This week’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic (brought to you by www.brokeandbookish.com) is Ten Reasons I Love X — could be a certain book, character, author, your indie bookstore, a fandom, a tv show, reading, a hobby, a genre. Honestly anything you want to gush about. So, I’m going to lay out exactly why I love to read sci-fi and horror.
Why I Love to Read Sci-Fi and Horror
Because this is beautiful…
Top 5 Reasons I Love Science Fiction
- Because it engages my brain. Science Fiction, like Fantasy, requires you to fully immerse yourself, to imagine a world unlike what you know, because it’s so different. Yeah, human beings still eat, sleep, and poop, but Mars… Europa.. Faster than Light… Spaceship Battles…Waking up hundreds of years after being cryogenically frozen…Aliens!
- Because for a brief moment I can believe that humanity might actually manage to get it’s crap together and achieve something bigger than all of us. The past has already happened, and our world at present sucks, but the future? The future still has possibilities. The human race hasn’t completely doomed itself yet.
- Because space is so fascinating, so alien, and so dangerous. From micro-meteorites punching a hole through your ship, to meeting creatures that just want to serve man for dinner, to surviving alone on a deserted planet.
- Because hard science fiction means extrapolating a future from our present technologies, a process that takes intelligence, hard-work, and dreaming. It’s just sexy.
- Because sometimes I need a little hope to give me a break from the horror. Not just the horror genre that I happily read, but also the inside of my head.
…and this is, too.
Top 5 Reasons I Love Horror
- Because, hey, look, that person’s havin
g a worse time than I am. Sometimes the easiest way to forget your problems is to immerse yourself in someone else’s. - Because hormones, rainbows, and H-E-As get boring. Seriously, it gets boring, especially when it’s so bloody unrealistic. Love triangles, insta-love, miracles and …just eugh.
- Because I like the adrenaline rush. Nothing like letting a book and your mind work together to scare you so bad you leave the lights on when you go to sleep, and sleep with the covers over your head.
- Because I giggle like a loon after the adrenaline rush wears off. – One minute I’m all wide-eyed, heavy-breathing, scared out of my wits… and the next I realize how stupid I’m being, and I laugh uproariously at myself. Then I pick up another scary book and repeat the process.
- Because horror isn’t exactly a beloved genre, and it deserves to be. So yes, I read more of it than I might normally read (though I definitely read for enjoyment), because I want to give the genre more exposure.
Great reasons. I love scifi too, and I can totally relate to #2!!
My TTT
I liked your views on this, it’s like horror is your adrenaline rush and scifi is your thought provoking side. I had never thought about the genre’s combining in this way. I’m straight scifi, for similar reasons to the ones you state.
Yeah, it’s an odd mix at times, but it works really well for me. I get in my moods where I tend to go straight for a horror glut, or straight for a sci-fi run, but in general, I do tend to go sci-fi/horror/sci-fi/horror in my reads.
It’s whatever works for you. I’ve never been attracted by horror.
I’ve never thought about Scifi being your calm down from the adrenaline of horror! I’m purely scifi and I love it for most of the reason you do! 🙂
I don’t read much science fiction but I am trying. However, I love horror and posted 10 reasons I love it so much myself for this TTT. You are so right with #1 – most of the characters are having a worse day than I am and HEA’s do get boring after a while!
Glad to know I’m not the only one! I love knowing I have books I can pick up for HEAs if I want them…I just rarely want them!
I completely agree with your #3 for sci-fi. I love reading that genre for exactly that reason!
Whoaaa we definitely read books from difference genre! I love fantasy but I also love contemporary, fairy tales, and craps with happily ever after ending 😛 speaking of which, science fiction usually is a hit or miss for me, especially the ones with outer space theme. I get confused a lot… but I love Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff! It makes me believe that outer space science fiction could be awesome too lol
Also, I love this reason :
Because, hey, look, that person’s havinScary Cross for Why I Love to Read Sci-Fi and Horrorg a worse time than I am
Yep 🙂
This list is awesome!! I love your reasons for loving horror books! I adore that adrenaline rush! I usually read a horror book followed by something light and fluffy to come down! XD
Here are my Top Ten!
Love your list, especially because you are talking about two genres that I don’t actually read or know anything about! Your reasons for Sci-Fi made me so hopeful, so lustful for our better tomorrow that I might actually add some science fiction into my reading diet! I agree completely with you, writing science fiction well requires a lot of intelligence and attention to craft and that is something I can always admire in writing.
Thanks for sharing!
There’s some fantastic sci-fi out there, so I hope you do.
As a fellow sic-fi lover I can totally relate to this. Your first point is especially important to me: I love the way science fiction makes the reader think more, not only about the story itself but about the implications it can have on our modern world. Awesome list!
Glad you liked it!
This is a great list. I cracked up at #6, never thought about that when it comes to horror but it’s so true! I don’t read all that much horror, I find watching it is better than reading it, but I absolutely love Sci-Fi.
I’m more of a horror reader myself and agree on your reasons (especially the laughing at yourself for the scare) although I agree with your reasons to enjoy science fiction.
Definitely agree about science fiction’s sense of wonder and awe. Horror … not for me.
What sci-fi book made the most impact on youm
I looove sci-fi and I agree with everything you’ve said! It definitely requires you to immerse yoruself completely. I haven’t read a space sci-fi book in a while, I really should get back on that. 🙂
You should read The Star Agency. Great YA sci fi.
Ooh, thanks! I’ll check it out. 🙂
Loved your list! I agree with you on all of this. My particular favorite is #1 in science fiction, because it requires your to pay attention, truly engage and emerge yourself in the story, and drop all things you considered reality aside. It’s awesome.
What’s your favorite sci-fi book?
Dawn by Octavia Butler is one I can’t shake off. It might not be my favorite, but it’s the one that keeps coming to my mind even after a lot of time has passed. It raises a lot of interesting questions.
Hmm, haven’t read it yet. I actually have it on my kindle, just haven’t gotten to it.
It made me think a lot. I would actually like to reread it and continue with the series, but I never seem to do it 🙁
Its the first in the Xenogenesis trilogy, yes?
Yep! Though I know it as the Lilith’s Brood trilogy. I’ve heard both names though.
Excellent reasons – I love my sci-fi and horror also!
What’s your favorite sci-fi and horror books?
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