A Guide to Ream's Discovery System

A list of all genres, romance pairings, diversity tags and more!

Note: this list was last updated on January 5, 2024. The most up-to-date genre list is live on the Ream platform and this guide will be updated regularly with new definitions to reflect that.

Here are all the different genres, subgenres, romance pairings, audience categories, and diversity tags on Ream. 

These definitions are designed to help readers and authors understand which stories fall into specific genres, tags, and more. Super exciting!

Academia

Stories featuring an academy as the primary setting, with the characters’ time at the academy AND what they learn there as important to the central story.

• Dark = featuring an idealized version of academic learning and academic institutions with a dark and moody aesthetic. Frequently includes gothic undertones.
• Contemporary = Set in our current era.
• Magical = Set at magic academies, and may or may not involve portals to get there.

Action

Stories that involve high action like explosions, chases, and combat. Different from thrillers in that the focus is on the action, not the edge-of-your-seat intensity.

• Archaeological = Action centering on archaeological digs or discoveries.
• Survival = High-action survival adventures.
• Pirate = Action tales about pirates.
• Sea = Action stories that take place on the ocean, which do not always involve pirates.
• War = Action stories that take place in war or revolve around war.
• Crime = Action meets crime but the focus is on the action.
• Martial Arts = Action that focuses on the hero using martial arts to defeat the antagonists.
• Sports = Action stories set in the world of sports.
• Spy = Action stories revolving around espionage.

Adventure

• Archaeological = Adventures centering on archaeological digs or discoveries.
• Inspirational = Adventures that depict a journey of hope for the characters and inspire hope in the reader.
• Jungle = Stories that feature the jungle as the main setting.
• Survival = Stories about surviving in the outdoors.
• Pirate = Adventure tales about pirates.
• Sea = Stories that take place on the ocean, which do not always involve pirates.
• War = Adventures revolving around war.
• Spy = Adventure based in espionage. Children’s spy books tend more toward adventure, and adult spy novels tend more toward action.

Comedy

Stories where comedy or comedic tones are the main focus.

• Sports = Comedic stories revolving around a main character who is in sports.
• Buddy Cop = Comedy revolving around two people with very different personalities being forced to work together.
• Comedy of Manners = Comedy based on social intrigue.
• Dark = Comedy about heavy, dark, and often taboo subjects.
• Paranormal = Comedy with paranormal elements, such as ghosts.
• Satire = Humor and irony being used to criticize vices, politics, and social issues.
• Slapstick = Exaggerated physical activity and violence in a comedic way.
• Workplace = Comedy based in the happenings of a workplace.
• Horror = Comedy with horror elements.

Drama

• Crime = Drama about crime or solving crime.
• Musical = Story told through music as well as drama.
• Tragedy = Drama portraying a tragedy; often ends with most of the main cast dead.

Erotica

• Sports
• Dark
• Paranormal
• Contemporary
• Robots
• Breast Expansion
• Futanari
• Monster
• Shifter
• Fetish

Fantasy

Stories about worlds with magic and non-human races.

