Common themes in sci-fi novels

[mosquiter]

I am writing my first novel in which I want to cover the theme of human nature as opposed to that of animals: aggression, curiosity, boredom... I hadn't planned it from the start though, it just came to me as alongside a newly-sparked interested in psychology in the course of my first writing. I was wondering...

Do you guys usually aim for a specific psychological, sociological or psychological theme or whatever comes to mind in the course of writing?

How overt do you leave them be? In the form of some heavy exposition or hidden in some deep symbology?

Which themes have you covered so far in your previous work and why?

And how important do you think they are for sf/f novels?

 

[Nick B]

Are you looking to express the difference between animals and humans, or the similarity?

I wont overtly try to put any sort of message or theme in my writing as I personaly don't like being preached to, though of course everyones writing is coloured by their views and beliefs.

It is probably better to do it subtly if you do want to do it though. Subtle works on peoples
minds better I think.

 

[LittleStar]

I agree with Quellist, I find overt and obvious messages attached to anything quite preachy and it distracts me from the primary intent of entertainment. I find that if you try and write something with a specific message in mind than it often comes across this way.

That's why I don't really think of themes or symbolism, until it jumps out at me while writing. For a very bad example (not taken from any current project) if I notice that my MC is feeling trapped in his work or life, and completely unconsciously I'm writing a scene with him where he is watching an octopus get into a corked bottle and take the fish. I find these sorts of metaphors and symbols constantly pop up in people's work, and time and again when pointed out they admit that they didn't even know. The more you engage with your characters and their situations on a creative level, the more these things appear and therefore the more natural they seem.

 

[mosquiter]

Hmm, I guess I should drop the part with musings about religion

I'm writing about alien nations at war with each other: one (potentially) evolved from plants and the other more human-like, but with dominant bestial nature. With the humans jumping into the conflict as the third party, I try to show similarities and more importantly differences, but not in a preachy way. All three sides point fingers, all of them are faulty and all three are a bit racist. But it's war to you, eh?

The more you engage with your characters and their situations on a creative level, the more these things appear and therefore the more natural they seem.

Good point there.

 

[Brian G Turner]

I guess I should drop the part with musings about religion

Put whatever you want to in it. Having strong opinions on sociological issues certainly never hurt Heinlein.

In that regard, if you're serious about writing science fiction, you would certainly be recommended to read what has gone on before - classic SF, plus whatever has been published to acclaim over the past 10 years, for starters.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Do you guys usually aim for a specific psychological, sociological or psychological theme or whatever comes to mind in the course of writing?

I do think it does help to have a general theme in a novel - a strong theme can really show you how to really focus when it comes to streamlining plots, getting the right types of characters etc..... A constraint like that can really help make the work compact and deep at the same time, but...

How overt do you leave them be? In the form of some heavy exposition or hidden in some deep symbology?

I'd steer clear from overt: it can lead, as you say, to heavy exposition, or if you are gunning for one side of the argument about the theme you run the risk of alienating readers who instantly get it and disagree with you! (I'm much more of the school of thought that there are no black and white answers in this world, so I'd much prefer to put up ambiguous messages about themes and try and point out the good and bad)

And how important do you think they are for sf/f novels?

In the sense that some definitions of SF has it as a literature of ideas, then I do think it is quite high up on the importance scale. Maybe not so much for fantasy...but I'm not really the person to ask about Fantasy Literature.

 

[ralphkern]

Many writers dabble in the sociological aspects of SF. Two authors who have explored how society changes with the advent of high technology are Peter F Hamilton (Pretty much them all!) and Alastair Reynolds (Revelation Space series and House of Suns especially).

For the psychological side, you would have to dig through some Phillip K Dick stuff. (Or watch the movies)

Many books pay some kind of lip service to the differences between alien races that may cause them to go to war. But often it devolves back to, 'I don't like them because they have funny ridges on their fore head' or Star Trek syndrome.

I'm not that well read on Space Opera warry stuff, but I do recall that Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet series at least tries to explore the fact that some completely dissimilar races may have evolved in ways that would cause irreconcilable differences - causing them to go to war.

For example he has one race that values privacy above all else, and another race that has evolved from a herd of prey-animals who view everything outside of their herd as a threat. And then humans come along and negotiate using duct tape.... :/

 

[Nick B]

I think generally, sociological stuff is a natural part of a great deal of sf by default, when you describe a future scenario you usualy get the state of society as part of the story. It is one of the most interesting parts of the world building process. A rich universe and history also make the writing easier and more rewarding I think.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

In my view it's all in how you write it. I suspect you run the danger of being seen as preachy if you write a book from the outset with an idea of pushing a particular sociological / psychological barrow. But it can still be well done. On the other hand you can't really divorce your characters completely from your own views of these sorts of issues, without risking leaving your work potentially dry and unconvincing.

