Compilation of hundreds of the most important fantasy books required much more effort from our editorial staff than similar game lists, movies and series. No wonder, because books are the foundation of all world fiction. As before, the main criterion for us was the significance of this or that work for world and domestic science fiction. Our list includes only those books and cycles that have become universally recognized pillars of science fiction literature or have had a significant impact on the development of individual science fiction trends. At the same time, we did not give in to the temptation to attribute the main contribution to science fiction to English-speaking authors: almost a fifth of our list is occupied by books by Russian masters of the word. So, here are the 100 books that, according to MF, any self-respecting fan of science fiction must read!

Forerunners of fantasy

Mary Shelley "Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus"

The book of an English lady, wife famous poet, written "on a bet". Percy Shelley and his friend Byron failed, and the 20-year-old girl wrote one of the most famous "Gothic" novels. But the matter was not limited to one gothic! The story of the Swiss scientist Victor Frankenstein, who learned how to animate dead tissue with electricity, is considered the first truly science fiction work.

Lewis Carroll "Alice in Wonderland"

Jules Verne "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"

One of the most famous books of the founding father of SF. Of course, several more of his novels can be put side by side - "Journey to the Center of the Earth", "From the Earth to the Moon", "Robur the Conqueror", but it is "20 thousand ..." that combines scientific and technical predictions that have come true, a fascinating adventurous plot, cognition and a bright character, whose name has become a household name. Who doesn't know Captain Nemo and his Nautilus?

Robert Louis Stevenson Strange story Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"

The story of two opposite halves of a single personality, at the same time - a moralizing parable about the duality of progress and the responsibility of science to society (later this topic was developed by G. Wells in The Invisible Man and The Island of Dr. Moreau). Stevenson cleverly combined elements of sci-fi, gothic horror and philosophical romance. The result is a book that spawned a lot of imitations and made the image of Jekyll Hyde a household name.

Mark Twain "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court"

Another classic that combines a satire on the writer's contemporary society and a brilliant embodiment of several fantastic ideas, later replicated by hundreds of authors. Time travel, alternative history, the idea of ​​a clash of cultures, the dubiousness of progressorism as a way to change an "inert" society - everything fits under one cover.

Bram Stoker "Dracula"

A novel about vampires that spawned an ocean of imitations in literary and cinematic fiction. The Irish Stoker showed the world an example of a competent "black PR". He took the true figure of the Wallachian ruler - a person of little sympathy, but in historical terms quite ordinary - and created a monster out of him with capital letter whose name is in mass consciousness placed somewhere between Lucifer and Hitler.

Isaac Asimov, Future History series

The first monumental history of the future in the world science fiction, the most striking part of which is the Foundation trilogy (Hugo award as the best fantasy series of all time). Asimov tried to reduce the development of civilization to a set of laws similar to mathematical formulas. The saviors of mankind are not generals and politicians, but scientists - adherents of the science of "psychohistory". And the action of the entire series covers 20 thousand years!

Robert Heinlein "Starship Troopers"

The novel caused a serious scandal, because many liberals saw in it propaganda of militarism and even fascism. Heinlein was a staunch libertarian whose idea of ​​responsibility to society coexisted with the rejection of the total restriction of personal freedom by the state. "Starship Troopers" is not just a reference "military war" about battles with strangers, but also a reflection of the writer's ideas about an ideal society, where duty is above all.

Alfred Elton Van Vogt "Slan"

The first significant work on biological mutations that threaten humanity with the transition to a new stage of evolution. Naturally, ordinary people are not ready to just go to the dustbin of history, so mutant slans have a hard time. The situation is complicated by the fact that slans are the fruit of genetic engineering. Will mankind itself give birth to its own gravedigger?

John Wyndham "Day of the Triffids"

The epitome of a sci-fi "disaster novel". As a result of a cosmic cataclysm, almost all earthlings became blind and turned into prey for predatory plants. End of civilization? No, the British science fiction novel is imbued with faith in the power of the human spirit. Say, "Let's join hands, friends, so as not to disappear one by one"! The book started a wave of similar (though often more pessimistic) stories.

Walter Miller "The Leibovitz Passion"

Classic post-apocalyptic epic. After a nuclear war, the only bulwark of knowledge and culture remains the church in the person of the Order of St. Leibovitz, founded by a physicist. The action of the book takes place over a thousand years: civilization is gradually reborn in order to perish again ... A sincere believer, Miller looks with deep pessimism at the ability of religion to bring true salvation to humanity.

Isaac Asimov, I, Robot

Asimov's stories about robots developed the theme raised by Karel Capek in the play R.U.R. - about the relationship between man and artificial intelligence. Three Laws of Robotics - ethical basis for the existence of artificial creatures, capable of suppressing the "Frankenstein complex" (an implicit desire to destroy their Creator). These are not just stories about thinking pieces of iron, but a book about people, their moral throwing and spiritual experiments.

Philip K. Dick "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

The first example of genuine cyberpunk, which appeared long before the birth of the term itself and the fantastic phenomenon it designated. The acid-gloomy world of the future, whose inhabitants constantly question the meaning and even the reality of their own existence, are themes that are characteristic of this novel, and of Dick's entire work. And the book served as the basis for Ridley Scott's cult film Blade Runner.

William Gibson Neuromancer

The holy book of cyberpunk, where there are almost all of its iconic signs. Brilliantly depicted in a high-tech near future, in which predatory multinational corporations hold power and cybercrime flourishes. Gibson acted as a real prophet of the digital era that has come today, not only foreseeing the problems of information technology development, but also introducing specific computer jargon into wide circulation.

Arthur Clarke "2001: A Space Odyssey"

Based on an old story, Arthur C. Clarke wrote the screenplay for Stanley Kubrick's film - the first real sci-fi epic of world cinema. And novelization has become a symbol of serious space science fiction. No Star Wars, no superheroes with blasters. A realistic story about an expedition to Jupiter, during which the machine mind reaches its limit, but a person is able to go beyond any limits of the possible.

Michael Crichton "Park" Jurassic»

Crichton is considered the father of the science fiction techno-thriller. "Jurassic Park" is not the first work of its kind, but one of the most famous, largely due to the adaptation of Steven Spielberg. Being essentially a skillful combination of themes and ideas repeatedly worked out in science fiction - genetic engineering, cloning, rebellion of artificial creatures - the novel has gained millions of fans and many imitations.

HG Wells "Time Machine"

One of the cornerstones of modern SF is the book that pioneered the exploitation of the theme of time travel. Wells also tried to continue his contemporary capitalism into the distant future, in which humanity was divided into two biological species. Even more than the strange society of Eloi and Morlocks, the "end of times" shakes, which marks the complete death of the mind.

Evgeny Zamyatin "We"

The first great dystopia that influenced other classics - Huxley and Orwell, not to mention the many science fiction writers who try to critically predict the development of society. The action of the story takes place in a pseudo-utopia, where the role of a person is reduced to the position of an insignificant cog. The result is an "ideal" anthill society in which "one is zero, one is nonsense."

Aldous Huxley "Brave New World"

One of the foundations of literary dystopia. Unlike his contemporaries, who exposed specific political models, Huxley's novel polemicized with idealistic views about the perfection of technocracy. The intellectuals who have seized power will build another version of the concentration camp - albeit a decent-looking one. Alas, our modern society confirms the correctness of Huxley.

George Orwell "1984"

Another classic dystopian novel inspired by the grim events of World War II. Perhaps now in all corners of the world they heard the terms “Big Brother” and “Newspeak” coined by Orwell. "1984" is satirical image absolute totalitarianism, no matter what ideology - socialist, capitalist or Nazi - he covered himself.

Kurt Vonnegut "Slaughterhouse Five"

A masterpiece of anti-war fiction (and literature in general). The hero of the book is the alter ego of the author Billy Pilgrim, a war veteran who survived barbaric bombardment Dresden. Abducted by aliens, the hero only with their help will be able to recover from a nervous shock and find inner peace. The fantastic plot of the book is just a technique with which Vonnegut fights the inner demons of his generation.

Robert Heinlein "Stranger in a Strange Land"

First sf book to become a national bestseller in the United States. This is the story of "cosmic Mowgli" - the earthly child of Michael Valentine Smith, who was brought up by representatives of a fundamentally different mind and became the new Messiah. In addition to the obvious artistic merit and the discovery of many topics forbidden for science fiction, the significance of the novel is that it finally turned the public perception of SF as literature for immature minds.

Stanislav Lem "Solaris"

The flagship of philosophical science fiction. The book of a remarkable Polish writer tells about an unsuccessful contact with a civilization that is absolutely alien to us. Lem created one of the most unusual SF-worlds - a single mind of the planet-ocean Solaris. And you can take thousands of samples, put hundreds of experiments, put forward dozens of theories - the truth will remain "out there, beyond the horizon." Science simply cannot unravel all the mysteries of the universe - no matter how hard you try...

Ray Bradbury "The Martian Chronicles"

A multifaceted cycle about the conquest of Mars by man, where a strange and once great civilization. This is a poetic story about the collision of two different cultures, and reflections on the eternal problems and values ​​of our existence. "The Martian Chronicles" is one of the books that clearly demonstrates that science fiction is able to touch upon the most complex problems and can compete on equal terms with "big" literature.

Ursula Le Guin, Hein cycle

One of the brightest stories of the future, a masterpiece of "soft" SF. Unlike traditional space fantasy scenarios, Le Guin's relationship between civilizations is based on a special ethical code that excludes the use of violence. The works of the cycle tell about contacts between representatives various psychologies, philosophies and cultures, as well as about their everyday life. The most significant part of the cycle is the novel The Left Hand of Darkness (1969).

Henry Lyon Oldie, The Abyss of Hungry Eyes

The first multi-layered philosophical and mythological work in modern Russian science fiction, The Abyss of Hungry Eyes includes various directions SF and fantasy. Creating the universe, the co-authors use a variety of mythological schemes, combining a strong adventurous plot and well-developed characters with a philosophical understanding of the events.

space opera

Edgar Rice Burroughs "Princess of Mars"

The novel that opened the super-popular series about the adventures of earthling John Carter on Mars. In fact, the book and the cycle marked the beginning of adventurous fantasy about the adventures of "ours" in another world and became the forerunner of the space opera. And although Burroughs' literary gift was very frail, his incredible imagination and ability to build an exciting intrigue influenced several generations of science fiction writers.

Edward Elmer "Doc" Smith "Space Lark"

This book began the history of "space opera" as a separate direction of adventure fiction. The hero of the novel, the inventor Seton, on the spaceship "Space Lark" for the first time in the history of literary fiction goes flying to the stars. Subsequently, Smith cemented his position as "admiral" of the space opera with another famous Lensmen cycle.

Frank Herbert "Dune"

One of the most famous and multi-layered SF novels, showered with numerous awards. An example of a successful combination of political intrigues of the galactic level, a thorough display of a kind of pseudo-Islamic culture, a romanticized biography of a charismatic leader with a detailed description of the psychology of the characters. Herbert has taken space opera to a whole new level.

Caroline J. Cherry, Alliance and Union Series

This is not just another story of the future about the confrontation between two galactic forces - the trade Alliance and the militaristic Union. The main advantage of the series, which consists of several cycles, is an incredibly accurate description of the life and inner world of non-human civilizations. The heroes of Cherry's novels and stories are most often various "strangers" who are fundamentally different from us in thinking and behavior. Maybe the writer is an alien foundling?

