Cli-Fi (A little known sub-genre)

Recently, BOTM and picked “WIld Dark Shore” by Charlotte McConaghy that explores Cli-fi elements. Her other book called “Once There Were Wolves” and “Migrations” both explore this unique sub-genre. Here is a dive into what Cli-fi is and other notable works!

What is Cli-Fi?

Climate fiction, or cli-fi, is a genre that blends science fiction with environmental themes, often centered around the impact of climate change on the world.

The novels doesn’t always lean on far-future dystopias or fantastical technological solutions though. Instead, cli-fi stories can show the near future, alternate realities, or even present-day settings that explore what happens when the world’s climate and ecosystems become uninhabitable or dramatically altered.

Common Themes in Cli-Fi

1. Climate Crisis and Environmental Collapse
2. Survival and Adaptation
3. Technological Innovation or Failure
4. Human Nature and Responsibility

Notable Examples of Cli-Fi

1. “The Water Knife” by Paolo Bacigalupi (2015)

2. “The Windup Girl” by Paolo Bacigalupi (2009)

3. “Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood (2003)

4. “The Ministry for the Future” by Kim Stanley Robinson (2020)

5. “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler (1993)

6. “Snowpiercer” (2013, directed by Bong Joon-ho)

7. “An Inconvenient Truth” (2006, directed by Davis Guggenheim)

8. “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy (2006)

9. “Flight Behavior” by Barbara Kingsolver (2012)

10. “The Drowned Cities” by Paolo Bacigalupi (2012)

11. “The Overstory” by Richard Powers (2018)

12. “Weather” by Jenny Offill (2020)

13. “The Power” by Naomi Alderman (2016)

14. “The Silent Stars Go By” by James S.A. Corey (2021)

15. “The City We Became” by N.K. Jemisin (2020)