Science Fiction Tropes

Tropes are often how readers find the books they are really looking for, and her at AuthorsZen, it's one of the ways we allow readers to search for and find the books they love. Here are some science fiction tropes for you to consider when you are uploading your book information to AuthorsZen.

Classic Science Fiction Tropes

1. Space Exploration: Characters explore distant planets, galaxies, or unknown regions of space.
2. Time Travel: Characters journey to the past or future, often creating paradoxes or alternate timelines.
3. Alien Encounters: Humanity meets extraterrestrial life, resulting in conflict, cooperation, or misunderstanding.
4. Dystopian Futures: Society has collapsed or transformed into an oppressive, nightmarish state.
5. Utopian Visions: A perfect society is imagined, often with hidden flaws.
6. Post-Apocalyptic Survival: Humanity struggles to survive after a global catastrophe (nuclear war, climate disaster, pandemic).
7. Artificial Intelligence: Sentient machines challenge human authority or grapple with their own existence.
8. Cyberpunk: High-tech advancements meet low-life societies, often in gritty urban settings.
9. Robots and Androids: Machines that resemble humans question the boundaries between artificial and organic life.
10. First Contact: Humanity’s first interaction with an alien species shapes the future.

Themes of Technology

1. Virtual Reality: Fully immersive digital worlds blur the line between reality and simulation.
2. Transhumanism: Humanity evolves beyond its biological limits through technology.
3. Genetic Engineering: The manipulation of DNA leads to superhumans, hybrids, or unforeseen consequences.
4. Cloning: The ethical and personal implications of creating human copies.
5. Nanotechnology: Tiny machines revolutionize medicine, warfare, or everyday life—sometimes with disastrous results.
6. Weaponized Technology: Advanced weapons threaten global or intergalactic stability.

Space & Interstellar Tropes

1. Spaceship as Home: The story revolves around the crew of a spacecraft, often with a close-knit dynamic.
2. Galactic Empires: Vast, interstellar civilizations and their political intrigues.
3. Faster-Than-Light Travel: Spaceships defy the speed of light, enabling intergalactic exploration.
4. Terraforming: Transforming a planet’s environment to make it habitable for humans.
5. Alien Invasion: Extraterrestrials attempt to conquer Earth, forcing humanity to fight back.
6. Space War: Intergalactic battles between factions or species.
7. The Rogue Planet: A wandering or mysterious planet plays a pivotal role in the plot.
8. Space Farming: In-ship farming on long voyages
9. Lost in space stories
10. Black Hole: A ship gets sucked through a black hole
11. Cryosleep, where ship inhabitants wake after a long time
12. Space pirates
13. Space westerns: colonies similar to the Wild West
14. Speed: Warp speed or faster than light technology
15. Wormholes and Portals

Time & Alternate Realities

1. Parallel Universes: Alternate dimensions exist alongside our own, often accessible through technology or natural phenomena.
2. Temporal Paradox: Actions in the past alter the future, creating unexpected consequences.
3. Endless Loop: Characters are stuck in a time loop, reliving events until they solve a central problem.
4. Alternate Histories: A divergence in history creates a vastly different world.

Human vs. Other Tropes

1. Man vs. Machine: Humans rebel against oppressive or out-of-control technology.
2. Alien-Human Hybrids: Cross-species characters explore identity and belonging.
3. The Alien as Metaphor: Extraterrestrial life reflects societal issues like prejudice or cultural clashes.
4. The Last Human: The sole survivor of humanity navigates a world populated by others.
5. Symbiotic Relationships: Humans and aliens or machines share an interdependent existence.

Survival & Exploration Tropes

1. The Lost Colony: A forgotten or isolated human colony is rediscovered with strange developments.
2. Alien Worlds: Exotic planets challenge humanity’s adaptability and ethics.
3. The Pioneer Spirit: Colonizing a new world mirrors humanity’s historical explorations.
4. The Hostile Planet: A world’s harsh environment poses constant threats to survival.

Social & Ethical Tropes

1. The Ethical AI: A sentient AI grapples with morality, often surpassing humanity’s ethical standards.
2. Social Stratification: Advanced technology exacerbates inequality, dividing society into haves and have-nots.
3. Alien Integration: Aliens and humans struggle to coexist or integrate their cultures.
4. The Genetic Divide: Society splits between those enhanced by genetic engineering and those who are not.

Adventure & Action Tropes

1. Space Pirates: Rogue spacefarers plunder ships and planets, often with moral ambiguity.
2. The Hero’s Journey: A protagonist embarks on an intergalactic quest to save the universe.
3. The Chosen One: A character destined to fulfill a prophecy and change the course of history.
4. The Rebel Alliance: A small group fights against an oppressive government or empire.
5. The Alien Artifact: A mysterious object of alien origin becomes the center of the plot.

Philosophical & Existential Tropes

1. The Simulation Hypothesis: Characters discover their reality is a computer simulation.
2. What Does It Mean to Be Human?: Themes of identity and humanity explored through robots, aliens, or clones.
3. The End of Humanity: A story that contemplates human extinction or evolution beyond recognition.
4. The Cosmic Horror: The universe’s vastness reveals humanity’s insignificance or encounters with incomprehensible alien forces.
5. The Great Filter: A theory explaining why humanity hasn’t encountered aliens, often tied to existential risks.

These are some science fiction tropes you may want to consider when uploading your book information to AuthorsZen. This ensures that the right readers find, and love your work.