Widescreen baroque is a style of science fiction writing "characterized by larger-than-life characters, violence, intrigue, extravagant settings or actions, and fast-paced plotting". It is closely aligned with, and an outgrowth of, space opera fiction. The term widescreen baroque was coined by Brian Aldiss (as "wide-screen baroque") in his 1973 work The Billion Year Spree in reference to works by E.E. Smith and A.E. van Vogt. Authors associated with widescreen baroque include: Stephen Baxter Barrington Bayley Alfred Bester Samuel Delany Charles L. Harness Stanislaw Lem Mariko Ohara Alastair Reynolds E.E. Smith A.E. van Vogt References Science fiction genres