• Inspirational = Fantasy that inspires hope and a hopeful perspective in readers.
• Pirate = Pirate stories where magic plays a role.
• Martial Arts = Fantasy where the heroes learn and use martial arts to defeat the antagonists. Also known as wuxia.
• Dark = Fantasy with dark tones.
• Humorous = Comedic fantasy.
• Paranormal = Fantasy with paranormal elements, such as ghosts, demons, angels.
• Contemporary = Fantasy set on Earth in our current era. NOT magical realism. Example: Shadowhunters universe by Cassandra Clare and Once Upon a Time TV show
• Cozy = Fantasy with a cozy tone.
• Epic = Fantasy with an epic heroic tone or taking place on an epic scale.
• Gothic = Fantasy with gothic tones and elements.
• High Fantasy = Fantasy high in magic and other races. Usually set in a secondary world.
• Low Fantasy = Fantasy with low levels of magic or otherworldly elements.
• Military = Fantasy focused on characters in a military.
• Mythic = Fantasy inspired by, retelling, or reimagining stories from mythology, folklore, and legends.
• Political = Fantasy focused on political intrigue.
• Portal = One or more fantasy worlds are accessed through a portal.
• Sword and Sorcery = High-action fantasy featuring sword-wielding heroes on exciting and dangerous adventures.
• Time Travel = Time travel with fantasy elements or based on magic instead of science.
• Urban Fantasy = Fantasy set in the modern age in our world with both fantasy and paranormal elements and with a dark and gritty tone.
• Slice of Life = Everyday lives of main characters in a fantasy setting.
• Rebirth = Main character enters a fantasy world through dying and being reborn, either at a previous time in their past or into a whole new life. Also known as isekai.
• Transition = Main character is transported to a fantasy world through means other than a portal. Also known as isekai.
• Dystopian = Fantasy-based dystopia, instead of contemporary, futuristic, or sci-fi.
• Planetary Fantasy = Fantasy story set on a planet in space; with the majority of the story action staying on that planet. Also known as Planetary Romance or Sword and Planet (after Sword and Sorcery).
• Magical Realism = Set in this world and highly realistic except that fantastical elements are considered normal. Originated in Latin American art and literature. NOT to be confused with contemporary fantasy. Example: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
• Fairytale Fantasy = Stories inspired by, remixing, or retelling fairy tales. Also occasionally original stories that use fairy tale elements and read like a fairy tale.
• Cultivation = Stories about cultivating the power inside the hero. Also known as xianxia.

Historical

• War = The main emphasis of the story is a historical war.
• Ancient World = before 500 AD
• Medieval = from 500 AD to approximately 1500 AD.
• 1500s
• 1600s
• 1700s
• 1800s
• 1900s
• 2000s
• Alternate History = Depicting an alternate view of earth, usually because some event in history was changed.
• Fictional Biography = Fictionalized biographies of historical people.
• Nautical = Historical fiction about the sea.
• Regency = Set in the period of the British Regency, 1811-1820, sometimes extended to include the Napoloeonic period, beginning in 1795.
• Victorian = Set during the Victorian period, 1837-1901.
• Edwardian = Set during the Edwardian era, 1901-1910.
• World Wars = Set during the period of the world wars, 1914-1945, often including events before and after, ranging from 1912-1950.

Horror

• Archaeological = Where things previously dug up or being dug up in archaelogical sites are the horror.
• Survival = MC surviving a situation trying to kill them.
• Paranormal = Horror involving ghosts and other paranormal phenomena.
• Monster = Monsters are the horrors.
• Mythic = Horror resulting from mythological creatures or entities.
• Gothic = The tone of the horror is gothic and frequently includes vampires.
• Alien = The aliens are the horror.
• Body Horror = Horror that to do with grotesque physical changes in the body and the psychological effects of it.
• Possession = Protagonists facing off against someone being possessed.
• Eldritch = Emphasizing the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible. Also called Lovecraftian horror and cosmic horror.
• Occult = The occult is the source of the horror.
• Psychological = Horror of the mind.
• Slasher = Horror featuring multiple gory deaths.
• Weird = Horror that defies classification into other horror subgenres and leaves readers with an unsettling “what did I just read” feeling.
• Zombie = Horror featuring, well, zombies. ;)

Literary

Fiction about life and realism.

• Satire = Using humor and irony to ridicule vices, politics, and society.
• Coming of Age = Stories about the mental, emotional, and physical journey of becoming an adult.
• Magical Realism = Set in this world and highly realistic except that fantastical elements are considered normal. Originated in Latin American art and literature. NOT to be confused with contemporary fantasy. Example: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
• Slice of Life = About everyday life.
• Utopian = Fiction depicting a perfect society.
• Women's Fiction = Fiction focused on women and women’s experience, often especially fiction about women living in a society largely built for and by men.

LitRPG

Stories set in game-style worlds (virtual, table-top, or video) where survival and progress are based in stats.

