Is there such a thing as a non-sci-fi fiction fan? Er, I mean, just sci-fi (fiction isn’t abbreviated as “fi” enough, if you ask me). Science fiction is spread across the vast multiverse of entertainment - its prevalence is so dominant that it’s practically the new niche to be a regular drama that doesn’t feature anyone with a cybernetic implant or bizarre genetic mutation that allows them to alter time itself. Or something along those lines. Still, fans of futuristic, superpowered, and/or heightened characters bending reality are considered to be of a particular sect of fandom.
Browsing through any streaming service’s menu of shows or movies, you’ll easily find stories exploring superheroes, androids, and dystopian societies. Us sci-fi fans are legion and we’ve spoken with our wallets and eyeballs, informing the entertainment overlords that people want to see depictions of extraordinary individuals challenging the very nature of time and space. Perhaps one of the reasons that sci-fi is still considered the nerd category is because this genre can be divided into a near-infinite amount of subgenres.
Splintered across the timelines, a twinge of weird touches the farthest reaches of our collective imagination. Sticking with a visual medium for the moment, let’s examine a type of series with an enduring popularity - the teen drama. Dawson’s Creek appealed to high schoolers and adults alike in its 90s-00s heyday. Not many viewers would be quick to classify this show about a group of teen friends navigating their way through life while discovering who they are as people as a sci-fi tale (though, this show had a couple of Halloween episodes that bordered on supernatural). 7th Heaven, One Tree Hill, The OC, Everwood - the list goes on, and this collection of slice of life dramas doesn’t even include more adult contemporary fare. For the sake of time, we won’t even go into the plethora of courtroom and police procedurals. But much like many fantasy origin stories, a simple twist of fate can alter a genre forever.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer expanded its original movie’s universe as well as served as a top contributor to redefining what fans liked to see in their familiar family drama fare. High school issues with monsters, curses, and various horror elements that would’ve normally been reserved for late-night spookfests. Smallville saw young Clark Kent develop his powers on his journey to becoming Superman while starting out as a freshman. The 100 raised the stakes to an extreme level by placing its young heroes in a post-apocalyptic wasteland while their counterparts faced impossible situations aboard a doomed space station. Flipping a style of show on its ear became mainstream - Dawson’s Creek with superpowers ruled the world. Still does, except now it’s more like Riverdale exploring pararellel universes.
Sci-fi can be blatant, like in a sweeping saga such as Dune, or it can creep its way into the most unexpected of homes, as is the case of Oz: who could forget the brief storyline of artificially aging inmates as a way to speed up their sentences? Twisted takes on our world and dimensions beyond are available in every format you can conjure. Films, television, novels, audiobooks, comic books - if it’s a way a story can be told, then an author/artist/creator will inevitably include something about a clone, aliens, or someone shooting lasers from their eye sockets.
Due to the widespread fandom of general sci-fi, I decided to start a Facebook group celebrating the massive genre and its many forms. The Unsecret Society of Sci-Fi Fans welcomes everyone who enjoys this broad realm of robots, wizards, and superheroes. It’s a wide net, but I didn’t want to limit the love of all these different stories. Each unique tome or short film or whatever it may be is open for discussion. That being said, I also wanted to share a space to talk about my own offering - Unsecret Identity: Eric Icarus - Book One, my debut full-length novel about a fourteen-year-old who discovers he has the miraculous ability to fly. The catch? He can’t stop flying. What does he do to cover up the fact the of he stops floating, a mysterious weakness causes him immense pain? He hides in plain flight as one of his city’s superheroes.
I don’t think I’m anywhere near having a fan club, but I want to share my enthusiasm over my own project as well as invite others to read this book - and to explore their own ideas.
Sci-fans aren’t always nice, which is an unfortunate aspect of reality for which there is no IRL escapism. Well actually, sometimes nerds can be downright mean. The very dweebs who get bullied for being different can also be cruel gatekeepers of their sacred franchises. Any social media platform will showcase comments and posts dealing with a sciencey subject and these textual tirades are, to put it mildly, off-putting. It’s enough to send any curious new fan back into sci-go hiding. So-called normies intake a generous amount of sci-fi whether or not they consider themselves specifically as fans of the category. Still, a casual fan may look at a distasteful diatribe about who is the best Spider-Man and it’s easy to understand why the entirety of the genre is still in the dark ages - at least, from a certain point of view.
The Unsecret Society of Sci-Fi Fans is intended to be one of those oases where people can have fun with their unhealthy obsessions. This burgeoning community is open for all weirdos who love their weirdo stories. The main rule? It’s not a secret club, but we do live in a society.
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