What Is Sci-fi Fantasy: A Definition

When you think of science fiction, what comes to mind? What about fantasy? You might immediately think of the tropes and typical characteristics of both, including dragons and wizards, or androids and rocket ships. But what if you could create a world that had all these things combined? That’s where science fantasy, or sci-fi fantasy, comes in.

What is Science Fantasy?

Science fantasy takes characteristics from both science fiction and fantasy and combines them into one story. This contrasts with hard science fiction, which focuses on scientifically accurate technology and events, and pure fantasy, which doesn’t include modern examples of technology or science.

Start thinking of tropes you associate with science fiction and fantasy. You might think of alien races, advanced technology, or strange planets when you think of sci-fi. You might also think of dragons, kings, and magic when you think of fantasy.

Science fantasy looks at all of these things and creates stories that put them together. They could be stories with synopsis’ like:

1. An ancient alien race invades a peaceful kingdom, and the princess decides to do something about it.

2. A group of wizards use magic to create an army of indestructible mechanical beings that lay waste to rival kingdoms.

3. After creating flying ships, a young mage voyages through the atmosphere and discovers strange worlds in the sky.

So instead of choosing one element over the other, science fantasy combines elements from both genres, creating a hybrid genre.

The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey is a great example of this. In this story, explorers left Earth and colonized another planet long ago, but humanity regressed into a feudal society and now uses fire-breathing dragons to fight a common enemy.

Colonizing planets and dragons are common elements in science fiction and fantasy, but this series looks at those elements in a new way by combining them.

How to Write Science Fantasy

So how do you write it? Science fantasy walks a fine line between several different genres, but there are ways to make your story stand out as true science fantasy.

First, find a balance between the science fiction elements and the fantasy elements. This genre needs help from both sci-fi and fantasy, so don’t be afraid to experiment and mash different concepts together. Some stories might focus more on fantasy than sci-fi, or vice versa.

However, the key is to find a balance between the concepts and ideas you introduce to keep the story on track. You wouldn’t want a carefully crafted sci-fi world with some fantasy elements clearly thrown in without a second thought. Readers will notice how the fantasy aspect is less developed. This will also hurt your story.

You can decide how much or how little you want to include, but ask yourself the following questions as you build your world:

1. Does this concept make sense in my world? If you introduce a new idea, like wizards, for example, don’t throw your readers off by including them randomly. Make sure they have a legitimate reason for existing.

2. How do X and Y work together? For example, how do aliens and dragons exist in the same world?

3. Is this too complicated to explain? Sometimes, an idea gets out of control and it takes a lot of extra work to make sense. If it takes a ton of effort and time to explain how magic and technology exist together in your world, you’re better off simplifying your idea or completely removing one or the other.

Second, use tropes from both sci-fi and fantasy. By tropes, I mean elements and ideas that you would typically see in these genres. Science fantasy stems from both, but this gives you a chance to get creative and come up with new ways of utilizing what you typically read.

For example, N. K. Jemisin’s novel The Fifth Season includes magic-wielding groups. However, this magic has its roots in sciences we know like chemistry and physical science. In this case, hard science works with fantastical magic, and the tropes of advanced science from sci-fi and magic from fantasy work together.

Decide what you want to include, then see what you can do with them. Subvert tropes or rework them so readers can see things in new ways and be surprised. Maybe the dragons are secretly aliens. Maybe that medieval kingdom exists in another dimension.

Lastly, create a believable world! Want to write a story where a kingdom goes to war against an alien planet? Great! Get started on worldbuilding by establishing first what elements of sci-fi and fantasy you want to use. Then figure out how they work together in your world.

For example, if you have wizards going up against an alien race, how does their magic work? How does the alien technology work? When you have answers to those questions, decide the strengths and weaknesses for both so they make sense to the reader and one doesn’t easily overpower the other.

Then get to work creating believable characters, rich settings, and an engaging plot the same way you would for any other genre!

How NOT to Write Science Fantasy

Now that you know what to focus on, remember that there are certain things you need to avoid when writing science fantasy as well. For example:

1. DON’T only include sci-fi or fantasy. Science fantasy needs both genres working together. Otherwise, it’s not true science fantasy.

2. DON’T include tons of sci-fi and fantasy elements in your world without giving them a purpose or making them make sense in the story. Like any genre, science fantasy needs a believable world in which the story can exist. Get creative, but make sure you establish the rules of your world clearly and that all the elements work together.

3. DON’T throw a bunch of tropes just because you can. Like your worldbuilding, the tropes you include need a purpose, and they need to enhance your story. Making something derivative won’t engage your readers. Think of the tropes you want to explore, then see what you can do with them.

Some Examples

Here are some great examples to get you started with reading science fantasy.

The Dragonriders of Pern series – Anne McCaffrey. One of the hallmark science fiction series, the main premise is that humans live on another planet they colonized, but a virus-like spore has regressed their technology. The humans use dragons to fight off the spores when they reach the planet.

The Fifth Season – N. K. Jemisin. The first volume in the Broken Earth series, the book follows a number of different people groups on another planet as they go through the “fifth season,” a period of significant change in climate.

Gideon the Ninth – Tamsyn Muir. Muir’s debut novel, this book examines nine separate planets and the characters who practice necromancy, including those trying to become soldiers for the Emperor.

Don’t be afraid to try something new! Hybrid genres are a great way to explore new writing paths and techniques. Happy writing!

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