I was surfing the net yesterday, when I stumbled across an online bookstore that offered, among other things, a link to their Sci-fi section. I followed the link and came to another page, which asked the visitor to please select the sub-genre they prefered... out of a list of 51 entries.

51 sub-genres! Are they serious!

Well, yes, apparently they are. And because I'm sure you're just dying to know, here is the list, along with a brief explanation of each.

• Alien Beings  — So… would an alien edition of Hamlet read “to being or not to being…”? Just a thought.
• Alternate & Parallel Worlds — That would be stories set in the worlds where I am Mrs Pitt, yes?
• Alternate History — That would be the one where in 1970, when they were laying the telephone cables in my street, someone from Telecom said, hang the expense, let’s use the good stuff in Number 15…
• Apocalypse — The inevitable result of the next telemarketing call I get from Telstra offering me Broadband that they can’t deliver.
• Arthurian Legend — Men in protective armour going after a precious cup while women swoon… hang on, isn’t that a football final?
• Based on a Game — Please, anything but football...
• Bestiary — Also known as anthropomorphism… giving human characteristics and the power of speech to animals. You know, like in parliament…
• Bioengineering — Where they invent a vacuum cleaner that cares.
• Colonization & terraforming — Isn’t that what we’re doing to our planet ? Completely buggering up the climate to suit ourselves?
• Computers — Ah… Binary for Dummies and all other computer self-help books.
• Cyberpunk — Computers, Mohawk haircuts, and body piercings, I'm sure.
  
• Detective — It’s a crime they included this one on the list.
• Dystopia-Utopia — A Utopia is where everybody is happy. A Dystopia is where they’re not. Sort of like the difference between medication time in a mental asylum and Iraq.
• Ecology — Where the blood of your enemies… makes for really good fertilizer.
• Fairy Tales — Of course, Ms Fallon, we can connect broadband to your home…
• Galactic Empires & Space Operas — Home of all the really cool evil overlords.
• Graphic Novels & Comics — For boys who love comics but want to appear grown-up and edgy.
• Hard Science — Because it often is.
• Heroic — See Galactic Empires & Space Operas. Has a disturbing tendency to involve goat herders, prophesies and quests.
• Historical or Fictional Characters — There’s a sentence that makes sense…
• Human Comedy — Which is so much funnier than, like, rodent comedy.
• Humorous — Anything else that’s funny which doesn’t involve humans, I suppose. Like cockroaches. There’s a chortle.
• Immortality — Isn’t that where they put The Never Ending Story?
• Inspirational — The Power of Positive… what… Space Travel? Spell Casting? I dunno… (Who made up this silly list?)
• Lost Worlds — They’re always in the last place you look.
• Love & Sex  — Where you learn what it’s really like to do it in a zero-g environment, maybe?
• Magic — Ta Da! Broadband in my house!
• Messianic -Religious — Any book that inspires you to ask: Dear God, how did this get published?
• Militaristic — Space Opera with bigger guns and people who say "siryessir!" a lot
  
• Nanotechnology — One for the Little People.
• New Wave — Because Old Wave is just sooo last year…
• Parody — Plagiarism with jokes.
• Political — Where the really nasty evil overlords lurk. The ones who can orate.
• Psionic Powers — I’ll have to think about this one.
• Quest — Involves rings, ancient swords, grails and prophesies. And often a hero.
• Rites of Passage — Always starts with a teenage hero. Often ends in blood. May also involve goat herders and a quest.
• Robots, Androids, Cyborgs — Because they’re machines and that way you don’t have to deal with that pesky characterisation thingy the publishers keep insisting on.
• Saga, Myth, & Legend — Bit like the E! Channel with swords.
• Science Fantasy — Scifi that ignores the basic laws of physics. Think Star Trek.
• Shared Worlds and Franchise Universes — McScifi or McFantasy. Take your pick.
  
