Ophiucha
Auror
Spawned by a debate I had with a woman who insisted science fiction and fantasy were unmixable genres and that Dragonriders of Pern was pure fantasy, I thought I would ask you guys where you personally draw the line between science fiction and fantasy, and whether or not you include any science in your stories. Do you enjoy having magic linked to DNA, chromosomes, or some abstract scientific concept? Do you explain your dragons ability to fly by mixing and matching their biology with a T-Rex and a pterodactyl? Do your apothecaries stock pure minerals and gases for sale to any passerby alchemist? Or do you prefer a world where gravity and mountains are the results of a war between dragons and wizards? A world where anything can happen, where magic is as mysterious as it is powerful, a world where we took up wands instead of guns?
I think most authors fall somewhere between, really. It's sort of unavoidable. The advanced systems of magic are borderline sciences in even the most nonsensical of fantasy stories, and steampunk is becoming a popular trend in both science fiction and fantasy. I, personally, have both science and magic, but they are very separate entities. Magic is a mystical thing with little obvious logic behind it, and science is as advanced as any alternative world sci fi story would have it. There aren't many places where the two interact, though.
I think most authors fall somewhere between, really. It's sort of unavoidable. The advanced systems of magic are borderline sciences in even the most nonsensical of fantasy stories, and steampunk is becoming a popular trend in both science fiction and fantasy. I, personally, have both science and magic, but they are very separate entities. Magic is a mystical thing with little obvious logic behind it, and science is as advanced as any alternative world sci fi story would have it. There aren't many places where the two interact, though.