Popular Fiction Book Genres and Subgenres List
A trip to the bookstore or a visit to an online bookstore will help you keep up with new subgenres that emerge. Note: You will find the genres organized in different ways at different bookstores. For example, fantasy and science fiction might be together or thrillers may be a separate category from mystery.
Here is a list of commercial fiction genres and a few of the most popular subgenres. We also provided some links to other genre lists.
Children's
- Board Books
- Chapter Books
- Picture Books
- Young Adult
- Coming of Age
- Dark Fantasy
- Epic
- Grimdark
- High Fantasy
- Magic Realism
- Military
- Sword & Sorcery
- Urban
- Absurdist
- Christian
- Contemporary
- Humor/Satire
- Political
- War
- Women's Fiction
- Gothic
- Lovecraftian
- Monsters
- Occult
- Psychological
- Supernatural
- Vampires
Mystery/Thriller
- Amateur Sleuths
- Cozy
- Hard-Boiled
- Legal Thriller
- Medical Thriller
- Noir
- Police Procedural
- Psychological Thriller
- Supernatural
- Women Sleuths
- Chicklit
- Contemporary
- Erotic
- Gay/Lesbian
- Gothic
- Historical
- Paranormal
- Regency
- Romantic Suspense
- Time Travel
- Young Adult
- Western
- Alien Invasion
- Alternative History
- Colonization
- Cyberpunk
- Dystopian
- Hard SF
- Military
- Social SF
- Space Opera
- Steampunk
- Time Travel
- Contemporary
- Cowboys and Ranches
- Gunslingers
- Outlaws
Here are some great resources for finding more information about fiction genres:
- RWA: Romance Subgenres
- Sub-Genre Definitions
- Wikipedia Fiction Genres List
- Worlds Without End: SF, Fantasy and Horror Subgenres List
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