What is a book genre, and why does it matter? A book genre is a category of books that all meet similar standards and expectations. If you look at different genres, there are different expectations from each one. They vary in settings, themes, length and general plot. Tone and mood can affect genres too. For example, a book with a comedic tone about a monster and a book with a dark tone about a monster fall into two separate genres.
Genre matters because it helps readers and writers find their favorite niche. When an author goes to write a horror book, there is a different scheme to follow, as opposed to a romance book. We, as readers, look to genres to find what we enjoy reading about. Want to read about magic? Check out fantasy books. Want to read about gunslingers? Check out westerns. We look to these genres to help us find similar books we might enjoy.
Oftentimes, books can fall into multiple genres. Take romance for example. You can have romance themes in any one of the other genres. Young adult is an especially expansive category that can fit in almost any genre.
Along with multiple genres, there are a multitude of subgenres for each of the major genres. You can get really deep into your favorite genre. You might like horror books but maybe you love the paranormal subgenre of horror. Each person likes different things but trying new things is always a great thing to do. You might find your new favorite book or genre if you branch out.
This list is for fiction genres. I will be sure to write another post for nonfiction because I know a lot of people like nonfiction over fiction.
The Genres
Action and Adventure– In action and adventure books, characters are thrown into a high stakes, fast moving, adventure. These books are plot driven where the characters react to events. The characters can travel great distances to accomplish their goals. Action and adventure books can be a host of other genres such as fantasy. One good example is Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Frodo must leave his home to embark on a quest to destroy the one ring.
Children’s– Authors write children’s books with children in mind. Either for parents to read to their children or for the child to read by themselves. Children’s books come in two distinct styles. The first style is theme based. The goal of the book is to teach a lesson or some moral to the child, like in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. The second style is age based. Children read these books by themselves or with minor help from family members. The themes in these books matter much less than the ability a young reader has to read through the book. The younger the intended reader, the easier the book is to read. I read the Dick and Jane books put out by Penguin Publishing to help strengthen my reading skills when I was younger.
Classics– Classics are technically not a book genre but a type of book. Classics are significant and noteworthy books that are worth the read. These are the books you would read in a high school or college literature class. Most genres on this list have a classic book that goes in it. For example, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë is a classic book in the romance genre. I believe every good book collection or personal library should include some classic books, even if you dislike reading classics.
Comedy and Satire– Authors write comedy books with the intention of making their readers laugh. Like action and adventure books, comedy books are often other genres as well. To make books comedic, authors can write weird and wacky characters or put their protagonists in strange and humorous situations. The Princess Bride by William Goldman, is a great example. Satire is a specific kind of comedy genre where the author is pointing out flaws in society or politics. Not all comedy is satire but all satire is comedy. George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a classic example for satire.
Contemporary fiction– Contemporary fiction is a relatively new genre of books. In these books realistic events happen to realistic people. You can easily imagine the events in these books happening to anyone in your neighborhood. Contemporary fiction books do not fit in any other genre of book. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman fits into this genre. Roxy would highly recommend you read it.
Crime fiction– The crime fiction genre deals with stories about, believe it or not, criminal acts. These stories often revolve around a detective, police officer, or lawyer attempting to solve a criminal case. More often than not, the crime committed is murder. These books can fit into the other genres like thriller and suspense, horror or action and adventure. Popular subgenres for crime fiction include detective fiction, courtroom drama, and legal thrillers. An example of crime fiction is Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.
Dystopian– I might judge you if you told me you have never read a dystopian book. These books are popular in the mainstream media. Also, schools often teach at least one dystopian book in the curriculum. Dystopian books involve a setting that is undesirable to live in. Often fear and government control are focus points in the setting. Dystopian books can happen in other genres such as fantasy or science fiction but they are prevalent enough to deserve their own genre. During middle school and high school I read a bunch of dystopian books. Three required school readings that come to my mind are George Orwell’s 1984, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and Lois Lowry’s The Giver. A semi recent book series that was popular in the media is Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games Trilogy.
Fantasy– The fantasy genre is a broad genre. The basics of fantasy stories involve either magical elements or supernatural ones. Fantasy involves elements that do not exist in the real world.. Fantasy books can also be any other one of the genres as long as it includes these fantastical elements. There are many subgenres of fantasy but I am only going to talk about the two I think are most important on this list, high and low fantasy. I will most likely go in depth about fantasy subgenres in another post.
High fantasy books take place in a completely different world with their own rules and laws. Some of my favorite high fantasy books include their own maps to show their imagined world. High fantasy books are often epic adventures of companions full of magic and monsters. High fantasy books include George R.R Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice books, or Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle books.
Low fantasy is the opposite. Low fantasy takes place in the real world but fantasy elements exist on earth. Magic might exist on earth or fantastical monsters. Often, the everyday people do not notice the magic, only the characters involved in the story. As opposed to high fantasy where everyone lives in a magical land. Two of my favorite low fantasy book series are Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and how could we not include J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter.
Graphic Novels– Like classics, graphic novels are not a genre but a type of book. These books tell stories through art and dialogue. They are slightly differentiated from comics because they tell more complex but standalone stories. Graphic novels often use the same art styles as comics. Occasionally, artists and authors will work together to adapt the authors novel into a graphic novel that tells the same story, Currently, Japanese manga, for example My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi, is one of the top selling graphic novel styles.
