Why SF AND Fantasy ?

» Brian_Hughes - Hi Karen, I'm new to S101, and in signing me up as a member,

Hi Karen,

I'm new to S101, and in signing me up as a member, Dean suggested I jump into a discussion as the best way to get to know people, so I thought this a good opportunity to get a minor "beef" off my chest.

Why has it become so popular for these two genres to be thrown to gether when they are so different? I say this as a supporter of "scientific fiction" and one who has grown both up and relatively old, being led gently by the hand, into the world of future science, by the likes of my favourite SF author Arthur C Clarke.

I imply no criticsm, but the two fields are so well established and so far apart, that I almost object to the perception that being a long time SF fan, means I'm into the latter as well. I have no real problem with dragons, provided we are talking about Larry Niven's " Grendals" which are more like Crocodiles! I'm also grateful when his publishers help me out by telling me whether or not a new release is "known space". This also helps me see beyond "elephants" invading the Earth, on a front cover, as in Footfall.

Robert Heinlin may be turning in his grave over the upcoming release of the movie "Starship Troopers", I don't remember it being that "graphic" but oh boy, I wanted to be one of those guys, and I definitely don't remember any girls! :-) Wouldn't we all love to belong to his Howard Family, and take a trip out West (or East) in Gay Deceiver!

Quite a few Horror authors seem to be overlapping into Fantasy if not SF, I must confess to having enjoyed Insomnia (by no means what I would call horror), and also Imajica by Clive Barker -- certainly fantasy I would say. It was this title that inspired our company name, with one small spelling change.

Hey, maybe I'm beginning to argue against myself! :-)

I've enjoyed this, it's got my mind off computers for a while.

Brian Hughes

Friends are Strangers who have yet to meet.

-- posted by Brian_Hughes

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» dean - Hi Brian! I just had to jump in here and say that I'm a Arthu

Hi Brian!

I just had to jump in here and say that I'm a Arthur C. Clarke fan as well. Congrats on your first posting!

Dean Minamimaye


Special Projects & Web Promotions



dean@suite101.com

-- posted by dean

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» Brian_Hughes - Hi Dean, Thanks for the kind words,it's been a good day. Dee

Hi Dean,

Thanks for the kind words,it's been a good day. Dee and I have just put our first print column "to bed" and our publisher is "deeeelighted" with it. Maybe I'll use it as part of the Editor application.

BTW a quick P.S. to my earlier post, I see I omitted to give Stephen King credit for Insomnia.

BBTW I think we need a spell checker here although I like to think my problem goes mostly with the English accent.

BBBW or PPS or whatever, I just discovered what preview does.....hey, this is getting to be fun.:-)

TTFN (If nobody knows this one...ask Dean)

Brian Hughes

Strangers are Friends who have yet to meet

-- posted by Brian_Hughes

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» dean - Brian, You can check the RFI's (Request For Improvements) by

Brian,

You can check the RFI's (Request For Improvements) by clicking on "About" (in the header), then "RFIs". There, you can search for the file on the spellchecker.

TTYL

dean

Dean Minamimaye


Special Projects & Web Promotions



dean@suite101.com

-- posted by dean

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» Brian_Hughes - U no evryfing dont u Dene? LOL PS just make sure it's English

U no evryfing dont u Dene? LOL

PS just make sure it's English not US.

Brian Hughes

Strangers are Friends who have yet to meet

-- posted by Brian_Hughes

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» Karen_James - Hi Brian! And welcome! You're first post was outstanding. I w

Hi Brian!

And welcome! You're first post was outstanding. I want to apologize for my late reply, I was away on vacation celebrating the American holiday, Thanksgiving. In fact I need to apologize to all my readers for the late release of this week's article. I really did take a vacation, in mind as well as body.

Now, back to your post. You wonder why the two are lumped together? Perhaps it is because sometimes it’s hard to tell the two apart. Book publishers have very clearly separated the two, but I wonder what criteria these publishers use to determine the difference. Here’s a pretty decent list of some of SF’s best author’s thoughts on the subject of science fiction and it’s definition.

To me, it’s not so simple. Yes, there are the extremes that are decisively science fiction or clearly fantasy, but I find there are also quite a number of books that straddle both sides of the fence. I am not willing to say that a primarily science fiction book that has some "fantastical" elements can’t be classed as science fiction, are you? And once you lean to one side or the other the dividing line can get even more muddied. I’ll mention mental sciences (telepathy and such) and time travel, as just a couple of potential "muddiers".

