Editorial, 02/09

Genre Jumping
Fantasy and Science Fiction

Fantasy and Science Fiction are either completely incompatible or two sides of the same coin, depending on who you talk to. I favor the second opinion, and think they are quite easy to merge.

Example one: Star Wars. Here we have space stations with death rays, one man fighters in blaster duels, hyper-spatial calculations and a galactic empire (at least in the original three). We also have many classical fantasy archetypes, the old wizard mentor, the brash youth who learns to be a hero (fresh off the farm no less), the evil sorcerer, the likable rouge, the captured princess and so on. Most importantly, we have magic, although it is referred to as The Force.

Example two: Shadow Run. Probably much less well known than the previous. It is a world similar to the one William Gibson created, where megacorporations rule the world, and shadowy figures operate on the fringes of civilization acting on behalf or against the rulers. It is a world split in two, part of life taking place in the world of flesh and blood, the other in a world of bits and pixels called the Matrix, where an expert Decker can acquire just about anything he or she may need.

It is also a world of Elves and Trolls. A world where the man you cut off on the LA freeway might just respond by hurling a ball of flame up your tailpipe, or the woman you insulted may sick her pet wendigo on you. It merges the cyberpunk subgenre with fantasy.

Of course, the list goes on and on and on. The important thing to consider is what you have to do to make the blend work.

First of all, you have to decide just how the merger is going to work. Some stories will place guns and swords into the same setting, and there then needs to be an explanation why the two are both effective. In Star Wars, swords are rare weapons used only by the Jedi, and have been upgraded in the same manner the guns have, so they work. In Shadow Run, guns are the main weapons, with swords relegated to gang warfare mostly, so the question is avoided, but in a way that makes sense for the genres being mixed.

Like most fantasy stories, how magic works is a big factor in these types of tales. And the story rules for magic are basically the same. It cannot be over powering, able to do anything, or the story lacks tension. It has to have limits and the limits should make sense for the particular setting. In Star Wars, The Force can only be manipulated by a select few, and what can be done with it is limited. In Shadow Run, magic is of the more traditional sort, and it draws power from the user, eventually exhausting the mages who work it. In some stories, it might be a case that magic can do everything technology can do and they are just different means to an end, but with very different trappings and specifics.

The presence of Monsters and nonhuman races can also be important. In Star Wars, these are simply alien creatures, understandable from the galaxy spanning setting. In Shadow Run, we have the more traditional Elves, Dwarves, Orcs Dragons, and other things. Which ever way you go, you need to be prepared to explain where these things came from in the context of the story.

So, while the two genres may appear to be very incompatible at first glance, they really have more similarities than differences, and can be easily mixed if the story requires it.

Until next time...

Colin Back on the Ghost Roads

Next installment: Fantasy and Horror