into three distinct phases: the Communist theme (1944–1956), when she was writing radically on social issues (to which she returned in The Good Terrorist (1985)), the psychological theme (1956–1969), and after that the Sufi theme, which was explored in a science fiction setting in the Canopus series.
Lessing's switch to science fiction was not popular with many critics. For example, in the New York Times in 1982 John Leonard wrote in reference to The Making of the Representative for Planet 8 that "One of the many sins for which the 20th century will be held accountable is that it has discouraged Mrs. Lessing.... She now propagandizes on behalf of our insignificance in the cosmic razzmatazz." To which Lessing replied: "What they didn't realize was that in science fiction is some of the best social fiction of our time. I also admire the classic sort of science fiction, like Blood Music, by Greg Bear. He's a great writer." Unlike some authors primarily known for their mainstream work, she has never hesitated to admit that she writes science fiction. She was Writer Guest of Honour at the 1987 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), and made a well-received speech in which she described her science-fictional Memoirs of a Survivor as "an attempt at an autobiography."
Selected media
"The Man That Pleased None", from Walter Crane's 1887 illustrated book The Baby's Own Aesop, a collection of Aesop's Fables retold in limerick format. Aesop lived in Ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE, and his fables are some of the most well known in the world, remaining a popular choice for moral education of children today. Crane, a member of the Arts and Crafts movement, popularised the child-in-the-garden motifs that would characterise many nursery rhymes and children's stories for decades to come. (POTD)
Selected work
Lost is an American live-action television series. It follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles crashes somewhere in the South Pacific. Each episode typically features a primary storyline on the island as well as a secondary storyline from another point in a character's life, though other time-related plot devices change this formula in later episodes. The pilot episode was first broadcast on September 22, 2004, and since then five full seasons have aired with a sixth currently in progress set to finish on May 23, 2010. The show airs on the American Broadcasting Company in the United States, as well as on regional networks in many other countries.
Due to its large ensemble cast and the cost of filming primarily on location in Oahu, Hawaii, the series is one of the most expensive on television. It was created by Damon Lindelof, J. J. Abrams and Jeffrey Lieber and is produced by ABC Studios, Bad Robot Productions and Grass Skirt Productions. The score is composed by Michael Giacchino. The executive producers of the final season are Lindelof, Abrams, Bryan Burk, Jack Bender, Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, Jean Higgins, Elizabeth Sarnoff and Carlton Cuse.
Selected quote
“ Nothing is deader than yesterday's science-fiction. ”
—Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008), The Sands of Mars (1951).Archives/NominationsSelected article
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person. Although vampiric entities have been recorded in many cultures and in spite of speculation by literary historian Brian Frost that the "belief in vampires and bloodsucking demons is as old as man himself", and may go back to "prehistoric times", the term vampire was not popularized until the early 18th century, after an influx of vampire superstition into Western Europe.
The success of John Polidori's 1819 The Vampyre established the charismatic and sophisticated vampire of fiction as it is arguably the most influential vampire work of the early 19th century inspiring such works as Varney the Vampire and eventually Dracula. However, it is Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula that is remembered as the quintessential vampire novel and which provided the basis of modern vampire fiction. The success of this book spawned a distinctive vampire genre, still popular in the 21st century, with books, films, video games, and television shows. The vampire is such a dominant figure in the horror genre that literary historian Susan Sellers places the current vampire myth in the "comparative safety of nightmare fantasy".
Possible futures
Possible events in the future as suggested by science fiction:
- The Uplift War begins in 2489.
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore is established on August 1, 3573.
- The Ood cease to be slaves to humans in 4126.
- Around the year 18,000,000, a "half-plastic denizen" of the interior of a planet beyond Pluto exchanges his mind with the Great Race of Yith.
—Nominations / Archive—
Did you know...
- ... that Piero di Cosimo's painting The Death of Procris (pictured) may contain allusions to the practice of alchemy?
