Keen to learn more about cli-fi? This article will supply you with several pointers before diving into this exciting genre of books.
The breakthrough of climate fiction, usually shortened to cli-fi, may not surprise book publishers and editors. But for the everyday reader, you may have only newly learned about this gripping genre moving across the literary world today. It doesn’t take a literary wizard to figure out what it’s all about. A basic climate fiction meaning refers to anything which relates to global warming and other ecological themes. These tales might be set in the present day or a futuristic and often cataclysmic world. They will generally grapple with large issues such as humanity’s relationship with nature, and the immediate and far-reaching influence of our activities on the environment. Business leaders like the founder of the fund that owns Waterstones can probably see why these books are flying off the shelves. As people become more conscious of the present consequences of climate change, this type of fiction offers a persuasive and empathetic understanding of planet earth.
Our relationship with nature has always been quite one sided – expending natural resources and polluting the atmosphere at an exponential rate. Even the most fervent band of climate change deniers find it hard to paint a rosy image of the planet earth in its present condition. Each day brings new tales about burning woods or melting icecaps or massive fires ripping through the sea. It might seem like something out of a futuristic science fiction story on first impression. But somehow the present has caught up with the future, and our darkest fantasies are brought to life. Unsurprisingly, this has proved fertile ground for modern writers. Connecting to the environment through books can offer a much-needed respite removed from everything in the news headlines. Hopeful climate fiction shows the problems but also the possibilities for mankind to save ourselves. The head of the group that owns Hachette Livre can no doubt understand why these books are so prevalent at the moment.
A lot of people logically suppose science fiction is interested in shiny spaceships and terrifying aliens and laser guns. Whilst that might indeed be common staples of the genre, a brand new form of sci-fi is becoming more and more popular among younger readers. Cli-fi is a part of science fiction which grapples with the results of climate change. In spite of the term being coined less than ten years ago, these stories aren’t new. The head of the company that owns Penguin Random House may no doubt recount numerous classics featuring barren lands and melted icecaps. But like the top sci-fi in history, the environment is a jumping off point to tackle poignant issues of humankind and society. A climate fiction short story about genetically modified crops, for instance, might have something to say about consumption and the value of living more than the need of survival in the world.