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What do you think is the difference between science fantasy, science fiction, and fantasy?

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BookReaderUSA
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What do you think is the difference between science fantasy, science fiction, and fantasy?

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Science fantasy, as its name suggests, is a genre that includes tropes and concepts from both science fiction and fantasy. What do you think separates this genre from the other two genres? This is particularly true for science fiction proper and science fantasy.
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johnson1010
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Re: What do you think is the difference between science fantasy, science fiction, and fantasy?

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hi bookreader!

I think fantasy encompases all things which have elements that are not possible, or not currently possible.

Non existent creatures like elves and goblins belong to fantasy, but so does something like teleportation which may one day exist in some form, but to talk about it now is an exercise in fantasy even if you try to treat it seriously.

In the case of science fantasy i think you've got a sub-division which excludes "magic". The mysterious, new and crazy events that happen in those stories all have attempted explanations which try to nod in the direction of real observational science even if it falls very short of that bar.

James cameron's avatar essentially hase giant forest elves, dragons, and floating paradise islands, but he at least attempts to ground those in reality with the idea that they are from an alien world with a "different" evolutionary path and tries to explain the floating chunks of land in terms of magnetic forces and whatnot.

Maybe none of that is even remotely possible, but he does take a stab at it.

Science fiction probably contains the sub-group of science fantasy, but does not need to include fantastic elements. A story set ten years from now where everyone stays at home and only interacts through robotic surrogates can be science fiction and not have to be science fantasy. A lot of the ground work toward that possible reality is already laid and is more of a small extrapolation than traveling to another planet where there are basically giant blue cat people.
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Re: What do you think is the difference between science fantasy, science fiction, and fantasy?

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Wow, has this opened a door for me! I started reading science-fiction in about 1950, just prior to my teen-aged years. :o Yes, I am now 70+, and have watched the genre develop over the years. When I started reading SF (pardon the abbreviation), there was life on Mars ("The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury) and Venus ("Between Planets" by Robert Heinlein). Science-fiction included such wonders as trips to the moon, atomic bombs, space stations, and "thinking machines" (can you not think of a computer?). :omg4: Besides Bradbury and Heinlein, I 'cut ,my teeth' on Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Poul Anderson, Philip K. Dick, Lester Del Ray, and others too numerous to list here.

Much of what we considered science fictionhas become reality, while other subjects (time travel, faster than light speedstellar wars) are still fiction. Let me take a look at the subject, and see what I can come up with.

FANTASY: Clearly involves such things as magic, strange creatures (dragons, goblins, mermaids, etc.), fictional races (elves, trolls, fairies). I specifically exclude dwarves here, though in Tolkien's work they are a separate race). Mystical realms abound. Besides Tolkien, look at George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, and the Harry Potter books.

SCIDNCE FICTION: As I mentioned above, anything that has been proposed but not yet accomplished (other than world peace, which is clearly fantasy :wink: ) could be classed as science fiction. So, orbiting cities, asteroid mining, genetically modified humans, etc. would fally in this category. Stories which come to mind are Paul McAuley's "The Quiet War" and "Gardens of the Sun," Paolo Bacigalipi's "The Windup Girl."

SCINECE FANTASY: This brings me to Science Fantasy. Is it a blend of the other two categories, or a separate field? In the blending category, I think of Eric Van Lustbader's "Pearl" series ("Ring of Five Dragons," etc), which was sadly aborted by its creator. This series involves interplanetary war and conquest, with magical spells and dragons. But must we stop here? What about such standard SF plot devise as time travel, and FTL travel? Are these to be considered within the realm of possibility, if unachieved, or as fantasy? :hmm:

So, what are your thoughts on the subject?
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Re: What do you think is the difference between science fantasy, science fiction, and fantasy?

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I think both require an open mind. Even though we have specific laws in science, those laws do change from time to time or get modified if not completely refuted. For example, we can imagine life on another planet might exist in an environment devoid of what we know provides life for us simply because we must keep an open mind to the possibility.

What I think is interesting, and Cattleman, brings this out, is that so much of what we interact with in the world of today was once the stuff of science fiction. Phones with screens ring a bell? Hence, science fiction might be more obtainable whereas science fantasy is more metaphysical (unseen or alternate dimension based.)

I've not been on here in a while, but what a great topic to return to. :)
Last edited by Brooks127 on Mon Jan 26, 2015 9:22 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: What do you think is the difference between science fantasy, science fiction, and fantasy?

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Brooks 127's post jogged my memory about an essay I one read, written by Isaac Asimov. He was talking about predicting the future, mainly in the area of technology. There were three lists: 1. Inventions which had been predicted, and were in existence. 2. Inventions which had been predicted but had not yet come to reality. 3. (The longest of all) Inventions whch had NOT been predicted, but nonetheless had been invented.
Last edited by Cattleman on Mon Jan 26, 2015 10:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
Love what you do, and do what you love. Don't listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. -Ray Bradbury

Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. Then do it. -Robert A. Heinlein
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