A New Genre — Tales of Future Past
Part of an ongoing conversation:
There is a new genre different from science fiction that could not have existed except in a culture where science fiction has lingered for a century — call it retrofuture, anachronistic science fiction, steampunk, or tales of futures past. This genre includes anything that at one time in the past had been futuristic science fiction and now can no longer be, except perhaps as sideways-in-time tales. It would include both Jules Verne and deliberate later attempts to recapture the look and feel of Verne, such as (most notably) THE LAND LEVIATHAN by Michael Moorcock and works following it, usually called Steampunk, or anything with a Zeppelin on the cover.
Technically, Pournelle’s Co-Dominium series, or anything starring a futuristic result of the Cold War would now fit into this anachronistic futures category I am proposing, but I am not aware of anyone having written a deliberately retrofuture story taking place in the timeline where the Berlin Wall never fell, nor the Iron Curtain rose.
About John C Wright
John C. Wright is a practicing philosopher, a retired attorney, newspaperman, and newspaper editor, and a published author of science fiction. Once a Houyhnhnm, he was expelled from the august ranks of purely rational beings when he fell in love; but retains an honorary title.
