Science fiction and fantasy genres, tropes and themes

Genre · Fantasy

Comic Fantasy Contemporary Fantasy Cozy Fantasy Dark Fantasy Fairytale Fantasy Fairytale Subversion Fantasy of Manners Flintlock Fantasy Gaslamp Fantasy Heroic Fantasy High Fantasy Historical Fantasy Isekai LitRPG Low Fantasy Manapunk Mythic Fantasy Portal Fantasy Progression Fantasy Romantasy Steampunk Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Urban Fantasy Weird Fantasy Wuxia Xianxia

Genre · Horror

Body Horror Cosmic Horror Creature Feature Eco-Horror Fairytale Horror Folk Horror Gothic Horror Horror Comedy Liminal Horror Occult Paranormal Psychological Horror Quiet Horror Slasher Splatterpunk Supernatural Horror

Genre · Sci fantasy

Dying Earth Magical Realism Mythpunk New Weird Planetary Romance Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Silkpunk Slipstream Space Fantasy Superhero Techno-Mysticism

Genre · Sci fi

Alien Invasion Alternate History Android Fiction Artificial Intelligence Artificial Life Cli-Fi Colonization Comic Sci-Fi Cyberpunk Dystopian Sci-Fi Generation Ship Hard Sci-Fi Military Sci-Fi Mind Uploading Mundane SF Near-Future Parallel Universe Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Pulp Retro-Futurism Soft SF Solarpunk Space Exploration Space Opera Tech Noir Terraforming Theological Time Travel Utopian Sci-Fi Virtual Reality

Narrative · Conflict theme

Duty vs Desire Entropy vs Stasis Human vs Post-Human Memory vs Identity Order vs Chaos Power vs Integrity Reality vs Simulation Survival vs Morality

Narrative · Conflict type

Person vs Alien Person vs Biology Person vs Fate Person vs God Person vs Machine Person vs Nature Person vs Society Person vs Supernatural

Narrative · Mood

Adventurous Cynical Dread Empowered Ethereal Melancholy Nihilistic Nostalgic Pensive Scared Tense Vengeful Whimsical Wonder

Narrative · Motif

Corruption & Decay Exile & Return Inheritance of Sin Insignificance Knowledge as Curse Light & Dark Parasitism Redemption Sacrifice & Cost The Betrayal The Double / Mirror Self The Monster Within The Price of Power The Unfinished Cycle The Wound That Won't Heal

Narrative · Pacing

Breakneck/Thriller Relentless Dread The Slow Burn

Narrative · Perspective

Sensory Deprived

Narrative · Philosophy

Absurdism Bioethics Existentialist Philosophical Allegory Posthumanism Transhumanism

Narrative · Prose

Hallucinatory Lyrical/Rhythmic Visceral/Gritty

Narrative · Queer theme

Gay Lesbian Queer

Narrative · Target audience

Adult Chapter Books Middle Grade New Adult Young Adult

Narrative · Theme

Belonging & Exile Coming of Age Complicity & Guilt Faith & Doubt Identity & Selfhood Immortality Justice & Revenge Legacy & Inheritance Love & Loss Memory & Grief Nature vs Technology Power & Corruption Survival vs Civilization Transformation & Becoming Truth & Deception

Narrative · Tone

Claustrophobic Clinical Cosmic Dread Cyber Noir Grimdark Hopepunk Melancholic Mystical Noblebright Satirical Suburban Gothic The Uncanny Visceral

Narrative · Trope

Aftermath Scavenger AI Rebellion Battle Royale Enemies to Lovers Failed Uplift Fake Relationship Final Girl First Contact Fish Out of Water Found Family Heist/Caper Last of Their Kind Locked Room Man-Made Horror Mentor's Sacrifice Reincarnation Slumbering Ancient Tangled Web The Body Snatcher The Breach The Chosen One The Corruption Arc The Descent The Great Twist The Haunting The Quest The Redemption Arc The Time Loop The Training Arc Unlikely Allies Zero to Hero

Character · Affiliation

Blood-Pact Co-Dependent Consigned Deniable Asset High Command Independent Infiltrator Legacy Mercenary Neural-Linked Penal-Legion Programmed Renegade Sleeper-Agent The Prophet

Character · Alignment

Malevolent Subversive

Character · Archetype

Anthropomorphic Protagonist Anti-Hero Anti-Villain Artificial Being Avenger Beast Master Berserker Chosen One Corporate Drone Cursed One Diplomat Disgraced Knight Eldritch Being Everyman Fallen Angel Femme Fatale Fool Guardian Harbinger Hidden Heir Inquisitor Last of Kind Monster Hunter Noble Outcast Prophet Reformed Villain Relic Hunter Reluctant Hero Rogue Soldier of Fortune Space Marine Spymaster Tortured Soul Transmigrator Trickster Usurper Vigilante Wanderer Witch Hunter

