Monday, October 19, 2015

Why Speculative Literature Continues to Draw Readers



In honor of Halloween month, it seems only fitting to write on the subject of speculative lit. Why do readers consistently want to read fantasy, science fiction and horror and their various paranormal subdivisions? Why does speculative fiction remain popular with all ages of readers?

When people talk about horror fiction, they might let out an involuntary shudder. However, horror fiction isn’t just about the gruesome. It’s not just about the supernatural, ghosts, goblins, ghouls, gremlins, etc. No, it’s really about what we fear, what we dread most. These things may be ordinary, like a pit bull off the leash running toward us, or extraordinary, like meeting a vampire in a neighborhood bar at midnight. We have fears that are both usual and the unusual.


Horror fiction will not be going away any time soon because it is human nature to feel fear as an emotion. Horror fiction helps us handle these feelings, helps us confront our terrors, those within us and those in the environment around us. I have read Dean Koontz and Stephen King, Anna Rice and many writers of occult mystery and romance fiction with interest.

My latest adult novel DARK MOON RISING is a Gothic romance that features female ghosts from different centuries who haunt male members of an aristocratic Southern family. The novel combines romance, mystery, suspense and paranormal horror.


                                                   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z7824A4/

There has always been a fascination with magical worlds. Many of the readers and writers of fantasy escape the negativity of the real world through fantasy worlds which are often more satisfying. Reality is readjusted. Lev Grossman in his excellent Time Magazine essay observed: “Fantasy holds out the possibility that there’s another way to live.” Certainly there are many fans of C.S. Lewis, T.H. White, J.RR. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin—just to name a few of the popular fantasy writers.

Much fantasy world has a sense of times past. THE DEVIL AND DANNA WEBSTER, a fantasy romance published by Clean Reads is set in 1985 and has a Faustian theme.


               http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JZYXW7K/


THE BAD WIFE, 4th and final mystery novel in the Kim Reynolds series, also has a paranormal edge. Kim, an academic librarian, is a reluctant clairvoyant who has visions which cause her to both solve and prevent crime.


                           http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J6PCKVW 

Fantasy as part of our poetry literature is not at all new. Remember ”Kubla Khan” a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge? How about his “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner “?  

Science fiction continues to have a strong appeal. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines this type of literature as: “dealing principally with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or individuals or having a scientific factor as an essential orienting component.”

Fantasy deals with imagination, unreal worlds, and magical realms. Some of these bear similarities to past societies such as medieval times. Science fiction, on the other hand, looks to developments in science or imaginative notions of future worlds. However, all embrace aspects of the speculative or paranormal.

For one of my science fiction poems that can be read for free on the internet, you can go to Kansas University’s “Ad Astra” site: http://adastra.ku.edu/genome-jacqueline-seewald/

Are there any authors of  horror, fantasy or science fiction that you particularly admire or enjoy reading? Ray Bradbury remains one of my favorites. Are you a fan of the Harry Potter series?  Have you read Ursula K. Le Guin or Octavia E. Butler? What about fantasy/paranormal romances such as those written by Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle?  Are there new writers of horror, fantasy or sci-fi that excite your interest? Please share with us.




16 comments:

  1. I've read many of the authors you mentioned, Jacqueline. I've always been a fan of speculative fiction, although I've never tried writing much of it until recently. I have to say that it's a nice change from some of the more cozy stories I've written. First, the ghost crept in, then I wrote a little alien story, then I wrote a science fiction story for an anthology. LOL. I'm glad to see more crossovers these days in books and stories. I am partial to gothic fiction, though.

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    1. Hi, Bobbi,

      I like you enjoy writing in diverse genres and that includes speculative fiction. I also like to read a variety of writers.

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  2. I haven't read much speculative fiction until recently, but I greatly admire Ray Bradbury, Ursula LeGuin, and, surprise surprise, a dystopian novel by Paul Auster. I enjoyed the Harry Potter series and some other YA books as well. When i wonder about the appeal of such fiction, I think of the point you made at the outset. It's human nature to want a thrill, a bit of excitement without the ugly consequences.

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  3. Hi, Susan,

    Dystopian novels remain very popular both with teens and adults. I think they reflect current negative views on our society and help people deal with them through literature.

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  4. So interesting how these things come about.
    Good luck and God's Blessings.
    pamT

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  5. Another good post, Jacquie.I'm not a horror or vampire fan, but I did enjoy your Gothic romance. And I do like good science fiction (Ursula LeGuin and Ray Bradbury. Mostly, I admit, I prefer realistic historical fiction--but also a bit of magic realism (Gabriel Marquez in particular.)

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    1. Hi, Nancy,

      I'm glad you enjoyed DARK MOON RISING. I do write women's fiction and so my horror lit will be more erotic or romantic than gruesome. I read and write a limited amount of science fiction and fantasy but I do enjoy both genres.

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  6. Hi, gal ! I'm a day late...sorry, life rang up, and I had to answer ;) I wanted to dart in and have a read though, as horror and thriller was always my first choice, for years :) Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Anne Rice were always my "go to" authors :) I think people enjoy this type of read much the same as they enjoy roller coaster rides...we like to feel the shiver, at the same time knowing we're "safe". This was an excellent read, so timely for Halloween! :)

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    1. Hi, Loretta,

      I love your explanation and analysis of why we enjoy reading horror fiction.

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  7. Egads! I commented before signing in as Google and "poof" away my magic words went. I did put in a plug for my newspaper editor colleague's book Bitter Secrets by Patty Brant. I don't read or watch frightening books or movies as they haunt me later in my dreams. Bitter Secrets sort of evolved into a haunting with such vivid characters in this little town I know along the river that I was pulled into the story until the last page. Fortunately, no bad dreams yet.

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  8. Oops - more of my comment that went "poof." My novel, Ghost Orchid, does have a touch of the spiritual or paranormal, depending on the reader's point of view - and the cool wind, and indicator of spirits of some nature, was felt both in the novel and walking the walk of the characters in real life at Blair Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, Fl. Swamps are great settings for ghostly experiences.

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    1. I enjoyed reading Ghost Orchid, D.K. I liked the clever use of a ghost. And white orchids do in fact have a ghost face in them. I know because I own such a plant and love it.

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  9. Confessing my ignorance here, I was glad to see exactly what constitutes "speculative literature," a term that stumped me. For some reason, I thought it meant steampunk, a genre I've found fun to read. I also LOVE Jim Butler's Harry Dresden series about a wizard in Chicago.

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  10. Hi, Kathy,

    Speculative lit embraces science fiction (any form), horror, and fantasy. There are a lot of subdivisions and hybrids. You can write a mashup of sci-fi and horror for instance which I've done myself.

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