sciencefictionadjacent

Sciencefictionadjacent is a term used in criticism and fandom to describe media that sits near the boundaries of science fiction. It denotes works that engage with scientific ideas, speculative futures, or techno-social questions but do not conform to traditional SF conventions or marketing categories.

The scope is broad: near-future techno-thrillers, speculative fiction with plausible technologies, dystopian dramas, or literary fiction employing scientific premises or speculative worlds. Character focus and stylistic approach can vary—from clinical, ideation-driven storytelling to lyrical, morally interrogative modes—but the common thread is an interest in science, technology, or futurity as it impacts society or individuals.

Sciencefictionadjacent is not a formal genre; it overlaps with slipstream, cli-fi, or literary SF, and overlaps audience with both science fiction and mainstream fiction. Critics use it to acknowledge works that share SF concerns without committing to canonical SF tropes, alien-sorcery, or space opera. Examples often described this way include television series like Black Mirror, which foregrounds technological futures and ethical questions, and novels such as Never Let Me Go, which deploys scientific premises within a literary frame.

Because the label is informal, its boundaries are fluid and debated. Proponents argue it helps readers discover thematically similar works outside the SF aisle; skeptics warn it risks shrinking precise genre identities or overgeneralizing. In practice, sciencefictionadjacent functions as a descriptive shorthand rather than a fixed category.