books Science Fiction vs. Fantasy

[MelancholicMemory 2,025]

Which do you prefer, science fiction or fantasy? Why?

 

I like both sci-fi and fantasy a lot, but I especially like it when the line between sci-fi and fiction is blurred. A good example is Q from Star Trek (played by John de Lancie, better known to the MLP fandom as Discord) or the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who. Plus, you just know that alien robots vs. wizards would be awesome

 

Overall though, I prefer fantasy, especially when the characters don't limit themselves to magical solutions like in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. The endless possibilities of fantasy overshadow the potential to achieve such a reality that you get with Sci-Fi for me.

 

Note: This question is not just about books.

Edited December 3, 2012 by MelancholicMemory

[Sunbro 4 Lyfe 939]

i know why this thread was started up

cause i was ther!

again, i just know about the world i read and play. like i know that alchemy in skyrim and harry potter are different, but treat it in general as a bit of both.

make sense?

[Descant 1,898]

Fantasy. I love them both, but magic just appeals to me more than gadgets. Not to mention I'm addicted to Harry Potter. I can recite the audiobooks word-for-word alongside Jim Dale, the bloke who reads 'em. I like Sci-fi too, though. Eureka and Star Trek and Star Wars...

 

You should add a poll.

[khaine21x3 789]

I'd prefer Fictional Science High Fantasy like warhammer 40k, I find that traditional high fantasy like lotr or sci fi like star trek to be extremely boring.

 

[Descant 1,898]

Have any of you read the book Ender's Game, and its sequels? I'm having a hard time placing it... It's not your usual Scifi. It's like Scifi if you add fantasy concepts. Fantastic series of books. Highly recommended. Because it's an entertaining read, and because it makes you think. Orson Scott Card is a genius. I'm not as dedicated to it as I am to Harry Potter, but Ender's Saga and Harry Potter are actually tied for first if you asked me my favorite book series.

Edited December 2, 2012 by Descant

[Standard User 2,127]

Science fiction for me combines the "HOLY CRAP THAT'S AWESOME" of magic/fantasy with the science of...well, science. And I like science. Glorious science!

Fantastical things in fantasy are chalked up to magic. Fantastical things in science fiction generally have some intricate backstory or what-have-you to explain their creation and place in the world. Take hyperspace travel in Star Wars. In a fantasy setting: "Hey guys, magic makes it so we can drive a ship really fast!" In sci-fi: honestly, I don't wanna explain it. Go read some Star Wars books.

 

But I like both. Just science fiction more.

 

 

 

Have any of you read the book Ender's Game, and its sequels? I'm having a hard time placing it... It's not your usual Scifi. It's like Scifi if you add fantasy concepts. Fantastic series of books. Highly recommended. Because it's an entertaining read, and because it makes you think. Orson Scott Card is a genius.

 

Yes. YES. I've read all of Ender's saga and the Shadow saga. Favorite books of all time, hands down, done and done. I never find other fans of Mr. Card ANYwhere.

(Sorry to double post.)

Edited December 2, 2012 by Kolth

[Faceless 101]

Fantasy: Watch to much anime for my own good and love to read books like lord of the rings, gothic literature... I'm not emo...

 

Sci-Fi: a big fan when I was a kid. Still love Star Wars and films like the fifth element and hitchhikers guide...

[Commander Urdnot 2,680]

This wouldn't have anything to do with my post in Jokuc's thread, now would it?

I've seen Lord of the Rings before, but I didn't like it.

 

I've never really been a huge fantasy guy, I'm more like a sci-fi guy. So I'm probably not going to see it unless nothing else good is playing at the time.

 

Anyways, Sci-fi by far. The robots, the space ships, the robots, the laser guns, the robots, the aliens, the robots, the electronic and orchestrated music, the robots, the special effects, the robots. All of it is good!

[Sunbro 4 Lyfe 939]

Well, if were on soley about books. then i read alot of darren shan and rick roiden, which are fiction. so im into fiction with my books.