Historical Fiction– Historical fiction books take place during past historical events. This can include a character traveling back in time to these events. Historical figures often appear in these stories. These books focus on the events and life during the time period. The stories told take place in real historic events but the story itself is made up and involves events that never happened. For example, a historical fiction book could be about a boy who travels back in time to the revolutionary war to fight for George Washington. This genre too can include others such as romance, science fiction and fantasy. One book in this genre is The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donogue.
Horror– Horror books are intended to scare the audience. The author attempts to instill dread, shock, fear, or all of the above into the reader. Horror can feature any number of elements to scare the reader, including ghosts, serial killers, Satanism, and other such monsters. We at Umbra Ex Libris tend to read a lot of horror. My favorite horror author would have to be Stephen King. The Shining holds a special place in my heart for a dreadful story.
Literary fiction- Literary Fiction is a modern take on classics. These books like contemporary fiction do not fit in the other genres. These books have deep meaning and in the future might be read in the classroom setting for their merit. Literary fiction is primarily character driven. They examine the human psyche or social commentary. The protagonist is introspective into his or her life and the world around them. This genre is often considered more serious than any other genre on this list. The nobel prize in literature is often awarded to books in the literary fiction genre. Disgrace by J.M Coetzee is an example of literary fiction.
Mystery– The mystery genre is another popular genre. In mystery stories an event takes place, such as a crime, and the protagonist is trying to figure out who committed the act. Unlike crime fiction, mysteries do not always have to be a crime. The protagonist often uses logic, clues and facts to solve the mystery. The author presents the reader with new information gradually throughout the book to allow the reader to try and piece the story together along with the protagonist. For instance, you may have heard of James Patterson, the author. People know him most from his prolific writing of mystery books.
Novellas– Novellas are another style of book instead of a genre. Novellas can be any genre. The only difference between novels and novellas is the length of the work. Novellas are longer than short stories but too short to be considered novels. While there is no defining word count or page count in a novella, most people consider a word count of 10,000 to 40,000 words (100-200 pages) the length needed to be considered a novella. A great classic novella to read is John Steinback’s Of Mice and Men.
Romance– Romance books are one of the most sold fiction books on this list. Romance can contain a multitude of other genres such as science fiction, fantasy, or historical fiction. Two major things are needed for a book to be considered a romance genre: a romance story between the main protagonists and a happy ending. You can’t have a romance book without, well, romance. Without the happy ending you get closer to the classic Shakespearean tragedies than romance. Romance is another blog post I have planned for subgenres because there is an expansive list of subgenres for it. Erotica or suspenseful romance are two such subgenres of romance. Have you heard of a little known author named Nicholas Sparks? He writes countless romance novels, many turned into Hollywood movies.
Science fiction– Science fiction novels deal with the imagined future. Advanced technologies are one of the focus points in these books. Futuristic concepts such as faster than light travel, advanced artificial intelligence, gene modifications, and many many more are in these books. The difference between science fiction and fantasy is a fine line. In science fiction the technology has to be based off of science, not magic. Two distinct types of science fiction exist, hard and soft science fiction.
Hard science fiction books focus on the STEM sciences and talk a lot about the technology in the book with scientific backing. These books have to be conceptually plausible based on the science we understand today. The Martian by Andy Weir is a hard science fiction book.
Soft science fiction deals more with the social sciences like psychology and sociology. Also books that are not scientifically accurate fall into the soft science fiction category. These books tend to focus more on the people and relationships in the books or the societies of the future. Frank Herbert’s Dune deals more about the imagined society and politics in an imagined future.
Like fantasy and romance there are a plethora of science fiction subgenres. If this genre interests you, check out our Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction Genres where we talk more in depth about each one.
Thriller and Suspense– I decided to lump thriller and suspense books together because I find them so similar. These books tend to be more plot driven than character driven. The author tries to elicit feelings of fear, anxiety, and excitement in the reader. These books are filled with action and keep the reader on the edge of their seat as they read. Suspense books tend to be less dark than thrillers. Suspense can be caused by unsolved mysteries that keep the reader engaged in the book Those same emotions in thrillers can exist but often they lean more towards excitement and fascination in the story. If you are looking for a great read, check out our review of The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. It is a great horror novel.
Young Adult– Young adult books are another category, not genre, of book. Young adult books can also be any of the mentioned genres on this list. When a book is described as young adult, the age of the protagonist is known. The age can lie between 12-18 years old. Young adult books often focus on these teenagers familiarizing themselves with an unknown new world. Authors write these books with teenagers in mind, however adults make up for more than half the readers for this category. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a coming of age young adult book.
Westerns– Western books take place in Americas wild west. These books revolve around gunslingers, saloons, ranches, homesteads, cowboys, among other things. The setting of these books is often harsh and hard to live in with cold weather or bad land for crops. A lot of times, these books are action oriented with gunslingers hunting bounties or wars between white men and the Native Americans. An example novel is, No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy.
In Conclusion
Am I missing your favorite genre or category? I can always add to the list. Maybe you would like me to do a post about your favorite genre’s subgenres. Be sure to let me know in the comments. I hope you find a new favorite book or genre to dig into.
From us to you,
Happy Reading!
I think id be interested in a deep dive into the different types of fantasy. The mechanics of different magic systems has always been interesting to me.
That will for sure be the next big one I work on then.