Dan Simmons "Hyperion"

Like Herbert's Dune, this book is a Space Opera with a capital letter. Simmons has managed to create a superbly layered work about the world of the distant future, combining several of the main themes of science fiction - from time travel to the problem of artificial intelligence. The novel is full of references to world literature and mythology, full of philosophical reflections and at the same time extremely fascinating.

Satire and humor

Karel Capek "War with the Salamanders"

The novel by the Czech writer is a philosophical epic that explores the social phenomenon of the emergence of fascism and, at the same time, the standard of satirical fiction. Cute salamanders, possessing the rudiments of reason, are shamelessly exploited by cunning little people. They make cheap labor, uncomplaining soldiers and even canned food. And then there is a certain little man, the former sergeant major Andreas Schulze, who leads a successful salamander riot ...

Robert Sheckley short stories

Best Humorous Fiction Short Form (maybe add a few Henry Kuttner stuff). The subject matter is the most diverse - from parody of sci-fi genre clichés to outright satire of social phenomena. Brilliant ideas presented in a really funny way. In terms of literary style, the work of Robert Sheckley is closest to the work of O'Henry: soft humor, as well as a shock and often completely unexpected ending.

Piers Anthony "A spell for a chameleon"

Far from being a brilliant novel by a far from outstanding writer, he brought comic fiction to completely new frontiers. Fantastic humor audience for a long time was limited. However, the first novel about Xanth became a sensational bestseller, after which humor became a welcome guest of Western publishers. The much brighter "MYTHIC" cycle of Robert Asprin consolidated the success, but Anthony still got the glory of the pioneer.

Douglas Adams "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

A cycle of radio plays remade by the author into a novel about a man who escaped from the destroyed Earth and embarked on a journey through the Galaxy. IN best traditions English humor, the author ridicules the stereotypes of science fiction, as well as "life, the universe and everything else." In Britain, Adams' books sparked a "comic boom" without which we wouldn't have Discworld.

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky "Monday begins on Saturday", "The Tale of the Troika"

The brightest Soviet comic fiction. An organic fusion of fairy-tale folklore, ironic and satirical prose in the best traditions of Russian literature. “Monday starts on Saturday” is a rather humorous thing, imbued with the romance of scientific research, faith in technological progress. But the sharply satirical "The Tale of the Troika" confronts this romance with an inhuman bureaucratic machine. Two stories are like two sides of the Soviet sixties: light and dark.

Andrey Belyanin "The sword without a name"

Belyanin has played the same role for our modern science fiction as Anthony and Adams did for English-language fiction. The humorous adventures of his heroes are not exactly very good and witty, they just turned out to be just right for readers and gave rise to a legion of imitators. Partly the merit of popularizing fantasy humor belongs to Mikhail Uspensky's Adventures of Zhikhar, but, one way or another, Belyanin's books turned out to be much more popular.

Alexander Belyaev "Amphibian Man"

Belyaev is by far the most brilliant author of early Soviet science fiction. He has several excellent novels to his credit, the most famous of which is The Amphibian Man, which describes the tragic story of a young man who gained the ability to live in the ocean. One of the first books in the world science fiction, which shows the morally and ethically difficult relationship between ordinary people and artificially created "superhumans". Partly - the forerunner of the NF about genetic engineering.

Ivan Efremov "Andromeda Nebula"

A milestone book for Soviet science fiction, marking the rejection of the science fiction ideology of "close range". This is a large-scale utopia about the distant communist future, saturated with social and philosophical ideas. Efremov managed to create a vivid fictionalized treatise about the time when people became "like gods" primarily in the spiritual plane. However, the ponderous style did not allow the novel to retain its appeal to this day.

Sergey Snegov "People are like gods"

Another communist utopia that went down in the history of science fiction thanks to an affinity, unusual for Soviet literature, with the "capitalist" space opera. If Efremov and Strugatsky's conflicts were of an intra-systemic or moral-psychological nature, then Snegov draws the world of a comprehensive galactic war. The battles of star fleets shown by the author have no analogues in the Soviet science fiction in terms of scale.

Kir Bulychev, a cycle about the Great Guslar

Iconic Series fantasy literature, "made in the USSR". humorous stories about the unusual everyday life of the provincial town of Veliky Guslyar - a magnificent sketch of Soviet and post-Soviet life, where everyday life mixes with fantasy. The cycle continued successfully for many years, reflecting the changes taking place in our society. The result was a kind of fantastic chronicle of the mysterious Russian soul.

Alexander Volkov, cycle about the Emerald City

A free adaptation of L. Frank Baum's fairy tale series about Oz, which made Volkov a classic of children's literature and a forerunner of Russian children's fantasy. The initial story is only a "remake" of the American original, but with each volume, Volkov moved more and more away from Baum, building his own world. And if Baum's books suffered from strained moralizing, Volkov managed to combine unobtrusive edification with a dynamic plot and vivid characters.

Kir Bulychev, a cycle about Alisa Selezneva

Several generations in our country have grown up on books about the adventures of the “guest and the future”. The best of the stories about the brave, honest and noble Alisa Selezneva have become the standard of teenage fiction, which should not only entertain its readers, but teach them in a good way, without dull tediousness, implicitly encouraging self-improvement. Interest in Alice does not disappear to this day - a full-length cartoon coming out next year guarantees this.

Vladislav Krapivin, cycle about the Great Crystal

Loop conditionally related works included in the golden fund of domestic children's fiction. The plots are largely similar: a teenager or a young man finds himself in an extreme situation (transferred to another planet, encounters aliens, etc.). Fiction for Krapivin is nothing more than a technique for accentuating the growing up of a child, reflections on the boundaries between good and evil, lies and honesty, the problem of "fathers and children."

Philip Pullman's Dark Materials

Unlike Harry Potter, this cycle is closer to the traditional fantasy epic. The heroes embark on a journey that will determine the fate of the universe. But the main thing is the adventure of the spirit. Lyra and Will are ordinary teenagers who mature before the eyes of the reader, learning about the world around them and themselves. The cycle is accused of promoting atheism, but rather a story about the search for the true essence of God, which cannot be monopolized by a bunch of priests.

Joan Rowling Harry Potter series

You can have different attitudes to books about a young magician in round glasses, which put the whole world on the ears, but Rowling's merits to science fiction and literature are generally undeniable. The true magic of Harry Potter is that he returned the book to the hands of the younger generation, revived the interest in reading that had died out under the onslaught of multimedia entertainment. And multimillion-dollar circulations and fabulous profits are just a consequence.

Philip K. Dick "The Man in the High Castle"

An excellent example of a serious and dramatic alternative history - without trying to concoct a light entertainment adventure. Dick managed to create a very believable world where Germany and Japan won the Second world war. However, the author did not limit himself to AI - the novel also has a metaphysical background associated with Dick's favorite topic about the unreality of the reality surrounding a person. That's where the "Matrix" legs grow from!

Andrey Valentinov "Eye of Power"

The very term "cryptohistory" appeared thanks to the work of Valentinov - specifically the cycle "Eye of Power" (however, in the West, the direction of "secret history" has existed for a long time). The cycle is a large-scale, albeit somewhat naive canvas, where our history has been considered from different angles for many decades. It turns out that the favorite leaders of the Soviet people were ... shhh ... who knows who! And in general, everything is not what it seems!

Vera Kamsha "Chronicles of Artia"

The first novels of the cycle are a cumbersome and clumsy imitation of Perumov. However, starting from the third volume, Kamsha changed her vector towards pseudo-historical fantasy, taking as a basis the period of the English Wars of the Roses and the work of George Martin. And the cycle healed anew, thanks to a gallery of brightly written characters. Today, Vera Kamsha is one of the few domestic authors who write books at the level of the best world samples.

epic fantasy

John R. R. Tolkien "The Lord of the Rings"

The "Bible" of modern fantasy, which combines an adventure novel, an allegorical parable, a linguistic and mythological epic, a philosophical and moralizing fantasy. At first, Tolkien wrote a fairy tale for his children, which he then published under the title The Hobbit (1937). Work on the sequel dragged on for almost 20 years, bringing a very unexpected result. Epigones still use Tolkien's work for numerous epics.

Ursula Le Guin, Earthsea Series

A series of novels and short stories united by the magical world of Earthsea, although the main part of the cycle's fame comes from the trilogy about the wizard Ged. great attention devoted to the inner feelings of the characters. The magic carefully described by the author resembles an alternative science. Along with The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny, the Ged trilogy was among the top fantasy books of the new wave.

Terry Brooks "The Sword of Shannara"

The merit of this ordinary novel is in the mass popularization of fantasy. Prior to that, only Tolkien had been published in large numbers, and even then he was quoted as a specific author for "advanced" readers. The Sword of Shannara is the first fantasy novel by a contemporary author to be on the New Newspaper bestseller list. York Times and stayed there for about six months. Without the success of this book, there would be no fantasy boom in English-language fiction.

Andrzej Sapkowski "The Witcher"

The starter book of stories about the Witcher can be considered the founder of Slavic heroic fantasy. True, the Polish writer created his stories using the techniques of ironic postmodernism, which distinguished them from the same type of fantasy action movies. In subsequent books in the series, Sapkowski drew an amazingly authentic magical world populated by unconventional characters who take part in epic events.

Nick Perumov, cycle about Ordered

"The Ring of Darkness" - an imitation and at the same time a somewhat naive attempt at polemics with Tolkien - became the first fantasy epic in the history of Russian science fiction. Then Perumov created several more cycles, linking them together in a single universe of the Ordered, subject to the general laws of Equilibrium. Although Perumov's work is not free from serious shortcomings, his influence on the development of Russian fantasy is undeniable.

Roger Zelazny "Chronicles of Amber"

A combination of sci-fi adventure and mythological fantasy with a strong touch of philosophy and esotericism. The basic idea of ​​the center of the universe, its countless Reflections and the family ruling there, entangled in a network of intrigues, Zelazny borrowed from Farmer's "Tiered World" cycle. But the references to mythology and literature, the creation of psychologically believable characters, turned The Chronicles of Amber into something much more than an exciting adventure.

Margaret Weis, Tracey Hickman "The Spear Saga"

Clear evidence that the book, based on board game, might well be worth reading. The Saga of the Spear won the love of numerous readers around the world, giving the fantasy image of one of the most charismatic magicians - Raistlin. Unfortunately, over time, the cycle has become mired in endless monotonous sequels, but the original trilogy still remains the standard of game novelization.

Maria Semyonova "Wolfhound"

The first domestic heroic on the Slavic theme was Yuri Nikitin's novel "Three from the Forest", however, the initial book about the Wolfhound from the Gray Dogs family gained the greatest resonance, mass popularity and cult status. Its main advantages are a high-quality literary language and deep ethnological character, for which the author generously used her considerable knowledge in the field of history and traditions of near-Slavic tribes and nationalities.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft short stories

At the beginning of the 20th century, official science claimed that life had existed on the planet for many billions of years, also suggesting that unknown outer spaces lie beyond the Earth. All these abysses of time and distance were frightening - and Lovecraft was able to express these fears. But, more importantly, the writer created a single mythological background for his works. His stories, in due proportion mixing the said and the hidden, to this day excite the imagination of readers.

Anne Rice "Interview with the Vampire"

A novel that opened a very popular series that has become the standard of "vampire" fiction. Rice took a completely new look at the familiar image of a bloodsucker-ghoul - a natural enemy of man. Vampires in her books are suffering creatures, they are only a mirror that reflects human virtues and shortcomings. The novel laid the foundation for an ocean of similarly thematic books about refined blood-sucking aesthetes.

