Dragons, gods, and spaceships?

[Madman Starryteller]

What do you think of the combination of science fiction and fantasy?

In my setting I've got, among many things, spacefaring dragons, gods, goddesses, and of course, spaceships.

As always it all depends on execution. But what are your direct thoughts on this combination?

Have you read any science fiction, fantasy books you would recommend?

 

[Banespawn]

I don't read a lot of stories that combine science fiction and fantasy. Usually, it's one or the other, and much more fantasy than sci-fi.

The Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson combines both, though I'd say it's more sci-fi. There's magic, I guess, but nothing like what he typically writes.

An idea I'm working on now combines the two more directly.

 

[Luxuria]

I am currently writing a Sci-fi and Fantasy story and I like it. I love adding fantasy elements to anything. To me, Sci-fi is a setting and Fantasy is a genre type. But I like the combo, because I like structured fantasy in a sci-fi setting. Hehe.

 

[Homer Potvin]

I read a book once where dragons were sentient starships. Literally, the dragon talked and felt things but you climbed inside it and flew it through space. The Iron Dragon, maybe? It wasn't great, aside from a female character who orgasmed butterflies from her hoo-hah. Literal butterflies.

 

[Naomasa298]

I've written dragons and spaceships. Well, close enough, although they weren't dragons and only small spaceships.

 

[Homer Potvin]

Found it. The Iron Dragon's Daughter. I guess Squizzing Butterflies was already taken.

 

[Trish]

Found it. The Iron Dragon's Daughter. I guess Squizzing Butterflies was already taken.

It's a trilogy now. And it was nominated for awards. Your description and some of the reviews are hilarious.

 

[Homer Potvin]

It's a trilogy now. And it was nominated for awards. You're description and some of the reviews are hilarious.

Each book a decade plus apart apparently. Original was 1993. That sounds about right. It wasn't bad but wasn't particularly memorable either. Save for the butterflies, of course.

The ending was epically lame but I won't spoil it. Perhaps the sequels redeemed it.

 

[Trish]

Each book a decade plus apart apparently. Original was 1993. That sounds about right. It wasn't bad but wasn't particularly memorable either. Save for the butterflies, of course.

The ending was epically lame but I won't spoil it. Perhaps the sequels redeemed it.

Yeah, the last one was in 2019. 25 years for a trilogy.

You've immortalized my typo lol.

 

[JT Woody]

Ive only read 1 SciFa series and i loved it. But it was subtle, tho.
It was the Samaria chronicles by Sharon shin

On the surface, its about angels. Or, a world governed by angels who do everything in accordsance to "God".

But the more you read, the more you learn just how much AI has influenced the world and their concept of "God".

One big thing through out the books were that there is a race of people that is heavily "jewish coded". The rest of society doesnt like them because "god has ignored them". They are persecuted and enslaved and killed.
BUT.... they are the only people with out "Gods Kiss" which is a jewel implanted at birth on their arm. So "God" doesnt "talk" to them and doesnt "see" them.
You find out what that all means in the last book where an anti-angel woman digs out the "Kiss" and joins a group of rebels who dug out their "kiss".
(Edit to add: there is also a race of people who are muslim coded... the women wear veils, men and women are segregated, they are strict in their prayers and their devotions to "God"... but they dont trust the Angels, and they are the main slave dealers)

All this takes place on another world because the lore is, their world was dying, so "god carried them to safty in his cupped hands" and sent angels to watch over them.

I discovered it in middle school, rummaging through a paperback book sale. The book was way to mature for me to understand at that age, but i kept it and reread it in HS, discovered it was book 5 in the series, and bought the other books.

 

[Homer Potvin]

More to @Madman Starryteller quesion, I think the genres blend more and more every year. And fantasy and sci-fi have been fellow travelers forever, so blending them probably isn't as noteworthy as it used to be. Just do whatever is fun. Writing is supposed to be fun, goddammit.

 

[Dee-123]

The Void trilogy by Peter F Hamilton is very hard sci-fi, but nested within that universe is a massive quasi-fantasy reality. I'd recommend a read, because for me at least, he blended those brilliantly without any dissonance, so much so that in the sci-fi sections one begins to yearn for more fantasy, and during the fantasy, the sci-fi.

You may want to create a world where everything coexists together, but at the very least I think that trilogy can show you how shifts in voice can lead to new directions. Best of luck!

 

[Tallyfire]

The Broken Earth trilogy is a mixture but doesn’t have many of the things you expect from either genre. The science is mostly geology and geophysics, and the fantasy part is magic-wielding, and then there’s tech based on the magic. That’s the series that won three consecutive Hugo awards.