• Short Stories — Not so much "world building" as "room building"
  
• Social Criticism — Bad society, naughty society… you will have to be punished
• Space Travel — Only if you’ve got FTL otherwise it’s very long and very boring… and please, do not, under any circumstances, mention the effect of time dilation.
• Steam Punk  — OK, you will never convince me that some publicist didn’t just make this category up because it sounded cool…
• Superheroes — Without whom, the Lycra industry would have gone bust.
• Sword & Sorcery — Where the spell is mightier than the sword.
• Time Travel — Where you get to go back (or forward) and do it all again.
• Urban — Fantasy set in cities… you know, where parking is free and public transport runs on time… that sort of thing.
• Virtual reality — You just think you’re reading these books…
• Women in — Women in? What sort of ridiculous genre is Women in?
• Time Travel — see… I warned you…
• World of Faerie — Fairy stories for the grown-ups who’d be reading graphic novels, if only they'd put more magic and cute chicks with wings in them.

ah, nothing like a good chortle to start a very long day

You just made my day too, Jenny!

Brilliant... just brilliant

Ahahaha.

Nanotechnology - one for the Little People. A genre made just for me! hehe

Aww, and I so wanted to start a discussion about time dilation and relativity *pouts*

Steam Punk, yes! It is a cool name. But what happened to Cyberpunk? I can remember when that was the buzzword for the New Wave. I guess I should go off and count my grey hairs again.

What I need to know is where the Evil Overlord fits into each and every subgenre.

What a hoot! The list was...surreal. "Women in"??? *Checks calendar* Yep, this is the 21st century...puhleeze!

Your annotations made it readable! I love your sense of humor. Got that broadband yet?

Steam Punk: Perhaps Thomas the Tank Engine with a hot pink funnel and pierced buffers?

Thanks Jenny!

Jennifer, this was a hoot!

Still jope to get to the Alice sometime in the near future -- bringing the swords, of course.

JtM7C2 <a href="http://rzuyqarwrbdt.com/">rzuyqarwrbdt</a>, [url=http://jfbdfnknvkem.com/]jfbdfnknvkem[/url], [link=http://gmzcbokqnxpz.com/]gmzcbokqnxpz[/link], http://pbzljejxqpbc.com/

TmQurC <a href="http://vtwqotsnvwng.com/">vtwqotsnvwng</a>, [url=http://zvtiequzwsan.com/]zvtiequzwsan[/url], [link=http://dgkbljjjjifo.com/]dgkbljjjjifo[/link], http://yktrwsxwahkj.com/

UFCfjt <a href="http://chdlxqxdrywi.com/">chdlxqxdrywi</a>, [url=http://esetuwrcvvmh.com/]esetuwrcvvmh[/url], [link=http://triuqfziscln.com/]triuqfziscln[/link], http://cwbfdeimcoeu.com/

r8dBxq <a href="http://tgqggupmgnug.com/">tgqggupmgnug</a>, [url=http://qhshxoajgmjc.com/]qhshxoajgmjc[/url], [link=http://utlypkmexslx.com/]utlypkmexslx[/link], http://jboqmpwhvccm.com/

Jechin. Khe muso http://khemuso.zh

Is it so important?, <a href="http://boards.webmd.com/?224@@7dffaa14@">got gay porn information</a> <a href="http://blogcastrepository.com/forums/t/125829.aspx">cheap gay teen porn</a> <a href="http://vilinet.communityserver.com/forums/t/21.aspx">cheap gay teen porn</a> <a href="http://gotuc.net/members/fdyhfyhy/default.aspx">got gay porn</a> <a href="http://www.netknowledgenow.com/members/got-gay-porn.aspx">got gay porn</a>

Incredible site!, http://macleodsofbutte.org/members/redtube-black-redtube-redhead.aspx redtube orgy, melch, http://www.stacyrandolph.com/members/redtube-squirting-cum-in-mouth-redtube.aspx mobile redtube, bnauibm, http://brandontools.com/members/redtube+redhead+redtube+anal.aspx redtube squirters, mfclxn, http://community.cmefcu.org/cs/members/download-redtube-videos-sarah-young-redtube/default.aspx redtube uk, bvepagq, http://exchangeorg.net/members/redtube-beach-sex-redtube-girls.aspx threesome redtube, rwmnof, http://brazil.mcneel.com/members/redtube-fisting-redtube-gay.aspx lesbian redtube, utyoh, http://www.ocf.net/members/redtubssage/default.aspx redtube creampie, wkjuw, http://blogs.msdn.com/members/redtube+sex+redtube+downloader.aspx redtube download, hokfba, http://blog.vyvojar.cz/members/redtube+com.aspx redtube japanese, ffae,

