A few years back I read a great essay on how some of H.P. Lovecraft's stories are really sci-fi and not horror. For instance, At the Mountains of Madness is considered to be a horror classic, yet it is most likely sci-fi. Simply because of the context the ideas are presented. An ancient alien race is not presented as 'an ancient menace from beyond time' and 'possessing incredible powers that threaten us', but instead is explicable within a biological and archeological framework. Ignoring that the story uses techniques of horror - in terms of pacing and structure - it is more about an exploration of something 'other'.Lucimay wrote:does sci-fi have a different set of rules than fantasy?
if so what are they? (i'm really asking because i read so
much of both that i'm not sure i can distinguish them anymore)
Now, in terms of fantasy and sci-fi, perhaps it is the context how the 'other' is presented. What contextual methods surround magic or wierd science, fantastical beasts and alien species? If the author is explicit, then he or she is presenting an identifiable sci-fi or fantasy story.