How many read both SF and Fantasy?

[AlexH]

I prefer fantasy, but seem to read an equal amount of science-fiction just because it seems more widely available in short story form, particularly when it comes to printed anthologies.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Funny, but I've been doing that some, too. My earliest fiction binge reading was in the mystery genre, and so it becomes a sort of easy, comfort reading, no matter how serious the subject matter.

Randy M.

Yes, it's comfort reading for me, too. At least in the older mysteries that I largely read, you know that no matter how many deaths and tragedies there are along the way, the final outcome will be that justice will be done. As a reader I may be sad, I may be disappointed because it turns out that a character I liked turns out to be not what they seemed but completely diabolical instead, but the truth WILL come out and there WILL be a final resolution.

Part of what makes fantasy and science fiction so compelling is that the writer might turn the readers' expectations on their head at any time, but for me, when I am already stressed, I don't necessarily need or want that sort of tension in the book I am reading to relax.

 

[elvet]

Funny, but I've been doing that some, too. My earliest fiction binge reading was in the mystery genre, and so it becomes a sort of easy, comfort reading, no matter how serious the subject matter.

Randy M.

Another mystery fan here. Before I got into reading fantasy, I loved mystery, especially the British who-done-it. P.D James, Elizabeth George, Colin Dexter, and Kate Atkinson are some of my faves.

Yes, it's comfort reading for me, too. At least in the older mysteries that I largely read, you know that no matter how many deaths and tragedies there are along the way, the final outcome will be that justice will be done. As a reader I may be sad, I may be disappointed because it turns out that a character I liked turns out to be not what they seemed but completely diabolical instead, but the truth WILL come out and there WILL be a final resolution.

This is so true. There is a sort of predicability to a mystery novel, in the pattern of how the story plays out. It is very comforting and familiar.
P.S. I'm addicted to the TV adaptations of most of those books, too. Even productions from the 80's and 90's. I just watched a few seasons of Ruth Rendell Mysteries on Britbox.

 

[BAYLOR]

Another mystery fan here. Before I got into reading fantasy, I loved mystery, especially the British who-done-it. P.D James, Elizabeth George, Colin Dexter, and Kate Atkinson are some of my faves.

This is so true. There is a sort of predicability to a mystery novel, in the pattern of how the story plays out. It is very comforting and familiar.
P.S. I'm addicted to the TV adaptations of most of those books, too. Even productions from the 80's and 90's. I just watched a few seasons of Ruth Rendell Mysteries on Britbox.

Night Has A Thousand Eyes by Cornell Woolrich
Rendezvous In Black By Cornell Woolrich
The Black Angel by Cornell Woolrich

A noir mystérieux writer and one the best of all time . I think you might like him. He wrote the The Rear Window which was the basis for Alfred Hitchkc film of the same name.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

I'll read either, if it's good, however fantasy normally reigns.

 

[Foxbat]

I don’t read a lot of either nowadays and prefer to read history books. But, of the two, I seem to prefer Science Fiction. I say seem to because I’ve never really thought about why...except maybe that I think spacecraft and lasers are cooler than dragons and swords.

Of course, a lot of SF could be argued to be simply well disguised fantasy - Star Wars being the obvious example.

 

[Randy M.]

Night Has A Thousand Eyes by Cornell Woolrich
Rendezvous In Black By Cornell Woolrich
The Black Angel by Cornell Woolrich

A noir mystérieux writer and one the best of all time . I think you might like him. He wrote the The Rear Window which was the basis for Alfred Hitchkc film of the same name.

Not exactly comfort readng, though, Baylor.

Randy M.

 

[Randy M.]

Another mystery fan here. Before I got into reading fantasy, I loved mystery, especially the British who-done-it. P.D James, Elizabeth George, Colin Dexter, and Kate Atkinson are some of my faves.

This is so true. There is a sort of predicability to a mystery novel, in the pattern of how the story plays out. It is very comforting and familiar.
P.S. I'm addicted to the TV adaptations of most of those books, too. Even productions from the 80's and 90's. I just watched a few seasons of Ruth Rendell Mysteries on Britbox.

You might find Louise Penny to your taste, if you haven't already. Canadian writer and setting, but stemming from the traditional British crime novel.

Randy M.

 

[althea]

I read both genres. A good story is a good story.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I would have said sci-fi , but having a quick look at my library of books it's predominantly fantasy (it does help that I've got virtually every Discworld novel as well as several volumes of JRR Tolkein) with historical fiction taking second place .

On the other hand my collection of blu rays/dvds shows an overwhelming lean to sci-fi, with historical dramas taking second place.

Would I rather read Star Wars, Doctor Who or Star Trek or watch it? Definitely watch it. Would I rather read LOTR/The Hobbit or a
Pratchett adaptation? Definitely read it.

 

[althea]

I could have written that post, paranoid marvin.lol. My tastes are very similar. For a while I have been really enjoying some historical fiction.
SG Maclean and CS Quinn have written some entertaining stuff.
No one will ever beat the marvellous Terry Pratchett,in my opinion.
I really don't think it's worth categorising books into genres. If it is interesting and well written, I will read it, regardless of genre.

 

[BAYLOR]

Not exactly comfort readng, though, Baylor.

Randy M.

There is nothing comforting about Cornell Woolrich books. That said, he's a great writer .

 

[tachyon]

I do both SF and F. I don't care for horror but some horror has been subsumed into the Fantasy genre (Cthulhu mythos for example) and I do read that as well.

 

[Guttersnipe]

I've read more fantasy, having read the Harry Potter series, The Chronicles of Narnia, and some of Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures series, but I've read a lot of standalone sci-fi books.

 

[JJewel]

I dont tend to have much time for reading recently but I read anything that catches my eye, currently reading a bio of Niki Lauda and have several more piled up also (Marlon Brando and Peter Cook). If it looks good I will give it a go is my rule of thumb, regardless of genre.

 

[soulsinging]

I prefer and have read more fantasy, then mystery, the SF. I’ve mostly tackled the classics when it comes to SF.

 

[Elckerlyc]

Mostly SF but increasingly willing to read some Fantasy in between. But SF remains favorite by far.
Lately I also tend to read more non-fiction. My second youth, come to think of it. I read far more non-fiction in my younger days.

 

[Timebender]

Not to gatekeep or anything, I think everyone should be welcome here, but I do have to wonder what anyone who picks "neither" is doing here exactly.

 

[Parson]

Not to gatekeep or anything, I think everyone should be welcome here, but I do have to wonder what anyone who picks "neither" is doing here exactly.

Can't say for sure, but when I first answered the question years ago I read as near to all S.F. as anyone is likely to, but in the intervening years I've read a lot less S.F., a few Fantasy works, and a whole lot of mystery/thriller books, probably more than S.F. today. But I feel a part of this forum and I don't think I'd leave just because my reading habits developed away from S.F. and Fantasy. Or perhaps they came here for help with their book which was not S.F. or Fantasy --- Maybe one of these explains how that came to be.

 

[hitmouse]

Not to gatekeep or anything, I think everyone should be welcome here, but I do have to wonder what anyone who picks "neither" is doing here exactly.

I think you will find that pretty much everyone here has some background in f& sf reading. However, some have a significant interest in other fiction or non- fiction, and some move away from f& sf with time. This forum has been around for a while.
There are some excellent discussions on non-f&sf lit in the main Book Discussion forum, as well as in hist fic and lit fic.
The fact that this forum is so eclectic and inclusive is one of the reasons that it is such a nice place.