Science Fiction v. Fantasy

Though these two genres are very related and are almost always lumped together, and can overlap at times, I think they are very unique. Here are some discussion questions about the genres:

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?
2) What do you think separates these genres?
3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.

Feel free to contribute more questions.

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?
I am definitely more of a Fantasy fan. I do live Sci-Fi, but I seem to like it more in TV/Movie form. But give me a Fantasy book, and I'll read it. I have a wishlist of somewhere around 100ish books, and very few don't fall under the Fantasy genre.

2) What do you think separates these genres?
I think things such as HP, that deal more with things like magic, wizards, dragons, whole worlds that exisit within our own, but are something compltetly different, are really more Fantsy. Sci-Fi also takes place in our world, but more has to do with things such as time travel, space travel, that sort of thing. I think Sci-Fi is a bit more technological, and deals with, well, scientific and mathematical type things, while Fantasy deals more with the imagination. Sci-Fi is things that if you think about it enough, it is possible to logically explain, and think about, confusing as subjects like time travel can get, while Fantasy, no matter how much we wish dragons, elves, witches, and wizards were real, never will be.

3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.
I think HP, while it does involve time travel, is really mostly a fantasy series. It presents our own world, with another secret world hidden right inside it that only the select lucky few get to be part of. I believe LotR is also primarily Fantasy. In fact, I can't think of really any part of it that I would consider Sci-Fi. (That's my opinion, though, if you think there's any sci-fi in there, then by all means, tell me. :D)

I'm finding it harder to come up with Sci-Fi ones, maybe because I haven't really read that many. I think The Time Machine would probably fall under this category, as would 1984 and similar works. I think part of the problem for me (for me) is that Sci-Fi, the way I see it, overlaps into Fantsy more than Fantasy into Sci-Fi.

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?
I'm probably more of a fantasy fan, but I like blends a lot as well.

I love the possibility that is inherent in sci-fi. The feeling that "maybe this is what the future will be like". The creativity behind it, in not only thinking up an amazing "out of this world story" but backing it up with science (real or not) as opposed to pure fantasy which rarely even tries to truly explain itself.

I love the "magic" of fantasy literally and figuratively. I love to see how authors balance having different rules while holding on to core emotions. Generally, I just adore how much you can do with this genre, the possibilities are really only bound by the authors imagination and the readers ability to grasp that imagination.

2) What do you think separates these genres? Well, in their purest forms I think it's what I said above--sci-fi has to back their imagination up with possible scientific explanations while fantasy doesn't. Though both deal with alternate universes.

3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.
Well I'd say Harry Potter is pure fantasy, same with things like the "Sword of Truth" series, C.S.Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, George MacDonald's fairy tales and Phantastes & Lilith, Orson Scott Card's "Enchantment", "Beauty" by Robin McKinley, and most fairy tales really are all pure fantasy.

Pure sci-fi: a good chunk of Orson Scott Cards stuff, "Sphere" "Jurassic Park" and the like, all the Star Trek and Star Wars stuff, Isaac Asimov, Farenheit 451, I'd say almost anything with robots, space travel, aliens, etc.

I love the blends where technology is involved but fantasy is more the focus. Like CS Lewis' Space Trilogy, "Pastwatch" by Osron Scott Card, I'd probably put Hitchhiker's Guide in this category as well.

Here's the link for all the Hugo Award winners (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel), some amazing books on this list :D

Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?

I lean more toward fantasy when I read but more toward Sci-Fi for movies and television. Its sometimes hard to visualize in my head whats going on in Sci-Fi and have found that it is just as hard to make good fantasy movies.

What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.

Dune Series - Sci-Fi
Harry Potter - Fantasy
Star Wars Expanded Universe - Sci-Fi
Vampire Chronicles - Fantasy

Right now I am reading Kim Harrison's Hollows series about a Witch Bounty Hunter with a Vampire Partner. I am on the second book and so far so good.
My all time favorite series to read is the Apprentice Adept series by Piers Anthony. 1. Split Infinity 2. Blue Adept 3. Juxtaposition This is a mix of hardcore Sci-Fi and Fantasy all rolled up together. The story is about a short man who lives on a Science ran planet and is in fear for his life. He finds a curtain/portal that takes him to the planets alternate reality ran strictly by magic. I don't give these books' description justice so please look them up and try them out. I think you would be very pleased and I hope someday that they will make them into movies.

