From Star Wars and Star Trek to Lord of the Rings and Dungeons & Dragons, fantasy and sci-fi are powerhouses. Marvel and DC movies are science fiction, and most Disney movies are fantasy. In fact, much of modern pop culture could fall under these categories.
The reason we can't always recognize them as such is that they're never advertised as fantasy or science fiction. They're always fairy tales or stories about superheroes overcoming impossible odds.
But why does there seem to be a hesitation to define these stories as science fiction or fantasy? Why does it feel like these genres are often seen as less than others? Also, why are they so often paired like they’re inextricably linked?
Unlike my last genre battle post, I won’t be examining similarities or differences exactly. Instead, I'll be exploring how these two genres approach the tropes and story beats they have in common.
Definitions
The most important thing here is to define these genres based on what you can typically expect from the settings.
Science fiction
Typically set in the future. Technology is more advanced, which often drives the story. It usually involves (but is not limited to):
- Space and spaceships
- Other planets and aliens
- Robots and AI
Fantasy
Typically set in a completely new world or involves unveiling a previously hidden one. Things found in a fantasy setting are usually considered impossible. Fantasy can include (but is not limited to):
- Kingdoms and castles
- Royalty and class systems
- Magic and monsters
Different Approaches
The key difference between fantasy and science fiction is praxis (putting a theory or idea into action) rather than the final product.
For example, both genres can feature similar Hero’s Journeys, but they approach that journey and what it involves in different ways. A fantasy hero's journey often involves being a chosen one, somebody who's been fated for this journey since birth or by divine intervention. In science fiction, the hero that embarks on a journey is often just the one who's there, the person who's most convenient.
One interesting subversion of this trope in fantasy, ironically, comes from The Lord of the Rings. Rather than being the chosen one destined to hold the ring, Frodo is the one who offered. Nobody else spoke up—they neither could nor wanted to—but he did. Frodo, a simple Hobbit, embarks on his hero's journey not by divine intervention, but by being the one who would.
Redshirts by John Scalzi plays with the chosen one trope by turning the universe itself on its head. The main characters of the book are the background characters of a Star Trek inspired show in the real world. Everything in their world has been predetermined by "all-powerful" writers and executives. The characters of the book must then embark on a journey to regain control of their own lives and convince these writers/executives to stop killing them off.
The differing praxis in these genres is what keeps readers engaged. If a reader could simply interchange robots and dragons in any science fiction or fantasy story, they wouldn't be interesting. For two genres that share similar (and sometimes near-identical) elements, praxis is vital for creating and maintaining the line that separates them.
New Worlds; Old Familiarities
Many of the concepts explored in both genres are familiar. A glance around our present society or a little review of our past reveals many of the themes playing out on cosmic or fantastic levels.
Concepts like colonialism, redemption, late-stage capitalism, and corruption can be found dressed up in pretty new settings and unfamiliar species.
Ender’s Game is about child soldiers and propaganda, both familiar concepts, played out on spaceships and against bug-like aliens.
Game of Thrones is essentially Political Intrigue: The Series, as warring kingdoms struggle to gain more power and lord it over their neighbors. The dragons are a nice added touch to distract from some of that, though.
No sci-fi or fantasy book is without influence from our world and society. I greatly enjoy how authors twist these elements to fit their world and say something about them.
The nature of the genres, however, means that sci-fi tends to focus on how where we are affects where we’re going as a society, while fantasy is about where we’ve been.
Fantasy books are more “historical”— societal structures are often closer to those found when monarchies were the main mode of governance. Science fiction imagines how our current structures might evolve (or completely collapse) when you throw space travel and lasers into the mix.
The Murderbot Diaries imagines the consequences of capitalism continuing to the point where people can become cyborgs contractually obligated to sacrifice themselves and follow orders. The main character of the series, the titular Murderbot, gets to explore freedom after secretly breaking the governor module that controls it. It does this by immediately binge-watching as much TV as it possibly can.
A Natural History of Dragons examines the societal structures and expectations placed on women (especially women engaged in scholarly work) in the Victorian Age by following the trials faced by its female main character as she studies dragons.
While both concepts (capitalism and misogyny) are familiar, their respective genres allow the characters to face and overcome these obstacles. It’s a far more satisfying read than something that simply says, “It sure does suck that these things exist,” and moves on.
Plus, you know, dragons and robot battles are pretty cool, too.
Setting and Character tropes
Most science fiction and fantasy stories can be described as “An adventure or quest into the unknown.” Whether that unknown is a magical forest or another galaxy depends on the genre the author prefers.
Both genres also tend to focus more on the journey than the destination. Travelling across the land or the galaxy often takes up the majority of the pages. Focusing on the journey enables the authors to expand on and introduce readers to their world, while also exploring the relationships between characters.
