Guest Post From Ariel Paiement

by James Meservy | Aug 20, 2020 | Guest Post | 0 comments

Introduction

Hi everyone! James asked me to do a guest post for the blog since he’s away right now. For those who don’t know me, I’m Ariel Paiement, a speculative fiction author who mainly writes fantasy… Well, so I tell everyone, but James is convinced my work is not in fact fantasy, and that’s what we’re going to discuss today. From a reader’s perspective, most would probably consider my work fantasy, but from an author’s perspective and based on genre definition, is it actually? This has been an ongoing discussion between myself and James for the last three months, and he suggested the topic to me because he thought it might be of interest to readers. I’ve found my readers have enjoyed learning about different sub-genres of speculative fiction and thought it was a great idea. Mainly, we’ll be focusing on whether my work is science-fantasy or space opera.

Defining the Genres

To start off with, we have to define the two genres. Let’s start with science-fantasy. According to Wikipedia, science fantasy is “a mixed genre within the umbrella of speculative fiction which simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a science fiction story, the world is presented as being scientifically possible, while a science fantasy world contains elements which violate the scientific laws of the real world. Nevertheless, the world of science fantasy is logical and often is supplied with science-like explanations of these violations.”

Space opera, on the other hand, is defined as “a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, melodramatic adventure, interplanetary battles, chivalric romance, and risk-taking. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it usually involves conflict between opponents possessing advanced abilities, futuristic weapons, and other sophisticated technology,” according to Wikipedia.

As you can see, these are two very different sub-genres, though both are under the heading of speculative fiction. (For those who, like me, don’t find that the definition of space opera is particularly helpful in envisioning what type of story a space opera is… Star Wars is one very good example of space opera.)

Which One Am I?

I would maintain that I am neither, though James and I did agree that I’m not really high fantasy. Arguably, one of my current works-in-progress could be defined as a space opera, though it doesn’t take place in space at all in any point in the story. However, it does have some of the elements of a space opera despite the missing element that would make it fully space opera.

On the whole, however, I would place most of my work somewhere between high fantasy and science-fantasy. In many of my books, technology is blended with magic, and the two allow for achievements beyond what either would be able to achieve alone. In this respect, my work is science-fantasy. Nonetheless, I say it doesn’t truly fit into either genre because it contains more tech than most fantasy but also doesn’t have scientific explanations for enough things involving magic to allow for it to be true science-fantasy.

I know, I know. It’s not exactly an answer. James and I finally came to the conclusion, after many months of discussing, word battles, and debate (Actually, it was maybe a month or two of on and off discussion), that my work could be classed as science-fantasy. I believe that classification is more strongly applicable to some of my books than others, but it is at least a classification that can broadly cover the majority. After all, interuniversal portals that operate based on magic and tech can’t exactly be considered regular fantasy, can they? 

How Would I Class My Work If Not As One of Those Two?

While I focused on those two sub-genres because they’re what James and I were discussing, it is valid to ask how I personally would label my work if I had to choose a sub-genre of speculative fiction myself. I wouldn’t pick science-fantasy as what most of my work is simply because the majority of my writings are solidly fantasy. They don’t contain even a veneer of a scientific explanation for why the supernatural or magical can occur. While I sometimes may use science-fiction props, like physical gateways that can be built between worlds, these props are also almost exclusively run with magic. Magic is the only thing that can make the tech work, and without it, you’d just have an archway sitting there that led absolutely nowhere. Because this magic powers everything in the majority of the worlds I write in, it could not be classed as science-fantasy. 

Classing works by authors who use elements of many genres is honestly a difficult task. At times, some readers have said that my work reads more like realistic fiction than many realistic fiction books they had read recently. Is my work realistic fiction? Obviously not. But I use elements of philosophy, real world commentary, and worldview that realistic fiction employs to bring the story to life in such a way that readers feel they might be reading a tale about our day and age if we had the sort of fantastical abilities characters in my work possess. 

Similarly, I draw from elements of science fiction on the softer side of the spectrum to give the story’s magical framework an outlet to work through. I could just as easily have chosen the more traditional amulets and wands of high fantasy, but instead I chose to use small metal discs and gate structures of a science fiction flavor to become the channels for the magic. 

The various elements I have pulled from the influences of writers across many genres and the impact of being widely read has left my work hanging somewhere in between genres of several types. It’s easiest to tell people I write fantasy because I most closely align with that broad umbrella as a main genre. But the truth is that I could probably be considered a multi-genre author depending on who is classing my works and where they choose to class them. It’s all a matter of perspective and opinion.

The Practical Takeaway?

Writers, the practical takeaway here is to write how you want to write. Don’t worry too much about where your story fits. You can find an umbrella to rest under once you’ve finished your work. In today’s day and age, there are so many different options to choose from that you will likely have more trouble whittling down to one or two than you will have in finding one. The genre shouldn’t be your main concern. Even though every genre has its tropes and elements, there are always books within that genre and readers of that genre that have a different flavor or mix than the main genre might possess. And that’s fine. If everything were equal and the same across the board, it would get really boring really fast!

Readers, the practical takeaway for you is this: don’t let the genre turn you away from a book. While many times an author has correctly labeled and branded themselves and it’s rare to find one who is entirely wrong about their genre, more and more authors these days blend genres. There is very often a blend of elements in books that will allow for readers of all stripes and sorts to enjoy the work. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but my experience as a reader has been that most books will appeal to more than one kind of audience for different reasons, if the book is written well. So don’t judge a book by its genre, judge it by its cover. No, just kidding. Don’t judge by either immediately. Judge it by the blurb and what others have said about it. Then decide if it sounds like the sort of book you’d like. You just might be surprised to find that an author you thought you wouldn’t like is actually just your cup of tea.