Biopunk science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that focuses on the near-future unintended consequences of the biotechnology revolution following the discovery of recombinant DNA. Biopunk stories explore the struggles of individuals or groups, often the product of human experimentation, against a backdrop of totalitarian governments and megacorporations which misuse biotechnologies as means of social control and profiteering.
Repo: The Genetic Opera is an excellent example of this particular sub-genre.
Unlike cyberpunk, it builds not on information technology, but on synthetic biology. Like in postcyberpunk fiction, individuals are usually modified and enhanced not with cyberware, but by genetic manipulation. A common feature of biopunk fiction is the "black clinic", which is a laboratory, clinic, or hospital that performs illegal, unregulated, or ethically-dubious biological modification and genetic engineering procedures.
Many features of biopunk fiction have their roots in William Gibson's Neuromancer, one of the first cyberpunk novels.
YOU ARE READING
SF Sub-Genre Definitions
RandomAre you a budding sci-fi author? Do you need the many different sub genres of SF defined? A lot of people do so if you're one of them... this is where you need to look!
