Obscure Subgenres You Need To Try

What is up, my people! I thought that today it would be really fun to write a list of more obscure subgenres for people to try. Bear in mind that this isn't an exhaustive list(a term that here means a list of all the things) of subgenres, that would have to be a completely different thing and would take, wow, a lot of time and energy.

Today we're just going to go through some lesser known subgenres to help you find something new and fun to explore. Chances are, after this, I'm going to be writing some really weird short stories, but if I've done my job right, so will you!


Fantasy Subgenres

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• Military Fantasy. Important note: There's lots of fantasy that has military elements, but that's not what this is. Military fantasy is specifically fantasy that focuses on the lives of soldiers. Whether they have magic or they're fighting evil wizards, it focuses on the military and their lives within the world.
• Science Fantasy. Science fiction+fantasy=science fantasy! This is fantasy set far into the future, involving science fiction elements!
• Historical Fantasy. Fantasy set in our actual history, but with fantasy magic thrown in! Fun, right? Another off-branch of this is Alternative Fantasy, which is set in an alternate timeline to our own.
• Gaslamp. This kind of fantasy is set in Regency/Edwardian/Victorian era, with British influences. Also, is that not the coolest name for a subgenre ever??
• Hard Urban Fantasy, or Magical Realism. This is my favorite kind of urban fantasy. I've raved about it on here before. It's the kind of urban fantasy where magic and magic creatures are a normal, accepted part of life, and it's worked properly into the world. For example, The Last Dragonslayer.

Science Fiction Subgenres

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• Cyberpunk. This one is more oriented toward the setting than anything else, but it's awesome!! Cyberpunk science fiction involves a lot of computers, cyborgs, hackers, bright colors, and neons. Humans typically have built-in computer links in this world and spend a lot of time there, kind of like The Matrix.
• Light Sci-Fi. Another one of my favorite sub-genres. Light sci-fi is science fiction that doesn't take itself seriously. Light-hearted humor, hilarious aliens, you name it. This stuff is just awesome.
• Military Sci-Fi. Like military fantasy, but with sci-fi. The lives of these soldiers involve cybernetic parts, blaster guns, and deployment on spaceships.
• Near-Future. This is a classic, but there are always more possibilities. Where do you think the world will be in fifty years? One hundred? Five hundred? Write about that. Bear in mind though that these near-future science fiction stories are often written as warnings of the wrong paths we might be going down.

Historical Fiction Subgenres

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• Multi-Period. Believe it or not, there are actual book series that cover the story of a place from the American Indian era all the way to the present. There are others that happen in two different time frames. The options are endless, so could we have more of these, please? They sound awesome.
• Historical Mystery. You really can't beat this classic. It's not as obscure, but there are so many options one can go with. Mysteries set in cool time periods. . . you just can't beat it.
• Alternative. Confession: I don't know if this counts as more sci-fi or if it actually is historical fiction, but there are many good books where the author changed some very important detail or event to make an alternate timeline. Just think of the implications of killing George Washington as he crossed the Delaware!
• Humor Historical. Just like sci-fi, it doesn't have to be serious. No one's paying us to take our jobs or our genres seriously, so why don't we be funny? The fact that there's a book called Al Capone Does My Shirts is just awesome.
• Fictional Biographies. I've seen so many of these, and I think the authors are geniuses. You're not trying to avoid offending anyone, you're not trying to write an accurate biography, you're just trying to write a fun story about a historical figure, making them more human, more relatable, and sometimes, more fun!

Contemporary Subgenres

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• Mystery. You can never really have too many of these, can you? And your options are limitless. Every time someone switches up the crime or better yet the setting, it creates a new pathway to take.
• Crisis. There are many kinds of crises, from a house fire to a tsunami(seriously, why don't we see more tsunamis?) to a parent being killed by a bear. Watching a character survive a crisis is something I never get tired of. Honestly, these are the realistic fiction books I enjoy more than any others.
• Illness. I'm sure there's a name for this subgenre, but I'm not familiar with it. You know this one: One or more of the characters have some sort of illness or disease, sometimes fatal, and we're told of their adventure throughout their life. Or, in some cases, what they choose to do with the rest of their life.
• Cultural. Whether it's a first-world Chinese family in New York City or a little village in the depths of Africa, cultural books seem to be capturing the world's attention. These often encompass the issues that the actual people would face given their culture and situation. When done well, the cultures can be fascinating.
• Game fiction. (Think more like the movie Tag than The Hunger Games.) I see so few of these, so, more please! I love books involving high-stakes games like serious hide-and-seek, capture the flag, et cetera. I read one once involving a big game of Jeopardy. These are highly enjoyable.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go write about thirteen short stories. Or novels. Whichever comes first.

Did you find something new to write about? Did I miss any genres you wanted to see? Let me know in the comments!

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