Optron #39 13 сентября 2000

ZX-Review - Fantastic rating literature.

          Fantastic rating


  {} Tertius Gaudens


  As you surely guessed, this
once our "waggons" focuses not ZX-press,
fiction.

  In order to understand what takes place in modern fantasy 
fiction, consider the existing now in the U.S. of its variety 
and extent of popularity.


  The following tables compiled by
According to the magazine, "If", 1995, | 5, which
in turn borrowed them from the American Journal of Science 
Fiction "Locus". In graph numeric data shows the percentage of 
respondents who gave this or that kind of genre. 

  Thus, PET varieties:



        Type Subtype%


   Scientific "Distant" 17

                  "The Middle" 13

                  Process 5


                  Total 35


   Historical Alternative 24

                  Steam punk 5


                  Total 29


   "Literature" The traditional 9

                  Humorous 9

                  Detective 5

                  Psychological 5


                  Total 28


   Female - 24


   Fantasy "City" 17

                  Traditional 5


                  Total 23


   Cyberpunk - 18


   Short-run - 18


   "The Border" - 16


   Shared Worlds - 5



  And now - Unloved:



        Type Subtype%


   Sequel - 68


   Horror Rend 25

                  Vampires 11

                  "Chernukha" 10

                  Other 9


                  Total 55


   Remake of 1915

                  Game 14


                  Total 29


   Political - 8


   Combat - 8



  Some explanations.

  SF is divided into works of
distant and near (for example, planting
Mars) future. Individually identifiable works devoted to the 
achievements of modern high technologies (nanotechnology). 

  Historical fiction (alternative
story) tells the story of the world, "branch out" from our in a 
key moment. The most common theme here - the victory of Nazi 
Germany during the Second World war (for example: F. Dick. "Man 
in the High Castle, R. Harris. Fatherland).


  Steam punk - a specific kind of alternative history. Here, 
the action takes place, usually in the Victorian era, where 
technology was then implemented the methods of any "untimely" 
idea (see, for example, Samokhvalov. Tale of the DBL. - Optron 
"| 23). 

  "Literary" fiction - it is "normal", "home", I would say, 
"traditional" fiction, in which with one or another to undergo 
further fantastic element (for example - Vladimir Orlov.

Violist Danilov). Part of the "subspecies" here
separately because, for example, in
humorous or there, parodies science fiction works may not be 
optional, as the main element. 

  Women's fiction - a book created as a rule, women, and 
dedicated their problems - a difficult woman's share, feminism 
etc. (Books by Ursula K. Le Guin, for example). 

  "City" fantasy - it works
which takes place in a world like ours today (Kattner. Cycle
"Hogben"; Heinlein. Magic of Ink.; Shackley.
The Tsar's will).

  "Traditional" fantasy - works
which takes place in the world, similar to our middle ages.

  Cyberpunk - a genre where the combined product of the 
adventures of hackers and virtual worlds, soda 
programmatically. In short, everything connected with computer

technologies.

  Short-run science fiction - this book of new authors, as well 
as "elitist" (profit) literature. There are publishers who 
specialize exclusively in This form of literature.


  "Borderline" works combine the
currently features a few species. (A classic example of 
compound SF and fantasy - F. Herbert. Dune. And, interestingly,

used here are not Christian, and Mohammedan motives.)

  Shared Worlds - "joint" fiction,
worlds and characters of which have already been established 
"classics" (see Litstranichku "this issue). 

  The sequel - the novel "the continuation" series.
It can be from 3 to 50 volumes.

  Remake of - trouble. If the earlier book
remade into movies, television series,
computer games, but now there is
bucking the trend.


  As you can see, these data are somewhat at variance with the 
reasoning of the popularity of fantasy that you have read 
previously. However, please note that the survey, which 
obtained the data, conducted among not "mass" and "elite" 
reader. 

  However, attempts to find out how popular a particular genre, 
akin to comparing different types of computer games. To the 
question - it depends whether the popularity "Strategy," "rpg", 
"Shooter" etc. on the "fantastic" if she or "realistic"? - Our 
expert in marketing the game software S. Filimonov said: "It 
does not. The main thing is that the game was well."