mixing the two

[mm1145]

I remember somebody saying that science fiction was robots, lasers and spaceships and fantasy was swords, wizards and dragons and that is how you tell them apart

so I have been thinking (and writing) about worlds where the line between them is blurred I am doing 2 at the moment one where it i a sort of magic technology where it is technology that looks very much like magic and another with industrialized magic I was wandering if anybody has any thoughts on those and how it is generality received?

 

[Mouse]

You can have 'science fantasy.' springs writes it sometimes.

Sci fi isn't all robots, laser and spaceships though, and fantasy isn't all swords, wizards and dragons.

If you're doing magic magic, I'd just say that was fantasy though. I'll wait for someone with better knowledge of genres to come along!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Hi, MM, I didn't say hi in your other thread cos you were getting loads of responses I couldn't add to.

Yeah, I write a futuristic space world in some of my stuff, but the main characters have fantasy-esque powers. There is a market for it, but it is more limited than for either genric sci fi or fantasy. I find the small presses have a niche market for it. But it's fabulous fun to write. Rayguns and magic bolts.

From your description, it sounds science fantasy because the sci fi elements are the lead ones, if that makes sense.

 

[Abernovo]

The definitions of science fiction and fantasy above are a bit basic, and narrow. Science fiction can be almost anything where the innovative science impacts the story. Fantasy, too, is so broad it's difficult to define. Compare Joe Abercrombie, Francis Knight and Anne Lyle (sorry for the name dropping, people!) or Richelle Mead with JRR Tolkien.

By all means, blur the lines. There's quite a market for that now.
And, of course, Clarke's Third(?) Law is that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic (to the observer), so there's a good possibility for overlap.

 

[Bowler1]

Rules are made to be broken, or at least for me since I was old enough to walk.

Make it interesting and make it feel real and we'll all join you in your story and journey.

LASERS?!? You don't want lasers, mate, they only shoot in a straight line - rubbish. What you want is a RAY GUN, RAY GUNS are great. You're new on here so I won't bang on, welcome, and mix it up all you like, we like that.

 

[ratsy]

I see no problem with mixing the two. I think it can work out very well

And if you want an example of it being done by taking classic fantasy with classic scifi check out Lawrence Watt-Evans "The Cyborg and the Sorcerors"

It is actually a really enjoyable book that I have at home

 

[BetaWolf]

Mix it up! I'm in the sci-fantasy camp myself. Nature spirits on all celestial objects, weird alien lifeforms, bioships, psi powers, pocket universes, swordfights on interplanetary spaceships (come on, with oxygen tanks and other propellants lining corridors, do you really want to fire off projectiles at each other?). Oh and throw in all kinds of fun species and sub-species.

 

[chrispenycate]

You can't do it by content, for sure. I've seen science fiction with vampires, elves, dragons and psi, which is practically a translation of "magic" into geekspeak.

And fantasy with space travel, time travel, flying cars and political intrigue.

Piers Anthony's "Split Infinity" trilogy (oh, all right he extended it to six books, but really Juxtaposition was the climax) did alternate chapters robots and computers, or unicorns and werewolves.

The decision of which genre a particular oeuvre falls is frequently more decided by writing style than technological factors, or even if the golden age is in the distant past or not yet arrived.

 

[RoninJedi84]

Hello and welcome to the Chrons!

I just stopped in to agree with what has already been said. There's nothing wrong at all with blending the two. It's your story, and if that story involves a knight implanted with cybernetic enhancements facing down a dragon summoned by a 600 year old warlock, then so be it!

What I will add is that (IMO) you shouldn't really worry about what genre your story fits into. When all is said, done, and sent off, that will be for your agent (and readers) to decide.

I think of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy blend like Star Wars and Star Trek. I have heard the arguments all my life that Wars is fantasy and Trek is sci-fi.

And yet with the technological marvel of lightsabers and blasters (not to mention the Death Star) in Star Wars and the fantastical abilities of the being "Q" from Next Generation, I tend to think the two have more similarities than differences.

My point being that one is still (generally) classified as fantasy, and the other sci-fi. Regardless, that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of either.

If your story is structured, presented, and written well, then it will find an audience. And let's be honest, will it really matter what genre they say it fits?

Besides that, I believe slapping a genre definition on your project hinders you creatively, as the tendency will be to struggle in desperation as we try to make it fit within the confines of that genere's "box". That is (IMO) a difficult temptation to escape.

One of my current WIPs (I think) doesn't really fit into a genre. If I had to put a label on it, I would call it Psychological/Supernatural/Horror/Christian/Dark/Urban Fantasy.

If I tried to make it fit into a box, I would have walked away long ago!

Apologies for the rambling. Bottom line - no, there's nothing wrong with it. Yes, it can (and does) work.

 

[Drakai]

I recently finished a game called Shadowrun Returns, it's based off a tabletop game of the same name. It's literal genre is Science Fantasy. It has both magic, beings from different dimensions of existence, paranormal anomalies AND machineguns, cyber networks, giant corporations ruling the world from behind the curtains.

 

[Tyburn]

Personally, I see no problem with mixing and matching. You can take elements of one thing (British WWII movies), and cross them with elements of another ('Golden Age' retro sci-fi), throw in a few other bits (Star Wars, Star Trek), and give it a big old stir see what comes out. When crossing genres and styles the hardest part is deciding what to call it.

It does call for a lot more research, particularly if you want it to be authentic, but the end result can be very much worth it.

 

[J Riff]

Praps though, you should try a bit of SF or F... to see if you have each down pat, before mashing them tagither.
Yknow... try a robot with a laser story... then one about a magic thimble, and if they both work... maybe try a story about a seamstress robot with an elf lover who can teleport. Or something. Welcome to Chrons. )

 

[nubins]

I personally tend to pigeon hole sci-fi as "in the future" and fantasy as "in the past". The only anomoly to that is stories set now (and i guess has to be now.. because near future is sci fi and near past is fantasy).

I think thats how most people view it. Star Wars obviously plays a trick there by saying a long time ago in a galaxy far far away... but most people look at star wars as a vision of what our future could be - because our past certainly wasnt.

 

[Tyburn]

Actually, Star Wars is a very good example of blurring the lines between science fiction and fantasy, or the original trilogy was at least. The prequels tried to provide hard science answers to 'the Force' which they didn't really need to - the Jedi were space wizards, that was all you needed to know. (By the way, this is not a rant. When I rant, believe me you will know.)

Though as a thought, I would love to see someone rework Harry Potter in the Star Wars universe... the parallels between worlds are quite clear -

SCENE: Interior, homestead on Tattooine.

(The door shatters as it is kicked in by a gigantic Wookiee, who looks round and growls menacingly. HARRY's uncle and aunt tremble in the corner. The Wookiee enters the room and turns round to reveal YODA, who is sitting in a backpack across the Wookiee's shoulders.)

YODA: With me you will come.

HARRY: What's going on?

YODA: A Jedi you are, Harry.

(All is silent, save for the sound of Warner Brothers and Disney lawyers rushing to their posts in a panic.)