The Singularity Chronicles blends the two genres. Books 1 and 2 are classic sci-fi, and books 3 and 4 will be more like classic fantasy, with 4 blending everything together. That's making it hard to get going on writing book 3.
3 seems like a really important book in the series - I would expect it to be a little challenging, but I bet it flies once you unlock the way you want to approach it. Wrestling with the ideas is going to be the tough part!
I always had a much simpler heuristic in my head. Fantasy = olden days/medieval setting. Sci-fi = future or alternative present setting. Clearly this doesn't always hold up, but I feel it's generally helpful as a rule of thumb, especially when looking at video games and TV culture.
It seems useful, at least if you can pair it with another framework. Like, where do we classify someone who uses time travel to reach the past, like A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, EG? I don't know, but I like the rabbit hole it opens up for us.
Gene Wolf's Book of the New Sun and C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy are two more contributions that I'd say blur the line between sci-fi and fantasy, if there is one. My thinking is that science fiction is actually a subgenre within fantasy.
Interesting take! I can't really disagree - I mean, it's one framework, and it works well here. I hadn't considered sci-fi as a subset of fiction before, but it's cool to stretch my understanding of both genres to see how that might work.
A lot of the defining of the term depends on the author's professional background. Many science fiction writers have backgrounds in engineering or physics, or, if they write military based science fiction, they have been officers of some kind in a force. Whereas fantasy writers like Tolkien and Lewis have academic backgrounds in literature and mythology, or they have a personal interest in them without being academics.
One example that breaks this mold is if you have an ancient but advanced civilization, right? Like, it's still fantasy - this civ did not exist - but it's also undeniably sci-fi if they're just hairless apes developing tech within the laws of physics.
This is more of a fun thought experiment than me really trying to get to any real conclusion here, but: it's kinda fun, isn't it?
Firmly fantasy, but totally conservation-law physics based: The Magic Goes Away, Larry Niven. I never miss a chance to plug my favorite Sci-Fi author...
I was thinking about horror and sci-fi as well, and/or the intersection of horror/fantasy. Both of those are worth mining if you're into scary stuff (I always prefer the creepy stuff to the gory or jumpy stuff).
I just read a quick descrip - sound awesome. The fact that they messed with the laws of nature makes me think of Midsommar or Hereditary? I would recommend both if you haven't seen 'em.
The Singularity Chronicles blends the two genres. Books 1 and 2 are classic sci-fi, and books 3 and 4 will be more like classic fantasy, with 4 blending everything together. That's making it hard to get going on writing book 3.
3 seems like a really important book in the series - I would expect it to be a little challenging, but I bet it flies once you unlock the way you want to approach it. Wrestling with the ideas is going to be the tough part!
I always had a much simpler heuristic in my head. Fantasy = olden days/medieval setting. Sci-fi = future or alternative present setting. Clearly this doesn't always hold up, but I feel it's generally helpful as a rule of thumb, especially when looking at video games and TV culture.
It seems useful, at least if you can pair it with another framework. Like, where do we classify someone who uses time travel to reach the past, like A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, EG? I don't know, but I like the rabbit hole it opens up for us.
Always thought the same.
I'm cool with it too - it just means you need to be fluid with time travel to the past, I think.
Makes sense lmao glad you approve. I really am sry haven’t been interacting more. Its been busy.
Oh man, busy is definitely a language I speak these days! I get it, but also I'm here any time.
Ok, thanks definitely gonna have more time later after I’ve released the first episode of my upcoming audiodrama.
Gene Wolf's Book of the New Sun and C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy are two more contributions that I'd say blur the line between sci-fi and fantasy, if there is one. My thinking is that science fiction is actually a subgenre within fantasy.
Interesting take! I can't really disagree - I mean, it's one framework, and it works well here. I hadn't considered sci-fi as a subset of fiction before, but it's cool to stretch my understanding of both genres to see how that might work.
Lightsabers are kinda like force guns. ;)
I certainly thought about that! Also, that "one power"....
A lot of the defining of the term depends on the author's professional background. Many science fiction writers have backgrounds in engineering or physics, or, if they write military based science fiction, they have been officers of some kind in a force. Whereas fantasy writers like Tolkien and Lewis have academic backgrounds in literature and mythology, or they have a personal interest in them without being academics.
The book doesn't fall far from the author's experiences, in a way!
i’m a big fan of the portion of the venn diagram where fantasy and scifi meet.
naturally i can’t think of any right now…
I've recently come across the term "science fantasy" that seems to twist the two genres together particularly well.
Always thought fantasy - medieval or past and scifi - future.
One example that breaks this mold is if you have an ancient but advanced civilization, right? Like, it's still fantasy - this civ did not exist - but it's also undeniably sci-fi if they're just hairless apes developing tech within the laws of physics.
This is more of a fun thought experiment than me really trying to get to any real conclusion here, but: it's kinda fun, isn't it?
It is indeed X)
Firmly fantasy, but totally conservation-law physics based: The Magic Goes Away, Larry Niven. I never miss a chance to plug my favorite Sci-Fi author...
Nice! Plug away. Niven was prolific and a kind of visionary.
I've been thinking about this too! Been reading Ursula K. LeGuin and the Southern Reach series (Jeff VanderMeer) and both straddle this fuzzy line
I was thinking about horror and sci-fi as well, and/or the intersection of horror/fantasy. Both of those are worth mining if you're into scary stuff (I always prefer the creepy stuff to the gory or jumpy stuff).
Annihilation (first Southern Reach one, got made into a movie) exactly fits that description
I just read a quick descrip - sound awesome. The fact that they messed with the laws of nature makes me think of Midsommar or Hereditary? I would recommend both if you haven't seen 'em.