Most stories will have a few character archetypes within their cast:
- The Newbie: In both genres, the Newbie is often a character authors use for exposition. They’ll typically have the same amount of knowledge as the reader, making them useful for explaining the rules of the world
- The Jaded: This refers to someone who has been burned by the system. While the Newbie is often bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, the Jaded will usually expose the darker side of the world they’ve stepped into
- The Old-timer: like the name suggests, this is someone who’s been around the block. Whether an experienced spaceship captain or a renowned mercenary-for-hire, they’ve usually got some sage advice for the Newbie and some patience to explain how things work
Soft vs. Hard Science Fiction & Low vs. High Fantasy
Science fiction and fantasy have two modes in which they can operate. The main difference between soft/low and hard/high is what aspects of the world authors want to detail. Their focuses differ depending on what they choose, as some elements will be considered more important than others.
Soft sci-fi and low fantasy are less concerned with the hows and whys of space travel and magic. Soft sci-fi doesn’t question why or explain how the space station maintains artificial gravity; it’s more likely to focus on the shenanigans that occur when that gravity fails. Similarly, low fantasy isn’t concerned with the nitty-gritty of the rules of magic; it’s more interested in how two arrogant wizards might overcome their differences during a quest.
Soft or low are considered lighter reads; you can breeze through the story without needing to keep track of too much to enjoy yourself. Hard/high are more intensive; you might have to remember a cast of names and a map’s worth of places to keep from getting lost.
Some readers prefer the sprawling, expansive worldbuilding of hard sci-fi and high fantasy. They enjoy reading about a world or universe that truly feels lived in. Other readers just want something breezy. They like stories that aren’t too concerned about what’s going on outside the perspective of the characters.
When people who aren’t familiar with the genres think of them, their minds usually jump to hard sci-fi and high fantasy. This, unfortunately, can discourage potential readers. Who wants to invest in a 500+ page book if they aren’t sure they like the genre? Sprawling fantasy epics and space operas with unfamiliar terms and tropes aren’t exactly accessible to the average reader.
On the flip side, it can be challenging for an author to properly describe and enliven their world with only a novella’s worth of pages. Some worlds are too new, too filled with trope inversions or aliens with unexplored cultural quirks; a shorter book can leave the reader feeling like the setting was threadbare.
It’s hard to balance the exposition-to-page ratio, but that makes the authors who can do it well all the more impressive.
Space for Increased Diversity
Both genres have ample room for diversity in characters and social norms. Unfortunately, fantasy doesn’t take advantage of this space the way science fiction does.
This is mainly due to genre expectations. Fantasy, despite being full of dragons and impossible magic, is far more beholden to conventions than science fiction. I think this is largely because it feels more historical as a genre. There are kings, knights, peasants, adventures that can only be had on foot or horseback; all things we could find in a history book.
Modern fantasy feels trapped in a corner, surrounded on all sides by founding texts that set the rules. Even when authors are trying to break the mold, they can easily fall into the same conventions that dominate the genre. Publishers are also to blame, as they are known to push for safe stories (ones similar to bestsellers) rather than innovative ones.
I’m not saying this is true of all fantasy. If you dig just a bit, you can find plenty of fantasy books that break the mold of gender and social status within their pages. The average reader, however, isn’t going to do much digging.
They know about Game of Thrones, Tolkien, and Harry Potter (though that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve read the books or seen the movies), and that’s it. They aren’t going to look hard enough to find books like A Taste of Gold and Iron or The Teller of Small Fortunes, both of which feature characters of color and queer relationships.
The literal universal potential of science fiction, on the other hand, means the foundational stories haven’t had the same impact on worldbuilding. With the whole universe to play with, some planet with queer-normal cultural customs, unheard of genders, or opposite social expectations is inevitable.
Aliens are left entirely to the author’s imagination. Their cultures can be wholly unfamiliar to the reader, and it wouldn’t compromise any suspension of disbelief. Of course, they spit on the ground when they greet each other; that’s just what this alien race does. No need to question it when some intergalactic war is being waged.
A growing subgenre of science fiction that highlights this increased space for diversity is Afrofuturism. This genre focuses on the stories that could be told when any (and many) African cultures embark into space.
I recently finished reading Sweep of Stars, which does exactly this by telling of the beginning of a pan-African utopia that centers community and welfare over individual ambition. It’s a great book, I highly recommend giving it a read.
Despite being called science fiction, the genre isn’t as grounded as fantasy. In the inky black expanse of space, anything seems possible. There is literally no ground to stand on, only a spaceship drifting through the stars.
Subgenres
The biggest difference between science fiction and fantasy lies in their subgenres, but even these can share similarities.
Space Opera and the Epic Quest
Space operas and epic quest stories employ similar story beats.