Stephen King "Carrie"

King's debut novel is not his best book. He himself calls "Carrie" student nonsense, and in many ways he is right. However, it was this novel that: a) revealed to the world the future ruler of the horror genre, b) laid down many of the main themes of his work, c) turned out to be the first brick in the arena of provincial America, where the action of almost all King's books unfolds, and d) became in many ways innovative, making emphasis on the psychology of the heroes of "terrible" stories.

Stephen King "The Dark Tower"

King considers the Dark Tower cycle to be the pinnacle and quintessence of his work. He not only managed to bring together the images and plots of many of his books, but also created a magnificent hybrid of horror and classic fantasy epic, full of numerous references to mythological and historical archetypes. In addition, always paying special attention to the development of characters, King simply outdid himself here.

Clive Barker "Books of Blood"

Splatterpunk is a lot of blood that splatters in picturesque fountains, and the violence is shown with cinematic precision and aesthetic sophistication. Barker is so talented that his most nightmarish notions look absolutely realistic. "Books of Blood" are brilliant, but it is not recommended to read them nervous, underage and pregnant. In short, if you want to keep your sanity, stay away from Grimpen's quagmire of Barker talent!

Lord Dunsany "Gods of Pegana"

Long before The Lord of the Rings appeared, Edward John Morton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany, dreamed up the country of Pegana and populated it with people, magical creatures and gods. In his short stories there were no obvious allegorical parallels, no literary games. These are magical stories in their purest form, little masterpieces that have influenced many of the founding fathers of the genre, from Lovecraft to Tolkien.

Terence Hanbury White "The Once and Future King"

The most famous "Arthuriana", one of the most significant books of early fantasy. The opening story, The Sword in the Stone, is written in the tradition of a classic English literary tale. However, then the author, using the book by Thomas Malory "The Death of Arthur" as a basis, significantly complicated his work, introducing elements of a philosophical novel into it. The book served as the basis for the famous musical "Camelot" and the Disney cartoon.

Marion Zimmer Bradley "The Mists of Avalon"

Although Bradley's novel was published in our country, it did not attract much attention. Meanwhile, this is in many ways a milestone book in which the mythology of Arthurian is combined with feminist ideas, and the realistically written action takes place against a broad historical background. The book became an international bestseller, second in popularity only to The Lord of the Rings in the West for a long time.

Roger Zelazny "Prince of Light"

An unusual reworking of classical mythology. The heroes are "like gods", in fact, colonists from the Earth, who, using high technology, play the characters of the Hindu pantheon. The novel is both a gripping thriller and a complex metaphor about a man who rethinks his life and rebels against the system. The book, by the way, can be used as a guide for the study of Hinduism.

Neil Gaiman "American Gods"

A gem of modern mythological fiction written using the techniques of psychological thriller, drama and mystery novel. The gods need a flock, without which they are only pale shadows of past centuries. And, no matter what anyone says, now people still believe - only their new deities have changed color ... The novel is a thoughtful parable about the nature of faith and the search for oneself.

Mervyn Peak "Gormenghast"

A whimsical trilogy, decisively breaking out of any framework and definitions. A mixture of Dickens and Kafka, phantasmagoria, grotesque, parable - and all this is written in an exquisite style. The story of the giant castle and one of its inhabitants has become a milestone in fantasy literature. Peak had no followers, because he simultaneously opened and closed the topic: you can borrow certain images from Gormenghast, but you can’t imitate the author’s style.

Philip José Farmer "The Lovers"

Paul Anderson "Time Patrol"

Anderson's series is an adventure fantasy, but adventure is not an end in itself, but only a means to think about serious problems. The concept of special secret service, which prevents unauthorized intervention in the course of history in order to avoid a global temporal catastrophe, has spawned a legion of imitators. In fairness, let's clarify: the "time police" was not invented by Anderson, but by Beam Piper.

Michael Moorcock, The Multiverse Series

A super series that has no analogues in the world of science fiction. Moorcock developed the concept of the Multiverse, where many parallel worlds coexist. Megacycle books written in different genres- Science fiction, fantasy, alternative history, even realistic fiction. The characters freely migrate from novel to novel, eventually forming an incredible polyphonic canvas. Moorcock's contribution to heroic fantasy is especially significant.

Mikhail Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"

A multifaceted philosophical novel, which was published many years after the death of the author, producing the effect of an exploding bomb. The book has long been considered the banner of the Soviet intelligentsia. The genre is difficult to define, but now it fits perfectly into the framework of modern "magical realism" - an artificial direction invented by critics to ennoble "low" fantasy.

Peter Beagle "The Last Unicorn"

The epic nature of The Lord of the Rings played a cruel joke on fantasy: numerous successors rushed to copy the "letter", completely forgetting about the "spirit". Beagle poured new wine into old wineskins: he created a chamber and fragile thing, in which the real magic is present. live and wise tale strikes readers to the heart for forty years in a row. Beagle recently wrote a short story-continuation of "Two Hearts" - and the magic is not dead!

Gene Wolfe, New Sun Cycle

An explosive mixture of fantasy, mysticism, sci-fi and another-Wolf-knows-which makes readers still argue about the meaning of certain events of the tetralogy. A book for intellectuals? No - Wolfe knows how and loves to build a dynamic plot. However, strong storytellers in science fiction are a dime a dozen, and there are only a few people with such a rich imagination - for which we appreciate Wolfe. True, the subsequent books of the Brian epic are inferior in order to the initial cycle.

Michael Swanwick "Daughter of the Iron Dragon"

The boundaries of genres exist in order to erase them. This thesis is not new, but few have made truly revolutionary and successful "escape attempts." In "Daughters ..." Swanwick managed to combine the seemingly incompatible: fantasy and futurological romance with elements of cyber and steampunk. More importantly, such a connection looks quite natural. Add to this a fascinating plot and exquisite style - and you get a real masterpiece.

Robert Shea, Robert A. Wilson "Illuminatus!"

Our cycle was lost in the wave of the last of the Da Vinci Code. Meanwhile, it is considered the most significant work of fantastic conspiracy theories - it is compared even with "Dune"! The authors managed to create multidimensional world with a lot of masterfully interwoven storylines. The mysterious society of the Illuminati has been carrying out the main Conspiracy for many centuries - however, the authors are rather ironic in relation to mass hysteria on this topic.

Sergei Lukyanenko, Vladimir Vasilyev "Patrols"

A hybrid of urban fantasy and detective thriller, the most commercially successful series of modern domestic fiction. In the first novels, the authors introduced elements of psychological drama into the narrative, and there were also philosophical reflections on the topic of moral dualism. "Sentinel" stories and their film adaptation have contributed to the popularization of fantasy in our country, although the latest volumes are noticeably inferior to their predecessors.

Dan Brown "The Da Vinci Code"

The real value of Brown's novel is small. A strong thriller on a near-historical theme - the usual mass entertainment with a claim to "intellectuality". And before Brown, such books were written in abundance. But some ephemeral Miracle allowed this particular book to be at the right time and place to become a stone that set off an avalanche. The result is a legion of imitations and a general world fashion for opuses that expose the secrets of centuries (especially religious ones).

Pilot-Pilot reduced the speed to almost zero. With excitement he peered at the green planet.

Even without instrument readings, there was no room for doubt. In the entire system, this planet, third from the Sun, was the only one where life was possible. The planet floated peacefully in a haze of clouds.

She seemed completely harmless. And yet there was something on this planet that took the lives of the members of every expedition ever sent from Glom.

Pid hesitated for a moment before rushing irrevocably down. He and his two subordinates are now quite ready, more than ever before. Their body pouches hold compact Displacers, dormant but also ready.

Pid wanted to say something to the crew, but he didn't quite know how to structure his speech.

The crew was waiting. Ilg-Radio operator has already sent the last message to the planet Glom. Jer-Indicator followed the dials of sixteen instruments at the same time. He reported: "There are no signs of hostile activity." The surfaces of his body rippled nonchalantly.

Peed noted this carelessness to himself. Now he knew what to talk about. Since the expedition left Glom, the Discipline of Form has been abhorrently shattered. The Invasion Commander had warned him, but something had to be done. It is the duty of the pilot, for the lower castes, which include Radiomen and Indicators, have acquired notoriety longing for Formlessness.

“There are great hopes for our expedition,” Pid began slowly. We are far from home now.

Jer-Indicator nodded. The Ilg-Radio Operator flowed out of his prescribed form and sprawled comfortably against the wall.

“However,” Pid said sternly, “distance is no excuse for immoral Formlessness.

Ilg hurriedly merged into the uniform befitting a Radio Operator.

“We will no doubt have to resort to exotic forms,” Peed went on. There is a special permit for this case. But remember: any form taken not out of official necessity is the intrigues of Formlessness itself.

Jer abruptly stopped the fluid play of the surface of his body.

“I have everything,” Pid finished and streamed to the console. The ship landed so smoothly, the crew acted so smoothly, that Pid felt a surge of pride.

“Good workers,” he decided. “You can’t really hope that their self-consciousness of form is as developed as that of the Pilot, who belongs to the highest caste.” The Commander of the Invasion told him the same thing.

“Pid,” the Invasion Commander said during their last conversation, “we badly need this planet.

“Yes, sir,” Pid replied; he stood at attention and did not deviate one iota, not the slightest movement, from the full dress uniform of the Pilot.

“One of you,” the Commander said imposingly, “must infiltrate there and install the Displacer near the source of atomic energy. An army will be concentrated at our end, ready to jump.

"We'll manage, sir," Peed replied.

“The expedition must certainly reach the goal,” said the Commander, and his face blurred for a moment from incredible fatigue. - Strictly between us: it's restless on Glom. For example, the caste of miners is on strike. They demand new form for earthworks. They say that the old one is inconvenient.

Peed expressed his due indignation. The miner's form was established a long time ago, fifty thousand years ago, as well as other basic forms. And now these upstarts want to change her!

“That's not all,” the Commander told him. “We have discovered another Formless cult. They took almost eight thousand gloms, but it is not known how many of them are walking free.

Pid knew that it was about the temptation of the Great Formlessness, the most dangerous devil that the minds of the inhabitants of Glom could imagine. But how does it happen, he marveled, that the Gloms succumb to his temptation?

The commander guessed what question Pid had on his tongue.

“Pid,” he said, “you probably don’t understand. Tell me, do you like to fly?

"Yes, sir," Peed replied simply. Do you like piloting! Yes, this is his whole life! Without a ship, he is nothing.

“Not all gloms can say the same,” the Commander continued. - I don't understand it either. All my ancestors were Commanders of Invasion, from the very beginnings of Time. So, of course, I want to be the Commander of the Invasion. This is not only natural, but also natural. However, the lower castes have completely different feelings ... - And he sadly shook his body. “I told you about this for a reason,” the Commander explained. We gloms need more space. The turmoil on the planet is explained only by overpopulation. That's what psychologists say. Get us the opportunity to develop new planet All wounds will be healed. We're counting on you, Peed.

“Yes, sir,” Pid replied, not without pride.

The commander got up, wanting to show that the conversation was over, but suddenly changed his mind and sat down again.

“We'll have to keep an eye on the crew,” he said. “They are loyal guys, no doubt about it, but they are all from the lower castes. And what are the lower castes, you yourself know.

Yes, Pid knew that.

“Your Gera Indicator is suspected of having secret sympathies for Reformism. He was once fined for improperly mimicking the Hunter form. No specific charges were brought against Ilga. However, I have heard rumors that he has been stationary for a suspiciously long time. It is possible that he imagines himself to be the Thinker.

“But, sir,” Peed dared to object, “if they are even slightly stained by Reformism or Formlessness, is it worth sending them on this expedition?”

