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ThisAdamGuy
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Joined: 22 May 2015
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Posts: 692
Location: Northwest Arkansas

25 Apr 2017, 12:07 am

Here's a question I've been asking myself a lot of the past couple years: when does fantasy become science fiction, or vice versa? Some people are okay if their scifi just *sounds* scientific, but other people are really picky about what can be labeled science fiction. Like, if the "science" doesn't exist in our world (ie, robot armies, teleporters, the Matrix), then it isn't science fiction, it's fantasy. I even had one person tell me that Star Trek was fantasy because aliens haven't been proven to exist.

On the other hand, fantasy is based primarily around the existence of magic, and magic by definition is a force that can't be understood or explained. So, what if the "magic" in the story has an explanation? In Mistborn, everyone knows exactly where their magic comes from and what it's capable of doing. Swallowing steel lets you push on other metals, pewter makes you stronger, tin enhances your senses, etc. Every metal only does one thing, and you can't use the powers without that metal. Sanderson is famous for taking his magic and giving them so many rules and limitations that it almost loses its mysticism-- so, would that make it science?

I've even created a little bit of this kind of controversy myself. In my book Juryokine, people have the power to manipulate gravity. And yet, I never once said the word "magic" in the entire book. It's just a natural ability they have, kind of like how Vulcans can do their mind meld thing. I even made up a quick excuse that it's because their bodies produce a special chemical that gives them this ability. But the fact remains that controlling gravity isn't scientifically possible, so does that makes Juryokine fantasy or scifi?

What's your take on it?


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