Fantasy Vs. Scfi - Which is YOUR Fiction?

[Tecseiryu, Hacker for You]

So? Which one is it?

I've noticed that with both types of fans of these genres have their personalities reflected through their likes.

People who love Scifi seem to be more logical, while the Fantasy people seem to be more creative.

Which one are you, either of the two, or Both?

Personally, I like Fantasy Fiction for it's mysticism, and sense of "anything is possible."

So? Which do you like?

[kaosdeity]

Fantasy. I look for logic in sci-fi, and it most often isn't there. That bugs me. In fantasy, it is implied that our logic is not applicable, so I'm good with that.

[deadly_-_dreamerX]

Both, I imply logic over creation to make things even more twisted.

[Durgha]

People who love Scifi seem to be more logical, while the Fantasy people seem to be more creative.

This is going to sound off-topic, but hear me out.

The human brain is hardwired to either favor mathematical computations ("right brained" people) or linguistic concepts ("left brained" people). Of course certain individuals have an even balance between the two, but as I understand it we generally lean one way or the other.

Writing efficient computer code requires as much creativity as writing a poem; I'm not sure favoring fantasy literature over sci-fi factors into an individual's ability to dream up original concepts.

Moreover in terms of the literary tools used, I've never seen much of a difference between science fiction and traditional fantasy. Highly advanced technology makes the impossible possible. So does magic. The difference between soaring the skies on the back of a dragon and blazing across the galaxy in a spaceship is only semantic.

Though this may not be the best example, if we look at certain serialized comics, we can see how magic, super technology, and psychic powers can coexist without compromising the artistic integrity of the work.

They may not be novels, but the entire Final Fantasy series of games is based around this concept.

Is this science fiction, traditional fantasy, or something else entirely?

I don't like to dice up artistic endeavors into sub-genres. To answer you original question, I like good fiction, regardless of the window-dressings the author chooses to establish the setting. I'm as content reading Robert Jordan as I am Isaac Asimov.

[Pizza1295]

im not a picky reader, ill read books from most genres, but if i had to pick between fantasy/scifi then id go with edit:fantasy(thinking over past scifi books ive read XD)

but it really depends on which scifi/fantasy book

[femmenoir]

I enjoy both genres for the most part, but as I've gotten older I've started to enjoy science fiction more.

For the most part it's really hard for me to take a fantasy series seriously when the names of people and places are completely out there. I almost feel like some people are trying too hard when they write, but only in the case of trying to emulate "high fantasy". So I stick to things that generally fit within the low fantasy and swords and sorcery genres.

For the life of me I could not finish "The Lord of the Rings". I got to the last book, gave up and put it on my bookshelf and never looked back. I love the world construction and what not, but the intense mind drilling of seeing every little detail drove me crazy.

Then recently I picked up this book called "The Summoner" from some series called "Chronicles of the Necromancer" ( I wanted a change, and I hoped this would be an anti-hero to my liking, boy was I wrong ), and it was without a doubt the worst thing I'd ever read. I usually give a book 100 pages to grab me...this felt like watching paint dry.

A series I really like for fantasy however is Stephen R. Donaldson's "Thomas Covenant" series. As angry as the said hero makes me, and as depressing as it gets ( Mr. Covenant is essentially bad luck incarnate. Everybody I love dies or has something horrible happen to them ;_; ), I keep reading...Otherwise I'm more of a science fiction kind of girl.

Also...I really didn't intend for that to be so long...

[cessusbangy]

Sci Fi is better, it's a lot more gripping

YAY, 500TH POST!

[Darth Gazak]

Sci Fi is better, it's a lot more gripping

YAY, 500TH POST!

You can't to generalise an entire genre like that; perhaps certain novels you have read have been more gripping than others, but that's subject to the writer's technique and quality, not the genre. I implore you to read a few of the most acclaimed fantasy stories, and i'm sure you'll be entertained.

Durgha hinted to the fact that science fiction and fantasy are very closely interrelated; they both require a degree of imaginative capacity from the reader in order to be fully appreciated. Not only that, but there are many hybrid novels which cannot be classified as one or the other, classics such as the mighty Dune and Lord of Light, both of which are among my favourites.

From my personal experience (i do read more sci-fi than fantasy) science fiction tends to have more sophisticated prose. This is the impression i've gained over 5 years of serious reading, although a more experienced reader may disagree. i've pretty much exhausted the most universally popular science fiction novels, so if anyone has a suggestion then i'd be happy to heed.

I'm interested in milataristic science fiction primarily, ie Starship Troopers, Forever War, Ender's Game etc. Although anything is welcome :)

[Tecseiryu, Hacker for You]

Durgha, Darth Gazak, you guys are right... I guess I've trained myself to think too much inside of the box.

I've actually viewed the whole world as either "science" or "art", "logic" or "magic", "black" or "white". So, unless something is clearly defined such as Scifi or Fantasy fiction I stayed away form it.

About the whole Final Fantasy thing, I wish I had seen that before. FF is my favorite series, so I don't know why I didn't think of it that way. FF combines both Scifi and Fantasy fiction. It covers all bases giving fans full satisfaction (Sorry for being off-topic, but FF is the only example I can think of to express my opinion).

-So yeah, I'm glad you guys helped me to see things differently, and have a clearer understanding.-

Tec, Peace Out.~

[Durgha]

Durgha, Darth Gazak, you guys are right... I guess I've trained myself to think too much inside of the box.