After some hesitation, the Commander spoke slowly:

“There are plenty of gloms I can trust. However, these two are endowed with imagination and resourcefulness, special qualities that are needed in this expedition. He sighed. “Really, I don’t understand why these qualities are usually associated with Formlessness.

"Yes, sir," Pid said.

“You just have to keep an eye on them,” said the Commander.

“Yes, sir,” Pid repeated and saluted, realizing that the conversation was over. In the inner bag of his body, he felt the weight of a slumbering Displacer, ready to transform the enemy power source into a bridge across outer space - a bridge over which victorious hosts would pour from Glom.

“I wish you luck,” said the Commander. “I'm sure you'll need it.

The ship descended silently onto the surface of the enemy planet. Jer-Indicator examined the clouds passing below and entered the data obtained into the Camouflage Block. He set to work. Soon, the ship appeared from the side as nothing more than a formation of cirrus clouds.

Pid let the ship slowly drift to the surface mysterious planet. Now he was in the Pilot Dress Uniform, the most efficient, the most comfortable of the four uniforms reserved for the Pilot caste. He was blind, deaf and dumb - just an appendage of the control panel; all his attention is focused on not overtaking stratus clouds, staying among them, merging with them.

Jer stubbornly kept one of the forms allowed to the Indicators. He entered the data into the Cloaking Block, and the descending ship slowly transformed into a powerful cumulus cloud.

The hostile planet showed no signs of life.

Ilg spotted the source of atomic energy and reported the data to Pid. The pilot changed course. It reached the lower clouds only a mile from the surface of the planet. Now the ship took the form of a plump curly cumulus cloud.

But there was no alarm. The unknown fate of twenty previous expeditions has not yet been unraveled.

While Peed maneuvered over the nuclear power plant, twilight shrouded the face of the planet. Avoiding the surrounding buildings, the ship hovered over the forest.

The darkness thickened, and the lone moon of the green planet was hidden behind a cloudy veil.

However, the cloud fell lower and lower ... and landed.

- Everything from the ship is alive! Pid shouted, disengaging from the control panel. He changed into whatever Pilot form was best suited for running, and shot out of the hatch like a bullet. Jer and Ilg rushed after him. Fifty meters from the ship, they stopped and waited.

There is a circuit inside the ship. The ship shuddered silently and began to melt before our eyes. The plastic dissolved in the air, the metal shrank. Soon the ship turned into a pile of rubbish, but the process still continued. Large fragments were broken into small ones, and small fragments were crushed again and again.

Watching the ship self-destruct, Pid felt a sudden helplessness. He was a Pilot and came from the Pilot caste. The pilot was his father, and his father's father, and all the ancestors - back in those foggy times when the first spaceships were created on Glom. All his childhood he spent among the ships; all mature years piloted them. Now, without a ship, he was naked and helpless in an alien world.

A few minutes later, where the ship had landed, only a mound of dust remained. night wind dispelled this dust throughout the forest, and then there was absolutely nothing left.

They were waiting. But nothing happened. The wind sighed, the trees creaked. Squirrels crackled, birds fussed in their nests ... An acorn fell with a soft thud.

Taking a deep breath of relief, Pid sat down. Glom's twenty-first expedition landed safely.

Nothing could be done until morning anyway, so Peed began to develop a plan. They landed very close to the nuclear power plant, so close that it was just insolence. Now you have to get even closer. One way or another, one of them needs to get into the reactor room in order to activate the Displacer.

Difficult. But Peed had no doubts about success. After all, the people of Glom are masters of ingenuity.

“Masters are masters,” he thought bitterly, “but radioactive elements are terribly lacking.” That was another reason why the expedition was considered so important. There is almost no radioactive fuel left on the planets subject to Glom.

Glom squandered his stocks of radioactive substances at the dawn of history, mastering neighboring worlds and populating those of them that were suitable for life. But colonization could barely keep up with the ever-increasing birth rate. Glom constantly needed new and new worlds.

This world, recently discovered by one of the reconnaissance expeditions, was also needed. He was definitely suitable in every respect, but he was too remote. There was not enough fuel to equip the military space flotilla.

Fortunately, there was another way to the goal. Even better.

Once upon a time, in ancient times, the scientists of Glom created the Displacer. That was the true triumph of the Technique of Identity. It allowed for the instantaneous movement of mass between two points, connected in a certain way.

One - stationary - end of the installation was located at the only nuclear power plant Gloma. The second end had to be placed next to any source nuclear energy and put into action. The diverted energy flowed between both ends and changed twice.

Then, thanks to the miracles of the Technique of Identity, the gloms could step over from planet to planet, could collapse in a monstrous, all-flooding wave.

This was done quite simply. Nevertheless, twenty expeditions failed to establish the Displacer at the earth's end.

What prevented them - no one knew. Not a single ship returned to Glom to report this.

Before dawn, taking on the color of local plants, they stalked their way through the forests. The shifters pulsed weakly, sensing the proximity of nuclear energy.

A tiny four-legged creature rushed past like an arrow. Gera immediately had four legs and an elongated streamlined torso, and he rushed after him.

- Jer! Come back immediately! Pid howled, casting aside all caution.

Jer caught up with the animal and knocked it to the ground. He tried to bite his prey, but forgot to get teeth. The animal escaped and disappeared into the undergrowth. Jer grew a set of teeth and flexed his muscles for the jump.

The indicator turned reluctantly. In silence, he hurried back to Pied.

“I was hungry,” he said.

“No, he wasn’t,” Pid replied inexorably.

“He was,” Jer muttered, writhing in embarrassment.

Pid remembered the Commander's words. In Jer, of course, hunting inclinations lurk. I'll have to keep an eye on him both.

“Nothing like this will ever happen again,” Peed said. “Remember, Exotic Forms are not yet allowed. Be content with the form for which you were born. Jer nodded and merged into the undergrowth again. They continued on their way.

From the edge of the nuclear power plant was clearly visible. Pid disguised himself as a bush, and Jer turned into an old log. Ilg, after a brief hesitation, assumed the form of a young oak tree.

The station was a low, long building surrounded by a metal fence. There were gates in the fence, and guards stood at the gates.

First task, Pid thought. How to get through the gate? He began to think of ways and means.

Ped knew, from fragmentary reports of scouting expeditions, that in some respects the human race was similar to the gloms. They, like the Gloms, had tame animals, homes, children, and culture. The inhabitants of the planet were skilled in mechanics, as were the gloms.

However, there were enormous differences between the two races.

People were given a permanent and unchanging form, like stones or trees. And in order to at least somehow compensate for such monotony, their planet was replete with a fantastic variety of genera, species and breeds. It was completely different from Glom, where animal world was limited to only eight different forms.

And it is quite clear that people have got the hang of catching uninvited guests, Pid thought. It is a pity that he does not know why the previous expeditions failed. That would make things a lot easier.

A Man hobbled past on two unbelievably stiff legs. There was an angularity in every movement he made. He hurried past the gloms without noticing them.

“I figured it out,” Jer said when the strange creature was out of sight. “I will pretend to be a Human, go through the gate into the hall and activate the Displacer.

"You can't speak their language," Peed reminded him.

“I won't say anything. I won't pay any attention to them. Like this. Jer quickly took on the form of a Man.

"Not bad," Pid agreed.

Jer took a few tentative steps, mimicking the Man's shaky gait.

“But I’m afraid nothing will come of it,” Peed continued.

“That makes perfect sense,” said Jer.

- I know. Therefore, the former expeditions certainly resorted to this method. And none of them returned.

It was hard to argue. Jer again poured into the form of a log.

- How to be? - he asked.

“Let me think,” Pid replied.

A creature hobbled past, walking not on two legs, but on four. Pid recognized him: it was the Dog, Man's friend. He watched her closely.

The dog slowly walked towards the gate, lowering its muzzle. Nobody stopped her; she passed the gate and lay down on the grass.

"Um," Pid said.

They followed the dog without stopping. One of the People, passing by, touched her head. The dog stuck out its tongue and rolled onto its back.

“I can do that too,” Jer said excitedly. He was already pouring into the form of a Dog.

“No, wait,” Pid said. We'll spend the rest of the day thinking things over. The matter is too important, you can not rush into it headlong.

Jer sullenly complied.

"Let's go, it's time to go back," Pid said. Accompanied by Djer, he was about to move into the depths of the forest, but suddenly remembered Ilga.

- Ilg! he called softly.

Nobody responded.

- What? Ah, yes! - said the oak and merged with the bush. - I'm sorry. Did you say something?

"We're coming back," Pid repeated. - You didn't think by any chance?

“Oh no,” Ilg assured him. - I was just resting.

Peed accepted this explanation. There were enough worries.

Hidden in the thicket of the forest, they spent the rest of the day discussing this issue. There were, apparently, only two possibilities - Man and Dog. The Tree could not pass through the gate - it was not in the nature of the Trees. No one could slip through unnoticed.

Walking around disguised as a Human seemed too risky. It was decided that in the morning Jer would make a sortie in the form of a Dog.

“Now get some sleep,” Pid said.

Both crew members obediently flattened out, instantly becoming shapeless. But Pid couldn't sleep.

Everything seemed too simple. Why was the nuclear power plant so poorly guarded? The Humans must have learned something from the expeditions they intercepted in the past. Did they kill without asking any questions?

You never know what a creature from another world will do.

May be, open gate just a trap?

He wearily flowed into a comfortable Pose on the lumpy ground, but then hastily put himself in order.

He sank to Formlessness.

Convenience has nothing to do with duty, he reminded himself, and resolutely assumed his Pilot form.

However, the Pilot's uniform was not designed to sleep on damp, uneven ground. Pid spent the night restless, thinking about ships and regretting not flying.

In the morning Pid woke up tired and in a bad mood. He pushed Jer.

“We have to get down to business,” he said.

Jer cheerfully poured himself into an upright position.

- Come on, Ilg! Pid called angrily, looking around. - Wake up.

There was no answer.

- Ilg! he called.

There was still no answer.

“Help me look for him,” Pid said to Jeroo. “He must be around somewhere.

Together they examined every bush, every tree and log in the vicinity. But none of them was Ilg.

Pid felt a chill of fear chilling him. What could have happened to the Radio Operator?

“Perhaps he decided to cross the gate at his own peril and risk?” Jer suggested.

Peed considered this hypothesis and found it improbable. Ilg never showed any initiative. He was always content with following other people's orders.

They waited. But then noon came, and Ilga was still not there.

"We can't wait any longer," Pid announced, and the two moved off through the woods. Pid puzzled over whether Ilg really tried to go through the gate at his own peril and risk. Such quiet people often hide reckless courage.

But nothing indicated that Ilga's attempt was a success. Apparently, the Radio Operator died or was captured by Humans.

So, the Displacer will have to be activated together.

And Pid still didn't know what had happened to the rest of the expeditions.

At the edge of the forest, Jer turned into a copy of the Dog. Pid looked at him critically.

“Smaller tail,” he said.

Jer shortened his tail.

- More ears.

Jer extended his ears.

- Now straighten them out. - He looked at what happened. As far as he could tell, Jer had become perfection from the tip of his tail to his wet black nose.

“I wish you luck,” Pid said.

- Thank you. - Jer cautiously stepped out of the forest, moving with the twitching steps of Dogs and Men. At the gate a sentry called out to him. Pid held his breath.

Jer walked past the Man, ignoring him. The man was about to move towards Jer, who started running.

Pid prepared two strong legs, ready to charge quickly if Jer was caught.

But the sentry returned to the gate. Jer immediately stopped running and walked calmly to the main entrance.

With a sigh of relief, Peed eliminated the legs.

