Science fiction - fantasy conversion

[TechBear_Seattle]

I was talking with a friend last night and the topic of speculative fiction had come up (he had never heard the term.) I explained that it covered science fiction, fantasy, alternative history and a few other genres. He got confused and tried to insist that science fiction and fantasy were to totally different, distinct types of stories and should not be grouped together.

I remember seeing a sf to fantasy conversion "dictionary" some years ago, based on the premise that the primary distinction was form, not substance; you could "translate" a well written story in one genre to the other genre and still have a well written story. I have not been able to find this list, so I'd like your help in putting one together. Just off the top of my head this morning....

Science fiction = fantasy

inexplicable technology = inexplicable magic
aliens = elves
beam weapons = arrows
ships powered by fusion which travel through hyperspace = ships powered by wind which travel on the open seas
evil overlord = evil warlord
techno geek = sorcerer

If anyone could add to this list, or point me in the direction of a more complete list, I would be most appreciative :hi:

[Orrex]

1. That's an interesting discussion, and problematic!

After all, if we can simply swap out one mysterious factor for another, then what justifies one versus the other?
We could go a step further and make the substitution with any "real world" genre, too:

inexplicable technology = inexplicable magic = secret information/technology
aliens = elves = different culture
beam weapons = arrows = any personal-use ranged weapon
ships powered by fusion which travel through hyperspace = ships powered by wind which travel on the open seas = pretty much any mode of long distance transportation
evil overlord = evil warlord = Dick Cheney
techno geek = sorcerer = tech specialist

You make the important point that the similarities are in form, rather than substance, and it's in the latter that the real difference appears.

Philip K. Dick drew the following distinction between s/f and fantasy (I'm paraphrasing): if the story contains something that can't/doesn't exist in the real world in principle, then it's Fantasy. That means that magic, Elves, or Dragons qualify as Fantasy, but lasers and FTL drives (presumably) do not. But even Dick himself pointed out that such a distinction is nebulous and subjective, depending almost entirely on the individual's tastes and preferences.

In short, there is no objective distinction between Fantasy and s/f, though certain thematic elements and trends are more common in one than the other.

[trotsky]

2. What about the Adept series by Piers Anthony?

Twin parallel worlds, Proton (science) and Phaze (magic) "separated" by a virtual curtain. Proton is mined for a material that produces energy for technology; Phaze has some kind of material that powers magic. Hard to classify that series as either totally sci-fi or totally fantasy.