- ... that the Phineas and Ferb character Perry the Platypus was made a platypus because of the animal's striking appearance?
- ... that in the children's book I Like Pumpkins, the narrator sees Frankenstein and his pet alligator buying pumpkins?
- ... that the 1913 film Scrooge was the first time that British actor Seymour Hicks played the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in film, the other being in 1935?
- ... that the upcoming XBox Live Arcade video game Toy Soldiers will feature World War I toy miniatures battling on a model diorama in a child's bedroom?
- ... that the first fire-breathing dragon in English literature occurs in the Old English epic poem Beowulf?
Things you can do...
Here are ideas for how you can help improve the coverage of speculative fiction topics on Wikipedia:
Join a WikiProject or task force:
- 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 (Warhammer 40K, RPGs (D&D), Video games (Square Enix)).
Start a requested article:- Create an article which someone has requested.
Expand a stub:- Science fiction, fantasy, horror.
Expand a new article:- Expand and update a new speculative fiction article from the following list:
Note: If no articles are shown below, please work on those found in the Archive. This list was generated from these rules (ruleset version). Questions and feedback are always welcome! The search is being run manually, but eventually will run ~daily with the most recent ~7 days of results.
AlexNewArtBot archives | TedderBot archives | Rules | Match log and errors
- Coup d'état (disambiguation) | talk | history by Clarityfiend talk contribs started at 13:19, 22 November 2011, score: 20
- Tyranny Rex | talk | history by Emperor talk contribs started at 20:41, 21 November 2011, score: 20
- Slaughterbowl | talk | history by Emperor talk contribs started at 20:41, 21 November 2011, score: 20
- Leonora Moore | talk | history by FilmFan2011 talk contribs started at 15:30, 20 November 2011, score: 40
- The King's Dragon | talk | history by Glimmer721 talk contribs started at 09:54, 20 November 2011, score: 20
- Earworm (disambiguation) | talk | history by Korny O'Near talk contribs started at 07:33, 20 November 2011, score: 40
- The Haunted: Hell’s Reach | talk | history by Thegreen16 talk contribs started at 07:15, 20 November 2011, score: 20
- Palace of the Damned | talk | history by Darren Mulligan talk contribs started at 20:22, 19 November 2011, score: 60
- Dinosaur Planet Survivors | talk | history by P64 talk contribs started at 13:23, 19 November 2011, score: 80
- 1920 - Evil Returns | talk | history by Karthikndr talk contribs started at 23:38, 18 November 2011, score: 20
- The End of Time (disambiguation) | talk | history by Jerzy talk contribs started at 19:53, 18 November 2011, score: 20
- Apartment 1303 3D | talk | history by Teatreez talk contribs started at 12:10, 18 November 2011, score: 120
- Saturn award for Best Film | talk | history by Hyliad talk contribs started at 09:32, 18 November 2011, score: 60
- Wildthyme in Purple | talk | history by StuartDouglas talk contribs started at 04:54, 18 November 2011, score: 40
- Twisted Terror Collection | talk | history by Cronosmantas talk contribs started at 19:35, 17 November 2011, score: 20
- Janet Lee Carey | talk | history by Childslit1112 talk contribs started at 11:59, 17 November 2011, score: 40
- A Rising Thunder | talk | history by LP-mn talk contribs started at 10:01, 17 November 2011, score: 80
- Joan Givner | talk | history by Masalai talk contribs started at 21:16, 16 November 2011, score: 20
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan | talk | history by Raider Duck talk contribs started at 21:02, 16 November 2011, score: 40
- SFFWA | talk | history by TenOfAllTrades talk contribs started at 20:40, 16 November 2011, score: 20
- Greg Miller (animator) | talk | history by CranberryJuicer talk contribs started at 15:20, 15 November 2011, score: 20
How to write a new articleCategories
Alternate history · Atlantis in fiction · Dystopian fiction · Fairy tales · Fantasy · Ghost stories · Gothic fiction · Horror · Invasion literature · Lists of speculative fiction-related award winners and nominees · Mythopoeia · Science fiction · Secret histories · Speculative fiction · Speculative fiction novels · Speculative fiction portals · Speculative fiction short stories · Speculative fiction writing circles · Utopian fiction · World building
Recognized content
Featured articles are considered to be the best on Wikipedia, as determined by Wikipedia's editors, and Good articles are those which are considered to be of good quality but which are not yet featured article quality. If you see one that should be listed here, please add it or post on the talk page and let us know so we can add it for you.
