“Genre fiction is…

"Genre fiction is really good at revealing things through contrast. For example, Mary Anne Mohanrajs The Stars Change is about humans and aliens facing a terrorist attack on a distant university planet, but its actually about the range of reactions that humans have to crisis. She could have told a story about any one of a hundred real crisis situations on Earth, but telling a science fiction story allowed her to use what was differentdistant planets, genetic modifications, aliensas a foil to highlight what stays the samethe indomitable courage and altruism people can show in the face of disaster."

-- Mind Meld Make-Up: Annalee Flower Horne on The Intersection of SF/F Games and Genre Fiction