Dystopian vs Post-Apocalyptic Fiction
An update on BayCon 2023, New Denver is available for pre-order, and a the nuances between Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic books that you may not know.
It's been nice to relax! The last few weeks have been hectic for various reasons. This last weekend, however, my wife and I just chilled and played some Diablo 4. And made cookies. Did you know Diablo 4 is better with snickerdoodles? It is.
Part of the turmoil came from preparing for and participating in BayCon 2023, which ran through Independence Day. What a rush! Met lots of great people, sold some books (including early copies of New Denver), and hung out with cool authors. More about that below.
I've also begun migrating my blog from Wix to Ghost. Unfortunately, there's no automated way to do it, so it's a slow process. (Reminder: blog notifications are separate from newsletters, so if you want to be notified when a new blog is available, go here, click "Account" -> "Email preferences" and enable the "Blog" slider. You may need to sign in first, but it's a password-less system, so... easy!)
Speaking of, this month's feature is a subscriber exclusive. Ever wonder about the true difference between Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic fiction? I hadn't either until I tried to market something that straddled the line. Read on for a summary of my research that may help you decide what to read in the future, and make you sound cool to all your book friends. Or not. 😅
No updates from my publisher on the new Angels Adrift release date, unfortunately, but New Denver has no such dependencies. It's now available for pre-order on Amazon, Kobo, Nook, and Apple Books. Come Heck or high water, it'll be in your hands on Aug 15th. That's a promise!
In this newsletter
- New Denver at BayCon 2023
- Dystopian vs Post-Apocalyptic Fiction
- Free Books, Sales, and Events
- Currently Reading
- Other Authors You Might Like
New Denver at BayCon 2023
Yes, New Denver's official release isn't until Aug 15th, but this year's BayCon was so close that I couldn't resist printing a few copies beforehand. Of the six I ordered, the book in the picture above is the last survivor. Selling them as a bundle worked really well; folks were excited that BayCon was the only place they could buy Book 2. All told, I sold out of Holtondome paperbacks (most of them with New Denver attached), plus a few hardcovers, and sold all but one copy each of One Man's Trash and Angels in the Mist. Even sold a few copies of Dragon Assassin. I was so happy!
Most awesome, though, were the people. I made a point to connect with everyone who walked past the table, and got to know some fascinating folks. Also spent some quality time with my fellow authors, who made this an extra-special event that I will always cherish. (Also a heartwarming story here about an encounter I had with a new reader. So cool!)
Big thanks to Water Dragon Publishing for hosting the Small Publishing in a Big Universe table at an affordable price for independent authors.
I already can't wait for BayCon 2024. Hope to see you there!
Dystopian vs Post-Apocalyptic Fiction
Confession time: I don't write to genre. I get cool ideas for some characters, imagine a unique setting, and outline an intriguing plot, then toss it all together and have a blast telling myself a story. Only later, when things like marketing and retailers demand, do I figure out which genre(s) applies. (This is probably also why agents and large publishers would keep me as far away from their profit margins as possible, if I ever decided to seek one.)
And so, it wasn't until I began to optimize marketing efforts for Holtondome that I gave any serious thought to its genre. I knew it was science fiction because of the fantastical elements in the story, which become even more fantastic in New Denver (no spoilers!).
I'd always assumed it was also dystopian because I was passingly familiar with the term, and it seemed to fit the world I'd built, especially considering the oppressive government ("The Feds") who play a prominent role.
But then I stumbled onto post-apocalyptic thrillers. The covers looked similar to mine. The worlds also sounded similar: humanity has suffered some global catastrophe that's thrown everything into chaos. Now, due to extreme resource constraints and a hostile environment, people are struggling to survive. Heck, in my story, that's why people had moved into domes!
So is Holtondome dystopian or post-apocalyptic?
The answer, I learned through too much research, is both.
To understand why, let's break them down.
Dystopian fiction
dystopian: /adjective/ relating to or denoting an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or injustice.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. As you can imagine, the above dictionary definition didn't help much. Post-apocalyptic is dystopian because people are suffering. Sure, you can have suffering and injustice without a world-ending catalyst, but there are varying degrees of world-endiness. What if society is past the "utter chaos" phase and is in the process of reforming? What if they're stuck? What if there is an organized government that arose out of the ashes to bring humanity together, but it ain't all that?
The key turns out to be "injustice." The focus of most self-labeled dystopian books is on the injustice or disparity between one or more social classes or overlaying government, often Haves versus Have Nots, but there are more creative renditions involving magic, genetics, and every flavor in between.
Protagonists often (but not always) find themselves in what they believe to be a utopia, crafted for the benefit of all, but a series of events lead them to realize not all is as it seems. The result is some great revelation that leads to a form of rebellion or revolt, the outcome of which may or may not be successful.
Some great examples of dystopian fiction are The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Time Machine by H.G. Wells, and Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler.
Post-Apocalyptic fiction
post-apocalyptic: /adjective/ denoting or relating to the time following a nuclear war or other catastrophic event.
Aha! Sounds pretty clear, right? The world went ker-splat some time ago, and now we're seeing how humanity has dealt with it (or usually humanity, anyway).
Except... wait, in how many science fiction and fantasy books has some world-rocking event changed their course of history? A mutant plague? A magic disaster that split the planet in half? An alien invasion resulting in near-genocidal war? The mysterious disappearance of an ancient, advanced civilization that regressed society to a medieval state?
