5 Reasons Sci-Fi Is Better Than Fantasy

For those of you who don’t follow these things–and besides me, I really don’t expect many–there was a post called 5 Reasons Fantasy Is Better Thank Sci-Fi. Well… you know I had to answer that.

So, read the above link and see my response:

1. Magic

   Sci-Fi doesn’t have it. And thank Christ. Magic is the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card for writers. Need a trick to get out of a sticky situation a writer has written themselves into: boom. Magic. Need the gods to intervene? Magic. Too many writers use it because of its gee-whiz factor, as in, “This character would be more interesting with lightening bolts crackling between their fingers… gee… how could I do that?” ‘Nuff said.

2. Dragons and other creatures you can ride

   Sorry, this is just cliche. And by that I mean overused badly. Why would some huge, powerful, intelligent creature allow humans to ride it like a fucking horse? Talk about human centric. They need human companionship? Please. They’re supposed to be old, like way old even way back when humans were still throwing shit at each other in caves. Why would they deign to have any kind of relationship with smart monkeys? Plus, under the “other creatures” category, this is equivalent of the magic thing I listed above: “What would make this scene more interesting? Flying monkeys that can be ridden!” Lazy. Lazy… See my other thoughts on this.

3. The Bad Guys Always Lose (a.k.a. Happy Endings)

   Seriously? Man… that sucks. Isn’t more interesting when you think the good guy might… you know… lose? Or what about a bad guy that’s really compelling–and I mean besides the crackling lightning bolts between his fingers and the flying monkeys he rides? Isn’t it neat to see him win? Doesn’t that make things more interesting?

4. Unique Languages

   Yeah… because there aren’t enough unique languages on Earth… because we don’t already have enough trouble understanding one another. Sure… props to the wannabe linguists who spend all their time working out the rules to a fictional language with lots of apostrophes that no one will ever speak but that does not a story make.

5. Mythology

   Anyone who says Sci-Fi doesn’t have mythology isn’t reading sci-fi. Come on, people, it’s set in the fucking future! What happens between now and then can be called “future history” or… yeah, you guessed it, mythology… Just because it doesn’t involve gods and elves doesn’t mean it’s any less fantastic or amazing. I mean, aren’t you curious how that space empire got founded? What were the events that led up to it? Clearly there was something appealing about it before it went all evil since people keep talking about its glory days. Dig it.

But you know what else? Lists like these are stupid. Fantasy has its place and people who like it over sci-fi. So does sci-fi. Calling one better than the other is like saying, “I like pepper more than I like oranges.” Just because they share a kitchen–or in this case, a bookshelf–doesn’t mean they can’t each have their place.

Personally, I don’t like fantasy. It’s not my first choice of something to read nor is it particularly interesting to my own mindset. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t read it or that I won’t in the future. Trying to sell one genre over another is a pointless exercise.

Peace out, kids.