On this day...
Book releases
- 2010 - Wild Cards I edited by George R. R. Martin
Film releases
- 1988 - Cocoon: The Return, a science fiction film and sequel to the 1985 Cocoon
- 1994 - The Pagemaster, an American adventure/fantasy film starring Macaulay Culkin and Christopher Lloyd
Television series
- 1963 - An Unearthly Child, the first Doctor Who serial, begins airing on the BBC
In the news...
- November 15: The BBC denies rumors of a Doctor Who feature film.[1]
- November 15: Karl Slover, best known for his role as a Munchkin in the 1939 The Wizard of Oz film, dies at 93.[2][3]
- November 14: American comic book writer and novelist Chris Claremont donates his papers and archives to Columbia University.[4]
- November 14: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America release their web page listing contact information for deceased authors' estates.[5]
- November 14: American author Cherie Priest is named winner of the 2011 Endeavour Award.[6]
- November 14: The short story The Pod, by Mary Mascari, is named winner of the 2011 ISFiC Writers Contest.[7]
- November 14: David Yates, known for directing the final four Harry Potter films, states he is working on a Doctor Who feature film for the BBC.[8][9]
- November 9: The nominees for the 2012 People's Choice Awards are announced.[10]
- November 8: Harlan Ellison settles his lawsuit against the creators of the film In Time.[11]
- November 8: Director Ridley Scott to release an eight-part miniseries on the Science Channel titled Prophets of Science Fiction.[12]
- November 4: A British man is convicted of killing his wife after she smashed some of his Star Wars toy collection.[13]
- November 3: The magazine Realms of Fantasy ceases publication for a third time.[14]
- November 2: American actor Leonard Stone, whose first notable role was as the father of Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, dies at 87.[15]
- November 2: Writers of the Future launches a new online magazine.[16]
- November 1: Drake Tucker of Phase2Films is named the winner of the Blow the Top of Scott Edelman's Head Off Really Cool Zombie Filmmaking Competition.[17]
- November 1: The British Fantasy Society is considering the possible reworking of the British Fantasy Awards.[18]
- October 31: Netflix and Disney/ABC reach a new deal for online streaming of television series.[19]
- October 31: The winners of the 2011 World Fantasy Awards are announced.[20][21]
- October 26: A release date, 15 March 2013, is set for the Ender's Game film.[22]
- October 25: American actor Wyatt Knight, known in the genre for roles including a guest appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation, dies at 56.[23]
- October 24: Tim Burton will be designing float for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.[24]
- October 23: American children's author Florence Parry Heide dies at 92.[25]
Past news archive
Main sources include: Box Office Mojo, Internet Speculative Fiction Database, SF Scope, and Slice of SciFi, with other sources used on occasion.Bestsellers
Entries marked with
debuted at #1. Entries marked with 
debuted lower, but reached #1.