But main entrance was closed! Pid hoped the Indicator would not attempt to open it. It was not in the manner of the Dogs.

Another Dog ran up to Jer. He backed away from her. The dog came very close and sniffed at Jer. He answered the same.

Then both dogs ran around the corner.

This is witty, Pid thought. "There's bound to be a door in the back."

He looked up at the setting sun. As soon as the Displacer is activated, armies of Glom will pour in here. By the time the People come to their senses, there will already be troops from Glom - at least a million. And this is just the beginning.

The day slowly faded, but nothing happened.

Peed did not take his eyes off the front of the building; he was nervous. If Jer's doing well, things shouldn't have taken so long.

He waited until late at night. People entered and exited the building. The dogs were barking at the gate. But Jerry never showed up.

Jer got it. Ilg is gone. Pid was left alone.

And he still didn't know what had happened.

By morning, Pid was seized by hopeless despair. He realized that Glom's twenty-first expedition to this planet was on the verge of complete failure. Now everything depends only on him.

He decided to make a daring sortie in the guise of a Man. There was nothing left.

He saw workers arriving in large numbers and passing through the gates. Pid wondered what was better: blend in with the crowd or wait until the turmoil subsided. He decided to take advantage of the resulting hustle and began to mold into the shape of a Man.

Through the forest, past his hiding place, the Dog passed.

"Hi," said the Dog.

It was Jer!

- What's happened? Peed asked with relief. - Why are you so late? Is it hard to get in?

"I don't know," Jer replied, wagging his tail. - I haven't tried it.

Pid was speechless.

“I hunted,” Jer explained genially. “That uniform, you know, is perfect for the Hunt. I went out through the back gate with another Dog.

- But the expedition ... Your duty ...

“I changed my mind,” Jer said. “You know, Pilot, I never wanted to be an Indicator.

“But you were born as an Indicator!”

“That's true,” Jer said, “but that doesn't make it any easier for me. I always wanted to be a Hunter.

Pid was shaking with anger.

"You can't," he said very slowly, as he would explain to a child glom, "the form of the Hunter is forbidden to you."

“Well, not here, it’s not forbidden here,” Jer objected, still wagging his tail.

"So that I don't hear it again," Pid said angrily. “Go to the power plant and install your Displacer. And I will try to forget everything that you wove me here.

"I'm not going," said Jer. “I don’t need globs here. They will lose everything.

"He's right," said the stocky oak.

- Ilg! Pid gasped. - Where are you?

Branches stirred.

“Yes, here,” said Ilg. - I've been thinking.

“But…your caste…”

“Pilot,” Jer said sadly. - Wake up! Most of the people on Glom are miserable. Only custom compels us to assume the caste form of our ancestors.

“Pilot,” Ilg remarked, “all gloms are born shapeless!”

“And since gloms are born formless, they must all have Freedom of Form,” said Jer.

“Exactly,” Ilg said. But he doesn't understand it. Now excuse me. I want to think. And the oak fell silent.

Peed laughed mirthlessly.

“People will kill you,” he said. “Just like they wiped out the other expeditions.

“No gloms were killed,” Jer said. All our expeditions are here.

- Of course. People don't even know we exist. The dog with which I hunted is a glom from the nineteenth expedition. There are hundreds of us here, Pilot. We like it here.

Peed tried to absorb it all. He had always known that the lower castes lacked form consciousness. But this is… this is simply absurd!

So this is where the danger of this planet lurked - in freedom!

“Join us, Pilot,” Jer suggested. “This is a real paradise. Do you know how many varieties there are on this planet? Countless! There are forms for all occasions!

Peed shook his head. In his case, there is no form of life. He is a Pilot.

But people do not know anything about the presence of gloms. Getting close to the reactor is ridiculously easy.

- Will take care of all of you Supreme Court Gloma,” he growled angrily and turned into a Dog. “I will install the Displacer myself.

He studied himself for a moment, then snarled at Jer and skipped toward the gate.

The people at the gate didn't even look at him. He slipped through the central door of the building after some Man and rushed down the corridor.

The Displacer pulsed and trembled in the body bag, dragging Pid toward the reactor room.

He hastily flew up some stairs, rushed along another corridor. Footsteps sounded around the corner, and Pid instinctively felt that the Dogs weren't allowed inside the building.

In desperation, he looked around, looking for somewhere to hide, but the corridor was smooth and empty. Only lamps hung from the ceiling.

Pid jumped up and stuck to the ceiling. He took the form of a lamp and hoped with all his heart that the Man would not find out why it was not lit.

People ran past.

Pid turned into a copy of the Man and hurried to the goal.

We must come closer.

Another Man appeared in the corridor. He looked fixedly at Pid, ​​tried to say something, and suddenly took off running.

Pid did not know what alerted the Man, but he also ran as fast as he could. The displacer in the bag trembled and thrashed, indicating that the critical distance was almost reached.

Suddenly, a terrifying doubt pierced my mind. All expeditions deserted! All gloms to a single!

He slowed down a little.

Freedom of Form... what a strange concept. Disturbing concept.

“This is undoubtedly the machinations of the Formless himself,” he said to himself and rushed forward.

The corridor ended with a giant locked door. Peed stared at her.

Footsteps rumbled at the far end of the corridor, shouts of People were heard.

Where did he go wrong? How was he tracked down? He examined himself quickly, running his fingers over his face.

He forgot to mold the facial features.

In desperation, he tried the door. Then he took out a tiny Displacer from the bag, but the pulsation was still not strong enough. We need to get closer to the reactor.

He examined the door. There was a narrow gap between it and the floor. Pid quickly became shapeless and leaked under the door, with difficulty squeezing the Displacer behind him.

There was a bolt on the inside of the door. Pid pulled it back and looked around, hoping to find something to barricade the door with. The room was tiny. On one side is a lead door leading to the reactor. On the other hand, the window That's all.

Pid glanced at the Displacer. The pulsation was strong. Finally, he is on target. Here the Displacer can work by drawing energy from the reactor and converting it. You just need to put it into action.

However, they deserted, one and all.

Pid hesitated. All gloms are born formless. This is true. Glom children are amorphous until they are old enough to give them the caste form of their ancestors. But freedom of form?

Peed weighed the possibilities. Without hindrance, take any form you want! On this heavenly planet, he can fulfill any ambitious desire, become anything, do anything. He won't be alone at all. And other gloms enjoy the benefits of Freedom of Form here.

People broke down the door. Peed was still undecided. How to proceed? Freedom…

But not for him, he thought bitterly. It is easy to become a Hunter or a Thinker. And he is a pilot. Piloting is his life, his passion, his mission. How is he going to do it here?

Of course people have ships. You can turn into a Man, find a ship ...

No, no way ... It's easy to become a Tree or a Dog. He will never be able to pass himself off as a Human.

The door cracked under continuous blows.

Pid went to the window to last time take a look around the planet before activating the Displacer. He looked out and nearly fainted, he was so shocked.

So it's really true! And he did not quite understand what Jer meant when he said that on this planet there are all kinds of life, all forms that can satisfy any desire! Even his wish!

The longing desire of the entire Caste of Pilots, a desire even more cherished than Piloting.

He looked again, then threw the Displacer to the floor, smashing it to smithereens.

The door gave way, and at the same moment he flew out the window. People rushed to the window. They looked outside, but did not understand what they saw.

A large white bird flew up outside the window. She fluttered her wings, clumsily but with increasing force, trying to catch up with the flying flock of birds.

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Fiction (from other Greek φανταστική - the art of imagination, fantasy) - a genre and creative method in fiction, cinema, visual and other forms of art, characterized by the use of a fantastic assumption, an “element of the extraordinary”, a violation of the boundaries of reality, accepted conventions. Contemporary fiction includes genres such as science fiction, fantasy, horror, magical realism and many others.

Origins of fiction

The origins of science fiction are in the post-mythological folklore consciousness, primarily in a fairy tale.

Fantasy stands out as a special kind artistic creativity as folklore forms move away from the practical tasks of mythological comprehension of reality (the oldest cosmogonic myths are essentially non-fantastic). Primitive world outlook collides with new ideas about reality, mythical and real plans are mixed, and this mixture is purely fantastic. Fiction, in the words of Olga Freidenberg, is “the first offspring of realism”: hallmark The invasion of realism into myth is the appearance of "fantastic creatures" (deities combining animal and human features, centaurs, etc.). The primary genres of fantasy, utopia and fantastic trip, were also the oldest forms of narrative as such, primarily in Homer's Odyssey. The plot, images and incidents of the Odyssey are the beginning of all literary Western European fiction.

However, the collision of mimesis with myth, which produces the effect of fantasy, has so far had an involuntary character. The first one who deliberately pushes them together, and, therefore, the first conscious science fiction writer, is Aristophanes.

Fiction in ancient literature

In the era of Hellenism, Hekatey of Abdera, Eugemer, Yambul combined the genres of fantastic travel and utopia in their works.

In Roman times, the moment of socio-political utopia, characteristic of Hellenistic pseudo-travels, had already weathered; only a series of fantastic adventures remained in different parts the globe and beyond - on the moon, connected with the theme love story. This type includes "The Incredible Adventures Beyond Thule" by Antony Diogenes.

In many ways, the continuation of the tradition of a fantastic journey is the novel of Pseudo-Callisthenes "The History of Alexander the Great", where the hero finds himself in the realm of giants, dwarfs, cannibals, freaks, in an area with strange nature, with unusual animals and plants. Much space is devoted to the wonders of India and its "naked sages", the Brahmins. Not forgotten is the mythological prototype of all these fabulous wanderings, visiting the country of the blessed.

Fantasy in medieval literature

In the period of the early Middle Ages, approximately from the 5th to the 11th centuries, there is, if not rejection, then at least the suppression of the miraculous, the basis of the fantastic. In the XII-XIII centuries, according to Jacques Le Goff, "there is a genuine invasion of the miraculous into scientific culture." At this time, one after another, the so-called "books of miracles" (Gervasius of Tilbury, Marco Polo, Raymond Lull, John Mandeville, etc.) appeared, reviving the genre of paradoxography.

Fiction in the Renaissance

The development of fiction during the Renaissance is completed by M. Cervantes' Don Quixote, a parody of the fantasy of knightly adventures and at the same time the beginning of a realistic novel, and F. Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel, which uses the profane language of a chivalric novel to develop a humanistic utopia and humanistic satire. In Rabelais, we find (the chapters on Theleme Abbey) one of the first examples of the fantastic development of the utopian genre, although it is primordially uncharacteristic: after all, among the founders of the genre, T. Mora (1516) and T. Campanella (1602), utopia gravitates towards a didactic treatise and only in “ New Atlantis” by F. Bacon is a sci-fi fantasy game. An example of a more traditional combination of fantasy with a dream of a fabulous realm of justice is Shakespeare's The Tempest.

Fiction in the 17th and 18th centuries

By the end of the 17th century, Mannerism and Baroque, for which fantasy was a constant background, an additional artistic plane (at the same time, the perception of fantasy was aestheticized, the living sensation of the miraculous was lost), was replaced by classicism, which is inherently alien to fantasy: its appeal to myth is completely rationalistic.

French "tragic stories" of the 17th century draw material from the chronicles and depict fatal passions, murders and cruelties, demonic possession, etc. These are the distant predecessors of the works of the Marquis de Sade the novelist and the "black novel" in general, combining paradoxographic tradition with narrative fiction . Infernal themes in a pious frame (the story of the struggle with terrible passions on the path of serving God) appear in the novels of Bishop Jean-Pierre Camus.