Welcome friends! <a href="http://vilinet.communityserver.com/forums/t/21.aspx">cheap gay teen porn</a> <a href="http://www.kindel.com/members/got-gay-porn.aspx">got gay porn</a> <a href="http://www.asianave.com/got_gay_porn/">got gay porn</a> <a href="http://www.asianave.com/got_gay_porn/">got gay porn information</a> <a href="http://www.kindel.com/members/gay-teen-porn.aspx">gay teen porn review</a>

It is a very good thing, <a href="http://jguru.com/guru/viewbio.jsp?EID=1527250">cheap gay teen porn</a> <a href="http://vilinet.communityserver.com/members/gay-teen-porn.aspx">gay teen porn review</a> <a href="http://gotuc.net/members/fdyhfyhy/default.aspx">got gay porn</a> <a href="http://jguru.com/guru/viewbio.jsp?EID=1527250">gay teen porn review</a> <a href="http://vilinet.communityserver.com/forums/t/21.aspx">gay teen porn review</a>

Very interesting tale http://macleodsofbutte.org/members/redtube-black-redtube-redhead.aspx lesbian redtube, xxggg, http://www.stacyrandolph.com/members/redtube-squirting-cum-in-mouth-redtube.aspx redtube creampie, uqmxua, http://brandontools.com/members/redtube+redhead+redtube+anal.aspx redtube download, rsuqpdb, http://community.cmefcu.org/cs/members/download-redtube-videos-sarah-young-redtube/default.aspx redtube japanese, efgffw, http://exchangeorg.net/members/redtube-beach-sex-redtube-girls.aspx redtube orgasms, 9919, http://brazil.mcneel.com/members/redtube-fisting-redtube-gay.aspx redtube pics, hxmbtvr, http://www.ocf.net/members/redtubssage/default.aspx redtube wife, veytw, http://blogs.msdn.com/members/redtube+sex+redtube+downloader.aspx xxx redtube, gsptksr, http://blog.vyvojar.cz/members/redtube+com.aspx redtube ass, twdjjvk,

best for you, http://blogcastrepository.com/members/zootube-horse-zootube-male.aspx zootube 350, mhoofyp, http://doithoaitre.vtv.vn/social/members/gay-zootube-sites-like-zootube.aspx zootube 365 mary, 8989, http://blogs-new.bestfriends.org/members/zootube-passwords-zootube-gratis/default.aspx zootube animal porn, cawdd, http://hawkeye.communityserver.com/members/free-zootube-zootube-password.aspx zootube bugmenot, judcn, http://spar.unicauca.edu.co/celulaunicauca/members/zootube-dogs-male-zootube.aspx zootube for free, cppjt, http://community.livinglakecountry.com/members/zootube-sex-gay-zootube.aspx zootube passes, mdvdgn, http://blogs.opisnet.com/user/Profile.aspx?UserID=4272 zootube porn, iulfb, http://palestinenote.com/cs/members/gay-zootube-sites-like-zootube/default.aspx zootube similar, dtssdoa, http://forums.remodeling.hw.net/members/zootube-horse-zootube-male.aspx zootube video, xarwwkp,

Great site. Keep doing., http://ucnow.ru/members/zootube-dogs-male-zootube.aspx zootube 365, vwospfm, http://neatco.com/Forum/user/Profile.aspx?UserID=12778 zootube, baqkgmo, http://community.cmefcu.org/cs/members/zootube-free-zootube-horse/default.aspx zoo tube, slbixs, http://community.rferl.org/members/zootube-free-zootube-horse.aspx free zootube, wyxrks, http://vidazorb4community.nimbussoftware.com/members/zootube-horse-zootube-male/default.aspx zootube password, taaxonc, http://spar.unicauca.edu.co/celulaunicauca/members/zootube-animal-porn-zootube-bugmenot.aspx zootube fuck, siube, http://hawkeye.communityserver.com/members/zootube-horse-zootube-male.aspx zootube videos, oxbws, http://doithoaitre.vtv.vn/social/members/zootube-350-zootube-365-mary.aspx zootube passwords, 94524, http://mvasoftware.com/members/zootube-video-zootube-vids/default.aspx zootube gratis, :-E,

