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Why does science fiction keep stealing fantasy books?
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lampak
Posted 2011-12-11 6:19 AM (#2813)
Subject: Why does science fiction keep stealing fantasy books?



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Location: Poland		I love science fiction but I love fantasy even more. And the subgenre of fantasy which appeals to me the most at the moment is contemporary fantasy. What I can't understand is why some of these books are categorised as sci-fi, bah, often win awards for this genre.

While with some effort you may be able to find science-fictional elements in Predido Street Station - a book which would be pure fantasy were it not for steam golems, the ambassadors of steam punk - there's nothing to justify the classification of for example Zoo City, a book I've just finished reading. It's won Clarke and was nominated for BSFE, even though the plot takes place only a year after the book's release, within which timespan there was no technological breakthrough, no fictional science is ever mentioned and the book centres solely around magic.

While to me it's annoying just because science fiction usurps rights to fine books actually belonging the genre whose rights I'm more of a speaker for, it may mislead science fiction fans as well and make them read books they are not interested in. Wintermute has written a review for American Gods titled "Hated this Book". Why didn't he like this one of the most acclaimed books on this website? That's because he expected the joint Nebula, Hugo and BFSA winner to be a science fiction book while it turned out to be an excellent example of contemporary fantasy.

Award bodies did the same to Little, Big, a poetic modern-day (at the time of writing) fantasy. Science-fictioners didn't even spare Discworld novel Pyramids. Where did they spot a glimpse of sci-fi in that one?

This inaccurate classification of great fantasy books deprives fantasy of its rights to them, which doesn't help it to be more widely recognised as a serious genre, and makes science fiction awards be wasted on books which are not science fiction at all. Is it deliberate? A novice may be misled by the glaring absence of elves and dwarves in these books - which in some people's minds still disqualifies a book as fantasy - but these awards are supposed to be given by people who know something about speculative fiction. How is it they can't recognise fantasy when it hits them in the face?

Edited by lampak 2011-12-11 6:30 AM
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Scott Laz
Posted 2011-12-20 12:57 PM (#2820 - in reply to #2813)
Subject: Re: Why does science fiction keep stealing fantasy books?



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Location: Gunnison, Colorado		Hugo and Nebula voters are well aware of genre distinctions, but the fact is that both awards are open to both science fiction and fantasy works, and sometimes fantasy works win, especially in more recent years. Both awards are probably associated more strongly with SF in some readers' minds, though; thus the possible confusion when people expect only SF from these award winners. But this is the result of people being misinformed about the awards, and should not reflect on the awards and those who give them.

Part of what's going on as well is a tendency of authors to merge elements of fantasy and SF into the same stories, so there are a growing number of books that are not necessarily classifiable (depending on your definitions, of course). This is the theme of Gary K. Wolfe's recent book of essays, Evaporating Genres, which I'd recommend to anyone interested in both SF and fantasy.
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Emil
Posted 2011-12-22 1:15 AM (#2832 - in reply to #2820)
Subject: Re: Why does science fiction keep stealing fantasy books?



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Location: Grootfontein, Namibia		Star Wars is a classical example of what Scott Laz espouses. Certainly, there are SF elements, but all in all the story and probability of it is pure (science) fantasy. As we see @Iampak champion the distinction between fantasy and science fiction, we see other doing the same, but from the foundation of SF purists. On this very site there has been discussion about this and how often, to some's delight and other's distraught, fantasy novels win what is considered to be traditional SF awards. I don't mind at all and I don't see it as SF necessarily 'laying claim" to great fantasy works in order to boost the SF category. After all, I think it is more a case of Science Fiction AND Fantasy, by which the AND certainly creates a sense of distinction.

Incidentally, "American Gods" is one of my all time favourite books. Together with "Perido Street Station" it exemplifies the truest definition of Contemporary Fantasy. And here on WWEnd there is a clear distinction between Fantasy and Science Fiction :-)
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