What is Nanopunk? you ask, and a very good question that is. After several hours of research, I'm still not sure I've fully grasped the complexities of this sub-genre, despite having used the concept more than once in my own stories.

Let me start with a few definitions, which might make things a little clearer for all of us.

Nano: The term "nano" refers to the metric prefix 10-9. It means one billionth of something. So a nanometre is a billionth of a metre. Down to basically the atomic and molecular level; in other words extremely tiny, lol. For example, a strand of DNA is about three nanometres wide. Nanoscience is the study of structures and materials on the scale of nanometres. The term "nano-technology" was first used by in 1974.

Nanobot: Nanorobotics is the technology of creating machines or robots at—or close to—the microscopic scale of a nanometre. Basically hypothetical at present in the real world, fiction writers have come up with a wide range of possible uses; ranging from beneficial medical nanobots repairing damage to your body, to end of world scenarios where self-replicating nanobots consume all matter on Earth. Robert Ludlum's The Lazarus Vendetta (where they explore the ability of nanobots to cure cancer) is an example of the first, and the film The Day the Earth Stood Still is a good example of the latter.

Grey Goo: I'm not joking! This term was coined by nanotechnology pioneer Eric Drexler in his 1986 book Engines of Creation, to describe the (hypothetical) unlimited expansion of self-replicating nanobots. (See above). Unsurprisingly, he later wished he had never used that term.

Nanobyte: Not actually a word you will find in the dictionary, although you could make a case for nano + byte meaning a nano-sized unit of computer memory. In fact, Nanobyte is a fictional word originally coined for a video game, Ace Combat.

Nanopunk: So, what is Nanopunk? Despite reading the definition in Wikipedia, and indeed our own trusty The Ooorah Guide to SciFi SubGenres, my favourite definition comes from BestScienceFictionBooks.com where you can also find a list of popular Nanopunk books.

Nanopunk Science Fiction is an emerging sub-genre closely related to Cyberpunk (and also Biopunk). So much so in fact, that the only real difference is the technology it focuses on. Whereas Cyberpunk is all about computer technology or human-computer interfaces, and Biopunk is a sub-genre concerned with synthetic biology, Nanopunk features microscopic machinery, AKA nanotechnology.

There is also some discussion about the different "worlds" these sub-genres feature in. For example, Wikipedia says Cyberpunk tends to set be in a "high tech low life" type of world, whereas Nanopunk is not, but I must admit they lost me there! The division into different types of technology makes more sense to me.

Some experts argue that both Biopunk and Nanopunk are really just different aspects of Cyberpunk, and don't deserve to be given a subgenre in their own right. Certainly there is often substantial overlap between the three. But does it really matter to anyone who wants to read a good book about humanity and advanced technology?

Wattpad's own DeanCMoore has a wide range of books available featuring nanobots, cyborgs and bioengineering. Definitely worth investigating!