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?
I really love them both. I suppose if I had to chose, I would pick SciFi because I think it's more interesting since the stories are all possible. Fantasy isn't. Plus I am a science geek.

2) What do you think separates these genres?
One is possible and one isn't.

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?
I really love them both. I suppose if I had to chose, I would pick SciFi because I think it's more interesting since the stories are all possible. Fantasy isn't. Plus I am a science geek.

2) What do you think separates these genres?
One is possible and one isn't.
Exactly the same goes for me!
Exept that sometimes you cannot say what could be possible and what not...

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?

I like both equally. I think I even like them for the same thing - world building and having good stories.

2) What do you think separates these genres?

"Science" playing some role. But the distinction is not hard and fast.

3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.

I think of the classic example of a blend to be "The Dragonriders of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey. Especially the early books could more or less be read as straight fantasy. There are fire-brathing dragons, and the humans that have a mysterious magical connection to them and can ride them, all set in a relativekly primitive world with some feudalish sorts of social structures (guilds, Lords, etc.). Though there are little hints of tech peeping through.

In the long run of the series, it turns out the backstory is pure SF - the dragons are the product of bioengineering, the mysterious link is telepathy, which is given a genetic basis in that universe, and the people are descendants of space colonists who lost touch with the rest of the settled galkaxy because of the disastrous nature of the planet on which they unsupectingly settled.

Marion Zinner Bradley's "Darkover" series is simliarly a blend. Her world has 'magic', only again it is mental powers that are conferred by genetics, including intermingling of humans with a native species of sentien, telepathic beings. And the planet, originally having lost touch when first colonizedm is rediscovered by spacefaring humans.

2) What do you think separates these genres?
One is possible and one isn't.

In what sense is faster-than-light travel (a common SF trope) possible? ;)

I think of the classic example of a blend to be "The Dragonriders of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey. Especially the early books could more or less be read as straight fantasy. There are fire-brathing dragons, and the humans that have a mysterious magical connection to them and can ride them, all set in a relativekly primitive world with some feudalish sorts of social structures (guilds, Lords, etc.). Though there are little hints of tech peeping through.

In the long run of the series, it turns out the backstory is pure SF - the dragons are the product of bioengineering, the mysterious link is telepathy, which is given a genetic basis in that universe, and the people are descendants of space colonists who lost touch with the rest of the settled galkaxy because of the disastrous nature of the planet on which they unsupectingly settled.

Marion Zinner Bradley's "Darkover" series is simliarly a blend. Her world has 'magic', only again it is mental powers that are conferred by genetics, including intermingling of humans with a native species of sentien, telepathic beings. And the planet, originally having lost touch when first colonizedm is rediscovered by spacefaring humans.





The Artemis Fowl series is kind of like that too - it has a lot of science and technology in it, but it also involves fairies and magic.

I like both genres equally as well. As long as the story is good and the "world" is well made, I don't care if it's science fiction or fantasy.

In what sense is faster-than-light travel (a common SF trope) possible? ;)
It may be possible some day.

i am definitely much more of a fantasy fan, but sci fi is ok. the only thing that really seperates them is that sci fi is mostly in the future, and fantasy is more of magic. but the idea of creating a new world and stuff like that is about the same. but fantasy is cooler, to me anyways.

I'm more likely to read books on the fantasy side but I do enjoy a good science fiction novel every now and then. The two genres definitely overlap at times but I see a Sci-Fci as a story with some kind of scientific base while with fantasy, anything is possible (which I think is one of the reasons I enjoy it more than Sci-Fci).

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?
I lean towards SciFi, since I'm into scientific explanations to things and futuristic sort of things.

2) What do you think separates these genres?
Though both usually have elements of realism, I think SciFi is more realistic and of course, incorporates some scientific aspect into the story or premise.

3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.
Harry Potter is fantasy
Dune is SciFi
Lord of the Rings is fantasy
His Dark Materials (Golden Compass/Northern Lights series) could actually be both, but it's more fantasy than SciFi. Same with the Time Quartet (Wrinkle in Time) - more fantasy but there are elements of SciFi.

Star Wars Expanded Universe - Sci-Fi

Star Wars is fantasy.

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?
I'm more of a fantasy kind of person. I have always liked magic and things like that when I read. To me, fantasy books are the kind of books that let your imagination run wild.

2) What do you think separates these genres?
Though Sci-Fi and fantasy can be quite similar, I have always thought that Sci-Fi is more realistic. It's hard to explain, but I think that Sci-Fi is more about what can actually happen, and fantasy can be just about whatever the author imagines.

