Poll: Fantasy or Scifi?

[Shoggoth2588]

I like both, not really taking a preference of one over the other. I'd really like to see more Sci-Fantasy though like Star Wars. Sure, it takes place in a fantastic Galaxy which utilizes technology that makes intergalactic travel quick and efficient but it was still ultimately about a magical space knight defeating an evil space warlock and the evil space-black-knight at the floating castle (that can destroy planets with it's super death laser). I'd like more of that.

 

[Twilight_guy]

The main difference is whether you explain all you unexplainable shit by going "SCIENCE!" or "MAGIC!" Of course any good story usually isn't about said science or magic and simply uses them as a means to move plot elements in the real story so I find it pointless to pick a favorite.

 

[RJ Dalton]

I don't favor one over the other. If they're done well, they're both awesome. That's pretty true of most genres, actually.

The main difference is whether you explain all you unexplainable shit by going "SCIENCE!" or "MAGIC!" Of course any good story usually isn't about said science or magic and simply uses them as a means to move plot elements in the real story so I find it pointless to pick a favorite.

That's not actually true. Classical science fiction is always based in real science, or at least conceivable science. The best of classical science fiction is about examining how possible scientific advancements might affect our culture. That tends to be what separates science fiction from fantasy.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Science fiction. You can do a lot more with it and it's just more interesting IMO.

 

[Alex Baas]

Why can't we have both? Let me put it this way, DRAGONS IN SPAAAAAAAAAACE

 

[Zombie Sodomy]

I love both, but I'm getting a little tired of fantasy. The whole concept of good races and evil races just seems more and more racist the more I read. That may be why I love the Drizzt Do'Urden books by R.A. Salvatore. The main character is a dark elf and it raised some interesting questions about the relationship between orcs and the so called "goodly races".

 

[iblis666]

soda because i like both and science when it gets advanced enough can be indistinguishable from magic for example the anime scrapped princess. plus dwarf with a ray gun nuff said.

 

[Zhukov]

Uh... both?

They can both be done incredibly well, and they can both be insipid regurgitations of hideously overused tropes.

Examples of fantasy done incredibly well? Has to be much better than the LoTR

Why exactly does a fantasy book have to be better than LoTR to be good?

Anyway, Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

 

[josh4president]

Science-Fiction-Fantasy

GET ON MY LEVEL

 

[Axolotl]

Science Fiction is better simply because it has a much greater variety in terms off the stories it tells. Fantasy almost always seems to j St be either a big sweeping multi-volume epic which is essentially just LotR or an anti-LotR or else it's just the adventures of some ubermensch in a magical world.

Now within these two structures there is a lot of variety I'll admit, they're all ubermensch but Conan, Elric, Seberin and Kvothe are all different but with only a handful of exceptions I can think of (Gormenghast, Perdido Street Station, and such) fantasy is constrained by these tropes.

Science Fiction on the other hand has a huge variety in the stories of tells, it has equivalents to the above plots on things like Dune and John Carter but it also has so many other stories like say Star Maker, Neuromancer, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, The Fifth Head of Cerberus, Childhood's End, Blood Music and Slaughterhouse 5.

Sci-Fi just tells more stories.

 

[Brad Calkins]

They're pretty much the same thing.

-First off, the so-called 'technology' in science fiction is rarely based on any real science, it's pretty much magic already anyway.

-Second, both genres require a "straight man", someone who's either a foreigner, or simply so out of touch that everything needs to be explained to them, otherwise the author has no excuse to weave in exposition, even if it's not obvious, if you aren't completely lost, it's there.

-Third, kingdoms and planets are pretty much the same thing, just with a different look, in fact right off the top of my head, I can name 3 fantasy works(Chronicals of Spellborn, Allods online, and Lusternia where people use magic spaceships to travel between different worlds, making two conventions that were already more or less the same thing somehow even more similar.

