Every AI Book MRI includes a Genre Signal designed to help readers quickly understand what kind of reading experience a book delivers. This is not a strict bookstore category — it is a reading-experience classification.
Each book is evaluated across three dimensions:
1. Primary Genre — The Core Experience
This reflects the dominant reading feel of the story — what most readers will experience first and strongest.
Examples:
- Speculative / Sci-Fi — Idea-driven, future-oriented, conceptual
- Literary / Reflective — Character, meaning, emotional depth
- Thriller / Suspense — Tension, momentum, urgency
- Mystery / Investigation — Discovery, unraveling, puzzle
- Western / Frontier — Moral clarity, hardship, resilience
- Spiritual / Metaphysical — Meaning, existence, higher questions
- Dramatic / Human — Relationships, inner conflict, lived experience
The Primary Genre answers:
“What kind of story does this feel like at its core?”
2. Secondary Genre — The Supporting Layer
Many stories operate in more than one dimension.
The Secondary Genre identifies the underlying layer shaping tone or meaning.
Examples:
- A Sci-Fi story with spiritual themes → Secondary: Spiritual
- A Western focused on inner reflection → Secondary: Literary
- A Thriller exploring human psychology → Secondary: Dramatic
This answers:
“What deeper layer shapes the story beneath the surface?”
3. Structure — How the Story Is Built
Structure describes how the narrative behaves, not what it is about.
Common structures:
- Classical — Clear, linear storytelling
- Hybrid — Blends genres or narrative modes
- Reflective — Thought-driven, inward-focused
- Episodic — Built in segments or contained arcs
- Intimate — Small-scale, character-centered
- Expansive — Broad scope, layered narrative
This answers:
“How does the story move and unfold?”
Why This Matters
The Genre Signal helps readers:
- Quickly identify books aligned with their reading style
- Discover stories slightly outside their usual preferences
- Understand tone, scale, and emotional weight before reading
- Compare books consistently across the AI Book MRI system
It is not a judgment — it is a reading-experience map.
A Note on Hybrid Stories
Many modern stories blend genres. When a book does not fit cleanly into a single category, the AI Book MRI reflects this honestly through the Hybrid structure or layered genre signals.
How to Use Genre Signal
When browsing MRI scans:
- Start with the Primary Genre → core reading feel
- Check the Secondary Genre → deeper tone or meaning
- Note the Structure → how the story unfolds
Together, these provide a quick but meaningful orientation before reading further.