Sci-Fi, fantasy and speculative Indie Authors Review discussion

How do you define fantasy?
Would a story that takes place in the future but, for whatever reason, has the backdrop of medieval Europe be fantasy?

What about a story in the 9th century without magic or sword play? Historical fiction?

What makes fantasy fantasy?

The world my fantasy is set in is more post medieval, they've got cannon but skipped firearms and the population density is low

Also it has no elves, dwarves, hobbits or goblins, precious ;-)

For me, if there's magic, it's fantasy, whether it takes place in another world or ours. Granted, I'm partial to urban fantasy, so there's that aspect.

If science fiction gives way to fantasy and fiction gives way to fantasy, it looks like a circle, no end, no beginning. That explains the situation nicely.

Speaking for myself I've always considered fantasy to be anything that takes us, as readers, outside of our known reality, be it magic and wizards or alternate realities/histories/worlds such as Victorian England Steampunk. While science fiction, to me, still has a bases in reality but explores possibilities.

Ah, Christina, if you define fantasy as stories with magic, you have to define magic. If science says FTL drives and teleportation are impossible (which it does), are Star Wars and Star Trek fantasy? I suppose it comes down to whether the author presents the concept as technology, so the Anne McCaffrey dragon stories, which look and feel like classic fantasy, become sci-fi just because she puts in some gengineering mumbo-jumbo in the first book. Asimov's quote about any sufficiently advanced technology looking like magic drove a truck-sized hole through this distinction.

I'm also reminded of The High Crusade where an alien ship lands in medieval England. The local baron immediately sees it as a flying castle, and its denizens as heathens. Defeats it, takes off and roams the spaceways in a jolly armoured romp. I think Anderson wrote it to encourage confusion on this.

Richard wrote: "Ah, Christina, if you define fantasy as stories with magic, you have to define magic. If science says FTL drives and teleportation are impossible (which it does), are Star Wars and Star Trek fantas..."
Star Wars is fantasy, Star Trek isn't. When I say magic,I mean true hocus pocus. Not something that can be explained by science, even if that science doesn't exist yet.

For example: Star Wars, the original trilogy, 'the Force' is a magical ephemeral thing that may be harnessed and used by those who train and are disciplined. This is fantasy.
In the prequels, 'the Force' is something that exists as a variant in the blood of certain people. This is a sci-fi explanation. It is not something that our science can prove is real, but it uses the basic concepts of our science (a genetic marker) to make a point.

I see not point to defining any genre. Genre should be applied to specific works, not to generalities.

So name a specific book or movie and then we can start applying applicable labels. But trying to nail down one definition is pointless because it's relative to the person defining it.

I cannot define Fantasy in general, but I know what it is to me when I see it.

D.R. wrote: "In the black and white days of television, I remember an episode of Star Trek that was about a meeting with a being that was far advanced and appeared to be able to do things that humans could not ..."

The Squire of Gothos:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Squ...

Oh my, I remember that episode. Just asked the hubby, he's a trekker, he remembers too but not the name. When I do a search on the internet for the episodes, so many sounds the same that it's impossible to know for sure.

Micah wrote: "D.R. wrote: "In the black and white days of television, I remember an episode of Star Trek that was about a meeting with a being that was far advanced and appeared to be able to do things that huma..."

You're good!

G.G. wrote: "You're good!"

I don't know this stuff, I just know how to use Google.

"Hmm. Your Google-fu is STRONG."

You could probably make a strong argument that anything fictional is fantasy due to the nature of storytelling and how elements of what we consider Fantasy were an integral part of stories up until whenever the hell True Literature became a thing.

But as far as genre conventions go, fantasy is pretty much anything with magical elements. Monsters, sorcery, potions, twoo wuv, James Franco being a decent human being, you know, the usual.

Ashe wrote: "James Franco being a decent human being, you know, the usual. "

There ya go, nailed it!

Truly, that is the greatest fantasy of all.

Micah wrote: "D.R. wrote: "In the black and white days of television, I remember an episode of Star Trek that was about a meeting with a being that was far advanced and appeared to be able to do things that huma..."

Saw this one recently. I always find it funny when they encounter these aliens, Kirk gives them the spiel about how their explorers interested in meeting new races, but gives the being excuses for not wanting to stay and meet him. Though the early mischievous aspect of their encounter could be chalked up to a misunderstanding between two cultures, Kirk jumps to the conclusion that these beings are nefarious way too early. It's almost like they don't really believe what they tell these beings about themselves.

Back to topic, I wonder if the difference between SF and F is the explanation of the abilities. ie. it's SF if you explain how the ability works in a scientific way, and F if you leave it to the imagination. There is a saying, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Even a tale of magic, sorcery, and potions can be turned into SF if the author gives a reasonable "scientific" explanation about how those aspect work.

"indistinguishable from" != "identical to"

Matthew wrote: "What makes fantasy fantasy? "

The author placing it in the Fantasy category on Amazon.

Owen wrote: "Matthew wrote: "What makes fantasy fantasy? "

The author placing it in the Fantasy category on Amazon."

Ahaha I like that answer because in the end, it's the only right answer.