• Martial Arts = The main characters are martial-arts practitioners or are learning martial arts. Also known as wuxia.
• Cozy = The tone of the story is cozy, with low intensity.
• Slice of Life = Stories about the everyday lives of characters in a game.
• Cultivation = Stories about cultivating the power inside the hero. Also known as xianxia.
• Dungeon Core = Stories where the main character is excavating a dungeon or progressing through levels of a dungeon.
• GameLit = Stories about game worlds that aren’t aren’t RPG in style.
• Progression Fantasy = Stories where the character progresses in levels.
• Stuck in a Game = One or more main characters become stuck in a virtual game.
• Town Building = Stories about building a town, fortress, or empire.
• Virtual Reality = Story world is a virtual reality game as opposed to tabletop or video RPGs.
• Rebirth = Main character enters a fantasy world through dying and being reborn, either at a previous time in their past or into a whole new life. Also known as isekai.
• Transition = Main character is transported to a fantasy world through means other than a portal. Also known as isekai.

Mystery

Stories about the main character/s solving a mystery. Not always crime based.

• Archaeological = The mystery surrounds a dig or archaeological object.
• Crime = Crime-based mystery.
• Paranormal = The mystery includes paranormal elements, such as ghosts.
• Cozy = A mystery with cozy tones.
• Gothic = The mystery includes gothic tones or gothic elements.
• Amateur Sleuth = The investigator of the mystery is not a detective or PI or someone trained for investigation.
• Courtroom = Mystery that unfolds in a courtroom setting.
• Culinary = Mystery based around food.
• Detective = The main investigator of the mystery is a detective.
• Locked Room = Mystery that is seemingly impossible because the room in which it happened was locked.
• Medical = Mystery based in medicine or involving medical personnel.
• Murder = The mystery involves at least one murder, which is frequently the inciting incident.
• Noir = Mystery with a noir tone. (link to Wiki article for more info)
• Police Procedural = Revolving around the police and police procedure.
• Private Investigator = Main character is a private investigator.
• Whodunit = Murder mystery with the emphasis on the confusion of who could have done it.
• Vigilante = Main character is a vigilante or story revolves around vigilante themes.

Nonfiction

Stories that are true instead of being imaginative fiction.

• Inspirational
• War
• Crime
• Political
• Autobiography
• Biography
• Educational
• Business
• Fitness
• Health
• Memoirs
• Self Help
• Spiritual

Poetry

• Satire = Poetry satirizing people, events, etc.
• Epic = Poetry with an epic tone.
• Lyric = Lyrical poetry.
• Narrative = Poetry narrating adventures or stories.
• Prose = Poetry written in prose form instead of verse form.

Romance

Stories about one or more romantic relationships that end with a happily-ever-after or happily-for-now ending.

• Inspirational = Romance with emphasis on hopeful, heartwarming elements that leave the reader feeling inspired.
• Sports = One or more of the main characters are athletes.
• Dark = Romance with a dark, intense tone, frequently (but not always) featuring criminals (such as mafia) as one or more of the main characters.
• Workplace = Romance between people who work together professionally. Example: office romance
• Contemporary = Romance set in our time period.
• Monster = One or more of the main characters is a non-human, “monster”-like race.
• Shifter = One or more of the main characters can shift from human into some form of animal or animal-human blend.
• Cozy = Romance with cozy vibes.
• Military = One or more of the main characters have served in the military.
• Alien = One or more of the main characters is alien. Usually features alien men romancing human women.
• Medical = One or more of the main characters works in a medical field.
• Billionaire = One or more of the main characters is a billionaire. Frequently features billionare men and poor women.
• Equestrian = One or more of the main characters is involved in a horse-related sport or has a horse-related job, and their love of horses is a central part of the story.
• Law Enforcement = One or more of the main characters works in law enforcement.
• Celebrity = One or more of the main characters is a celebrity, frequently a movie star or a rockstar.
• Mafia = One or more of the main characters is in the mafia.
• Biker = One or more of the main characters is a biker and often in a biker gang. Largely inspired by TV show Sons of Anarchy.
• Small Town = Romance stories set in a small town, heavily featuring a cozy small town atmosphere where everyone knows everyone else and attends the same local businesses and events.
• Sci-Fi Romance = Romance set in the future and/or in space with the world being from ours because of science. Alien romance is a subgenre of this.
• Fantasy Romance = Romance set in fantasy worlds, frequently featuring romance between humans and fantasy species.
• Paranormal = Romance featuring relationships between humans and fantasy races such as werewolves and vampires and set on modern-day earth with magic and a dark and gritty tone. Same kind of setting as Urban Fantasy except the main plot is romance instead of adventure or mystery.
• Romantic Comedy = Romance with strong comedy elements, frequently achieved through multiple embarrassing situations the main characters find themselves in.
• Romantic Suspense = Suspense with a strong romantic subplot.
• Romantic Mystery = Mystery with a strong romantic subplot; frequently includes a cozy tone but not always.
• Historical Romance = Romance set in a historical period of time, such as Regency England, Victorian era, or the Medieval period.
• Regency Romance = Historical romance set during the Regency Era, 1811-1820. Sometimes broadened to include 1800-1820.

