On the debate between fantasy and science fiction, I really only have this to say: Science fiction is taking what is already known, or has been established, and then extending it out into what isn't known, or considered impossible. Example: We know space travel can happen. But we can't travel at light speed, so what could happen if we did?
Fantasy does just the opposite, taking what we consider to be impossible and integrating them into the world as we know it in a way that makes sense. Example: There are dragons. How can we as humans co-exist with fire breathing creatures? How are they even able to produce flame without blowing themselves up?
There are of course, ways to blur the line. If magic is really a form of energy manipulation, and the Force in Star Wars is energy manipulation, what makes them different from each other? A less people-friendly example would be blood-powered taxi cabs or airplanes that fly from distilled sorrow. (Both examples borrowed from the Nightside series) In a way, some of it is perspective, if you have a race capable of understanding, manipulating and using the technology, the series they're in would be considered sci-fi, if they're not, then it's fantasy. Think Clarke's third law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
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Throwing my own two cents
Date: 2011-10-19 06:51 pm (UTC)Fantasy does just the opposite, taking what we consider to be impossible and integrating them into the world as we know it in a way that makes sense. Example: There are dragons. How can we as humans co-exist with fire breathing creatures? How are they even able to produce flame without blowing themselves up?
There are of course, ways to blur the line. If magic is really a form of energy manipulation, and the Force in Star Wars is energy manipulation, what makes them different from each other? A less people-friendly example would be blood-powered taxi cabs or airplanes that fly from distilled sorrow. (Both examples borrowed from the Nightside series) In a way, some of it is perspective, if you have a race capable of understanding, manipulating and using the technology, the series they're in would be considered sci-fi, if they're not, then it's fantasy. Think Clarke's third law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.