Fantasy vs Science Fiction: A Poll

Which do you prefer?

  • Total voters
    406
Sparrow said:
Sorry, I think most of today's Science Fiction should be driven to the edge of town and rolled into a shallow ditch. I find both the writers and the sf community in general to be tired and uninspired. Perhaps the best sf is behind us. Certainly it seems a narrowing circle, left to the terminally nostalgic, the unsexed, the lonely, and worst of all, the conservative.
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Interesting comments, Sparrow. I wonder if this is a geographical thing, as I've heard similar viewpoints expressed before by some American fans, whereas here in the UK the complete opposite seems to apply.

This is very much a bright new age for British SF, with more high quality far-reaching and ambitious science fiction being produced than I can ever remember before, and most of it is anything but conservative with a small c. If you're talking Conservative with a capital, then the vast majority are again anything but -- Iain Banks, Ken MacLeod, Charlie Stross, Ian Watson etc.

So perhaps your comment reflects the perceived situation in the US?
 
Ian Whates said:
Interesting comments, Sparrow. I wonder if this is a geographical thing, as I've heard similar viewpoints expressed before by some American fans, whereas here in the UK the complete opposite seems to apply.
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I find that recent American novels are very solid- exciting, entertaining etc- but they fail to slide my brain down a helterskelter in the way British SF does.
UK SF has moments that miss the target, but those occasional failings are worth the scenes in books that I can't get out of my mind for days.

I suppose it's like the music scene in 76-77, when the USA churned out M-O-R Eagles-style stuff and Britain spat punk on the world.

(No offense to American forum-users. We all know tables turn. Compare Hardcore to New Romantics only 3 years later!)
 
Ian Whates~Interesting comments, Sparrow. I wonder if this is a geographical thing, as I've heard similar viewpoints expressed before by some American fans, whereas here in the UK the complete opposite seems to apply.
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Dead on.
The love of sf was passed on from my dad who subscribed to two magazines, the only two I ever remember him getting... Asimov's and Omni. One has long since gone away, the other will most likely suffer along for a few more years, and it too will die. Interesting that both the fantasy and science fiction I read is almost entirely written by Brits. Even the Abarat books which are very American in tone, are written by an Englishmen.

Perhaps it is geographical.
The English do Fantasy & SF best, always have. Americans do Detective Noir best, always have. What is happening in the States to the sf genre is anyone's guess. My guess is that fans of sf have moved on past the literature branch of the genre, and besides Hollywood blockbusters and video gaming, are not involved in sf in any way shape or form.
 
Too easy.

Fantasy all day everyday....:)

Actually considering SF is historically a subset of Fantasy I should be allowed to vote twice.... ;)
 
GOLLUM said:
Actually considering SF is historically a subset of Fantasy I should be allowed to vote twice.... ;)
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That's the trouble with all these magic-based tales: scant regard for the rules. ;):)
 
Fantasy "technically" includes several "subgenres" horror, alternate history, urban fantasy.....all the subgenres if SF and so on. Most of us tend to mean High Fantasy, Low Fantasy, or Sword and Sorcery when we use the catch all "Fantasy" It's probably simplier that way. If we get too hyper technical we won't understan what each the other may mean....:).

Was that clear as mud?
 
Perhaps someone should introduce a cataloging system of names.

I.e: 1A for high fantasy, 1B for sword and Sorcery, 1A(b) for high fantasy with an element of sword and sorcery...
 
thepaladin said:
Fantasy "technically" includes several "subgenres" horror, alternate history, urban fantasy.....all the subgenres if SF and so on. Most of us tend to mean High Fantasy, Low Fantasy, or Sword and Sorcery when we use the catch all "Fantasy" It's probably simplier that way. If we get too hyper technical we won't understan what each the other may mean....:).

Was that clear as mud?
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Alternate history is a subgenre of science fiction and historical fiction ;)

Alternate history - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Its like time travel, time is a SF thing.

Of course there is alternate history fantasy. Nothing new there. Like other genre blenders.
 
I wonder what would happen if we had a three way poll, with the addition of Horror?
 
I've just added my vote for Fantasy! One point the difference now :D

There are no Science Fiction books in my house but I have read some and they weren't too bad! However, give me fantasy any day :)
 
i may of perhaps put fantasy back when i was a 12 year old. But now i like to think im more sophisticated and put SF. SF FTW!!! (mind you i have not read any adult fantasy books)
 
Sci fi's possibilities are the very thing that keeps me FROM it. If I wanted something that could happen, I'd go outside and wait to get hit by a car or to be struck by lightning while....relieving myself....in a river. Chances of such things happening are low, but they COULD.

Fantasy on the other hand, wonderful escape from reality, and really drives the imagination beyond what can possibly happen to something that never could.
 
Strange I think I saw a warning about that on a sign the last time I crossed the Cumberland River bridge....
 
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