None of those books are marked as "post-apocalyptic." They all get fancy names like high fantasy, science fiction, dark fantasy, and cyberpunk.
So what decides when a title has earned the moniker of "post-apocalyptic"?
The answer this time was a little more obscure. Post-apocalyptic titles deal with struggle and inequity, same as dystopians, except the struggle usually involves a scarcity of resources caused by whatever made the world go pop. This almost always results in a higher level of chaos than your typical dystopian (think Mad Max or the game Borderlands).
The Debate
Great! I'd done the research. I had a clear idea of the difference between the two genres.
And, for the love of coffee, it still hadn't helped.
Deadly weather is a constant threat to the people in Holtondome, brought about by The Fall some 400 years ago that killed 95% of Earth's population. Domes are the only place plants or animals can survive, creating an extreme scarcity of food, fresh water, and finished goods such as vehicles, technology, and worst of all, medicine. Also, the protagonist repeatedly faces mortal danger from Mother Earth's wrath, e.g. acid and lightning storms.
Post-apocalyptic. Definitely. Right?
Except humanity is not currently in chaos. While life isn't all caviar and roses, the Federated Nations' strong hand—combined with willing sacrifices from its people, such as the residents of Holtondome—have somewhat stabilized the remnants of global civilization into something that isn't exactly thriving, but holds promise that maybe humanity won't wink out of existence after all. And, like any large organization, the Federated Nations has a few skeletons it would prefer its citizens didn't exhume, which becomes an issue for the protagonist in a big way.
That makes it dystopian. Must be. Um... yeah!
Verdict
In the end, while Holtondome strongly resembles a post-apocalyptic novel (and post-apocalyptic fans certainly won't be disappointed), the spirit of the story is more about the dome's struggle against an oppressive government / class warfare than resource scarcity, or man vs. nature in the wake of global catastrophe. Those aspects create an interesting backdrop, but they aren't the primary conflict. New Denver makes this even more apparent, and I suspect the next (and hopefully final) book in the series will as well.
The match—by points, but not by knockout—ultimately went to "dystopian," as illustrated by Holtondome's final subtitle: "A Science Fiction Dystopian Thriller."
Free Books, Sales, and Events
- Aug 15 – New Denver (Timeless Keeper Saga Book 2) release! Available now for pre-order from all your favorite retailers.
- July – Witchcraft and Wormholes: Mystical Tales of Power. The title of this list tickled me. Free fantasy, contemporary, and sci fi ebooks supposedly dealing with witches and/or wormholes. What an awesome combo. (Ironically, I have 2 books that would fit this list. Next time.)
- July – Sci Fi Books for Everyone. A variety of not-free sci fi ebooks to suit everyone's tastes. (Everyone == You. Enjoy.)
Currently Reading
Gideon the Ninth
Gideon set a new standard for me as an author. I would give it 6 out of 5 stars if the rating widget would allow. Muir's writing style had me re-reading almost every sentence—not because I couldn't understand them, but because I didn't want to miss a single, delicious nuance she baked into every ounce of her amazing prose.
Necromancers in space. That may sound like science fiction, but it reads much more like fantasy. Funny and intense fantasy. With dead people.
I laughed. I cried. I'm going to read it again, because this book has so much to offer me, both as a reader and an author, that I couldn't possibly absorb it all in a single pass.
Check out my full review by clicking below. (Oh yeah, there's more.)
Other Authors You Might Like
Chaos Zone
Space travel is so overrated.
Bounty hunting isn't any better, but it's what Sloane Tarnish needs to do if she wants to fix the rundown spaceship her uncle dumped on her. So she can find him and dump it right back.
Chaos Zone is the first installment in a new space opera series full of reckless women, messy worlds, and big adventures–perfect for fans of Guardians of the Galaxy and the Mandalorian.
My Books
Timeless Keeper Saga
On a war-ravaged Earth no longer able to sustain life, a half-blind dome farmer and a mysterious city dweller may hold the keys to humanity's fate.
The Timeless Keeper Saga is a science fiction dystopian thriller series about forbidden love, mysterious ancient artifacts, hidden powers, and the indomitable human spirit.
The Z-Tech Chronicles
In the face of a rising, ancient evil, a traumatized San Francisco waitress may be the only thing standing between humanity and oblivion.
The Z-Tech Chronicles is a science fiction / urban fantasy saga that follows Anne Perrin on her journey from a struggling waitress to becoming more than she ever imagined.
One Man's Trash - A Truck Stop at the Center of the Galaxy Story
Croft Winder grew up believing that love is blind.
It wasn't until he took his fiancée on a little vacation to the Truck Stop at the Center of the Galaxy, however, that he learned it can also be downright insane.
Will the wonders of the Truck Stop save their relationship or send it to the executioner’s block? Not even the ancient Delphians could have guessed.
One Man's Trash is a cozy sci fi romance set in the Truck Stop at the Center of the Galaxy universe.
Dragon Assassin - A Steamy Shifter Romance
Half dragon. Half human. All woman... and all killer.​
Humans think Charon is a monster. Dragons consider her an abomination, condemning her to a lifetime of isolation.
Now her half-breed body is changing in ways she doesn't understand, torturing her with strange desires. Her only hope may lie with a handsome young assassin who, in courting her, might be getting more than he signed up for.
If you're into sexy shape-changing half-dragons, suave assassins, absurd anatomy, and steamy female-led relationships, then this thrilling paranormal romance adventure is for you!
