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{{Short description|Science fiction and fantasy genre}}
{{For|the magazine|Science Fantasy (magazine)}}
[[File:Warhammer40kcosplay.jpg|thumb|[[Cosplay]] of a character from the ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' tabletop game; one critic has characterized the game's setting as "action-oriented science-fantasy."<ref name="challenge35">{{cite magazine|last=Theisen|first=John A. | date=1988 |title=Reviews|magazine=[[Challenge (game magazine)|Challenge]]|issue=35|pages=77–79}}</ref>]]
{{Fantasy}}

'''Science fantasy''' (abbreviated as '''sci-fantasy''') is a [[hybrid genre]] within [[speculative fiction]] that simultaneously draws upon or combines [[trope (literature)|tropes]] and elements from both [[science fiction]] and [[fantasy]].<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Slusser |editor1-first=George Edgar |editor2-last=Rabkin |editor2-first=Eric S. |title=Intersections: Fantasy and Science Fiction |publisher=SIU Press |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-8093-1374-7}}</ref> In a conventional [[science fiction]] story, the world is presented as grounded by the laws of nature and comprehensible by science, while a conventional fantasy story contains mostly [[supernatural]] elements that do not obey the [[scientific law]]s of the real world. The world of science fantasy, however, is laid out to be scientifically logical and often supplied with [[hard science]]–like explanations of any supernatural elements.<ref name=cdm>{{Cite journal |last=Malmgren |first=Carl D. |year=1988 |title=Towards a Definition of Science Fantasy (Vers une définition de la fantaisie scientifique) |jstor=4239897 |journal=Science Fiction Studies |volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=259–281|doi=10.1525/sfs.15.3.259 |url=https://scholarworks.uno.edu/engl_facpubs/29 }}</ref><ref name=erw>Eric R. Williams, ''The Screenwriters Taxonomy: A Collaborative Approach to Creative Storytelling'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=AB00DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT121 p. 121]</ref>{{Request quotation|date=April 2025}}

During the [[Golden Age of Science Fiction]], science fantasy stories were seen in sharp contrast to the terse, scientifically plausible material that came to dominate mainstream science fiction, typified by the magazine ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact|Astounding Science Fiction]]''. Although science fantasy stories at that time were often relegated to the status of children's entertainment, their freedom of imagination and romance proved to be an early major influence on the "[[New Wave science fiction|New Wave]]" writers of the 1960s, who became exasperated by the limitations of hard science fiction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fantasticmetropolis.com/i/brackett/full/ |website=Fantastic Metropolis |title=Queen of the Martian Mysteries: An Appreciation of Leigh Brackett |first=Michael |last=Moorcock |author-link=Michael Moorcock |date=13 June 2002 |access-date=7 July 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218232853/http://www.fantasticmetropolis.com/i/brackett/full/ |archive-date=18 February 2012 }}</ref>

==Historical view==
The term "science fantasy" was coined in 1935 by critic [[Forrest J Ackerman|Forrest J. Ackerman]] as a synonym for science fiction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SFE: Ackerman, Forrest J |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/ackerman_forrest_j |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=sf-encyclopedia.com}}</ref> In the 1950s, the British journalist Walter Gillings considered science fantasy as a part of science fiction that was not plausible from the point of view of the science of the time (for example, the use of nuclear weapons in H.G. Wells' novel ''[[The World Set Free]]'' was a science fantasy from the point of view of Newtonian physics and a work of science fiction from the point of view of Einstein's theory). In 1948, writer Marion Zimmer (later known as [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]]) called "science fantasy" a mixture of science fiction and fantasy in ''Startling Stories'' magazine. Critic Judith Murry considered science fantasy as works of fantasy in which magic has a natural scientific basis. Science fiction critic John Clute chose the narrower term "technological fantasy" from the broader concept of "science fiction".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-17 |title=From 'Sci-Fi' to Vampires: The Untold Legacy of Forrest J. Ackerman's Monster Empire Features Film Threat |url=https://filmthreat.com/features/from-sci-fi-to-vampires-the-untold-legacy-of-forrest-j-ackermans-monster-empire/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |language=en-US}}</ref> The label first came into wide use after many science fantasy stories were published in the American [[pulp magazine]]s, such as [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s ''[[Magic, Inc.]]'', [[L. Ron Hubbard]]'s ''[[Slaves of Sleep]]'', and [[Fletcher Pratt]] and [[L. Sprague de Camp]]'s [[Harold Shea]] series.  All were relatively [[rationalism|rationalistic]] stories published in [[John W. Campbell Jr.]]'s ''[[Unknown (magazine)|Unknown]]'' magazine.  These were a deliberate attempt to apply the techniques and attitudes of science fiction to traditional fantasy subjects.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McNamee |first=Gregory |date=2015 |title=Science Fiction vs. Fantasy |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/585720/pdf |journal=Virginia Quarterly Review |volume=91 |issue=3 |pages=287 |issn=2154-6932}}</ref>

Distinguishing between pure science fiction and pure fantasy, [[Rod Serling]] argued that the former was "the improbable made possible" while the latter was "the impossible made probable".<ref>{{Cite episode |title=The Fugitive |episode-link=The Fugitive (The Twilight Zone) |series=The Twilight Zone |series-link=The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series) |network=[[CBS]] |date=March 9, 1962 |season=3 |number=25}}</ref> As a combination of the two, science fantasy gives a scientific veneer of [[realism (arts)|realism]] to things that simply could not happen in the real world under any circumstances. Where science fiction does not permit the existence of fantastical or supernatural elements, science fantasy explicitly relies upon them to complement the scientific elements.