Fantasy in Romanticism

For romantics, duality turns into a split personality, leading to a poetically beneficial "sacred madness." “Refuge in the realm of fantasy” was sought by all romantics: among the “Yenese” fantasizing, that is, the aspiration of the imagination into the transcendent world of myths and legends, was put forward as an initiation to higher insight, as a life program - relatively prosperous (due to romantic irony) in L. Tick , pathetic and tragic in Novalis, whose "Heinrich von Ofterdingen" is an example of a renewed fantastic allegory, comprehended in the spirit of the search for an unattainable and incomprehensible ideal spiritual world.

Romantic fiction was synthesized by the work of E. T. A. Hoffmann: here is a Gothic novel (“The Devil's Elixir”), and a literary fairy tale (“Lord of the Fleas”, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”), and an enchanting phantasmagoria (“Princess Brambilla”), and a realistic story with a fantastic background ("The Choice of the Bride", "The Golden Pot").

Fantasy in realism

In the era of realism, fantasy again found itself on the periphery of literature, although it was often used for satirical and utopian purposes (as in Dostoevsky's stories "Bobok" and "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man"). At the same time, science fiction proper was born, which in the work of the epigone of romanticism J. Verne (“Five weeks in a balloon”, “Journey to the center of the Earth”, “From the Earth to the Moon”, “Twenty thousand leagues under water”, “ Mysterious Island”, “Robur the Conqueror”) and the outstanding realist G. Wells is fundamentally separated from the general fantastic tradition; she paints the real world, transformed by science (for worse or for better) and opening up in a new way to the gaze of the researcher. (True, the development of space fantasy leads to the discovery of new worlds, which inevitably somehow correlate with the traditional fairy tale, but this is a passing moment.)

More about the genre

The question of singling out fantasy as an independent concept arose as a result of the development of science fiction in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. literature, strongly associated with scientific and technological progress. The plot basis of fantastic works was scientific discoveries, inventions, technical foresights ... Herbert Wells and Jules Verne became the recognized authorities of science fiction of those decades. Until the middle of the 20th century. fantasy kept a little apart from the rest of literature: it was too closely connected with science. This gave grounds for the theorists of the literary process to assert that fantasy is a completely special kind of literature, existing according to rules inherent only to it, and setting itself special tasks.

Subsequently, this opinion was shaken. The statement of the famous American science fiction writer Ray Bradbury is characteristic: "Fiction is literature." In other words, there are no significant barriers. In the second half of the 20th century old theories gradually receded under the onslaught of changes that took place in science fiction.

Firstly, the concept of "fantasy" began to include not only "science fiction" proper, i.e. works that go back basically to the samples of Jule Verne and Wells production. Under the same roof were texts related to "horror" (horror literature), mysticism and fantasy (magical, magical fantasy).

Secondly, significant changes have also taken place in science fiction: the “new wave” of American science fiction writers and the “fourth wave” in the USSR (1950–1980s of the 20th century) led an active struggle to destroy the boundaries of the “ghetto” of science fiction, to merge it with literature. "mainstream", the destruction of the unspoken taboos that dominated the classic science fiction of the old style. A number of trends in "non-fantastic" literature somehow acquired a pro-fantastic sound, borrowed the entourage of science fiction. Romantic literature, literary fairy tale (E. Schwartz), phantasmagoria (A. Green), esoteric novel (P. Coelho, V. Pelevin), many texts that lie in the tradition of postmodernism (for example, Mantissa Fowles), are recognized among science fiction writers as “their ” or “almost their own”, i.e. borderline, lying in a wide band, which is covered by the spheres of influence of both the literature of the "main stream" and science fiction.

At the end of the 20th and the first years of the 21st centuries. the destruction of the concepts of “fantasy” and “science fiction” familiar to science fiction literature is growing. A lot of theories have been created, one way or another, fixing strictly defined boundaries for these types of fiction. But for the general reader, everything was clear from the surroundings: fantasy is where witchcraft, swords and elves are; science fiction is where robots, starships and blasters are.

Gradually, “science fantasy” appeared, i.e. "scientific fantasy" that perfectly connected witchcraft with starships, and swords with robots. A special kind of science fiction was born - "alternative history", later replenished with "cryptohistory". And there, and there, science fiction writers use both the usual entourage of science fiction and fantasy, and even combine them into an indissoluble whole. Directions have arisen in which it does not really matter at all to belong to science fiction or fantasy. In Anglo-American literature, this is primarily cyberpunk, and in Russian literature it is turborealism and "sacred fantasy".

As a result, a situation has arisen where the concepts of science fiction and fantasy, which previously firmly divided science fiction literature in two, have been blurred to the limit.

Fantasy - genres and subgenres

It is known that fiction can be divided into different areas: fantasy and science fiction, hard science fiction, space fiction, combat and humorous, love and social, mysticism and horror.

Perhaps these genres, or as they are also called, subtypes of science fiction, are by far the most famous in their circles. Let's try to characterize each of them separately.

Science Fiction (SF)

So, science fiction is a genre of literature and film industry that describes the events taking place in real world, and differ from historical reality in some significant respect.

These differences can be technological, scientific, social, historical, and any other, but not magical, otherwise the whole idea of ​​the concept of "science fiction" is lost. In other words, science fiction reflects the influence scientific and technological progress to the ordinary and habitual life of a person. Among the popular plots of the works of this genre are flights to unknown planets, the invention of robots, the discovery of new forms of life, the invention of the latest weapons, and so on.

Among admirers of this genre, the following works are popular: "I, Robot" (Azeik Asimov), "Pandora's Star" (Peter Hamilton), "Attempt to Escape" (Boris and Arkady Strugatsky), "Red Mars" (Kim Stanley Robinson) and many other great books.

The film industry has also produced many sci-fi films. Among the first foreign films, the film by Georges Milies "Journey to the Moon" was released. It was filmed in 1902 and is truly considered the most popular film that was shown on the big screens.

You can also note other paintings in the genre of "science fiction": "District No. 9" (USA), "The Matrix" (USA), the legendary "Aliens" (USA). However, there are films that have become, so to speak, classics of the genre.

Among them: "Metropolis" (Fritz Lang, Germany), filmed in 1925, struck with its idea and vision of the future of mankind.

Another film masterpiece that has become a classic is 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, USA), released in 1968. This picture tells about extraterrestrial civilizations and very much resembles rather scientific material about aliens and their lives - for viewers of the distant 1968, this is really something new, fantastic that they have never seen or heard before. Of course, you can't ignore Star Wars.

Hard science fiction, as a subgenre of sci-fi

Science fiction has a so-called sub-genre or subspecies called "hard science fiction". Solid science fiction differs from traditional science fiction in that during the narrative, scientific facts and laws are not distorted.

That is, we can say that the basis of this subgenre is the natural scientific knowledge base and the whole plot is described around a certain scientific idea even if it's fantastic. The storyline in such works is always simple and logical, based on several scientific assumptions - a time machine, ultra-high-speed travel in space, extrasensory perception, and so on.

Space fiction, another sub-genre of sci-fi

space fantasy is a subgenre of science fiction. Her distinguishing feature that the main plot unfolds in outer space or on various planets in solar system or beyond.

There is a division of space fiction into types: planetary novel, space opera, space odyssey. Let's talk about each type in more detail.

1. Space odyssey. So, the Space Odyssey is a storyline in which the actions take place most often on space ships (ships) and the heroes need to complete a global mission, the outcome of which depends on the fate of a person.
2. planetary romance. The planetary novel is much simpler in terms of the type of development of events and the complexity of the plot. Basically, all the action is limited to one particular planet, which is inhabited by exotic animals, people. A lot of works in this kind of genre are dedicated to the distant future in which people move between worlds on spaceship and this is normal, some early space fiction has simpler plots with less realistic modes of movement. However, the goal and main theme of the planetary novel is the same for all works - the adventures of heroes on a particular planet.
3. Space Opera. Space opera is an equally interesting subspecies of science fiction. Its main idea is the maturing and growth of the conflict between the heroes with the use of powerful high-tech weapons of the future to conquer the Galaxy or liberate the planet from space aliens, humanoids and other space creatures. The characters in this cosmic conflict are heroic. The main difference between space opera and science fiction is that there is an almost complete rejection of the scientific basis of the plot.

Among the works of space fiction that deserve attention are the following: Paradise Lost, The Absolute Enemy (Andrey Livadny), Steel Rat Saves the World (Harry Harrison), Star Kings, Return to the Stars (Edmond Hamilton ), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) and other great books.

And now let's note some bright films in the space fantasy genre. Of course, you can not get around the well-known film "Armageddon" (Michael Bay, USA, 1998); "Avatar" (James Cameron, USA, 2009), which blew up the whole world, which is distinguished by unusual special effects, vivid images, rich and unusual nature of an unknown planet; "Starship Troopers" (Paul Verhoeven, USA, 1997), also a popular film in its time, although many film fans today are ready to revise this picture more than once; It is impossible not to note all the parts (episodes) of George Lucas' Star Wars, in my opinion, this masterpiece of science fiction will be popular and interesting to the viewer at all times.

Fighting fiction

Combat fiction is a type (subgenre) of fiction that describes military operations taking place in the distant or not so distant future, and all actions take place using super-powerful robots and the latest weapons unknown to man today.

This genre is quite young, its origin can be attributed to the middle of the 20th century during the height of the Vietnam War. Moreover, I note that combat fiction became popular and the number of works and films increased, in direct proportion to the growth of conflicts in the world.

Among the popular authors-representatives of this genre are: Joe Haldeman "Infinite War"; Harry Harrison "Steel Rat", "Bill - Hero of the Galaxy"; domestic authors Alexander Zorich"Tomorrow the War", Oleg Markelov "Adequacy", Igor Pol "Guardian Angel 320" and other wonderful authors.

A lot of films have been made in the genre of "combat fiction" "Frozen Soldiers" (Canada, 2014), "Edge of Tomorrow" (USA, 2014), Star Trek: Retribution (USA, 2013).

humorous fiction

Humorous fiction is a genre in which the presentation of unusual and fantastic events takes place in a humorous form.

Humorous fiction has been known since antiquity and is developing in our time. Among the representatives of humorous fiction in literature, the most striking are our beloved Strugatsky Brothers "Monday begins on Saturday", Kir Bulychev "Miracles in Guslyar", as well as foreign authors of humorous fiction Prudchett Terry David John "I'll put on midnight", Bester Alfred "Will you wait? ", Bisson Terry Ballantine "They are made of meat."

Love fiction

Love fiction, romantic adventure works.

This type of fantasy includes love stories with fictional characters, magical countries that do not exist, the presence in the description of wonderful amulets with unusual properties, and, of course, all these stories have a happy ending.

Of course, you can not get around the films made in the genre. Here are a few of them: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (USA, 2008), "The Time Traveler's Wife" (USA, 2009), "She" (USA, 2014).

social fiction

Social fiction is a type of science fiction literature in which leading role play relationships between people in society.

The emphasis is on the creation of fantastic motives in order to show the development of social relations in unrealistic conditions.

The following works were written in this genre: The Strugatsky Brothers "The Doomed City", "The Bull's Hour" by I. Efremov, H. Wells "The Time Machine", "451 degrees Fahrenheit" by Ray Bradbury. Cinema also has films in the genre of social fiction in its piggy bank: The Matrix (USA, Australia, 1999), Dark City (USA, Australia, 1998), Youth (USA, 2014).

As you can see, science fiction is such a versatile genre that anyone can choose what suits him in spirit, in nature, will provide an opportunity to plunge into the magical, unusual, terrible, tragic, high-tech world of the future and inexplicable for us - ordinary people.

