Science fiction Western

A science fiction Western is a work of fiction which has elements of science fiction in a Western setting. It is different from a Space Western, which is a frontier story indicative of American Westerns, except transposed to a backdrop of space exploration and settlement.

A science fiction Western occurs in the past, or in a world resembling the past, in which modern or future technology exists. The anachronistic technology of these stories is present because scientific paradigms occurred earlier in history but are implemented via industrial elements present at that time, or because technology is brought from another time or place. The genre often overlaps with Steampunk.

Examples

The film serial "The Phantom Empire" may be the earliest science fiction Western. Since then, science fiction Westerns have appeared in film, television, novels, comic books, and other media. Since the characteristic elements of science fiction can occur in any setting, science fiction lends itself to combination with other genres. cite web | author=Gunn, James | year=1995 | url=http://www.ku.edu/~sfcenter/teaching.htm | title=Teaching Science Fiction | work=Center for the Study of Science Fiction | publisher=University of Kansas | accessdate=2006-01-15 ] In 1953, J. B. Priestley described the "Western" as one of the three types of science fiction. [ Priestley, J. B. (December 5, 1953) "Thoughts in the Wilderness." "New Statesman", p. 712. Cited in Padlipsky, Michael A. (1960), " [http://www.lafn.org/~ba213/tt/0toc.html More Than Pulp(?): Science Fiction and the Problem of Literary Value] ", undergraduate thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. URL accessed on January 15, 2006]

Books

*"The Dark Tower series" by Stephen King
*"Girl in Landscape" by Jonathan Lethem
*"Hong on the Range" by William F. Wu
*"The Beast Master" (and Hosteen Storm series) by Andre Norton

Comics

*"Daisy Kutter" by Kazu Kibuishi [ [http://www.boltcity.com/daisy.htm Bolt City - Daisy Kutter ] ]
*"Lone" by Stuart Moore and Jerome Opena [ [http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=12-438 Dark Horse Comics > Profile > Lone TPB ] ]
*"Iron West" by Doug Tennapel [ [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=7091 TenNapel Strikes Gold in "Iron West"] , Comic Book Resources, May 17, 2006]
*"Dead Or Alive - A Cyberpunk Western" by Tatjana [ [http://www.kvltsite.com/kvlt-slantings/comic-reviews/dead-or-alive-%11-tatjana-&-ponticelli.html kvltsite - Apathy on demand. - Dead Or Alive - Tatjana & Ponticelli ] ]

Film

*"Back to the Future Part III"
*"The Beast of Hollow Mountain"
*"Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter"
*"Six Reasons Why"
*""
*"Tremors 4"
*"The Valley of Gwangi"
*"Wild Wild West"

erial

*"The Phantom Empire"

Games

*"Darkwatch"
*"Deadlands"
*"Gunman Chronicles"
*"Tin Star"
*"Wild Arms (series)"
*"Wild Guns"

Television

*" Legend" UPN Television series featuring Richard Dean Anderson and John De Lancie.
*"Outlaws", a 1986/87 TV series.
*"The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr."
*"The Gunfighters", a 1966 "Doctor Who" serial.
*"The Wild Wild West" included many episodes with science-fiction elements.
*"Trigun Japanese anime, has a manga of the same name.
*"Firefly from Joss Whedon, originally aired by Fox

ee also

*Cross-genre
*Steampunk
*Weird West
*Space Western

References