To give a positive example. I recently watched the BBC adaptation of Gormengast - which was remarkably good, but limited compared to the Peake books. However the books work on many levels. On the one hand it is the story of Steerpike (and don't you love that name!) and his overwhelming ambition and Machiavellian rise to power by any means necessary - with a love story rolled in. But on a deeper level it's actually an insightful and even bitter criticism of the traditional pre-victorian class system. And as always you are left with the question - was Steerpike truly evil? Or was he also a victim of being born in a system which would have left him eternally as an abused kitchen hand?

The books are well enough written, the various plots engaging enough, the characters fascinting enough, and the world build is exciting, complex and mad enough, that you don't really worry about those things while you're reading or watching the films. But when you take time to reflect on it, that message hits you front and centre and stays with you.

Another book that did that to me many years ago was Butler's Erewhon.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Michael Colton]

This is a pretty personal question. It comes down to what you want to explore and how you want to do it. Themes will crop up whether you intend for them to or not. There's nothing wrong with trying to mold that to an extent.

The following quote is obviously about a more literary novel and it is from a very specific perspective on the artform, but it is something worth pondering:

A novel is never anything but a philosophy put into images. And in a good novel, the whole of the philosophy has passed into the images. But if once the philosophy overflows the characters and action, and therefore looks like a label stuck on the work, the plot loses its authenticity and the novel its life. Nevertheless, a work that is to last cannot dispense with profound ideas. And this secret fusion between experiences and ideas, between life and reflection on the meaning of life, is what makes the great novelist.

- Albert Camus​

Obviously there are countless people that would wholeheartedly disagree with that statement. But it is just an example that there are multiple ways to approach the issue. What do you desire to do?

 

[tinkerdan]

I somewhat agree with Camus. In that it's improbable that a writer comes to the table without all that baggage and his point might be that there has to be a balance, so no matter how right the writers argument is, he has to try to balance that with other arguments or run the chance of overrunning the novel with his philosophy: ad nauseam.

If an author doesn't have the elements mentioned in the OP, I'd also guess that the novel will be rather flat. All the threads and subplots that evolve from those often drive and motivate the characters and assist in the description of the characters-they add depth.

One thing to be careful about though (especially since the study of psychology was mentioned) is leaning to far out there whether in support of what is believed or what is not. The further out an author leans the greater chance someone will try to reverse the psychology back to them and they'll analyzing the author based on the prevalent philosophy of their nymphomaniac heroine. It won't be hard to put some of each of those things of concerned into the writing. What will be difficult will be balancing it with the opposite that might be less considered by the author.

 

[anto-shturmovik]

IMHO, writing a book with a particular ideology (be it sociological, religious, political, you name it) can perfectly work in a SF novel. Think about Orwell or Huxley for instance.
In France we have an author, named Pierre Bordage (maybe you know him, his work has been translated I think, but I have no idea if it was successful abroad), who always tries to base his works in some sort of Buddhist philosophy. Personally I don't really like his books, but he's quite successful in France.

Oh, and of course +1 to Mr Camus. In doubt, always follow the advice of dear old Albert Camus !

 

[mosquiter]

I just thought that a well thought-over theme is a heart of every good novel and that it helps drive the plot and characters in a way that it is not just a random sequence of events. On the other hand, I definitely would not want to preach about strong political or sociological views.

 

[tinkerdan]

The key here is that I think your characters should be allowed to preach as part of their character::

I just thought that a well thought-over theme is a heart of every good novel and that it helps drive the plot and characters in a way that it is not just a random sequence of events. On the other hand, I definitely would not want to preach about strong political or sociological views.

:: Just temper it enough that it doesn't leak over as though the author feels the same way. Even if they do or don't.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

I don't consciously think of a theme to place into my novels or stories. They tend to be created on their own as the story is written. In my first published novel bullying becomes a major theme, but it was never intended. The further I got into writing the story, or more specifically one character, he became a bully. the other characters dealt with him in different ways which led to a major incident that propelled the story. I think a story needs to be able to write itself to a certain extent. It is nice that even though you are the one writing a the story, you can still be surprised at what takes place.

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

I think that's a really good point. When my stories start to write themselves with little regard to any plans I might have had for them it gets exciting. Of course there are times when the characters write themselves into a dead end which sucks but when it works the result is often fresh and unexpected, e.g. your bully @K.S. Crooks.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I hadn't planned it from the start though, it just came to me as alongside a newly-sparked interested in psychology in the course of my first writing. I was wondering...

All my best work was sorted out in my unconscious way before I became aware of it. Novels are their own mysterious stories. You often have to go with that.