Is My Book Sci-Fi or Is It Fantasy? | Dear Writer # 21
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I need some opinions on this (or maybe some facts, if there are written rules somewhere):
Here are the key 'unreal' concepts of my book:
1. Aliens: come from another planet and inhabit earth with big population (look human, with different color eyes). They bring psychic powers to mankind.
2. Monsters: These are just made from scientist experiments with regular people (i.e. think of mad zombies with more psychic powers)
3. Psychic powers: standard stuff: mind reading/talking, levitation, moving objects
4. Super psychic powers: with training, people can use their psychic powers to harness light energy for a special fighting system (energy blasts, shields, etc).
originally I thought it was sci-fi since it was based on aliens. And everything basically 'could' happen if aliens came to the planet and gave us psychic powers, etc. There's no magic. But now I don't know. What are your thoughts?
Dear Writer,
Whether or not a story is science fiction or fantasy is not just a matter of what worldbuilding and narrative elements are present, but the themes and concerns of the story as well.
Despite taking place in space and employing advanced technology, Star Wars is decidedly fantasy because of its themes, concerns, tropes, and narrative structure.
Star Trek, while having "less-advanced" technology than Star Wars in many ways, is decidedly science fiction.
Star Wars is concerned with mythological themes, black-and-white heroes and villains, etc., while Star Trek is concerned with the ethical dilemmas raised by technology and by scientific and social advances.
Star Trek is rooted in a "real-world" pre-history whereas Star Wars takes place "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away."
Star Trek tells us to watch ourselves now so we can see where we're going; Star Wars tells us to look back at where we've been so we can gain a sense of meaning and direction for the here-and-now.
Do aliens necessarily make a story sci-fi rather than fantasy? No. In Warcraft, both the Orcs and the Dranei are technically alien races brought to Azeroth. The Dranei even come on space ships. But Warcraft is high fantasy.
Do monsters necessarily make a story sci-fi rather than fantasy? No. It's a question of theme. In Warcraft, the Undead come from magic. In 28 Days Later, the "infected" are the result of a science experiment. Each are zombies and thematically, they function very differently in each of their respective story worlds.
Do psychic powers necessarily make a story sci-fi rather than fantasy? No. The Force in Star Wars is mystical and somewhat religious in nature. Q in Star Trek is a supernatural being impeding on a sci-fi story. Q as a character functions as a foil for the kinds of ethical questions Star Trek is known to engage.
Again: the matter is theme subservient to genre.
I'd recommend any basic internet resource or story writing book that deals with different genres if you're seeking a more academic explanation of the key differences between different sub genres of speculative fiction.
It comes down to the kind of story you're telling. It’s possible to tell a thematically sci-fi story in the world of Star Wars and it is possible to tell a thematically fantasy story in the world of Star Trek. Both have been done.
Science-Fantasy is a sub genre that's been talked about more and more, but if you have aspirations to be traditionally published author, you must choose sci-fi or fantasy for demographic and marketing purposes. I once told an agent who worked for the firm that represents Brandon Sanderson that my series was "science fantasy" and he looked at me like I had two heads and said, "Yeah, but which is it more of?" The reason is that from a sales and marketing perspective, science-fantasy often doesn't have a place on bookshelves.
When it comes to querying publishing industry professionals, you’ll need to choose one or the other when the time comes. But, full disclosure, this sort of boxed-in approach is part of the reason I decided to self-publish my debut novel.
Best,
DRM
DANIEL RODRIGUES-MARTIN is the author of books, articles, essays, poems, reviews, and countless rants since 2004. His debut novel, GODDESS FROM THE MACHINE, earned a Kirkus Star and is available from most major carriers.