I agree with Quokka. But I think the general line between them is past vs future. Fantasy is elements built around a medievil level setting (or some other historical past setting) where Sci-Fi is elements built around a futuristic setting.

Whichever your story has the most of, would classify it as fantasy or sci-fi.

Like Star Wars is considered sci-fi even though there is a magic system (the Force).

Sean

Star wars is both which is why they also call it space opera. It has elements of a number of genre including action and fantasy

Julia

Science Fiction is about technic etc in the future from the point of writing it.

Sean

Fantasy has to deal with unrealistic magic that isn’t part of the normal. It can’t be explained. Science fiction deals with science and what could be. They aren’t the same and deal with vastly different areas. That would be like saying romance and general fiction are subgenres

Lucas

Fantasy doesn’t necessarily have to deal with magic. There are plenty fantasy titles that are completelt devoid if magic such as Snakewood.

Sean

Does it have magical creatures?

Lucas

Sean Nope.

Sean

This is the definition of fantasy from an authors site.

Brief definition of the Fantasy Fiction Genre. … Another description of aFantasy Novel is any book that contains unrealistic settings, or magic, often set in a medieval universe, or possibly involving mythical beings or supernatural forms as a primary element of the plot, theme, or setting.

Sean

And from wiki

Fantasy is a subgenre of speculative fiction and is distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the absence of scientific or macabre themes respectively, though these genres overlap. In popular culture, the fantasy genre is predominantly of the medievalist form. In its broadest sense, however, fantasy consists of works by many writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians from ancient myths and legends to many recent and popular works.

Richard

Sean Talbot there are authors who push the boundaries. Sanderson’s second mistborn trilogy makes a good effort at blending steampunk into his mistborn magic system, and the next trilogy will be 1980’s spy thriller with mistborn magic system. Another author who mixes boundaries is John Ringo’s council war series, which is sci-fi but uses the tech to build all the tropes of fantasy like elves and dragons and wizards and orcs and so on.

Sean

I understand but this is what comes up if you research it. And steampunk quite a lot have magic involved which is why its separated out as well as a subgenre.

I have read many books that are linked to multiple genres or that have more urban settings for fantasy. Jim butcher Dresden series is like that. It also has demons and other stuff but would never clash it as horror

Davfyd

Fantasy is any idea that has no basis in reality.

Brandon

As a player of Final Fantasy for practically my entire life, I have never once thought of it as any less fantasy when I have fought robots and large mechanically armed empires amidst the magic and dragons. I think it is more the feel for me than the objects that makes me identify scifi separate.

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