Large booksellers combine the two in the "Science Fiction" section of the store, and I too have lumped the two together. I will admit that a very large portion of why I chose to keep them both in the same topic was that Suite 101 didn’t have many editors when I came on. I offered to cover science fiction as well as fantasy, despite my clear bias toward fantasy. In fact, I’m still looking for someone that would take over the science fiction half… anyone interested? I’m sure I am not giving it the coverage it is due!

Well, enough said. I better get to work on my article or it will never get published ;-)

Thanks for posting your thoughts Brian. I sure hope there are more posts where this one came from!

Best,

Karen

-- posted by Karen_James

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» Brian_Hughes - Hi Karen, Thank you for your welcome and the kind words, the

Hi Karen,

Thank you for your welcome and the kind words,
they are much appreciated. Please, no apology is necessary as Dean (see, I can spell his name right when I concentrate) kept me company while you were away.

I know what you mean about needing a break, not too long ago Dee & I owned a business in a small village near here 60 ft. from Lake Erie (or 60 ft. in Lake Erie, depending on water levels and winds) and were open for business every single day from June 1984 until May 1996! Every now and then I used to run screaming into the lake, but it was never very satisfying, the water was too damned shallow. :-)

Also, when we lived in Tenerife, we learned, like everybody else, that you had to get off the island once a year or go stir crazy (Canadians call it cottage fever) because it was too damned small.

Story of my life......too many damns !

Thanks also for taking the time to reply in such an insightful fashion, and for the reference material, I will away and ponder, although not without, firstly, agreeing with you as to the booksellers, and throwing in the libraries for good measure.

I would offer to help with science fiction, but I'm more at home with computers, and I'm working towards applying to Edit a computer / Internet column for Seniors. You should see my grey hair!
You will, however, still hear from me on what has always been one of my favourite subjects.

BTW, I remember seeing "Beowolfs Children" on one of your lists and I hope you are aware this is the last part of a trilogy. "Legacy of Heorot" and "Beowolf" are the earlier stories, and will ensure the proper introductions to the Grendals.

TTYL

Brian.

Brian Hughes

Strangers are Friends who have yet to meet

-- posted by Brian_Hughes

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» Karen_James - Hello again Brian, It's a good thing my break consisted of a

Hello again Brian,

It's a good thing my break consisted of a trip to Lake Tahoe where no portion of my anatomy touched the frigid waters... I do not "puddle duck" in the winter! ;-) Brrrr. I get goose bumps just imagining your screaming dashes.

Thanks for the kind "refusal" on my plea for help... do please keep your eyes and ears open for a potentially recruitable editor. I, for one, am always looking.

Regarding

Beowolf's Children

, I was aware it was not a first book. However, it does stand alone on its own merits and frequent dips (pun intended) into historical recounts. I suppose you saw a reference to it within a discussion about

Tiger Burning Bright

, in which comments were made about the successes and failures of novels with three authors. As you may have noticed I wasn't too thrilled with BC, but I'll admit the Grendals were nifty!

Take Care,

Karen

-- posted by Karen_James

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» Brian_Hughes - Hi Karen, There is a significance to the time of this posting

Hi Karen,

There is a significance to the time of this posting (3 am EST) because I would normally be in bed by now re-reading "Bright Messenger" by Gentry Lee....the sequel unfortunately has yet to be published, but I just had to catch up on the discussion you directed me to, seeing as I had missed it.

Being the trusting fellow I am, I naturally assumed I would would be intelectually stimulating but I was somewhat diverted. Now I face the distinct possibility of seeing the sun rise over Lake Erie.

Why, I hear you asking.......well, I have learned to live with my SF monsters, and finally banished the need to check under the bed for Grendals, But now I have to investigate the bedclothes for.......WORMS!!!!!!!!

The moon is bright tonight and I can see quite clearly the 110 acres of apple orchard we have here. OK I tell myself, the crop is all harvested, but then again, there's all that EARTH out there!!!!!

I need more coffee.

Sweet dreams

Brian

Brian Hughes

Strangers are Friends who have yet to meet

-- posted by Brian_Hughes

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» Dan_Ellsworth - 13-month update

Now there's a book reviewed that might have found a way to have BOTH fantasy and "hard" science fiction at full strength - if perhaps not always simultaneously. I bring up the possibility in the third of these messages.

-- posted by Dan_Ellsworth

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