I've actually viewed the whole world as either "science" or "art", "logic" or "magic", "black" or "white". So, unless something is clearly defined such as Scifi or Fantasy fiction I stayed away form it.

About the whole Final Fantasy thing, I wish I had seen that before. FF is my favorite series, so I don't know why I didn't think of it that way. FF combines both Scifi and Fantasy fiction. It covers all bases giving fans full satisfaction (Sorry for being off-topic, but FF is the only example I can think of to express my opinion).

Didn't GLaDOS tell you? The box is a lie.

I don't want to derail this into a discussion about video games in the Books/eBooks forum, but if hybrid fantasy/sci-fi strikes you as interesting, you may want to take a look beyond Final Fantasy at games like Lost Odyssey, Legend of Legaia, Xenogears, Morrowind (with attention to the Dwarven civilization), and even the Guilty Gear series. The list goes on and on, but I think you get the idea. It's a lot more common to see crossovers in video games / anime than actual novels.

The interesting thing I found about your original statements was that most fantasy novels clearly fall into either the classical or sci-fi sub-genres. Hybrids novels are rare, and it's potentially why they're so well received. They appeal to both fans of Tolkien and Arthur C. Clarke.

It was not my intention to say you're opinions were wrong; rather I wanted to offer the alternative that neatly categorizing creative efforts is exponentially more complicated than publishing companies and their advertising campaigns would have you believe.

[inomniaparatus]

i personally am both because i like both

[quinthal]

I definitely fall into the 'both' category.

The Dragon Reborn or The Ender Wiggin, simply depends on my mood as to what I pick up. I also throw some Mr Clark in between them. Books or music, I tend to like what I like. Genre does not matter. Anything, in my opinion can grab your interest if you only give it a chance.

[Kalevispetke]

I like both genres when its dark and has some fighting going on :D. More sci-fi though.

I like Warhammer 40,000 universe immensely. Its a sort of Scifi / fantasy mix. Really dark and cool fighting going on.

From pure fantasy, I like Diablo universe and Wheel of Time.

Scifi, now heres a lot. Stargate continuum as a whole is ok but they do too much science in it and too little shooting to my tastes. Conflict Freespace and Freespace 2 shall be my eternal favourites, too bad its a dead series. I used to like Star Wars but that was before ep 1-3. Now its just bad.

[Carnivoracious]

Durgha brings up an interesting point about sci-fi/fantasy crossovers.

I suppose if you wanted to transform this topic back into a Meyers/Briggs personality test the question would be...

Is Star Wars fantasy or sci-fi?

Personally, I'd say fantasy. Many of the Star Wars novels (and certainly the films) revolve around the conflict between mystic ideologies. Purveyors of these ideologies are able to wield mental abilities beyond that of ordinary folks (ie. magic?). Beyond that though, much of the series leaves the science behind the technology to assumption. I haven't run into an official explanation of hyperspace and how it allows faster-than-light travel. No one explains hoverlift technology other than what it's used for. No one explains how metropolitan planets like Couricant don't completely collapse from the immense weight of the structures on the surface or how the atmosphere is breathable despite all of the pollution that must obviously be occuring.

The tech is as mysterious as the force to me, therefore I think it remains fantasy.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology."

Of course, you should feel free to disagree. I'd love to hear some other opinions.

[Dalthos]

I like both fantasy and sci-fi, but the thing I like the most in both of those is comedy content. I do enjoy the Wheel of Time series, but by far, nothing compares to the creativity of both Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett. Also have to mention Doug Naylor and Rob Grant for the books of Red Dwarf, which spawned the TV series.

[Godot]

Fantasy - it has a certain magical feeling to it when written well. You immerse yourself in the fantasy world and take part in the story in your head. It becomes a journey. Of course a lot of it has to do with characters. But considering similarly interesting characters, fantasy is more captivating than fiction.

[femmenoir]

Durgha brings up an interesting point about sci-fi/fantasy crossovers.

I suppose if you wanted to transform this topic back into a Meyers/Briggs personality test the question would be...

Is Star Wars fantasy or sci-fi?

Personally, I'd say fantasy. Many of the Star Wars novels (and certainly the films) revolve around the conflict between mystic ideologies. Purveyors of these ideologies are able to wield mental abilities beyond that of ordinary folks (ie. magic?). Beyond that though, much of the series leaves the science behind the technology to assumption. I haven't run into an official explanation of hyperspace and how it allows faster-than-light travel. No one explains hoverlift technology other than what it's used for. No one explains how metropolitan planets like Couricant don't completely collapse from the immense weight of the structures on the surface or how the atmosphere is breathable despite all of the pollution that must obviously be occuring.

The tech is as mysterious as the force to me, therefore I think it remains fantasy.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology."

Of course, you should feel free to disagree. I'd love to hear some other opinions.

I totally agree with the fantasy bit. It fits LOTS of fantasy molds and it really isn't hard scifi. ( had someone try to tell me it was once :\ ).

Death star is totally some flying evil castle, Obi-wan is soo a Gandalf-esque figure, ever popular young man as a hero who need to take up the "blade". Lots of parallels in Star Wars with already existing fantasy archetypes.

[orangedragonfly]

Fantasy :) i like the everything could happen :)