[Nohbdy 4,108]

It's hard to deny that both are awesome, and it's even harder to deny that they've both made huge impacts on our society. We have such sci-fi behemoths as Asimov and Robots, Roddenberry and Star Trek. We have such fantasy giants as Tolkien and Middle Earth, Rowling and Harry Potter. Can you imagine today without any of those? It really is hard to to choose.

 

Science fiction is, at its core, about the ramifications of technology in human society. Such ramifications can be good (Star Trek, Foundation), bad (The Matrix, Frankenstein), or mixed (Mass Effect, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea). We're introduced to ethical dillemmas regarding the application of science and technology. Whether we're boldly going where no man has gone before, or fighting to survive a horde of robotic squids, or trying to get back a runaway robot, we're thrown into a world where science lets imagination express itself. It doesn't even need to be hard science to open up a world of possibilities.

 

On the other hand, I've never been pulled deeper into a universe than the world of fantasy. Whether it's the rich world of Middle Earth or the vast expanse of Tamriel, we're introduced to a world completely different from our own--but with a very human element that allows us to relate. Whereas science fiction is about, well, science, fantasy has magic. And magic is awesome. Like sci-fi, we're introduced to how magic affects society in their worlds.

 

Then there's science-fantasy, where magic and technology coexist in peace and war. From ancient tentacled alien horrors that drive men insane, to fighting with telekinesis and energy swords, to demented monsters preying on unwary starships, science-fantasy is the best of both worlds. And it doesn't even need to be explicitly magic and technology either. Sometimes, the line is blurred. As Arthur C. Clarke famously said, sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

 

At the end of the day, though, I'd give the edge to sci-fi. Although I've paraded around with a Gandalf costume before (and indeed, that's one reason why I chose Starswirl Twilight as my avatar), sci-fi like Star Wars and Star Trek have been an indispensable part of my childhood. As an aspiring scientist and engineer, I'm invariably attracted more to the world of science fiction than that of fantasy.

 

TL; DR: Both are great, but I like sci-fi better.

[MelancholicMemory 2,025]

This wouldn't have anything to do with my post in Jokuc's thread, now would it?

No, a bunch of us were having this conversation in a RP OOC thread. I wanted to keep the thread on topic, and I thought this was a topic worth expanding to the whole forum so I made this thread.

 

Also, everybody, should I make a "Mix of the two" or "Other" option in the poll?

[BrainyBrony 252]

I prefer fantasy. I mean, I love science, but fantasy just wins me over. I'm not sure why, but I really do feel like I'm 'in another world' when I'm reading fantasy.

 

Firstly, I'm not much of a fan of laser guns and incredibly large super awesome spaceships. I prefer swords and bows and arrows. Battle scenes just seem that little bit more epic with the clashing of swords and horses galloping and guys having their hands chopped off while dragons smash houses in the background. It's all there. Besides, like the first post said, fantasy has limitless possibilities. 

 

So yeah, fantasy gets my (Incredibly important) vote.

 

 

 

Also, everybody, should I make a "Mix of the two" or "Other" option in the poll?

A "Mix of the two" option would be good. Some people do like to read from both genres.   

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

I prefer Sci-fi

1. You get weapons like the Fallout Gauss Rifle.

2. You also get awesome high-tech shit!

 

But the best kind is Western Sci-fi

You mix the two and get Borderlands, where cars spawn and you get Super AWESOME GUNZ.

 

Sorry, fantasy, but I love Sci-fi more than you. You may have dragons and *Final Fantasy*, but Sci-fi's got the stuff. Aliens, Gauss weapons, and nuclear apocalypse.

 

*Note: my argument is opinionated and based on video games.*

Edited June 29, 2013 by Rainbow P.F. Sparkle

[Fluttershutter 2,528]

I like both but sci-fi is my favorite. I just love outer space. Most fantasy happens on just one planet. There are infinite planets in the universe. Also the level of technology is usually pretty low in fantasy.

