Pre Apocalyptic?

Arcadia Divine · Nov 15, 2011

Let me tell you a little bit about my idea first.

It's titled Apocalypse Walker. To sum it all up, I ask two questions. How would you feel if your life determined the time before the apocalypse happened? How would you feel if everyone knew?

Basically it's the events leading up to the apocalypse.

What genre would that be? Is there even a pre apocalyptic genre? It takes place on Earth in a close future. I was thinking around year 2020.

It's going to be a very dark book.

MJNL · Nov 15, 2011

I think I'd just clasify it as science fiction--unless it doesn't have anything to do with science, of course. If it's a magical sort of lead in, I'd go with dark fantasy (Maybe even urban fantasy, depending on your setting).

jjdebenedictis · Nov 15, 2011

It's speculative fiction of some sort. Is the apocalypse technological or mythological in nature?

If it's technological, then it's science fiction. If it's mythological, then it's fantasy.

If it's zombies, then it's ~~a pile of awesome with sprinkles on top~~ horror.

Arcadia Divine · Nov 15, 2011

I was thinking the apocalypse would be a combination of technological and mythological.

Dark science fantasy?

Dark River · Nov 15, 2011

sci-fi fantasy

jjdebenedictis · Nov 15, 2011

Wait until it's written and then decide how to classify it.

All agents/editors really care about is where it will be shelved in the bookstore. You only need to get the genre approximately right.

LaneHeymont · Nov 19, 2011

jjdebenedictis said:
Wait until it's written and then decide how to classify it.

All agents/editors really care about is where it will be shelved in the bookstore. You only need to get the genre approximately right.

Exactly.

thothguard51 · Nov 19, 2011

Lucifers Hammer, deals with events leading up to an apocalyptic event and what happens afterwards.

There are others as well and most are classified as SF because technology is involved.

Good luck on this...

Architectus · Nov 20, 2011

It can be hard to distinguish between sci-fi and fantasy. Dune is sci-fi, but it has loads of fantasy elements. Is it sci-fi because there are spaceships? Can a fantasy have spaceships and still be fantasy?

Arcadia Divine · Nov 20, 2011

Architectus said:
It can be hard to distinguish between sci-fi and fantasy. Dune is sci-fi, but it has loads of fantasy elements. Is it sci-fi because there are spaceships? Can a fantasy have spaceships and still be fantasy?

Fantasy can't have spaceships. Science fantasy can have spaceships but not fantasy alone.

samsevern · Dec 4, 2011

Arcadia Divine said:
Fantasy can't have spaceships. Science fantasy can have spaceships but not fantasy alone.

This example isn't a piece of literature, directly, but does that make World of Warcraft not Fantasy or Sci-Fi-Fantasy for including the Draenei, an alien race that landed in a spaceship?

Also, I'd definitely wait until you have a clear idea of the plot, at least, then just see what genre sounds right. Honestly, it sounds like dystopian fiction, but that is too specific a term. I'd suggest Sci-Fi though because the Fantasy genre expects extremely differential settings, and if your story plays on earth you'd be better off with the SF crowd in my opinion.

Smiling Ted · Dec 4, 2011

Arcadia Divine said:
Basically it's the events leading up to the apocalypse.

What genre would that be? Is there even a pre apocalyptic genre? It takes place on Earth in a close future. I was thinking around year 2020.

Do you mean the Christian apocalypse, or a more secular end of the world?

For the Christian one, there's certainly a POST-apocalyptic genre, including the "Left Behind" series.

defyalllogic · Dec 4, 2011

There's a Scifi Comic I know of that is Pre-Apocalypse. It's called "Days Missing"

From Publishers Weekly
Stewart is a lonely immortal who for hundreds of millions of years has been trying to breed peers from the material available to him on Earth. Blessed with the ability to wind back time one day whenever calamity strikes, he has been guiding mammals toward intelligence and wisdom ever since his first choice—dinosaurs—were taken from him by an event so large even he could not reverse it. In the millions of years since hominids first appeared, Stewart has erased apocalypse after apocalypse from an unknowing humanity's past, steering us past extinction and folly toward near-godhood. This volume recounts five such interventions, ranging from a doomsday plague to nanotech research gone horribly right. Stewart's great power is tempered by its limitations, and his potential for arrogance is tempered both by empathy and the fact that he does not always win—even his victories come with bitter costs. Although Days Missing takes liberties with history and it's a bit Eurocentric, it's still a tolerable entry in the Secret History genre. (Mar.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

toogrey2 · Dec 4, 2011

Can someone give me a clear definition between scifi, dark fantasy and horror.

toogrey2 · Dec 4, 2011

I know that may have sounded like a stupid question but from the way I understand your premise, it could fall under any of them. I get the genre of books and movies like Saw, or Lord of the Rings, or Alien but when you get into books or movies like I Am Legend and Resident Evil- to me the lines get blurred.

samsevern · Dec 6, 2011

toogrey2 said:
Can someone give me a clear definition between scifi, dark fantasy and horror.

SF takes place in a world that is more advanced than ours currently is.

Dark Fantasy differs from horror in the sense that it employs a setting of magical or mystic sort.

Kricket · Dec 6, 2011

MJNL said:
I think I'd just clasify it as science fiction--unless it doesn't have anything to do with science, of course. If it's a magical sort of lead in, I'd go with dark fantasy (Maybe even urban fantasy, depending on your setting).

This.

jjdebenedictis said:
Wait until it's written and then decide how to classify it.

All agents/editors really care about is where it will be shelved in the bookstore. You only need to get the genre approximately right.

And this.

And in the end, the Sci-fi and Fantasy all end up in the same section of shelves. :Shrug:

But I'd say sci-fi just because of the future aspect of it.

Arcadia Divine · Dec 7, 2011

Smiling Ted said:
Do you mean the Christian apocalypse, or a more secular end of the world?

For the Christian one, there's certainly a POST-apocalyptic genre, including the "Left Behind" series.

I would have to both but more on the christian side, provided I know what you mean by the "more secular end of the world" part.

Sorry, brain's not working right. Too much sleep does that to me.

Pre Apocalyptic?

Arcadia Divine

MJNL

A Little Lost

jjdebenedictis

is watching you via her avatar

Arcadia Divine

Dark River

jjdebenedictis

is watching you via her avatar

LaneHeymont

Not so secret agent

thothguard51

A Gentleman of a refined age...

Architectus

Arcadia Divine

samsevern

Chasm Dweller

Smiling Ted

Ah-HA!

defyalllogic

i'm a girl. (i have tendonitis)

toogrey2

toogrey2

toogrey2

toogrey2

samsevern

Chasm Dweller

Kricket

Chirp! Chirp!

Arcadia Divine