3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.
Fantasy: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicals of Narnia, Percy Jackson and the Olympians (The Lightning Thief)

Sci-Fi: Ender's Game, The City of Ember, ? (can't think of any more)

I know what you mean by blends, but I just can't think of any specific books that are a blend of Sci-Fi and fantasy at the moment . . . :hmm:

Wab, you said that Star Wars is fantasy, but I don't understand how that could be. I've always considered it to be Sci-Fi . . . :shrug:

Wab, you said that Star Wars is fantasy, but I don't understand how that could be. I've always considered it to be Sci-Fi . . . :shrug:

Well, the whole debate is pretty pointless as few artists or artworks can be confined to a single genre. For example, Discworld is as much (usually more) satire as it is fantasy.

Anyhoo, the best distinction I've heard is that sci-fi is about how the technology works and fantasy is how the people work (which should be true of all fiction, but that's another story).

Leaving aside the EU (which I've never liked) Star Wars never ventures into explanations of how the technology works beyond a few glib lines. Whereas the mystical element of the Force is central to everything and explained in great detail.

Oh. OK, thanks. :)

Edit: About the whole "Sci-fi being more realistic" thing - as much as I'd love it to be realistic sometimes, it generally is just as out-there as fantasy. I mean, time-travel is, in a way, possible, but not in the way that Sci-Fi depicts it (as in, going back in time and altering things). And when spaceships go the speed of light - yeah, right, if only.
I understand exactly what you mean. :agree: Sci-Fi is not always more 'realistic' than fantasy. It can have just as much of that sense of wide-eyed wonder as fantasy. It just tends to get labeled as 'realstic' because they are more scientific.

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?I'm generally a mix of both, but a little moreso in terms of being a fantasy fan. I generally like the imaginativeness of fantasy books themselves, the world(s) that are in the stories themselves, the inhabitants and different creatures in them. As for sci-fi, I like the interesting plotlines and that kind of thing.

2) What do you think separates these genres?Well I tend to think that fantasy writing is more from a person's imagination than sci-fi is. Don't get me wrong though, sci-fi writing does require a certain amount of imagination to write (look at any Star Trek books -- the creatures in them had to come from someones' imagination ;)), just not as much as fantasy does. Sci-fi writing is more based in reality, in part -- it tends to be more based in science and that sort of thing.


3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend. Hmm... well I consider any of the Star Trek books to be sci-fi based, Lotr is definitely fantasy based... don't really know of any books that are a blend of the two though :hmm:...

I would say that I'm more of a fantasy fan. Fantasy is more about imagination and fantastical things and fantasy stories are just much more appealing to me. Sci-fi is just too technical and sciencey (hence the name :rolleyes:). Science really doesn't appeal to me, so that's probably why I don't enjoy Sci-fi as much. :)

(Gosh, you can tell I didn't get much sleep last night :lol: - I can barely string a sentence together)

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?
I'm into fantasy a lot more, definitely. I can read Sci-Fi and I've enjoyed some books, but it's not *my* genre. I don't enjoy science that much, anyway, so that might explain it. I love that fantasy can incorporate different things - such as creatures - and seeing how the world would function in that story. It's experiencing another world and watching the conflicts that arise out of it. Fantasy has so much potential for a great, interesting story - how could I not enjoy it?

That's the best I can explain it. I really do like fantasy and I'm not a big fan of science fiction. There's just something fantasy has that science fiction lacks for me. :shrug:

2) What do you think separates these genres?

Science fiction is the same world as ours with something out there, and fantasy is another world with aspects that we will never have.

3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.
Fantasy: HP, Inheiritance Cycle, LotR
Sci-Fi: Uglies trilogy, er. . . . :whistle:
Both: His Dark Materials

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?

Honestly, I'm not a fan of either. Besides HP or the Dresden Files, I havent liked any other books of either genre really.

2) What do you think separates these genres?
Science fiction is based on possiblities or ideas within science, while fantasy creates much of its own world. Fantasy is stories of things that can never be possible, while Science Ficiton is based more on scientific ideas.

3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.
Umm not having read too much of either genre, I guess I cant really say. Things like HP and LotR are strictly fantasy though.

