Science fiction and fantasy are also known as genres or types of literature; other genres include romances, westerns, horror stories, and detective novels.

Within the genres of science fiction and fantasy are a number of subgenres; descriptions of genres are useful to the general reader insofar as a genre recognizes common elements of works. Thus a reader who enjoys a particular work might look for other works that belong to that same genre.

In this section of Beyond. . ., please explore a number of subgenres of science fiction and fantasy and also a number of topics that recur in science fiction and fantasy.

The discussions of subgenres and topics herein are not exhaustive; other subgenres and topics might come to mind.