The importance of speculative fiction in our ever evolving world is immense.
From fantasy to science fiction and every subgenre that they entail, speculative fiction is both escapism from our hard daily lives and at the same time a confrontation with our current society. It makes the genre an exciting and ever-changing entity that I personally love to write and read in for all the above reasons.
Plus, it’s awesome to let your imagination run wild and come up with or read about incredible worlds and characters or scarily accurate visions of the future.
But most importantly as Emmanuel Nataf puts it so brilliantly:
“Speculative fiction helps readers leave their inherent biases at the door when it comes to social issues. Because these stories often take place in otherworldly settings or societies that don’t resemble our own, authors can subtly encourage readers to consider different perspectives on actual issues.”
It makes speculative fiction a place from which people’s perspectives are challenged and by extension real societal change can happen. It is the perfect genre for marginalized voices to write about their experiences. I know it, because I am one of those voices.
Speculative fiction is the perfect genre to write in about your own most inner beliefs. You can be as personal as you want to be through any speculative fiction subgenre and your imagination can create a thousand different containers for it.
So while science fiction and fantasy may seem to stand as far away from reality as is possible and provide an escape from our harsh realities, in as many ways it mirrors them all.
Sandra Postma
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