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?
I am more of a fantasy fan. Almost all of my favorite books are fantasy, but I still like sci-fi okay. :)
2) What do you think separates these genres?
Science fiction is like fantasy in the sense that these are things that could never really happen, but in science fiction there are elements of scientific discovery and such. Fantasy uses imaginary creatures/events.
3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.
Fantasy: Harry Potter, LotR, Eragon (Inheritance cycle)
Science fiction: Pendragon
Both: Bartimaeus Trilogy

[B]1)
Science fiction: Pendragon


Really? I've always seen Pendragon classified as fantasy. Havent read it myself though.

Really? I've always seen Pendragon classified as fantasy. Havent read it myself though.
It has a bit of fantasy in it, but mostly it is science fiction. The main plot is of these flumes (wormholes) that shoot specific people around the universe, and one of those Travelers is trying to destroy the universe and the flumes. I always saw it as more science fiction than fantasy. :)

It has a bit of fantasy in it, but mostly it is science fiction. The main plot is of these flumes (wormholes) that shoot specific people around the universe, and one of those Travelers is trying to destroy the universe and the flumes. I always saw it as more science fiction than fantasy. :)

As I said I havent read it so I have no idea. But from your description it does sound more sci-fi. I'll have to consult my brother, he's the expert in the family on such books.

I definitely enjoy science fiction more than fantasy. In fact there are only three fantasy series I've enjoyed: Harry Potter, LOTR, and Harry Dresden.

It has a bit of fantasy in it, but mostly it is science fiction. The main plot is of these flumes (wormholes) that shoot specific people around the universe, and one of those Travelers is trying to destroy the universe and the flumes. I always saw it as more science fiction than fantasy. :)Sometimes things can get classified as science fantasy.

I definitely enjoy science fiction more than fantasy. In fact there are only three fantasy series I've enjoyed: Harry Potter, LOTR, and Harry Dresden.


Interesting that you classified The Dresden Files as fantasy, my local bookstore had it under the science fiction section.

Well the fantasy is usually lumped with the science fiction. Harry Dresden is about magic and wizards and faeries and vampires and other monsters. That's fantasy.

Star Wars Expanded Universe - Sci-Fi
actually not. Star Wars is Fantasy.

One of the main differences between Sci-Fi and Fantasy is that Sci-Fi has no magic. Sci-Fi should be possible applying the rules of our world.
But I think we can consider The Force to be equivalent to magical power, not scientifically provable.

For example it's an interesting question whether the Darkover Serie by Marion Zimmer Bradley is Sci-Fi or Fantasy. One one hand we have the Sci-Fi plot of a lost colony space ship and on the other hand the mental power of laran, which, even if it can be "scientifically" explained, it's still close to something magical. :)

And Star Wars makes no attempt to explain how things (such as the twin ion engines on a TIE fighter work) something which hard skiffy demands.

The way I see it, they are both virtually identical. In sci fi, you do incredible things by pushing a button. In fantasy you do the exact samke things by waving a wand or saying a spell.

I could easily rewrite The Lord of the Rings as a sci fi story. And I could rewrite Star Trek as a fantasy.

But I think we can consider The Force to be equivalent to magical power, not scientifically provable.Many science fiction stories feature enhanced mental powers like telepathy, mind control, teleportation, levitation, and telekinesis /psychokinesis (moving objects using mental powers) among other powers.

Star Wars is classic Space Opera, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_opera . It is a very common and popular form of science fiction. The force is just an untapped energy source that some can access. Those that do can perform mind control, levitation, and telekinesis. Wikipedia lists Stars Wars first on its list of examples of Space Opera movies. Asimov's Foundation series featured characters with enhanced mental powers. And it was voted one of the greatest science fiction series of all time.

My favorite kind of science fiction is stories with mental powers in it.

I like both, but probably prefer sci-fi.

I noticed that some people say they prefer fantasy because there's more imagination involved, but I would say, although fantasy does have the potential to show off an amazing imagination very few authors make use of it. How many not-very-detailed pseudo-English medieval worlds do we have to visit? And how often do we have to read about a orphan boy who has a mysterious past? Throwing in a few strange beasts doesn't mean the author has a good imagination. I tend to think that a good imagination can be seen only when sufficent detail is given and when the reader can have some understanding of how something (whether it be magic or technology) works. Too many authors, particularly fantasy authors, are lazy with the details and don't think they need to describe the ins and outs of magic in their universe. Sci-fi isn't trapped in a pseudo-medieval world and doesn't usually feel the need to deal with concepts like 'destiny' (which often results in orphans). Also, because of the word 'science' I think sci-fi authors often make an attempt at a decent explanation of how things work (not that they're always successful). It's almost like fantasy has made a trap for itself because too many authors have stuck to the tried and tested formula. I think sci-fi is not so trapped.

