I’ve come to realize that some of my favorite science fiction novels, stories, movies, and tv shows meld science fiction and fantasy. As I wrote in my manifesto, they are both children of speculative fiction, dreaming what if and tantalizing us with answers and mystery. Similarly, they can go really well together. Here are a few examples of this with some brief comments sprinkled in:
- Star Wars has been called space fantasy on numerous occasions, and it makes sense. From the fantasy-like heroes journey and archetypal characters, and the force, Star Wars is not only great science fiction, but great fantasy as well.
- Lost is one of my favorite tv shows, and it weaves sci-fi and fantasy together well. From the Black Smoke to the time travel, the two are often hard to tell apart, and it works to the show’s advantage.
- Avatar certainly mixed the two.
- Le Guin’s The Word for World is Forest certainly mixes the two, with the fantasy side coming out most in the alien society and science fiction coming most evident in the space colonization.
- Jeff Vandermeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy also mixes them together well.
These are just a few examples, but there are many more, and they speak to the similarities between the two and the potential they have to mesh.