Cory Doctorow recently wrote, “science fiction is not a topic, it is an approach”. This was in his review of the recent Neal Stephenson novel, Polostan, which contains no fantastic elements at all, but which is written in the style of a science fiction novel.
However, this is not a new phenomena - I am sure that there are many classic works of fiction which are technically not science fiction, space opera, or fantasy, but which are structurally and narratively similar to science fiction.
An example that comes to mind is the Horatio Hornblower novels, which:
Take place in an “alien” culture
Feature travel to exotic locales
Frequently hinge upon some technical detail of chemistry or physics (In other words, not that much different from the typical Eric Frank Russel story in Astounding, other than the fact that it takes place on Earth.)
Are appealing to readers who are fascinated by the details of how things work - in other words, geeks.
What are some other examples of novels which would fit within this category? More broadly, for an intellectual reader who is looking to broaden their literary diet beyond science fiction, what books would you recommend?
“Non-SF for SF fans” seems to be a tough ask… I wonder if it’s just hard to recall things in that context, or if we’re just not all that well-read outside of science fiction.
However, I just came across some suggestions for the mirror-universe version of the question:
Here’s a few other examples of historical novels that I think would appeal to science fiction fans:
Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. This Pulitzer-prize winning novel tells the story of the early days of the comic book industry, and is loosely inspired by the careers of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. It’s filled with cultural references of the period (for example, Harry Houdini, Salvador Dali, and the Golem of Prague all impact the story).
Herman Wouk’s The Winds of War, which relates the story of an American naval officer and members of his family during WWII. In the novel, we get to meet Roosevelt, Churchill, Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini as well as many other historical characters. There’s romance, adventure, and lots of strategic and technical detail.
James Clavell’s Shogun is also a grand, sweeping historical novel.