Is it the wishful thinking of scientists? Or a sick burn for a disproven hypothesis? Possibly, yes, but in terms of genre, science fantasy, or sci-fantasy, is a mash-up of science fiction and fantasy.
You might not have heard the term science fantasy before, but you’ve probably read or seen a piece of work that fits into this genre.
For example, a sect of sword-wielding magicians who battle an evil emperor might sound like fantasy, but if those swords were light sabers and the emperor was creating a space gun the size of a plane, you have a science fantasy. (Star Wars)
Science fantasy blends elements of sci-fi and fantasy but there are no hard and fast rules about how this happens. It could be a story where the magic is explained by science like Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman where fairies, spells, potions and a talking cat are all made possible by alien technology.
Some science fantasies are sci-fi cloaked in fantasy. One of my favourite examples is the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. The first book in the series feels like fantasy. Dragons bond with riders during a ritual in a medieval-style setting. However, Pern hides a secret that has been forgotten by its inhabitants. Later books in the series reveal that in the forgotten history of Pern, the first settlers were interstellar colonists from Earth, and the dragons were genetically modified from indigenous reptiles to combat dangerous spores from a nearby planet.
Sometimes, it’s the characters using science masked as magic for their own gain. In Flight of the Aura by C. K. Galloway, the gods hide science and technology behind mythical elements and religious archetypes to control the population. The angels are genetically modified to have wings, the mysterious aether is a digital network, and a halo is a computer. Only the gods and the elusive Syentists know how it all works.
Read more about Flight of the Aura.
So why blend these two genres?
“The joy of sci-fantasy is that the rules of either genre do not fully apply, so just about anything can happen,” says Galloway.
Sci-fantasy can also be a gateway genre. Fans of science fiction can dip their toes into the realms of fantasy. They might get on board for the alien invasion of Dungeon Crawler Carl, and get into the spell-casting and potion mixing. Fantasy lovers can explore the world of Sci-fi. Flight of the Aura has the rhythm of a fantasy, but the magic is explained by science.
The popularity of this genre that few know exists shows that some of the best stories don’t stay inside the lines.
Flight of the Aura – a Science Fantasy by CK Galloway (Paperback)
Sayyora Duology, Book 1 – Signed Paperback Edition
Curiosity is the first sin. Disobedience is the last.
In a sky realm where feelings are forbidden and obedience is divine law, one angel dares to feel everything. Arawan’s fall from grace will take her somewhere the gods never intended her to go, and what she finds there may shatter everything she was made to believe.
A sweeping sci-fantasy of rebellion, identity, and the cost of divine perfection.
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