sci-fi fantasy lit column!

[rm]

So I'm going to be doing a column for Gather on the world of sci-fi and fantasy literature. My introductory piece is going on be on the ascendancy of this genre and why it's not what the people who aren't immersed in it generally denigrate it as. If any of you want to talk to me about why you enjoy this work and what it means to you and how the reception your interest in it as a consumer has evolved over the years, please leave comments and let me know if I can quote you if you provide this info in your comments. I am excited about this!

But, they want a catchy title to help brand it. What the hell should I call it?

Also exciting: a big check for some writing I did will be here exactly when I need it.

Comments

I read both SF and fantasy

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

I'm old-fashioned and pedantic enough to dislike the term "sci-fi", and once had the temerity to tell Forrest Ackerman so. I don't read fyction, I read fiction.

I do see the two genres as mostly distinct, though a few writers (Sheri S. Tepper, for one) manage to combine them.

I like much more sophisticated fantasy and SF than I did when I was younger, with believable characters.

I'm glad that certain genres within the genre have survived, for instance. I like medical SF, and I enjoy fantasy that plays with fairy tale themes in new ways. These themes will always attract me to pick up a book and at least look at it.

I'm 53, however, and don't find it necessary to finish a book if I don't like it. I'm not afraid of a romance, either.

I'm another reader who hates to have my favorite reading matter brushed off as "genre fiction" unless it turns out to be depressing, unintelligible, written by a mainstream author trying his (it's usually a man's) or her hand at SF or fantasy, and/or written about the Theme of the Year. Spare me!

Re: I read both SF and fantasy

[zarq.livejournal.com]

I like medical SF

Did you ever read Murray Leinster's Med Ship? It's quite dated now, but the stories are interesting.

Re: I read both SF and fantasy

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

It's been a long time, but I think I have. James White's stuff is getting dated too, but I love the humor.