An estimated 80% of my fiction output is rooted in spite.

[magistrate]

Ran across this in my Twitter reading today. Made me stop and raise an eyebrow. Because, really – "grim" and "bleak" are the descriptors they've chosen to entice me to see this film? (Well, there's also "incredible", but that gives me little insight into what sets this film apart, and thus does little to capture my interest.)

Now, possibly I just haven't read widely enough in the genre to realize that there's a strong undercurrent of happy, lush, uplifting post-apocalyptic fiction out there. Something like that. But to me, grim, bleak landscapes aren't exactly the aspects of a post-apocalyptic work you need to advertise – they're more or less to be expected from the genre. Advertising those, especially when you have a medium such as Twitter and have to seriously consider which few, precious words you're going to use, makes it sound to me like you just don't have anything more interesting to say than "This work competently executes the tropes it's expected to." It's the "square house, door in front" of the review world.

...which all basically means that, in a fit of pique, I have decided that I want beautifully optimistic post-apocalyptic fiction to exist. If someone else doesn't write it, I may have to.

(It's not even that I dislike grimdark post-apoc. I do enjoy it, when it's done well. But sometimes you just have to go for the subversions.)

Comments

[sholio]

Somewhat surprisingly, that Andre Norton book, the cover of which I was complaining about recently, actually is that, more or less. It's post-apocalyptic but long enough after the apocalypse that life is pretty decent again, and it's mostly a sort of SF quest story about people exploring their interesting post-apocalyptic world with telepathic animal companions, meeting new people and seeing new places. (I'm also vaguely astounded at how dated the book doesn't feel considering that the first half was published in 1952 and the second half about 20 years later. It's racially diverse without being terribly stilted about it, there are female leaders and adventurers ... it just feels a lot more contemporary than the majority of SF from its era. And refreshingly non-depressing.)

[rootsofthestories]

Actually, I think that's what I am doing with It's Just the Radio. It's a post apocalypse type scenario but the whole thing is that she is going around, using her manifestation powers to help people through the rough times and eventually, she and two others team up and start rebuilding bigger patches of land and restoring the world, or as much of it as they can get to.

[yetregressing]

THE ROAD BUT HOPEFUL IS ALL YOUR FAULT

so you should have to write one too, so I don't suffer alone.

But yeah, that sounds ridiculous. Don't try to distinguish yourself in a certain genre if you are the basic tenants of that genre. Advertise that you are that genre. Then people who like those basic tenants will be like "aw sweet!" and the rest of us can carry on with our lives.

[squeemu]

I swear I replied this morning, but my comment seems to have been eaten? Or deleted. If it's gone again, I'll just give up.

BUT I WAS TRYING TO SAY that you should totally write that story even if someone's done something similar, because I feel like yours would be awesome.

I was also trying to say that it would make an amazing video game, but then I remembered that Journey is sort of like it? Only, you know, beautifully desolate and somewhat uplifting, instead of beautifully optimistic. XD