WI no sucessful fantasy genre?

Straha said:
Ok so how do we at the very least NOT have science fiction and fantasy not always be put on the same shelves in stores/libraries?
Well, isn't there a lot of cross-pollination between certain areas of sci-fi and fantasy? While I can't throw any names out, I think there's been quite a few authors that have dabbled in both. And, of course, that fact that sci-fi, fantasy, AND alternate history (though it's taken longer with AH) have all greatly expanded since the 1950's does suggest they have a common root.
 

Straha

Banned
That's all true but how do we get a TL where fantasy/scifi are on seperate shelves and not on the same one for book stores?
 
Ivan Druzhkov said:
Well, isn't there a lot of cross-pollination between certain areas of sci-fi and fantasy? While I can't throw any names out, I think there's been quite a few authors that have dabbled in both. And, of course, that fact that sci-fi, fantasy, AND alternate history (though it's taken longer with AH) have all greatly expanded since the 1950's does suggest they have a common root.

Classically, this was fairly true, since you had authors like Marion Zimmer Bradley (the darkover books were arguably both sci-fi and fantasy), Ursula K. Leguin, Robert Silverberg, ect. But it seems like it's happening less and less. I read tons of science-fiction, and I'm not aware of a single fantasy book that's come out by an established science-fiction author in the past 5 years (discounting the old-timers). Other than the Otherland series by Tad Williams, I can't think of any Fantasy authors who've come out with science fiction lately.

There's a lot of drecky slipstream science fiction that isn't too different from the lowest common denominator in fantasy, but it seems to be getting less and less. I think most modern science fiction, with the exception possibly of hard science fiction, is much more influenced by suspense, crime novels, and contemporary fiction in general than it is fantasy.

I've definately read books I would call "science fantasy" though. Generally speaking they're books where nothing seriously breaks the laws of physics, but a 'classic' fantasy storyline unfolds. EG, we find an unsure youth who becomes aware he has great powers, evil people are trying to kill him for reason's that he isn't aware of, and he must find his destiny.

On the other hand, it would be hard for me to figure out how you would cross-polinate the ideas of science-fiction into fantasy. Some authors have been doing something like this with steampunk settings (China Meiville for example), but there are a lot of things I've never seen addressed in fantasy, from deep socio-political questions, to examining the limits of what can be comprehended by the human mind.
 

NapoleonXIV

Banned
Have everything the same except for two events. In 1967 two movies are made, both big budget with the best directors, stars and production values. One is LOtR and the other is Dune. LOtR tanks utterly, a bigger failure than Heaven's Gate and Waterworld put together. Dune wins 9 Oscars and makes more money than any other movie ever.

As the decade and the century progresses both movies and books enter folklore. SF is seen as commercial, easily adapted to wider audiences and very indicative of success to both moviemakers and publishers. Fantasy remains a niche market of SF at best, often of high quality but mainly of literary interest and limited commercial viability.

The Fantasy adaptation of Gygax's phenomenally successful SF games makes some money but seems to remain essentially limited in its appeal. (Not least, according to Fantasy Fans, because the firm that buys the game, Coastal Reality Engineers, seems determined not to let anyone know such adaptations exist)

In the Early 1990's the success of a few Fantasy computer games are indicative of a an upsurge in interest. Then we get Harry Potter and finally Peter Jackson does his version of Lord; by 2005 old 1970 editions of Stephen R. Donaldson (only 10000 were sold in hardback and no paperback was ever made) are going for $100 on Ebay and Fantasy occupies 40% of most bookstores.
 
Maybe something like The Foundation becomes a popular movie series then instead of Lord of The Rings. In general though i'd say that sci-fi would easily be more popular.
 
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