[-D1SCORDANT- 1,080]

I like both, But I have to say I'm a Sci-fi guy. Though when it comes to open world Rpgs, I get more lost in fantasy worlds like Skyrim. For books, though, I like the descriptions of technology (especially in classic sci-fi, like Jules Verne, or H.G. Wells)

 

Sci-fi Fantasy is awesome though. Seriously, How is this not epic?

[Untitled Goose Q 5,137]

It's hard to deny that both are awesome, and it's even harder to deny that they've both made huge impacts on our society. We have such sci-fi behemoths as Asimov and Robots, Roddenberry and Star Trek. We have such fantasy giants as Tolkien and Middle Earth, Rowling and Harry Potter. Can you imagine today without any of those? It really is hard to to choose.

 

Science fiction is, at its core, about the ramifications of technology in human society. Such ramifications can be good (Star Trek, Foundation), bad (The Matrix, Frankenstein), or mixed (Mass Effect, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea). We're introduced to ethical dillemmas regarding the application of science and technology. Whether we're boldly going where no man has gone before, or fighting to survive a horde of robotic squids, or trying to get back a runaway robot, we're thrown into a world where science lets imagination express itself. It doesn't even need to be hard science to open up a world of possibilities.

 

On the other hand, I've never been pulled deeper into a universe than the world of fantasy. Whether it's the rich world of Middle Earth or the vast expanse of Tamriel, we're introduced to a world completely different from our own--but with a very human element that allows us to relate. Whereas science fiction is about, well, science, fantasy has magic. And magic is awesome. Like sci-fi, we're introduced to how magic affects society in their worlds.

 

Then there's science-fantasy, where magic and technology coexist in peace and war. From ancient tentacled alien horrors that drive men insane, to fighting with telekinesis and energy swords, to demented monsters preying on unwary starships, science-fantasy is the best of both worlds. And it doesn't even need to be explicitly magic and technology either. Sometimes, the line is blurred. As Arthur C. Clarke famously said, sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

 

At the end of the day, though, I'd give the edge to sci-fi.

 

TL; DR: Both are great, but I like sci-fi better.

 

This. I feel I must make mention of Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, (which are awesome!!!) and the Pern books from the McCaffreys.  Both are wonderful science fantasy series.

[HunterTSN 1,444]

Personally I prefer Science Fiction, especially when I'm the one writing it. Sci-fi lets you stretch the boundaries of  science to you own will and do pretty much anything with it, and if you throw enough wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey technobabble in you can even pass it of for pseudo-fact.

[Yes-Man 597]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdkoAHcgwGA

 

 

Anyway, quite hard to pick. Both are quite influential and entertaining, and both have a lot of interesting characters and worlds.

But if I HAD to pick, it'd sci-fi. It was a close-tie, but Mass Effect pushed the choice a few feet.

[xblackrosesx 81]

I like Science Fiction alot because of Doctor Who but since we are talking about books here... Fantasy.

I love Fantasy books, my favorites are Harry Potter & LOTR  

But I guess some of the books I read could be called Science Fiction. :3 

[SCS 7,537]

I greatly prefer fantasy over science fiction, but I do find both to be interesting. I enjoy fantasy more, because it seems to delve more into the abstract areas of the imagination. It also has an inherent beauty and wonder to it. 

 

Science fiction novels often seem to have a sort of bleakness to them. While dystopian novels can be interesting, it is not the sort of material I would want to read all of the time.

[MichaelxXxTrixie 433]

Sci-Fi and Fantasy to me are both the same thing, just like different fantasy universes are different then other ones I see Sci-Fi as just another type of fantasy setting. 

 

I like Warhammer 40k's take on Sci-Fi though, I use to be really into that Fandom.