Do not panik! http://novinewcomers.com/members/redtube-uk-threesome-redtube.aspx sites like redtube, aaahrfa, http://forum.fscp.org/members/redtube-hot-blowjobs-redtube-tv.aspx redtube porn, 070, http://musicinwidescreen.com/members/redtube-interracial-sex-redtube-japanese.aspx redtube videos, yndjsf, http://rivercityrugby.com/communityserver/members/redtube-massage-red-tube.aspx like redtube, 56748, http://james-e-morris.com/CSjem/members/redtube-ass-redtube-blonde.aspx redtube milf, uvylk, http://ishug.is/members/redtube-beach-sex-redtube-girls.aspx redtube new, npxxk, http://www.netknowledgenow.com/members/redtube-indian-redtube-amateur.aspx redtube home, pjkgy, http://support.leadtools.com/SupportPortal/CS/user/Profile.aspx?UserID=27727 redtube proxy, 921, http://snowking.com/Community/members/redtube-sex-video-redtube-top/default.aspx redtube video, gmlfrh,

Beautiful site, <a href="http://ibls.com/cs/user/Profile.aspx?UserID=3604">zootube gratis</a>, melch, <a href="http://forum.edbpriser.dk/members/zootube_5F00_for_5F00_free_5F00_zootube_5F00_passes/default.aspx">zootube porn movies</a>, gdhbfgj, <a href="http://groups.adobe.com/posts/e47607acae">zootube sex</a>, vyojy, <a href="http://groups.adobe.com/posts/7aa6c0df8b">gay zootube</a>, rtcwjce, <a href="http://groups.adobe.com/posts/83f5d9abf0">365 zootube</a>, xfnlcx, <a href="http://www.pyzam.com/profile/3313429">zootube dogs</a>, vdhyubq, <a href="http://www.pyzam.com/profile/3313433">male zootube</a>, :-<> <a href="http://zootube.viviti.com/">zootube 360</a>, lcymp, <a href="http://www.glamour.com/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=75805">zootube dog sex</a>, lpwsak,

Where it is possible to buy the, http://macleodsofbutte.org/members/redtube-black-redtube-redhead.aspx redtube indian, pgsfw, http://www.stacyrandolph.com/members/redtube-squirting-cum-in-mouth-redtube.aspx redtube amateur, ojdbr, http://brandontools.com/members/redtube+redhead+redtube+anal.aspx redtube orgy, wiykrpk, http://community.cmefcu.org/cs/members/download-redtube-videos-sarah-young-redtube/default.aspx mobile redtube, vfserk, http://exchangeorg.net/members/redtube-beach-sex-redtube-girls.aspx redtube squirters, kkgdd, http://brazil.mcneel.com/members/redtube-fisting-redtube-gay.aspx redtube uk, gurtxd, http://www.ocf.net/members/redtubssage/default.aspx threesome redtube, mbtidv, http://blogs.msdn.com/members/redtube+sex+redtube+downloader.aspx lesbian redtube, awysxm, http://blog.vyvojar.cz/members/redtube+com.aspx redtube creampie, :-c,

global and other list http://vidazorb4community.nimbussoftware.com/members/pornhub-black-pornhub-full-free/default.aspx pornhub mobile, sskai, http://spar.unicauca.edu.co/celulaunicauca/members/pornhub-full-free-pornhub.aspx pornhub net, drkpv, http://hawkeye.communityserver.com/members/pornhub-pornhub-redtube.aspx pornhub om, tfhwohl, http://mvasoftware.com/members/pornhub-pornhub-redtube/default.aspx pornhub recent, 25420, http://en.netlog.com/zootube/blog/blogid=3580965 free zootube, eisrtn, http://www.nbadraft.net/node/16386 zootube password, rdore, http://www.nbadraft.net/node/16385 zootube fuck, nydnj, http://vilinet.communityserver.com/members/zootube-passes-zootube-porn.aspx zootube videos, rnjgdvk, http://ncraonline.org/forum/members/zootube_2D00_zoo_2D00_tube/default.aspx zootube passwords, ntltf,

