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With various perspectives from the diaspora, many works of Asian speculative fiction present commentary on xenophobia, imperialism, environmental degradation, independence, identity, and belonging. Sometimes introducing elements of cyberpunk and the supernatural, works in this genre can also transport readers to a realm separate from reality while discussing similar themes. Asian speculative fiction allows readers a space for discovery and understanding of unfamiliar settings and norms with stories set in countries such as China, Japan, India, and many more.

Indian speculative fiction has had long-standing roots with the earliest known examples being published in 1835. Early authors such as Henry Meredith Parker, Henry Goodeve, Kylas Chunder Dutt, Soshee Chunder Dutt, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, and Jagadish Chandra Bose helped develop the genre. From "The Junction of the Ocean: A Tale of the Year 2098", a story of how the construction of the Panama Canal changed the landscape of the world to "The Republic of Orissá; A Page from the Annals of the Twentieth Century”, a dystopia about a revolt against Britain's institutionalization of a law supporting slavery on colonial India, and "Sultana's Dream", a feminist utopia in where traditional gender norms are turned on their head, as well as, "Runaway Cyclone", about a man who calmed a sea storm using hair oil, which anticipated the phenomenon known as the "butterfly effect," these authors' contributions bring unique perspectives on imperial and anti-imperial sentiments during colonial times.

Contemporary examples of science/speculative fiction from an Indian perspective include Anil Menon's 2009 debut novel The Beast With Nine Billion Feet set in India in 2040 about two siblings who deal with their father's legacy by joining forces with another sibling duo from Sweden, Vandana Singh's 2018 short story collection Ambiguity Machines and Other Stories which include stories like that of a poet from the eleventh century suddenly waking up in a futuristic spaceship as an AI and a unassuming woman with the ability to see the past, and The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction, which are anthologies of Indian science fiction stories from various authors with two volumes currently out published in 2019 and 2021 respectively. They feature stories from the previously mentioned authors and many more. Some of these include stories about Karachi losing its sea, Gandhi reappearing in the present times, and aliens appearing on the railways of Uttar Pradesh. With their twists on the genre, these stories present a different take for readers to appreciate.