My Dear Storybuff:
As I've shared before, I think Speculative Fiction (aka SpecFic) is a distinct genre from standard Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or Horror. You mind taking a gander at these loglines to get a better idea of what I mean? Here we go—
· To bring peace to a war-weathered world, a youth must awaken from a hundred-year hibernation and fulfill their destiny as the all-element bending mystic.
· After Nazi-Germany and Imperial Japan win WWII, a woman must follow the clues in a mysterious film to deliver America from totalitarianism.
· When people on a commercial flight land after vanishing for half a decade, they must reintegrate into society while deciphering messages from mysterious psychic abilities they’ve obtained to save humanity.
The first log line is about the world-wide animated series hit, Avatar: the Last Airbender. The Man in the High Castle is the book-to-TV tale that's home to the second. And Jeff Rake’s Manifest is the TV saga the third log line calls home.
These are, in my view, some captivating examples of contemporary SpecFic on the screen. You won't find any mind-boggling hard-science tropes, spells/incantations, or blood-lusting boogie men in these wonderful works. But you will be pulled into narratives that use metaphysical features, alternative realities, or supernatural wonders to grapple with very real threats to our shared humanity.
And these qualities are what make SpecFic as marvelous as and unique from Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or Horror genres. Have you watched any of the above works?
That's my story morning glory. Keep living out yours. And remember... Stories tell us.
Peace ~ D.V. Gwyth