New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best Sellers:- September 18: The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris debuts at #2 (at #14 as of September 25)
- September 18: The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta debuts at #6 (at #8 as of September 25)
- September 11: The Measure of the Magic by Terry Brooks debuts at #3 (at #19 as of September 25)
- September 4: The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind debuts at #1 (at #17 as of September 25)
- August 28: Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Ascension by Christie Golden debuts at #7 (dropped off the list on September 25)
- August 28: The Magician King by Lev Grossman debuts at #8 (dropped off the list on September 25)
- August 14: Ghost Story by Jim Butcher debuts at #1 (at #27 as of September 25)
- July 31: A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin debuts at #1 (at #4 as of September 25)
New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction Best Sellers:- September 18: The Source Field Investigations by David Wilcock debuts at #16 (at #18 as of September 25)
New York Times Paperback Mass-Market Fiction Best Sellers:- September 25: Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh debuts at #15
- September 25: Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter debuts at #34
- September 18: Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle debuts at #3 (at #13 as of September 25)
- September 18: One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost debuts at #15 (at #20 as of September 25)
- September 11: Dark Taste of Rapture by Gena Showalter debuts at #9 (dropped off the list on September 25)
- September 4: Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich debuts at #4 (at #16 as of September 25)
New York Times E-Book Fiction Best Sellers:- September 25: Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh debuts at #19
- September 18: One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost debuts at #11 (dropped off the list on September 25)
- September 18: Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle debuts at #13 (dropped off the list on September 25)
- September 18: The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta debuts at #23 (dropped off the list on September 25)
- July 31: A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin debuts at #1 (at #18 as of September 25)
- April 10: A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin debuts at #34 (at #23 as of September 25)
New York Times Children's Chapter Books Best Sellers:- September 18: Wildwood by Colin Meloy debuts at #7 (at #9 as of September 25)
- September 18: Hades by Alexandra Adornetto debuts at #9 (dropped off the list on September 25)
- September 11: The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore debuts at #1 (at #1 as of September 25)
- September 11: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead debuts at #2 (at #7 as of September 25)
- September 11: Darth Paper Strikes Back: An Origami Yoda Book by Tom Angleberger debuts at #5 (at #4 as of September 25)
- August 28: Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans debuts at #1 (at #8 as of September 25)
- June 26: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs debuts at #7 (at #3 as of September 25)
- May 22: The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan debuts at #1 (at #5 as of September 25)
2010:
- October 22: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan debuts at #1 (at #10 as of September 25)
New York Times Hardcover Graphic Book Best Sellers:- September 25: The New Teen Titans Omnibus volume 1 by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez debuts at #1
- September 25: The Influencing Machine by Brooke Gladstone and Josh Neufeld debuts at #9
- September 25: Thor: World Eaters by Matt Fraction and Pasqual Ferry debuts at #10
- September 18: Feynman by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick debuts at #1 (at #2 as of September 25)
- September 18: Captain America: The Man with No Face by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting debuts at #10 (dropped off the list on September 25)
- September 11: We3 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely debuts at #1 (at #8 as of September 25)
- September 11: Wolverine: The Best There Is: Contagion by Charlie Huston and Juan Jose Pyp debuts at #6 (dropped off the list on September 25)
- July 31: Blood Work by Kim Harrison and Pedro Maia debuts at #1 (at #3 as of September 25)
- July 24: Baltimore volume 1 by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden debuts at #9 (at #6 as of September 25)
- June 19: American Vampire volume 2 by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquereque debuts at #1 (at #5 as of September 25)
- May 15: Green Lantern: Secret Origin by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis debuts at #7 (dropped off the list on September 25)
