You Must Have a Favorite Niche Literary Subgenre
Sometimes you want to dive deeper than traditional books about detective stories, novels, thrillers, science fiction and fantasy. If you like any of these five main literary genres, but still tired of them – or you just don’t know the difference between all these literary labels – it’s time to move on to a few niche subgenres … choose from. Here are some of our favorites.
If you want to explore the subgenres of romance novels
Maybe the good old “romance” doesn’t cut the mustard anymore. Many of the romantic subgenres are rooted in a specific time or context, so the story will include more niche themes and imagery.
- Erotic Romance: It’ll be sexier than average. Do you want a more descriptive or, dare I say, graphical language that moves across the page? Then it can quench your thirst for imagining two fictional characters bumping into freaks. Here is a list of your favorite erotic fiction .
- Western Romance: Do you like tough cowboys and girls in distress? Western Romance is set in the Wild West (or maybe the modern West if that’s more to you) and you can occasionally engage in rodeos or gunfights. Here’s a list of Western romance novels to get you started.
- Paranormal romance: let’s talk about a niche. Looking for a story on how to find love in a haunted place? This should meet all the requirements. There may be ghosts and demons, spirits and the like, but there will also be, mmm, romance. Here is a list to choose from .
If you want to explore the subgenres of detective novels
Detective novels always involve solving some kind of puzzle or crime, but different subgenres include different methods of investigation and often different types of lawyers and detectives.
- Historical Mystery: Try a mystery based on ancient times. You may find the trail of Jack the Ripper a little more fascinating than the current criminal investigation. Here is a list of examples .
- Cozy Secret: If you like riddles but don’t like gore, guts, gore, and psychopaths, then this is the kind of PG content you need. Cozy mystery is like watching Murder, She Wrote instead of a more gruesome thriller. Here’s a starting point .
- Private Investigator Mystery: If you like a Rogue Investigator who has his own penchant for solving crimes, then you can choose the Private Investigator Mystery. Sherlock Holmes is a classic example that also fits into the historical classification given its original publication in 1893. Here are some of the characters to choose from .
If you want to explore subgenres of thriller novels
Most thrillers revolve around a race against impending doom. But it is the context of this doom that determines the type of thriller you read.
- Legal Thriller: Do you enjoy high-stakes courtroom dramas? Are you against legal? Legal thrillers will leave you immersed in the vagueness that is often present in the narrative until the verdict is delivered. Here are ten to choose from .
- Horror Thriller: It’s scarier than most thrillers, but more addictive than most horror novels. A good example, as Writers Relief points out , is The Silence of the Lambs, which is based on a rather terrifying context but includes finding a detective to catch the killer before it’s too late. There are a lot of options .
- Political Thriller: High-stakes drama but between the most powerful leaders of the free world – this is the MO of this category. If you want an example that you can easily remember, consider a house of cards. Here are some popular ones .
If you want to explore science fiction subgenres
The science fiction subgenres are a pretty big church, so let’s focus on some of the more popular varieties.
- Steampunk Science Fiction : This genre has a lot to do with aesthetics and draws inspiration from 19th century steam technology. The technologies represented in this subgenre are as modern, if not more so, than the technologies of modern society, but they all work in tandem. As Steampunk Avenue notes, “Steampunk technology takes on a retro look, reminiscent of the era of the Industrial Revolution.” Here are some defining names for the subgenre .
- Sci-fi Alternative History: What If the United States hadn’t won World War II? This radical reorientation of the world as we know it is a general premise of alternative history. If you are looking for an introduction, which uses the theme of the Second World War, try “The Man in the High Castle,” Philip K. Dick.
- War fantasy: epic battles take place in space. It’s less like Star Wars – technically a saga that fans call a “space opera” – and more like Starship Troopers , which focuses more on interstellar war and everything that goes with it. Here are some options to get you started .
If you want to explore the subgenres of fantasy novels
Fantasy is always magic and magical conditions, but not all of this magic is portrayed in the same way.
- Low Fantasy: These novels mix the mystical with the mundane and normal, such as when a normal human character befriends a wizard or a fire-spitting dragon. As Book Riot notes, “[M] agic elements are intrusive in the known world, rather than pointing to the whole other imaginary world.” Reddit offered this list of recommendations .
- Epic Fantasy: Big, expansive fairy tales come to mind such as The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. They take place in completely different worlds and often include characters whose actions determine the fate of their immediate environment, and often everyone they know.
- Dark Fantasy: This is a fantasy based on either a real or a fictional world dominated by dark and morbid themes. You can think of Stephen King as a master of this style (although many of his books are just tomes of horror). Here are some options .