Literary fiction is character driven, and commercial fiction is plot driven, but what is speculative fiction? Most people treat it as plot driven, too, but to me, speculative fiction is all about the Star Trek mantra: “To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” It’s all about the setting.
Open up any good fantasy book. The first thing you see is a map. It’s about new worlds, new religions, new sets of beliefs, new technology, new kinds of magic, new laws of physics, and first and foremost, new ways of thinking. The best sci-fi is not only a mirror of the world we live in, it is also a window into something different entirely.
Nate's Science Fiction 