How is fantasy different from science fiction?

The word "fantasy" came to us from the Greek language, where "phantastike" means "the art of imagining". "Fantasy" comes from the English "phantasy" (tracing paper from the Greek "phantasia"). The literal translation is “imagination, imagination”. The words art and imagination are key here. Art implies certain patterns and rules for the construction of the genre, and the imagination is limitless, the flight of fantasy does not obey the laws.

Science fiction is a form of reflection of the surrounding world, in which a logically incompatible picture of the Universe is created on the basis of real ideas about it. Fantasy is a type of science fiction, a type of fantastic art that depicts fictional events in worlds whose existence cannot be logically explained. The basis of fantasy is a mystical, irrational beginning.

The fantasy world is a kind of assumption. The author sends his reader on a journey through time and space. After all, the basis of the genre is the free flight of fantasy. The location of this world is not specified in any way. His physical laws cannot be explained by the realities of our world. Magic and magic are the norm of the described world. The "miracles" of fantasy operate according to their own system, like the laws of nature.

Heroes of modern science fiction, as a rule, oppose the whole society. They can fight a mega-corporation or a totalitarian state that controls the life of society. Fantasy is based on the antithesis of good and evil, harmony and chaos. The hero goes on a long journey, seeking truth and justice. Often the plot of the plot is some kind of incident that awakened the forces of evil. The hero is confronted or helped by mythical fictitious creatures, which can conditionally be united into certain "races" (elves, orcs, dwarves, trolls, etc.). The classic example of the fantasy genre is JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

conclusions

1. The word "fantasy" is translated as "the art of imagining", and "fantasy" - "representation", "imagination".
2. A characteristic feature of works of fiction is the presence of a fantastic assumption: what would the world be like under certain conditions. The fantasy author describes an alternate reality that is not connected to the existing reality. The laws of the fantasy world are presented as a given, without any explanation. The existence of magic and mythical races is the norm.
3. In fantasy works, as a rule, there is a conflict between the norms imposed on society and the protagonist's desire for freedom. That is, the heroes defend their dissimilarity. In fantasy works, the main conflict is connected with the confrontation between light and dark forces.

Cinematic fiction

Film fiction is a direction and genre of artistic cinematography, which can be characterized by an increased level of conventionality. The images, events and surroundings of science fiction films are often deliberately removed from everyday reality - this can be done both to achieve specific artistic tasks which it is more convenient for the filmmakers to achieve by means of fantasy than by means of realistic cinema, and simply for the entertainment of the viewer (the latter is typical primarily for genre cinema).

The nature of the convention depends on the specific direction or genre - science fiction, fantasy, horror film, phantasmagoria - but all of them can be broadly understood as cinematic fiction. There is also a narrower view of sci-fi as a mass purely commercial genre of cinema; according to this view, for example, "A Space Odyssey 2001" is not a fantasy film. This article uses broad understanding cinematic fiction, which allows you to give a more complete picture of the subject.

The evolution of cinematic fiction has largely followed the evolution of the much more dynamic fantasy literature. However, cinematography from the very beginning possessed the property of visuality, which written literature is practically devoid of. The moving image is perceived by the viewer as authentic, existing here and now, and the feeling of authenticity does not depend on how fantastic the action unfolding on the screen is. This property of the viewer's perception of cinema acquired special significance after the advent of special effects.

Film fiction actively uses the mythology of the technical era. Mythology is part of science fiction films.

The versatility of science fiction has led to the separation of various currents and subgenres. It is generally recognized that science fiction is divided into science fiction (within which hard science fiction and social fiction are distinguished) and fantasy (within which a subgenre of horror is distinguished). Often there is a synthesis of both genres: scientific fantasy and techno-fantasy.

The simplest and early version classification reduces the whole variety of fiction to two types: "scientific" (English science fiction) and "pure" (English fantasy). These two types of fiction differ in the way they recreate reality. E. Kovtun, in turn, opposes the fantasy genre not science fiction, but rational, including, in addition to science fiction (it is sometimes called scientific and technical or hard) - social and other varieties of the genre. Tatyana Chernysheva considered fantasy and horror (horror) as a story of a fairy-tale type, and science fiction as a story about the amazing and unusual.

Science fiction:

A distinctive feature of science fiction (in Kovtun's rational fiction) is the rationality, persuasiveness and validity of a fantastic assumption, it is a "fantasy of the possible" about theoretically feasible ideas. In the science fiction encyclopedia edited by Vladimir Gakov, the genre of science fiction is divided into "hard", "natural science", "scientific and technical" or "soft", "humanitarian"; as well as "fantasy ideas", "utopia", "dystopia", "novel-warning" and others.

The main division of scientific (in terms of E. Kovtun - rational) fiction occurs on the issues under consideration, hard science fiction and social fiction. Hanlein, in 1947, proposed the use of the term speculative fiction for science fiction in which scientific and technological advances serve only as a means to model new causes for human action. In the future, this term acquired a meaning similar to the term rational fiction proposed by Elena Kovtun, this genre began to include hard science fiction and soft humanitarian fiction (and now often also fantasy, using it as a synonym for science fiction). Konstantin Mzareulov proposed to single out works in which the fantastic assumption is difficult to reduce to science or magic into a special subgenre - conditional fantasy.

Outstanding representatives: R.E. Heinlein, A. Azimov, R. Bradbury, A. Clark, I.A. Efremov, A.R. Belyaev.

hard science fiction

In solid science fiction, the fantastic assumption is the end in itself of the work and plays an independent role that does not allow allegorical meaning. A feature of hard science fiction is a detailed description of discoveries and inventions, the role-playing assignment of characters. In hard science fiction, the emphasis is on describing the fantastical assumption, which is more persuasive and logical than social fiction. IN narrow sense words genre, revealing the impact on the lives of people of various scientific and technical inventions. Frequent science fiction plots: flights to other planets, robotics, etc. Based on the achievements of science and scientific myths. Fantastic elements receive a rational explanation and look plausible. V. Chumakov, within the framework of science fiction, singles out science and technology fiction (studies the interaction built environment and humans) and biological science fiction (changes in human biological characteristics and related consequences).

social fiction

The fantastic assumption, although it is an indispensable element of social fiction, plays the auxiliary role of a tool, not an end in itself. The main goal of social fiction is to reveal the laws of development of a society that has fallen into new and unusual conditions for mankind, to study the development of human civilization, the essence of man, his interaction with extraterrestrial intelligence and nature. Social fiction in more associated not with the natural sciences, but with the humanistic direction of literature. Kovtun considers the tasks of social fiction to be social criticism and concern for the fate of mankind. Unlike hard science fiction, social fiction is characterized by global and humanistic issues, greater character development, a combination of irony, humor and satire, complex plot schemes, using intellectual games and paradoxes. In social fiction, the role of fantastic assumption is reduced and often turns into a formal symbol of belonging to science fiction. Vivid varieties are utopia and dystopia.

Examples: "Corporation" Immortality "" by R. Sheckley, "451 degrees Fahrenheit" by R. Bradbury, "Doomed City" by the Strugatsky brothers fantasy.

In Anglo-American science of fiction, many subgroups are distinguished within fantasy: dream fiction (literally "literature of dreams"), "fabulous" (fairy tales), ghost tales (stories about spirits), horror tales ("black" science fiction, merging with "Gothic "novel"), "mythological", "heroic", "fantasy of sword and sorcery", "terrible", "black" (as opposed to "high"), "game" and others.

Here is one of the attempts to generalize the various ways of classifying fantasy according to one or another feature:

• By plot-thematic principle: epic fantasy, dark fantasy, mythological fantasy, mystical fantasy and romantic fantasy
• · By mythological color: Slavic fantasy, Scandinavian fantasy and others.
• · By time and place of action: historical fantasy and urban fantasy.
• · On the axeological (value) plane: heroic fantasy, humorous and parodic fantasy.
• · According to the ideological principle: scientific fantasy, techno-fantasy, and such currents of Russian science fiction as Christian or sacred fantasy, in which, in particular, E. Khaetskaya works, and "invented" by G.L. Oldie "philosophical action movie".
• · By the addressee of the work: children's fantasy, women's fantasy.
• · Detective fantasy, magical realism, game and erotic fantasy remain outside this coordinate system.

Elena Kovtun, in turn, divides fantasy into four types: mystical-philosophical fantasy, metaphorical fantasy, "black" fantasy and heroic fantasy.

• · Mystical-philosophical fantasy. A kind of fantasy where a fantastic assumption determines the essence and meaning of the story. The fate of the hero and his life choice completely depend on the fantastic reality created in the work. In the works of this variety, the mystical-philosophical aspect is the main meaning of being and the only goal worthy of attention and service.
• · Metaphorical fantasy. A kind of fantasy where the fantastic assumption is a kind of ideal image of the miraculous. In this variety of fantasy, the inner world of a person, his mental and spiritual qualities are at the forefront. The heroes of the works are people with a complex inner world, around their experiences and rethinking of the world around them, and the plot is built.
• · Black fantasy (by which Kovtun means horror literature). A kind of fantasy, where otherworldly forces invade the seemingly unshakable everyday reality. These forces are incomprehensible to people and embody the most terrible properties.
• · Heroic fantasy. A kind of fantasy, where a fantastic assumption turns into a decoration, a design of the spatio-temporal world. The basis of the works are the adventurous adventures of the protagonist. Worldview issues for this kind of fantasy fade into the background.

horror literature

Fantasy, as a rule, includes such a subgenre of fantasy as horror (dark fantasy, horror tales, in Kovtun's textbook this term is translated as "black fantasy", although this term is usually used for dark fantasy, a genre opposed to "high" fantasy).

The main feature of horror and its difference from fantasy is the helplessness of a person in front of supernatural forces. Occult mysticism, powerful otherworldly monsters, supernatural forces or catastrophic phenomena are not subject to the will of man. Horror is characterized by an atmosphere of fear and fatalism, often taking the form of hopelessness.

Outstanding representatives: G.F. Lovecraft, Clive Barker, Dean Koontz, Stephen King.

Thus, there is currently no comprehensive unified classification of science fiction, and it is unlikely that such a classification based on one or more interrelated criteria will be created in the near future. This is due to the variety of fantasy forms and different interpretations of the role of the fantastic element in a literary text. Elena Kovtun, analyzing the accepted approaches to dividing science fiction into subgenres, comes to the conclusion that each science fiction classification contains a rational grain, but none of them is ideal.

Most notably in The Odyssey by Homer. The plot, images and incidents of the Odyssey are the beginning of all literary Western European fiction.

However, the collision of mimesis with myth, which produces the effect of fantasy, has so far had an involuntary character. The first one who deliberately pushes them together, and, therefore, the first conscious science fiction writer, is Aristophanes.

Fiction in ancient literature

In many ways, the continuation of the tradition of a fantastic journey is the novel of Pseudo-Callisthenes "The History of Alexander the Great", where the hero finds himself in the realm of giants, dwarfs, cannibals, freaks, in an area with strange nature, with unusual animals and plants. Much space is devoted to the wonders of India and its "naked sages," the Brahmins. Not forgotten is the mythological prototype of all these fabulous wanderings, visiting the country of the blessed.

Fiction is archaic in the novel of metamorphoses (the non-preserved Metamorphoses by Lucius of Patra, Lucius, or the Ass, by Pseudo-Lucian, Metamorphoses, or the Golden Ass, by Apuleius). The latter is a "fantastic narrative, where the story of the soul is dressed in the form of a story about the history of the body."