 

So I guess Sci-Fi

[Scootalove 10,689]

I prefer Science Fiction even though in Fantasy there are a lot of possibilities to have cliffhangers or different storylines to work from to make the book interesting and keep the reader wanting more.

[Codelyy 1,286]

I'm not sure really but i think i would go more for Science fiction 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTndRaOW1sY&feature=youtu.be&t=0m55s

[Steel Accord 6,660]

I'm going to vote for neither simply because I like both and much like the OP said, the two readily mix. Even then though, the distinction between the two can be pretty much all but academic at times.

 

For instance in terms of surface setting, the two giants of Star Wars and Star Trek are very similar. Alien races, spaceships, FTL travel, exotic planetary locales, etc. Beneath the surface though, Star Wars has far more in common with something like Lord of the Rings or the Princess Bride. After all, it is about a farm boy who meets a wizard and is taught magic and swordplay while escaping on a pirate's ship.

 

On the other side of the coin Fullmetal Alchemist, doesn't look all that different from Fairy Tale. It is about a young man with flashy powers and a golem as they travel the land on various adventures. However the "magic" of the series is not only consistent internally but also within accepted scientific understanding of the conservation of matter and energy and chemical conversion, only the actual method is given a fantastical treatment and one of the major themes of the series is how alchemy works, the permutations and uses of the technology both good and bad, and how it affects the society that uses it. 

 

Both fantasy and science fiction cover a multitude of genres.

 

Fantasy:

 

-High Fantasy

 

-Heroic Fantasy

 

-Urban Fantasy

 

-Magic Realism

 

-Myth, fairy tales, and or folklore

 

Science Fiction:

 

-Space Opera

 

-Post Apocalypse

 

-Cyberpunk

 

-Alternate History or time and dimensional travel

 

-Utpoia/Dystopia tales

 

There's even plenty of room for overlap and mixing in between those sub genres even across the sci-fi/fantasy border. Indeed the order by which I listed each of those setups was not random, look at each in respect to where it's counterpart on the other ladder is and you might see what I mean.

 

Fantasy and sci-fi are only distinguished by "the how" and how seriously that particular "how" is taken. For instance, werewolves and vampires are a staple of Gothic Horror, typically a fantasy setting. There, they symbolized something evil within humanity and the culture they were created in. Vampires lust, greed, disease and the corruption of the aristocratic class and werewolves man's inherent but subdued savagery brought roaring and transformatively to the surface. However, the Underworld franchise is firmly in the science fiction genre, treating both as divergent species each infected with a virus and their signature powers and weaknesses merely the result of their particular viral strain's various kinks. Each side trying to alter or counteract their conditions to give them an advantage. 

 

Even then though, the vampires and lycans still carry the symbolism of their heritage. The vampires living in manors and wearing suits while the lycans are held up in warehouses and cabins and decked in more urban looking wear.

 

Tone then? Surely stories about sword wielding heroes fighting monsters would be idealistic while explorative speculations on society would be more cynical and critical? That's not necessarily true either. A Song of Ice and Fire and by extension Game of Thrones is not too different from an Arthurian legend in most respects but is almost unrelentingly dark, cynical, even ruthless when stacked against the like of Tolkien or Pratchett. Whereas Pacific Rim is very much science fiction but is one of my favorite recent films precisely because it's one of the most heroic and uplifting tales in the post modern world.

 

My point is science fiction and fantasy are a false dichotomy and you know what illustrates that principal perfectly? Pokemon!

 

Think about it, what does Pokemon have? Dragons, matter to energy conversion technology, ethereal spirits, advanced cloning research, beings (not too unjustifiably) worshipped as deities, alien viruses taking on strange properties when exposed to Earth's biosphere. All co-existing without a change in tone or intent.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Steel Accord

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,162]

Why not have both? I tend to love science fiction and fantasy equally.

 

I guess part of it was that I grew up with Star Trek, Star Wars, Dragonheart, Spyro the Dragon, and other such influences. I just can't get away from the love I have for them.