One of the great passions of my life; from 19th century writers  like HG Wells to the latest sub-genres like cyberpunk there must be something anyone would like. There's S.F. detective stories, romance, comedy, rise and fall of civilisations but most explore the way we are, and not just about our connection/ co-exsistence with technology. The best writers will combine multiple themes and will be expanding your mind without you noticing.

Science Fiction is the one genre where short stories play an integral part of its history; unfortunately the market has moved on to novels with massive word count, (usually Fantasy rather than strict S.F.) but there's still a steady stream of shorts available from the surviving magazines and anthologies. One day the market may swing back again but who knows.

Science Fiction has become a massive part of the motion picture blockbuster season. This has helped other less commercial projects get filmed, and also become a major force in TV series. Some names, and even phrases have everyday usage. There's no sign that SF is going away, though we are currently in a relative dearth of big, new shows, Stargate Atlantis being the biggest star flying the flag, and one more season of Battlestar Galactica is due to be broadcast soon (UK). A few low key shows like (A Town Called) Eureka are also doing their bit.  Rumours of new shows are ignored until they are actually on the telly!

This area is not meant to be comprehensive, just an overview with an idea towards helping someone new to the subject.