Three forgotten gems of speculative fiction genres

The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster, 1909 - Cyberpunk/Dystopian short story

The Machine Stops by Kelly Airo

One might be excused for reading the first few paragraphs and assuming an involuntary grimace of scorn. It's a tale we all heard before: a world in shambles with humanity forced to live underground, the natural curiosity of free-willed youngsters for the world outside and a rebellious stance against social norms, humanity unhealthy dependance on technology. This is surely to change, however, the moment the reader notices the year this story was published. Written in 1909, The Machine Stops dealt with themes of alienation, post-apocalyptic scenarios, tyranny, brainwashing and humanity relationship with technology long before George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, William Gibson, Philip K. Dick and The Matrix. The way Forster predicts nowadays technology with an almost scary precision could even deem him the title of a time traveller. And, different from other works that precedes whole genres, its context is not the only thing that makes it a good story.

The Bell-Tower by Herman Melville, 1855- Steampunk short story

Bell Tower by unknown author

Steampunk is an odd genre, specially when you consider the works that named it (like Anubis Gate and the novels of K. W. Jeter, who himself coined the term) to be vastly forgotten, while the birth of the genre is mostly associated with the names of H.G. Wells, and Jules Verne — whose works are sometimes rather dubiously tagged as steampunk. So it is unfortunate that this great steampunk rooted short story written many years before both authors made their debut (a decade before Verne, and half a century before Wells) by the same author of Moby Dick, a book so profoundly diffused into the collective unconscious, would be buried under such a pile of unrecognition. You can even sense similarities with a certain award-winning movie/book — which I refrain from naming so that the story may have its full impact — though any factual relationship is doubtful.

The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany, 1924 - Fantasy novel

The Horns of Elfland Faintly Blowing by Bernard Sleigh

While it could be argued that Tolkien is indeed the father of modern fantasy — his influence flows swiftly and abides to its surroundings like mist, so there's no ignoring it — it's somewhat presumptuous to call him the father, or worse yet, the grandfather of fantasy. Be it the classic, fairy tale-ish fantasy of William Morris and George MacDonald, the pulp Sword & Sorcery and Horror of Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft, or the epic, grand tales of Poul Anderson and E.R. Eddison, there's much, much more life to the genre, before and after Tolkien. Of those, Dunsany falls on the first group of writers of the late Victorian era, drawing from mythology and european fairy and folk tales, with a beautiful style that weaves magical and unexpected wonders, creating an atmosphere of enchantment which pierces through one's soul and lingers on the mind even after turning the last page of each of his tales. While his influence is vastly recognized and revered by many a classic and modern authors (both Lovecraft and Tolkien regards him as one of their chief influences, and Gaiman's Stardust is entirely Dunsany-ish) Dunsany is often forgotten by even the most hardcore fantasy readers, while even Morris and MacDonald names are always brought up in conversations (since the latter was adored by C. S. Lewis). His rustic style can be a bit tiring at first, but it is fluid and easily adaptable, and his short stories — the ones collected in Sword of Welleran and other stories, for example — might be a good introduction to the author.