I also think, whether a book is fantasy or sci-fi, is it needs to be believable. What I mean by that is that there has to be a certain logic to what ever the author writes about- even if they are writing about magic. I can think of a few fantasy books where quite a bit of logic is missing eg: obtaining great power unrealistically quickly.

Having poured all that critcism on fantasy, I should say that some of my favorite books are fantasy. I love George RR Martin's 'A song of ice and fire' series- mainly because it's so fantastically detailed (maybe he's better at this than most fantasy writers because he's also done some sci-fi writing, it's also because he's seriously into studying history). And some sci-fi is desperately dull with long technical details.

Fantasy deffinitly!

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?

I would consider myself primarily a fantasy fan, I just prefer the fantastical idea! I do
like sci fi though, because some of it at least is sometimes based on facts or recent possibilities, upsurges of science or developments. I prefer fantasy because I like the characters, the creation of magic and the places that authors are so careful in making.

2) What do you think separates these genres?

I think there's a very basic difference between them. Fantasy and sci fi are inherently different. Fantasy is usually based on nothing more than an idea or someone's imagination, whereas sci fi is usually based on something factual, mildly scientifically based and just blown out of proportion regarding possibilites.

3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.

Harry Potter is fantasy, so is Lord of the Rings. Darren Shane counts, I think, as a blend of both. Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy is sci fi, for sure, although there are some really great "magical" moments. Twilight is fantasy, and the Wheel of Time is too...

Star Wars, though the films are more prominent, is sci fi.

I think.

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?

I read more fantasy these days, but I read a lot of sci-fi when I was younger, and I may come back to it (I've only really started reading fantasy again, for the first time since my teens, since I got into HP).

Sci-fi appeals more to my head and fantasy to my heart.

What I most enjoy about fantasy is the sheer escapism of it - if the author has a great imagination and really believes in his/her world, you actually start to feel like you're really there and like the characters are your friends.

Some sci-fi can be a lot more ambitious and serious - it can address real-life scientific or philosophical problems and the ethical issues they present. But some sci-fi is more fanciful and escapist than fantasy.

2) What do you think separates these genres?

Well, the old joke goes that the difference between fantasy and sci-fi is whether or not there's a map at the front of the book!

For me the main difference is that pure sci-fi is focused on the future while fantasy is often focused on the past - even though the world is imaginary, it's usually imbued with a cod mediaevalism and the plots are often inspired by old legends and epics.

3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.

I've read quite a few "blend" novels which are set in the future on another planet that has been colonised by an alliance of people from earth and other planets, who arrive in spaceships, build a huge space station on the planet with all mod cons, dress in skin-tight all-in-one leotards etc (so that premise is very sci-fi), but then the planet itself is stuck in a cod mediaeval time warp, the inhabitants wear jerkins, tie their long hair back with fillets, fight with crossbows and swords, trust in herbalists, magicians and soothsayers etc (i.e. the stuff of fantasy).

And then you've got things like Dune and Star Wars which are set in the future, but the plots have that kind of medieval epic quality.

I thought LyraBlack's post was spot-on, especially:

Posted by LyraBlack
I would say, although fantasy does have the potential to show off an amazing imagination very few authors make use of it. How many not-very-detailed pseudo-English medieval worlds do we have to visit? And how often do we have to read about a orphan boy who has a mysterious past? Throwing in a few strange beasts doesn't mean the author has a good imagination.

and:

I also think, whether a book is fantasy or sci-fi, is it needs to be believable. What I mean by that is that there has to be a certain logic to what ever the author writes about- even if they are writing about magic.

My own pet peeves with some fantasy books are wild anachronism (mixing Viking, late mediaeval and Elizabethan language/technology in the same world) and not bothering to make up original character names, just taking standard English names and randomly adding a letter or changing a vowel to make them seem exotic (e.g. Dannyl, Ylena).

It has a bit of fantasy in it, but mostly it is science fiction. The main plot is of these flumes (wormholes) that shoot specific people around the universe, and one of those Travelers is trying to destroy the universe and the flumes. I always saw it as more science fiction than fantasy. :)

I've always just seen it as a mix, just like dresden files is a mix of mystery and fantasy. I didn't think that the flumes were technology though and some other magic stuff does happen, i just don't rmemeber any of it because i haven't read the series in years, i barely remmeber the main character's name :lol:. I remember Courtney and Mark, but um....is the main character bobby? i think?

