A post by Jeff Ford reminded me that I’d been meaning to think through how science fiction genres could be converted into fantasy genres and vice versa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Here’s my list, with acknowledgements to Wikipedia’s lists of subgenres (I added portal fantasy, which doesn’t have its own Wikipedia article). Asterisks (*) indicate something I’ve either tried myself or plan to try. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Science fiction subgenres for conversion to fantasy:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n – Alien invasion (Fae or demons as aliens; intrusive fantasy)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Anthropological or social SF (no magic, only social differences)*<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Apocalyptic\/post-apocalyptic (magical or mythic apocalypse: the Old Ones return, or the magic goes away, or the magic comes as in the Kate Daniels books, or magical creatures invade)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Biopunk (magical manipulation of living things)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Cyberpunk (descent into a mythic realm where the real and the symbolic meet; possibly with a grittyness to the \u201creal-life\u201d part of the setting)* <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Dying earth (magic wears out, etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Hard SF (hard fantasy: the magical rules are clear, specific, and well understood)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Military SF (military fantasy)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Solarpunk (positive, utopian fantasy in which magic is used to build a better world)*<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Space opera (elements of voyage, battle, trading – could even be interplanetary, but with magically powered ships)*<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fantasy subgenres for conversion to SF:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n – Bangsian fantasy (interactions of historical figures in the afterlife; SF version would use computer simulations of them, or something like the Philip Jose Farmer Riverworld books, where everyone is technologically reincarnated)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – High fantasy (epic tone and cosmic stakes)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Contemporary fantasy (Nowpunk or contemporary SF – the science-fictionality of today\u2019s life and technology; technothriller)*<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Dark fantasy (aliens substituted for vampires, etc.?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Fairy tale (supernatural beings and talking animals become AIs and uplifts; magicians become engineers)*<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Fantasy of manners (SF of manners, like Vance\u2019s Araminta Station or Bujold\u2019s A Civil Campaign; the social maneuverings are the focus, rather than the technology, etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Grimdark (some forms of dystopia; some kinds of cyberpunk)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Heroic fantasy (the struggles of a hero in a science-fictional setting)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Historical fantasy (alternate history)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Mythic fiction\/mythpunk (cosmic or metaphysical SF)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Portal fantasy (alien or dimensional abduction)<\/p>\n\n\n\n – Sword and sorcery (planetary romance like C.L. Moore\u2019s Northwest Smith stories)<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Already on the borderline<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Decopunk, dieselpunk, steampunk, clockpunk, etc. often already have fantasy elements in a pseudoperiod setting*<\/p>\n\n\n\n Psychic powers*<\/p>\n\n\n\n Science fantasy (obvs.) like Star Wars<\/p>\n\n\n\n Urban fantasy if it uses technomagic (like the \u201cElfpunk\u201d of the 90s)*<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Any thoughts on other subgenres that could be flipped, or on different ways in which the ones above could be flipped, from SF to fantasy or vice versa – or into something that’s both at the same time?<\/p>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A post by Jeff Ford reminded me that I’d been meaning to think through how science fiction genres could be converted…
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