Fantasy in medieval literature

In the period of the early Middle Ages, approximately from the 5th to the 11th century, if not rejection, then at least the suppression of the miraculous, the basis of the fantastic, occurs. In the XII-XIII centuries, according to Jacques Le Goff, "there is a genuine invasion of the miraculous into scientific culture." At this time, one after another, the so-called "books of miracles" (Gervasius of Tilbury, Marco Polo, Raymond Lull, John Mandeville, etc.) appear, reviving the genre of paradoxography.

Fiction in the Renaissance

The development of fiction during the Renaissance is completed by Don Quixote by M. Cervantes - a parody of the fantasy of knightly adventures and at the same time the beginning of a realistic novel, and Gargantua and Pantagruel by F. Rabelais, using the profane language of a chivalric novel to develop a humanistic utopia and humanistic satire. In Rabelais we find (chapter "Theleme Abbey") one of the first examples of the fantastic development of the utopian genre, although it is primordially uncharacteristic: after all, among the founders of the genre T. Mora () and T. Campanella () utopia gravitates towards a didactic treatise and only in the "New Atlantis” by F. Bacon is a sci-fi fantasy game. An example of a more traditional combination of fantasy with the dream of a fabulous realm of justice is W. Shakespeare's The Tempest.

To a lesser extent than ancient mythology and folklore, religious mythological images of the Bible stimulated fantasy. The largest works of Christian fiction - Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained by J. Milton - are based on the Apocrypha. This, however, does not detract from the fact that the works of European fantasy of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, as a rule, have a secondary, ethical Christian coloring or represent a play of fantastic images in the spirit of Christian apocryphal demonology. Outside of fantasy are the lives of the saints, where miracles are fundamentally singled out as extraordinary events. Nevertheless, the Christian-mythological consciousness contributes to the flourishing of a special genre - fantasy of visions. Starting with the Apocalypse of John the Theologian, "visions" or "revelations" become full-fledged literary genre: different aspects of it are represented by The Vision of Peter Plowman () by W. Langland and The Divine Comedy by Dante. The idea of ​​"revelation", in contrast to life, is the opposition of earthly reality to another, supernatural plane of existence.

The poetics of religious "revelation" defines W. Blake's visionary fiction: his grandiose "prophetic" images are the latest pinnacle of the genre.

Fiction in the 17th and 18th centuries

Fantasy in Romanticism

For romantics, duality turns into a split personality, leading to a poetically beneficial "sacred madness." “Refuge in the realm of fantasy” was sought by all romantics: among the “Enets” fantasizing, that is, the aspiration of the imagination into the transcendent world of myths and legends, was put forward as an introduction to higher insight, as a life program - relatively prosperous (due to romantic irony) in L. Tick , pathetic and tragic in Novalis, whose "Heinrich von Ofterdingen" is an example of a renewed fantastic allegory, comprehended in the spirit of the search for an unattainable and incomprehensible ideal spiritual world. The Heidelberg school used fantasy as a source of plots that gave additional interest to earthly events (for example, “Isabella of Egypt” by L. A. Arnim is a fantastic arrangement of a love episode from the life of Charles V). Such a pragmatic approach to F. proved to be especially promising.

In an effort to enrich the resources of fantasy, the German romantics turned to its primary sources - they collected and processed fairy tales and legends ("Peter Lebrecht's Folk Tales", in Tiek's processing, "Children's and Family Tales", -, and "German Traditions", -, brothers I. and V. Grimm). This contributed to the formation of the literary fairy tale genre in all European literatures, which remains the leading genre in children's fiction to this day. Its classic example is the fairy tales of H. K. Andersen.

Romantic fiction was synthesized by the work of E. T. A. Hoffmann: here is a gothic novel (“The Devil's Elixir”), and a literary fairy tale (“Lord of the Fleas”, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”), and an enchanting phantasmagoria (“Princess Brambilla”), and a realistic story with a fantastic background (“The Choice of the Bride”, “Golden Pot”).

An attempt to heal the attraction to fantasy as to the "abyss of the other world" is represented by Goethe's Faust; using the traditional fantasy motif of selling the soul to the devil, the poet discovers the futility of the wandering of the spirit in the realms of the fantastic and affirms earthly life that transforms the world as the final value (i.e., the utopian ideal is excluded from the realm of fantasy and projected into the future).

In Russia, romantic fiction is represented in the works of V. A. Zhukovsky, V. F. Odoevsky, A. Pogorelsky, A. F. Veltman. A.S. Pushkin (“Ruslan and Lyudmila”, where the epic-fairy-tale flavor of fantasy is especially important) and N.V. Gogol, whose fantastic images are organically merged into the folk-poetic ideal picture of Ukraine (“Terrible Revenge”, “ Viy"). His St. Petersburg fiction (“The Nose”, “Portrait”, “Nevsky Prospekt”), extremely economical and “escheat”, is differently conditioned by the general picture of reality, the condensed image of which naturally gives rise to fantastic images (as in Pushkin’s The Queen of Spades or in "The Double" by F. M. Dostoevsky).

The Gothic tradition of fantasy is developed by E. Poe (“The Fall of the House of Eschers”, “The Well and the Pendulum”). However, he also anticipated (“The Story of Arthur Gordon Pym”, “The Fall into the Maelstrom”) the emergence of a new branch of fiction - science fiction

Fantasy in realism

The revival of interest in fantasy at the end of the 19th century

Interest in fantasy as such revived towards the end of the 19th century. neo-romantics (R. L. Stevenson), decadents (M. Schwob, F. Sologub), symbolists (M. Maeterlinck, A. A. Blok), expressionists (G. Meyrink), surrealists (G. Kazak, E. Kreider ). The development of children's literature gives rise to a new look of the fantasy world - the toy world: L. Carroll, K. Collodi, A. Milne; A. N. Tolstoy ("The Golden Key"), N. N. Nosov, K. Chukovsky. An imaginary, partly fairy-tale world is created with the involvement of motives and images of Western adventure literature A. Green.

Fiction in the 20th century

Fiction in the 21st century

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, classic science fiction began to lose popularity to fantasy, steampunk, urban fantasy, and mystery thrillers. Harry Potter by Joanne Rowling has a wide commercial success, in Russia - Watches by Sergei Lukyanenko, books by Nick Perumov. In Russia, the books of Vasily Golovachev are popular, which the author writes every year, there are also many authors writing in the genre of combat and / or Russian-patriotic fiction (Zorich).

Genres of fantasy

At the moment, there are three main genres of fiction - science fiction, fantasy, horror. The main fantasy genres of the past are fantasy travel and utopia.

Other forms of fiction

The stylistic and genre forms of fantasy - the grotesque and extravaganza - have become a traditional auxiliary means of satire: from M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin ("The History of a City") to V.V. Mayakovsky ("Bedbug" and "Bath"). Non-genre varieties of 20th-century fantasy literature are fantastic realism, magical realism.

science fiction writers

Notes

1. Lotman Yu. On the principles of fiction // Uchen. app. Tart. state university - 1970. -Issue. 284. - (Tr. on sign systems: [T.] 5), p. 285-287; also Roger Caillois. Into the depths of the fantastic / Per. from fr. Natalia Kislova. - St. Petersburg, 2006, especially p. 110-111.

2. The main role in the transition of mythology into folklore was played by the emergence of a realistic worldview in the form of concepts. Concepts weathered from the myth its concrete and direct meanings. This laid the foundation for folklore, which carefully reproduced the entire heritage of mythology, understood, however, by a realistic worldview. On this basis, one solidified in the form of a traditional form, another became fantastic, the third was transformed.

   (Olga Freidenberg, Myth and Literature of Antiquity. M., 1998, p. 17.

3. It is not necessary to understand this special, original plan either in the form of something fantastic or in the form of historically real. Fantasy is born late, and I will talk about it in my place. The chthonic plan of the primitive myth is real, but has nothing to do with fantasy.

   (Ibid., p. 38)

4. Yes, the wider the field of vision of early society becomes, the more and more its consciousness loses its former character of myth-making, the more strongly elements of realism invade this consciousness and come into conflict with habitual, long-established mythical images. From this meeting of two ideological methods, from their unconscious struggle, a kind of amalgam of a mythical image with realistic observation is obtained, as a result of which fantasy arises.

   (Ibid., p. 112)

5. In fantastic images, an animal can have individual human features, and a person can have animal ones. A fantastic creature is a mixture of creatures. In Egypt, the gods retained the most ancient form - animal or semi-animal; in Babylon - fantastic; the Greeks have a later humanoid form, and in Rome there are many pre-personal, amorphous gods. The tribal society imagines the characters that inhabit the world in the form of monsters, giants, dwarfs, bizarre animals, birds and fish. These fantastic creatures are partly from one breed, partly from another, but they no longer do without the appearance of a person. It is curious that all of them, in addition to this mixture, also have the nature of metal, wood, stone, and certainly have the nature of the cosmos - light, fire, water, earth. Such are all the mythological faces, covered with a human appearance and human habits, but completely anti-real, fantastic in essence, like a giant with one eye on his forehead, Polyphemus, or the metal servants of Hephaestus, or some kind of Psyche, the cliff-women of Scylla and Charybdis and hundreds of others. . It is difficult to say who they are in appearance, gods or people, animals or elements, animated or inanimate objects. They are all together, but separately they are neither. It would be more scientific to call these fantastic creatures polymorphic. Needless to say, the fantastic appearance is accompanied by the fantastic relations of mythological persons, the fantastic face of the whole surrounding reality.

   (Ibid., pp. 112-113)

6. The genetic connections of the story with distant departures and looking at bizarre "miracles", with wonder, made themselves felt in the fact that the oldest narratives spoke of going to non-existent overseas lands, to fantastic inhabitants. The wonders of the “otherworldly” country, the “underground earth” (χθων), turned into stories about distant and unusual countries, about utopian kingdoms, about unprecedented fields and gardens located in “nowhere”. Such are the narratives of ancient logography; there is no time in them, the action does not develop in them. But such are the narratives in the epic, such are the varieties of utopian narratives in the form of narrations-mirages.

   (Ibid., p. 278)

7. Their beginning has come down to us in the Odyssey. The nature of this poem in form is everydayistic (full compliance with the everyday plan of ekphrasis and detailed comparisons of the Iliad!), in content it is magical. We call it "fabulous". The Odyssey contains elements that would be found in the average comedy: a fake character, ghostly cities and inhabitants, impostors, deceivers, a Phaeacian mirage that "looks" similar to reality, visions that are visionary "pictures". The magic of the "Odyssey" is "miracles", a ghostly and imitating reality of the subjective world, as it began to appear to man: mythism took on the character of "image" (είκών) of reality in the new consciousness of people, that which is "similar", "similar" to it. Travels to distant foreign countries, ghostly people and cities, wonderful adventures, the spell of sorceresses, fantastic creatures - all this reveals itself in the later "true stories" and in the "images" of wonderful countries and wonderful pictures, wonderful visions of the folk theater.

   (Ibid.)

8. The fantastic nature of the character and situations is inherent in ancient comedy because it deliberately confuses the mythological image with the concept.<...>There is nothing fantastic in the fact that the Homeric Achaeans are likened to wasps, but the Aristophanean Athenians, likened to wasps or in the form of wasps, look fantastic, grotesque. Why? Because in Homer even in tragedy there is no conceptual and everyday background, but in ancient comedy it is emphasized, and everything that clearly does not correspond to it contributes to fantasy or laughter.

   (Ibid., pp. 370-371)
9. Polyakova S.V. "Metamorphoses" or "Golden Ass" by Apuleius. M., 1988, p. 54.
10. Jacques Le Goff. medieval world imaginary. M., 2001, p. 45