Science Fiction

Stories portraying a world different from ours because of science and technology. Frequently set in space or a futuristic version of our world.

• Survival = Surviving a situation with science or surviving a science-based bad situation.
• Pirate = Techno-pirates, pirates in space, hackers in futuristic stories.
• War = War in space, war based on science, biological or other scientific warfare.
• Crime = Crime fiction set in space or crimes about science and tech.
• Paranormal = stories with both science fiction and paranormal elements.
• Military = Sci-fi stories about militaries, or para-military units.
• Political = Political stories set in space or politics centered around science or technology.
• Time Travel = Science-based methods of time travel.
• Alien = Stories focusing on aliens and first contact.
• Zombie = Zombie-focused stories set in the future and/or in space. Includes dystopian and post-apocalyptic zombie stories.
• Utopian = Stories about societies where everything is perfect.
• Afrofuturism = Traditional African culture and philosophies in sci-fi and fantasy settings.
• Apocalyptic = Stories about apocalypses.
• Atompunk = Setting is based on the question “What if the nuclear age and space age never ended and their technology stayed relevant?”
• Biopunk = Biological punk; cyberpunk except that technology is replaced with biological science elements, such as bio-hacking.
• Clockpunk = Setting is based on the question “What if the Roccoco era never ended and technology was based in clockwork?”
• Cyberpunk = Set in the near future, imagining the ways in which technology will change the world, both good and bad. Frequently includes dystopian elements.
• Dieselpunk = Setting is based on the question “What if the diesel era never died and society remained similar to the way it was between the start of World War I and the end of World War II?”
• Dying Earth = Stories about Earth dying and people needing to either find a way to save it or find a way off it.
• Dystopian = Stories about political dictatorships controlling societies. NOT the same as post-apocalyptic, but frequently combined with post-apocalyptic.
• Ecopunk = Stories exploring natural world solutions to world problems.
• Environmental = Stories about environmental disasters and saving the environment in the future.
• Parallel World = Stories about worlds parallel to this one, with timelines just slightly different from ours or totally different. Frequently but not always includes mirror-verse stories.
• Portal = Portal fiction where the portals are science-based. Also portal fiction
• Post-Apocalyptic = Stories featuring life after an apocalypse; frequently focused on survival and how life is different from before.
• Solarpunk = Stories about futures where humanity has solved ecological issues and created harmony between technology, humanity, and the natural world. Frequently includes Art Nouveau aesthetics.
• Space Exploration = Stories about exploring space.
• Space Opera = Space stories with an epic tone, frequently including space battles, political intrigue, and planetary nations.
• Steampunk = Setting is based on the question “What if the Steam Age never ended, society remained similar to the Victorian Era, and all technology was steam-based?”
• Tech Noir = Noir setting with a strong focus on technology.
• Terraforming = Stories about terraforming other worlds to make them inhabitable.

Superhero

Stories featuring main characters who have superpowers.

• Contemporary = Superhero stories with modern-day settings.
• Historical = Superhero stories set in the past.
• Western = Superhero stories with a western setting.

Suspense

Stories where the main focus is on the building suspense of the plot. Less intense than thriller. (Use definitions from thriller.)