In explaining the intrigue of science fantasy, Carl D. Malmgren provides an intro regarding [[C. S. Lewis]]'s speculation on the emotional needs at work in the subgenre: "In the counternatural worlds of science fantasy, the imaginary and the actual, the magical and the prosaic, the mythical and the scientific, meet and interanimate. In so doing, these worlds inspire us with new sensations and experiences, with [quoting C. S. Lewis] 'such beauty, awe, or terror as the actual world does not supply', with the stuff of desires, dreams, and dread."<ref name=cdm/>

[[Henry Kuttner]] and [[C. L. Moore]] published novels in ''[[Startling Stories]]'', alone and together, which were far more [[romanticism|romantic]].  These were closely related to the work that they and others were doing for outlets like ''[[Weird Tales]]'', such as Moore's [[Northwest Smith]] stories.{{cn|date=March 2018}}

[[Ace Books]] published a number of books as science fantasy during the 1950s and 1960s.{{cn|date=March 2018}}

''[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]]'' points out that as a genre, science fantasy "has never been clearly defined", and was most commonly used in the period between 1950 and 1966.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Nussbaum |first=Abigail |date=April 2, 2015 |title=Science Fantasy |url=http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/science_fantasy |editor1-first=Peter |editor1-last=Nicholas |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |access-date=May 25, 2017}}</ref>

The ''[[Star Trek]]'' franchise created by [[Gene Roddenberry]] is sometimes cited as an example of science fantasy. Writer James F. Broderick describes ''[[Star Trek]]'' as science fantasy because it includes semi-futuristic as well as supernatural/fantasy elements such as [[Q (Star Trek)|The Q]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Broderick |first=James F. |year=2006 |title=The Literary Galaxy of Star Trek: An Analysis of References and Themes in the Television Series and Films |chapter=Chapter Sixteen: Fantasy Versus Reality |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2XKuBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA135 |location=Jefferson, N.C. |publisher=McFarland & Co |pages=135–144 |isbn=978-0-7864-2571-6 |oclc=475148033}}</ref> According to the late science fiction author [[Arthur C. Clarke]], many purists argue that ''Star Trek'' is science fantasy rather than science fiction because of its scientifically improbable elements, which he partially agreed with.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Clarke |first=Arthur C. |author-link=Arthur C. Clarke |date=October 2006 |title=Forty Years of ''Star Trek'' |url=http://startrekofgodsandmen.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=123 |magazine=[[Locus (magazine)|Locus]] |issue=549 (Vol. 57, No. 4) |via=the website Star Trek: Of Gods and Men |access-date=May 25, 2017}} [https://www.locusmag.com/2006/Issues/10Toc.html Issue table of contents link].</ref>

The status of ''[[Star Wars]]'' as a science fantasy franchise has been debated. In 2015, [[George Lucas]] stated that "''Star Wars'' isn't a science-fiction film, it's a fantasy film and a [[space opera]]".<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/is-star-wars-science-fiction-or-fantasy | title=Is Star Wars sci-fi or fantasy? How George Lucas changed "science fiction" | date=15 February 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/star-wars-vs-science-fiction_b_8813238 | title=Star Wars vs. Science Fiction | date=16 December 2015 }}</ref>

== Characteristics and subjects ==
Science fantasy blends elements and characteristics of science fiction and fantasy.<ref name="defining">{{cite web |last1=Bergue |first1=Viviane |title=Defining Science Fantasy |url=https://www.academia.edu/35309234 |website=Fantasy Art and Studies |access-date=5 April 2025 |date=1 January 2017}}</ref> This usually takes the form of incorporating fantasy elements in a science fiction context.<ref name="defining"/> It tends to describe worlds that appear much like fantasy worlds but are made believable through science fiction naturalist explanations.<ref name="defining"/><ref name="Hogsette">{{cite book |last1=Hogsette |first1=David S. |title=The Transcendent Vision of Mythopoeic Fantasy |date=4 August 2022 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-8292-1 |pages=173 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jhx9EAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> For example, creatures from folklore and mythology typical for fantasy fiction become seemingly possible in reinvented forms through for example the element of extra-terrestrial beings.<ref name="defining"/> Such works have also been described as '[[Mythopoeia|mythopoeic]] science fantasy'.<ref name="Hogsette"/> In the genre, subjects are often conceptualized on a planetary scale.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chatterji |first1=Roma |title=Gaia and the Environmental Apocalypse in Superhero Comics and Science Fantasy |journal=Perspectives |url=https://perspectives-jdmc.in/wp-content/uploads/pdf/1-Gaia-and-the-Environmental-Apocalypse-in-Superhero-Comics-and-Science-Fantasy-1-30.pdf}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Dieselpunk]]
* [[Dying Earth (genre)]]
* [[Lovecraftian horror]]
* [[New weird]]
* [[Planetary romance]] (also known as sword and planet)
* [[Raygun Gothic]]
* [[Steampunk]]
* [[Technofantasy]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Attebery |first=Brian |author-link=Brian Attebery |chapter=The Fantastic |date=2014 |editor-last=Latham |editor-first=Rob |editor-link=Rob Latham |title=The Oxford Handbook of Science Fiction |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199838844.013.0011 |isbn=978-0-19-983884-4}}
* Scholes, R. (1987). "Boiling Roses: Thoughts on Science Fantasy". ''Intersections: Science Fiction and Fantasy''. SIU Press. {{ISBN|978-0-8093-1374-7}}.

== External links ==
{{Commonscat}}
* [http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/science_fantasy "Science Fantasy"] in ''[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]]''

{{Science fiction}}
{{Fantasy fiction}}
{{Speculative fiction all}}
{{Film genres}}

[[Category:Science fantasy| ]]
[[Category:Fantasy genres]]
[[Category:Science fiction genres]]