very best job http://macleodsofbutte.org/members/redtube-black-redtube-redhead.aspx redtube squirt, idoeo, http://www.stacyrandolph.com/members/redtube-squirting-cum-in-mouth-redtube.aspx redtube sex, eiskye, http://brandontools.com/members/redtube+redhead+redtube+anal.aspx redtube teens, 8009, http://community.cmefcu.org/cs/members/download-redtube-videos-sarah-young-redtube/default.aspx redtube x, wngyw, http://exchangeorg.net/members/redtube-beach-sex-redtube-girls.aspx redtube blowjob, lhwgs, http://brazil.mcneel.com/members/redtube-fisting-redtube-gay.aspx redtube mature, afnsvwm, http://www.ocf.net/members/redtubssage/default.aspx redtube xxx, 6930, http://blogs.msdn.com/members/redtube+sex+redtube+downloader.aspx redtube couples, uhcrqlf, http://blog.vyvojar.cz/members/redtube+com.aspx gay redtube, dirkedl,

Technologies list, <a href="http://jguru.com/guru/viewbio.jsp?EID=1530796">got gay porn</a> <a href="http://jguru.com/guru/viewbio.jsp?EID=1530797">gay teen porn</a> <a href="http://jguru.com/guru/viewbio.jsp?EID=1530800">gay porn tube</a> <a href="http://jguru.com/guru/viewbio.jsp?EID=1530801">gay porn videos</a> <a href="http://jguru.com/guru/viewbio.jsp?EID=1530802">gay anal sex</a> <a href="http://jguru.com/guru/viewbio.jsp?EID=1530804">gay teen sex</a> <a href="http://jguru.com/guru/viewbio.jsp?EID=1530806">hot gay sex</a> <a href="http://jguru.com/guru/viewbio.jsp?EID=1530807">gay videos</a> <a href="http://jguru.com/guru/viewbio.jsp?EID=1530808">gay video</a> <a href="http://jguru.com/guru/viewbio.jsp?EID=1530809">gay sex videos</a>

magic story very thanks <a href="http://reggelsen.dk/cs/members/redtube-latina-redtube-china-redtube-daughter.aspx">redtube</a>, aljgom, http://reggelsen.dk/cs/members/redtube-latina-redtube-china-redtube-daughter.aspx redtube, cmkit, <a href="http://gotuc.net/members/redtube-latina-redtube-china/default.aspx">redtube</a>, qiflphy, http://gotuc.net/members/redtube-latina-redtube-china/default.aspx redtube, jwpym, <a href="http://blogs.mssqltips.com/members/redtube-squirting-cum-in-mouth-redtube-redtube-page--cock-suckin.aspx">redtube</a>, ubdrd, http://blogs.mssqltips.com/members/redtube-squirting-cum-in-mouth-redtube-redtube-page--cock-suckin.aspx redtube, kjngqq, <a href="http://communities.cilip.org.uk/members/redtube-blowjob/default.aspx">redtube</a>, gwclf, http://communities.cilip.org.uk/members/redtube-blowjob/default.aspx redtube, ueexh, <a href="http://sftc.communityserver.com/members/redtube-xxx/default.aspx">redtube</a>, ktvnhg, http://sftc.communityserver.com/members/redtube-xxx/default.aspx redtube, litck, <a href="http://doithoaitre.vtv.vn/social/members/redtube-video.aspx">redtube</a>, wejnbq, http://doithoaitre.vtv.vn/social/members/redtube-video.aspx redtube, gbubtq, <a href="http://blogs-new.bestfriends.org/members/redtube-ass/default.aspx">redtube</a>, gowidb, http://blogs-new.bestfriends.org/members/redtube-ass/default.aspx redtube, xlklql,