What is Speculative Fiction, Anyway?
(And Why Are We Obsessed With It?)
At Splinter Press, we publish speculative fiction. We say it a lot. It’s on our website, our social media, our T-shirts, possibly tattooed on at least one of our spleens. But every now and then, someone asks:
“Okay... but what is speculative fiction?”
Oh.
It’s Not Just One Genre—It’s a Whole Multiverse.
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term—a big, weird, glorious umbrella that covers all the stories that ask what if? It includes science fiction, fantasy, horror, magical realism, alternate history, and those books you can’t quite categorize but still think about six months after you finish them.
If it bends reality, stretches the rules, or builds an entirely new set of them?
If it dares to imagine a world stranger, darker, brighter, or more beautiful than ours?
It’s probably speculative fiction.
So... Aliens? Dragons? Time Travel? Haunted Toasters?
Yes. Yes. Absolutely. And definitely.
Speculative fiction is where you find:
- Time loops that reset the same Tuesday forever.
- Cities floating above lava seas.
- Magic systems based on forgotten dreams.
- AI-powered librarians with a mild god complex.
- That one planet where everyone communicates via interpretive dance.
It’s where imagination doesn’t just exist—it reigns.
Why We’re Obsessed (And Maybe You Are Too)
Here at Splinter Press, speculative fiction isn’t just our genre. It’s our obsession. Here’s why:
1. It Explores the Impossible—So We Can Understand the Real
Good speculative fiction isn’t escapism. It’s a mirror. It lets us ask big questions about identity, ethics, grief, love, power, and hope—just with more spaceships or sword fights.
2. It’s Wonder-Fueled Storytelling
Speculative fiction sparks awe. That moment of “Wait, WHAT just happened?” That delicious confusion when the rules of the world are just slightly off-kilter. It reminds us how huge and strange and mysterious everything is—both in the story and in real life.
3. It’s Not Afraid to Be Weird
And neither are we. Spec fic embraces the odd, the absurd, the slightly uncomfortable. It pokes at the boundaries of genre and narrative and says, “Yeah, but what if it had teeth?”
Why It Matters (Even When There Are Giant Tentacles Involved)
Speculative fiction gives us new maps for thinking, feeling, and imagining. It lets us envision different futures—and better ones. It lets us grieve and laugh and shiver. It reminds us we’re small… but not powerless.
It might be set in another galaxy, but it still hits you right in the heart.
So Yeah, We’re Obsessed. Proudly.
At Splinter Press, we’re building a whole shared universe of speculative fiction—stories full of magic and malfunction, strange science and stranger choices, quiet heartbreaks and big, beautiful mayhem.
If you love stories that make you think, feel, and whisper “wait, what?”—welcome in. This is your place.
And if you’re still not quite sure what speculative fiction is?
Just read one of our books.
You’ll get it.
Want more weird thoughts, book recs, and story sneak peeks?
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