• Crime = A crime is the central focus of the story.
• Paranormal = Suspense stories featuring paranormal elements.
• Military = Focused on characters who are serving or have served in the military. Also plots where the military is a focus even if the MCs weren’t in the military.
• Political = Political entities are the focus of the story and political intrigue a main tone or feature.
• Occult = Featuring occult practitioners and events.
• Psychological = Thrillers focused on mind games and psychological suspense and manipulation.
• Medical = Featuring a medical professional as the MC or a medical-field related plot.
• Noir = The tone of 1940s and 1950s hardboiled crime fiction with the aesthetic of back alleys and dark streets at night. Also known as Film Noir.
• Conspiracy = Featuring a conspiracy, usually but not always about the government.
• Domestic = Focused on interpersonal relationships within homes and families, often featuring a strong element of psychological suspense.
• Espionage = Stories about spies and spying.
• Futuristic = Featuring futuristic setting or elements.
• Legal = Focused on plots that play out within the legal system or a legal-system setting.
• Techno = Featuring technology at the heart of the plot.
• Vigilante = Stories featuring a vigilante MC or a plot about vigilantes.

Thriller

Suspenseful action or psychological plot meant to thrill the reader and keep them on the edge of their seat, frequently featuring a villain to be caught or a crime to be solved.

• Crime = A crime is the central focus of the story.
• Paranormal = Thrillers with paranormal elements.
• Military = Focused on characters who are serving or have served in the military. Also plots where the military is a focus even if the MCs weren’t in the military.
• Political = Political entities are the focus of the story and political intrigue a main tone or feature.
• Occult = Featuring occult practitioners and events.
• Psychological = Thrillers focused on mind games and psychological suspense and manipulation.
• Noir = The tone of 1940s and 1950s hardboiled crime fiction with the aesthetic of back alleys and dark streets at night. Also known as Film Noir.
• Conspiracy = Featuring a conspiracy, usually but not always about the government.
• Domestic = Thrillers focused on interpersonal relationships within homes and families, often featuring a strong element of psychological suspense.
• Espionage = Edge-of-your-seat stories about spies and spying.
• Futuristic = Featuring futuristic setting or elements.
• Legal = Focused on plots that play out within the legal system or a legal-system setting.
• Techno = Featuring technology at the heart of the plot.
• Vigilante = Stories featuring a vigilante MC or a plot about vigilantes.
• Medical = Featuring a medical professional as the MC or a medical-field related plot.

Western

Stories set in the American West or featuring Wild West elements.

• Crime = Westerns with extra emphasis on solving crimes.
• Contemporary = Set contemporary to our time instead of historical.
• Weird = Western with a blend of fantasy, sci-fi, punk, or horror elements.
• Classic = Set during the classic Wild West period 1849-1900.
• Space = Western elements but set in space.
• Fantasy = Western elements in a fantasy world.

AUDIENCE

• Adult = for adults
• New Adult = for adults 18-29
• Young Adult = for teens 12-18
• Middle Grade = for children 8-12, also known as juvenile or junior fiction
• Children = for children 7 and under
• All ages = family friendly stories that can be read by anyone

ROMANCE PAIRING

• MF = male-female
• MM = male-male
• FF = female-female
• Menage = three, usually two men and one woman, or two women and one man
• ReverseHarem = multiple men and one woman
• Harem = multiple women and one man
• Nonbinary Partner = when any of the characters in the romance are nonbinary
• Other = anything that doesn’t fit into the previous categories, including but not limited to various LGBTQIA+ pairings that aren’t represented above

NOTE: if you write alien or monster romance, but the species’ genders are still male and female (or that planet’s equivalent of male and female), please DO NOT classify it as Other! Use the usual MF and Menage pairings, please. Other is primarily for LGBTQIA+ pairings and species that do not fit Earth ideas of gender.

DIVERSITY

• Ethnic Diversity (BIPOC) = Black Indigenous People Of Color
• LGBTQIA+ = Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and more
• Sensory Impaired = blind, deaf, etc.
• Disability = any disability
• Disabled main character = books with a disabled main character
• Neurodiversity = ADHD, autism, etc.

If you have any questions, please contact our Support Team at support@reamstories.com.