Character · Background

AI-Origin Anachronism Exile False Memories Final One Former Villain Immigrant Lab Rat Military Brat Orphan Privileged Runaway Severed Street Urchin Survivor Uplifted Urban Legend Vat-Grown Void-Born

Character · Capability

Arcane Theory Diplomacy Espionage Investigation Occultism Parapsychology Piloting Xenobiology

Character · Cognition

De-synced

Character · Cognitive state

Hive-Integrated Simulated

Character · Faction

AI-Network Black-Ops Contractors Geneticists Mega-Corp Scavenger-Tribe Techno-Cult The Collective The Foundation United Worlds

Character · Group logic

Gestalt Kinship Military

Character · Morality

Hive-Minded Simulationist Totalitarian Vindictive

Character · Motivation

Freedom Survival The Exit Vengeance

Character · Origin

Cloned Cosmic Anomaly Extra-Dimensional Reincarnated Resurrected Summoned

Character · Physique

Bestial Enhanced Gargantuan

Character · Relation

Blood Bound Digital Haunting Doppelganger Forced Cooperation Intermediary Master / Servant Prophetic Mirror Protector / Ward Rivalry Secret Keeper Star-Crossed Symbiotic Vessel / Occupant

Character · Social rank

Ascendant Augmented Elite Deity Thrall

Character · Species

AI Alien Android Demon Dwarf Elf Fae Hybrid Mutant Shapeshifter Undead Vampire Werewolf Witch

Character · Status

Augmented Body Horror Victim Cursed Dormant Host Enchanted Incognito Irradiated Marked Monitored Possessed Synced Time-Displaced

World · Aesthetic

Ancient Astronaut Biopunk Brutalist Classical Clinical White Clockwork Cyber Gothic Dieselpunk Dungeoncore Eldritch Liminal Flesh-Tech Gaslamp Gothic Neon Noir Pastoral Eerie Raygun Gothic Scrap-Tech Steampunk Void Industrial

World · Biome

Forest Maritime Underground

World · Chronology

Age of Myth Ascension Era Era of Stagnation Expansion Era Galactic Hegemony Heat Death High Medieval Industrial Fantasy Post-Biological Pre-Historic The Interregnum Twilight Age

World · Cosmology

Afterlife Alt-History Cosmic Indifference Dream Logic Dyschronic Reality Entropic Decay Hidden World Liminal Space Mythic Past Mythic Present Nested Reality Parallel Dimensions Parasitic Reality Post-Magic Earth Technological Singularity Temporal Loop

World · Culture base

African Colonial Frontier East Asian Eurocentric Middle Eastern Monastic Sci-Fi North American Oceanic Post-Industrial Slavic Transhumanist Xenomorphic

World · Event chronology

Contact Event Great Calamity Long Night Prophetic Window The Awakening The Convergence The Exodus The First War The Forgetting The Great Filter The Reckoning The Sundering

World · Geopolitical

Hegemonic Vassal State

World · Landmark

Eldritch Scar Manifest Zone Necropolis Oracle Site Threshold Gate

World · Power structure

Anarchy Cryptocracy Feudal Genocracy Necrocracy

World · Scale

Cosmic Extradimensional Galactic Nested Planetary Temporal Expanse Universal

World · Social structure

Colonized Dystopian Feudal Futurism Frontier Hedonistic Isolationist Magocracy Panoptic Post-Apocalyptic Predatory Scavenger Technocratic Urban Utopian Virtual War-Torn

World · Systems

Existential Cost Social Ostracization Temporal Displacement

World · Temporal logic

Cyclical Dilated Echoic Retrocausal Shattered

World · Temporal system

Ancestral Basis Relativistic Tally

World · World scope

Generational Internal Liminal Mid-Range Multiversal

System · Access

Admin Rights Cyber-Installed Granted Host-Based Item-Dependent Stolen

System · Discipline

Aeromancy Chaos Chronomancy Conjuration Divination Electromancy Enchantment Illusion Necromancy Net-Running Neural-Puppetry Oneiromancy Psionics Simulacra Umbral

System · Enchantment

AI-Integrated Cyber-Modded Entangled Haunted Idea-Bound Isotope-Powered Living Artifact Soul-Bound

System · Integration mechanics

Black Market Corporate-Owned Forgotten Lore Religious-Gated The Masquerade

System · Limitation

Memory Loss Sanity Loss

System · Logic

Echo-Based High Magic Sentient The Veil

System · Manifestation

Nanite-Swarm Possession

System · Materiality

Exotic Matter Nanite-Sludge Soul Essence

System · Side effect

Anima Leak Metal-Plague Temporal Echo

System · Sociology

AI-Surveillance Apprenticeship System Secrecy Mandate Tech-First

System · Source

Ancestral Arcane Cybernetic Digital Ghost Divine Eldritch Hive Mind Nanotech Parasitic Psionic Quantum Flux Radiological Simulation Spatial Anomaly Technomancy Viral

System · Vibe

Necro-Flesh Radiant Shadow Weighty