Ultraviolet

[j_cheney]

Last night displaced_texan and I finished watching Ultraviolet, a 1998ish British miniseries. Excellent viewing. We've decided it's a keeper. (This is not the Milla Jovovich movie, folks)

I got a nice write-up from chris_gerrib, who now no longer owes me a coke. He notes that the story is between Fantasy and Science Fiction, which pleases me immensely. The divide between F & SF seems set in concrete, but I often write between. That puts me in a weird spot...

I have heard the term 'science fantasy' before, but I don't know that I've ever seen a good definition for that.

Comments

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

I've used "science fantasy" (which I like) in reference to Doctor Who a lot, when the "science" is more like magic but I'm having so much fun watching that I don't care.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

I think that the bulk of what I write falls into that mystical category...

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Me too-at least the SF.

[stinabat.livejournal.com]

love that series. love it. nice to know someone else knows about it.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Somehow, I can see you watching this...I really can!

[dfable.livejournal.com]

You're welcome on the fantasy side anytime. I'll send you the bus schedule. ; )

I've never heard the term science fantasy. It's intersting. If you come up with a better word, and why shouldn't you be the one to start a new trend, let me know.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

I sometimes wonder if that's the reason behind the rise of the term "Speculative Fiction". A lot of people write things that aren't basic fantasy, but don't feel like SF either...so perhaps that term's a but more comfortable.

Anyhoo, I did recently write a straight-up fantasy story, dragons and all. It need to revise it this week, and plop it out there!

Have fun in Maine...I hope you took warm weather clothes, too....

[displacedtexan.livejournal.com]

The more I think about it, the better I like the term Spec Fic. There's too much that just doesn't fit any mold.

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

Well, I'll still spring for a Coke if I ever see you... :-)

The line between "fantasy" and "science fiction" isn't so much a line as a continuum. At the ends of the continuum (Lord of the Rings) it's real obvious. Stuff in the middle? Not so much. Also, the ends of the continuum keep moving. For example: in the '50s and '60s, there was a lot of SF that assumed psychic powers, like ESP and such. Now that same concept would lean more to fantasy.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think you're right about the ends moving.

One bad thing about being in the middle though, is that is makes a harder sell to a book publisher. When you get asked "what genre" you usually have to pick one of the two. I usually have to say...'well, it's sort of fantasy, but not really.'

I'll make it a coffee, then. ;o)
(I've given up sodas)