Something is posing a threat to the main character’s normal life (and, often, the entire world/galaxy), and a journey must be made to resolve this issue. Authors use these genres to tell a story that reaches far beyond the main character’s comfort zone. There is a whole universe to be found within these stories, and the author wants to explore it.
These stories tend to fall under hard science fiction and high fantasy settings. Worldbuilding is intricate, the page count is high, and the characters are often embroiled in some kind of political intrigue. The rules of space travel and magic are set in stone, and characters are forced to work within their constraints.
The Lord of the Rings is a classic example of an epic quest, and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers is a more recent (and decidedly cozy) example of a space opera.
The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet
Romantasy and Sci-fi Romance
Both genres include romance, but only fantasy has recently received an official classification: romantasy. This subgenre often centers romance with fantasy elements as a backdrop, a little flavoring to the world that creates an inciting incident or meet-cute. One of the most popular examples of this is the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, a loose Beauty and the Beast retelling featuring Faeries (yes, the spelling is important there).
Related: Book Hunters List for Dark Romantasy Readers
Science fiction has no specified word for when romance is just as important, or more important, than space travel and alien encounters. You can still find books that focus on romance in space or with aliens, you just won’t be able to give it as snappy a name as romantasy.
For romantic science fiction, you can read Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell or I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com (a distinctly adults-only option) by Kimberly Lemming.
I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in A Rom-com
Cyberpunk and Urban Fantasy
Whether you know it or not, you’ve definitely seen some cyberpunk and urban fantasy.
Have you watched Supernatural? That's urban fantasy. So are Teen Wolf, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Have you played Detroit: Become Human? Or did you read the Cinder series? Enjoy any of the Terminator or Matrix movies? Congratulations, you’ve seen some cyberpunk.
Cyberpunk stories often include AI and technology so ingrained in daily life (usually on Earth) that cyborgs are normal to see on the street, and any criminal worth their salt can hack. Often going hand-in-hand with a dystopian narrative, these stories involve characters realizing how much of their life is controlled by The Machine or The Company and breaking free from it.
Urban fantasy involves a similar element of discovery or realization. Rather than breaking free or fleeing from it, however, the main character often runs towards the new world they’ve discovered. In urban fantasy, supernatural creatures and magic are discovered beneath the mundane veneer of the ordinary world. A good example of this is Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Certain Dark Things.
While Cyberpunk stories often tell of revolution or a struggle against an overwhelming force, urban fantasy is often a setting for discovering oneself and the world around you. Often, things are far more magical than they appear at first glance. It's also a good subgenre for a romance between a human and a supernatural creature of the author’s choice. Recent additions to the subgenre include Sarah J. Maas’s House of Earth and Blood.
Worlds Collide
At what point does science become so advanced that it is indistinguishable from magic?
You walk into a dark room, flip a switch, and the lights come on. While mundane to us, it would undeniably be magic to someone from the 1700s. What else could explain the sudden appearance of light without the sun or a flame in sight?
Similarly, at what point does the alien race encountered by space explorers become something out of a fantasy novel? If it walks like a dragon, flies like a dragon, and breathes fire like a dragon, isn’t it a dragon?
Is the concept of something being fantasy up to the reader or the characters? Or does it lie somewhere between the two?
While they aren’t common, stories that blur the line between science fiction and fantasy aren’t rare, either. In fact, one of the first science fiction books I ever read was the Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey.
The series is set on another planet, sees our main character fighting against aliens shaped like viruses, and even involves time travel at one point. It also has characters creating soul bonds with dragons that they ride into battle.
The two genres are indistinguishable in McCaffrey’s series.
Another book that does this is Moonbound by Robin Sloan. From the summary alone, the author’s setting is so far into the future that all technology looks like magic. The book even has wizards and dragons, but they may not be the wizards and dragons we’re familiar with as readers.
On the surface, Moonbound screams fantasy, but the details are undeniably science fiction. Is the line between the two genres still there, still distinct if not blurry, or has it disappeared altogether?
For a more modern example of these lines being blurred, look no further than the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman.
Aliens invade the planet by turning the entire thing into a deadly fantasy RPG (role-playing game) dungeon setting that survivors of a near-extinction event must now navigate. It's a wild ride, there's a talking cat named Princess Donut, and the titular Carl is never going to get shoes, it seems.
The entire fantasy-tinged adventure of dungeon crawling (fighting through and exploring a dungeon, either in a video game or as a tabletop game) is set in motion by the undeniably science fiction event of aliens invading. Where, then, does Carl fall on the genre scale?
No, seriously, I'm asking. Leave a comment and let me know, because I'm incredibly curious about what other people think.
Further Reading
If there weren't already nearly enough fantasy or sci-fi recommendations in this blog for you, here are a few more that I've read and enjoyed!
The Last Gifts of the Universe
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