Really the only reason why people think they're two different things is because the science fiction works that are actually both original and good become more well known than their fantasy equivalants, while the many, many uninspired, mediocre works remain obscure, giving the impression that science fiction is more creative or progressive or whatever.

 

[verdant monkai]

Fantasy all the way, but for some reason most people prefer sci-fi.

In my opinion the books are easier to read. We can all visualise a man with a crossbow shooting an undead skeleton in the head. We can even imagine what a wizard casting a spell would look like (waving staff/wnad/stick with energy flowing around etc.). But if I say "imagine a space ship" it is a lot harder to visualise, even if I say its green with big engines and looks like a bit like a basking shark, that still leaves you having to imagine most of it. With Fantasy we often have a reasonably good idea of what is being described but it can still be interesting, whereas with sci fi it is a lot more vague and usually relies on you to fill in its gaps. For some people that's fine but, I have to imagine everything perfectly like 3d models in my head.

The fights are also more interesting with swords and magic, whereas with sci-fi it is usually just shitty laser fights (with exceptions to stuff like lightsaber duels). I do really love sci-fi (the Mass Effect's being some of my favourite games) but I am more forgiving with fantasy, and harsher with sci-fi. I can read fantasy for hours but sci-fi books tend bore me.

Also to all the people who said BOTH go look up what a forced choice poll is, and if you are still not satisfied make your own.

And the people who said they are the same thing stop arguing semantics, everyone knows what you mean if you use either phrase.
Sci-fi= Laser guns/spaceships
Fantasy= Magic swords/Dragons

 

[Vault101]

But what sci fi is not is space ships and laser guns and pewpewpew!

[quote/]So I guess what I'm saying is both get a lot of schlock stories that serve no purpose other than empty popcorn entertainment[/quote]
I can osrt of agree in that the "syfy" channel(I mean seriously what the fuck is that?) gives the genre a bad rep, and of coarse it has ended up in a ghetto for those reasons

however I dont see anything wrong with using "space ships lazers and pew pew!" as a setting even if its not tackling big philosophical Ideas, a good story is a good story even if its isnt deep

one of my favorite movies ever is the fith element..I mean its no Blade Runner[footnote/]I dont actually like bladerunner but just as an example[/footnote] but it is a great ride...or Mass Effect

 

[mokes310]

Pretty much this...



[img/]http://data.whicdn.com/images/7946458/tumblr_l3qaudU5VD1qb250uo1_500_thumb.jpg[/img]

 

[Vault101]

-Second, both genres require a "straight man", someone who's either a foreigner, or simply so out of touch that everything needs to be explained to them, otherwise the author has no excuse to weave in exposition, even if it's not obvious, if you aren't completely lost, it's there.

not always....it is an easy tool to use but thats only if your being a little unoriginal

 

[McFazzer]

Fantasy for reading, Sci-Fi for movies. I just had a quick look and my collection of books and movies and that seems to be the way the genres fall.

 

[Nerexor]

I vote for science fiction, largely because it's been less corrupted by the publishing industry's recent obsession of putting out "women humping vampires/faeries/werewolves/other supernatural creature that is totally hunky" books. These days if I go into a bookstore and look in the fantasy section it's nothing but covers that belong on trashy romance novels, with back of the book blurbs that scream "there is lots of graphic sex here, so BUY THIS PORN!"

It's gotten so hard to find decent fantasy that sorting through the trash isn't worth it anymore. At least science fiction still seems open to publishing quality rather than "50 shades of android sex." At least for now...

 

[NightmareExpress]

Very interesting question. It ultimately boils down to whether or not I like a retelling of an epic legend from a simpler, yet more hectic time or delve into speculation as to what the future might look like (dystopic, apocalyptic, utopic or what have you).

I've seen brilliant pieces come from both, and abominations stem from both.
To be frank, I'm entirely okay with either and recognize them as relative equals.
Looks like "Soda" it is.

 

[Akisa]

Why not both? Aka Star Wars!