- March 6: True Blood: All Together Now by Alan Ball, et al, debuts at #6 (at #7 as of September 25)
2010:
- November 4: Superman: Earth One by J. Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis debuts at #1 (at #4 as of September 25)
Past releases archive
Sources for this information include: New York Times Best Seller ListsUpcoming releases
Upcoming book releases:
Academic and non-fiction books:
— Anthologies: _—_Collection/Omnibus:_
— Collection/Omnibus: 
— Art books: 
- November 1: Angel Town by Lilith Saintcrow
- November 1: At the Mountains of Madness and Other Works of Weird Fiction by H. P. Lovecraft
- November 1: Courting Darkness by Yasmine Galenorn
- November 1: Courts of the Fey edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Russell Davis
- November 1: Darkest at Dawn by Christine Feehan
- November 1: Death Magic by Eileen Wilks
- November 1: The Doomsday Vault by Steven Harper
- November 1: Draconic Prophecies: Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited Omnibus by James Wyatt
- November 1: Firebird by Jack McDevitt
- November 1: The Folded World by Catherynne M. Valente
- November 1: The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow by Cory Doctorow
- November 1: The Guardian by Sherrilyn Kenyon
- November 1: The Hollows Insider: New Fiction, Facts, Maps, Murders, and More in the World of Rachel Morgan by Kim Harrison
- November 1: Horror after 9/11: World of Fear, Cinema of Terror by Aviva Briefel and Sam J. Miller
- November 1: I, Robot: To Protect by Mickey Zucker Reichert
- November 1: Kafkaesque: Stories Inspired by Franz Kafka edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel
- November 1: Kardinal by Thomas Emson
- November 1: Magic on the Line by Devon Monk
- November 1: Moonsinger's Quest by Andre Norton
- November 1: Mutants and Mystics: Science Fiction, Superhero Comics, and the Paranormal by Jeffrey J. Kripal
- November 1: The Ninth Circle by R. M. Meluch
- November 1: Not Your Ordinary Faerie Tale by Christine Warren
- November 1: Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire
- November 1: The Outcasts by John Flanagan
- November 1: Peter Pan: Or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up - A Fantasy in Five Acts by J. M. Barrie
- November 1: Ray Harryhausen's Fantasy Scrapbook: Models, Artwork and Memories from 65 Years of Filmmaking by Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton
- November 1: The Real Werewives of Vampire County by Alexandra Ivy, Angie Fox, Tami Dane, and Jess Haines
- November 1: Science Fiction Film: A Critical Introduction by Keith M. Johnston
- November 1: The Sisters Grimm: A Very Grimm Guide by Michael Buckley
- November 1: Spellbound by Larry Correia
- November 1: The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White
- November 1: The Wild Ways by Tanya Huff
- November 1: Tied with a Bow by Lora Leigh, Virginia Kantra, Eileen Wilks, and Kimberly Frost
- November 1: Triumph of The Walking Dead: Robert Kirkman's Zombie Epic on Page and Screen by James Lowder
- November 1: Wolf Among the Stars by Steve White
- November 8: Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
Upcoming film releases:
- November 4: Puss in Boots
- November 11: Arthur Christmas (UK)
- November 11: Immortals
- November 18: Happy Feet 2
- November 18: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
- November 23: Hugo
- November 23: The Muppets
- November 23: Piranha 3DD
Upcoming home video releases:
- November 8: Fanny and Alexander (Blu-ray)
- November 15: Being Human (season 1)
- November 15: Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (Blu-ray)
- November 15: Farscape (Blu-ray, complete series)
- November 15: Giorgio Moroder Presents Metropolis (Blu-ray)
Past releases archive
Sources for this information include: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Box Office Mojo, Internet Speculative Fiction Database, and Yahoo! Movies—visit them for more complete information.Upcoming conventions
Dates can usually be found on the article page.
November:- Icon (Iowa)
- Loscon (California)
- Memorabilia (England)
- Novacon (England)
- OryCon (Oregon)
- Philcon (Pennsylvania)
- SFContario (Ontario)
- TusCon (Arizona)
- Windycon (Illinois)
See also these convention lists: anime, comic book, furry, gaming, multigenre, and science fiction.
Speculative fiction topics
Related Portals
Animation Anime and Manga Comics Folklore Horror Mythology Role-playing games Superhero fiction Video Games Associated content
Science fictionFantasyHorror- Wikipedia portals:
- Culture
- Geography
- Health
- History
- Mathematics
- Natural sciences
- People
- Philosophy
- Religion
- Society
- Technology
Purge server cache Categories:- Entertainment portals
- Film portals
- Literature portals
- Speculative fiction portal
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
