- Tara E.
- Tuesday, February 20
When one hears “science fiction”, one can’t help but envision aliens! Epic space battles! Engineering specs! Tech and science jargon completely over one’s head!
And that’s certainly what one can find in hard science fiction (sci-fi). But if you’re not quite ready for that step (and maybe you never will be), soft science fiction is where it’s at. Hard science fiction does what it says on the tin, all the science in the stories is extrapolated from current and projected science and technology. It requires extensive research and an understanding of how relevant science, engineering, and technology works. Soft science fiction, on the other hand, explores the impact of science and technology through the lens of the soft sciences: psychology, anthropology, political science, etc..
My conversion from sci-fi-skeptic to sci-fi-lover happened during undergrad. I had to write a paper on Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five. To prepare, I read an article that talked about how science fiction is what we use to make sense of the ethical and moral effect of scientific and technological advancements... a modern-day mythology as it were. It was such an ah-ha moment I can remember my breath catching. Alas, I can no longer find the article, but the sentiment struck me hard. I went from someone who didn’t care about science fiction to someone who actively searched it out, looking for meaning in our current situations, trials, and tribulations in the musings of writers.
That being said, I’ve never been able to get into hard sci-fi. All the technical jargon and well-researched science bounces off me hard. Thankfully, soft sci-fi exists. In fact, I bet you’ve read some and never even realized.
So here, for your reading pleasure, are some excellent science fiction books you probably wouldn’t have thought fit the genre (plus a bonus movie as thanks for title inspiration). And maybe, like me, you’ll also learn to stop worrying and love science fiction.