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?

I should consider myself more of a fantasy fan, because I have read too many fantasy books to count.I don't know why I love fantasy so much. Probably the magic, and the way you can escape to a whole new world by flicking a the pages of the book. How the story entrances you with its sheer magic-undescribable!

I can't say much for SciFI, because I haven't even read a SciFi novel. Can anyone recommend me any good ones? (I do watch more SciFi films than fantasy, though)

2) What do you think separates these genres?

I think fantasy usually concerns the past. Whenever someone mentions the word fantasy, the first thing which comes to my mind are sprawling English countrysides, knights riding on horseback, damsels in distress, and dragons breathing smoke and fire. It's a world where King Arthur and the Knights of the Round table live in, a world where all things are possible, where there is magic like there is air around us. That's what I imagine fantasy to be.

For SciFi, though I have not read many of them, I think of the futuristic things. Robots and computers, missions to outerspace, spacheships and astronauts and the works. There'd be clones, and people would live in houses which could travel from one place to another. Perhaps we wouldn't even need houses anymore! Then, I imagine aliens and weird, galaxy creatures which have slimy tentacles.

3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.


Feel free to contribute more questions

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?

I'm more of a fantasy fan, really... Though I like SciFi too. The thing I like most with both is that anything can happen, but it is the way anything can happen that makes one of the genres suit me better. (See question 2)

2) What do you think separates these genres?

In SciFi, there is invented things, like flying cars, that is too far ahead technological that we really can believe it today, but for all we know it could exist in a few years time. The invented things makes almost anything you can imagine possible to happen or be done.

In Fantasy, there is magic; magical creatures, magical plants, magical powers... Which makes almost anything able to happen, but in a different way than SciFi. Things kinda happen more smoothly, if you see what I mean. I think it's the magic, the fact that you cannot imagine all the possible ways thing can happen when you have magic involved. The writer is more free to do whatever he/she wants.

Weirdly enough, I feel fanasy is more realistic. Don't ask me why, but I believe it is because I've always thought magic is real (or, at least, was). Or maybe because the things written in fantasy books are less likely to happen than things written in SciFi books makes it more realistic... SciFi has a hint of realism, the feeling that this is possible to happen, though maybe not right now, maybe in the future. Magic is "impossible". It is completely invented. Or maybe not. Maybe it existed in the past, long ago, or hidden. Maybe it even exists today, hidden. That's why I find fantasy more realistic, because it could be history, it could be fact - or at least, hints of fact - it could be it has actually happened, without us being able to know for sure.

I think that's why I love Fantasy more.

3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.

I have read quite a lot of fantasy books, but not so many SciFi books, because I love fantasy more. Only problem is, I can't remember any SciFi books right now. I know I've read some, but they're hiding as far back in my head they can come, and they won't let me get them! :grumble:

Uniquely fantasy books:
- Harry Potter
- Lord of the Rings
- Stardust
- Inkworld Trilogy
- Eragon books
- Bartimaeus Trilogy (kinda different from other fantasy books, but still fantasy)
I could go on forever, because I read a lot of fantasy.

A blend of both:
- Artemis Fowl
- The Supernaturalist
Really? I don't remember more "blended" books? And both are written by the same author?

Uniquely SciFi books:
- Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
OK, I remembered one, though I don't feel it's a SciFi book... But I think it has to be placed in this category, it is about space and spaceships and other planets after all, and it's not magic, it's technology.

1) Would you consider yourself primarily a SciFi fan or a fantasy fan, or both equally? What do you like best about each?
I think i like both fairly equally. for different reasons, i think mainly because both catergories seem so different to me. I also think that the extremes in both catergories are sometimes hard for me to enjoy.

2) What do you think separates these genres?
I think typically sci fi falls more into the what if (as in what could come to be in the future), space/technology type generes whereas fantasy falls into the more mythological, magical creatures and what not. I think sci fi is more an extension or exaggeration of something that is real and already exists, fantasy falls more into the imaginative, madeup things.

3) What kind of stories/books are uniquely one genre or the other, and which books are a blend.

ender's game - definately sci fi
harry potter, the secrets of the immortal nicholas flamel, eragon, i would classify as fantasy.