Prejudiced Against Science Fiction?

I've often asked myself why certain people are so prejudiced against science fiction. Here are a few of the reasons I've come up with:

1) They've read some really bad SF.
2) They've read some really good SF, but couldn't get into it because it had too much technical jargon, way-out theories, or high-faluting vocabulary. ( I could name a few examples, but I'll refrain! )
3) They presume SF will be boring.
4) They consider all SF to be along the lines of "Star Wars" ( which is really space opera, not SF. )
5) They've read only SF that is outdated, the ones reality has already far surpassed.
6) They haven't yet discovered that one book that would really, truly appeal to them.

I've read a great deal of science fiction over the years, as well as related genres. Do I enjoy all of it? Frankly, no. But since I write mainly in the field of SF, I need to be aware, at least somewhat, of what other authors have done. But that doesn't mean I consider all equally good or to my tastes.

Once in a while I find something that I really admire, something that speaks to me. For instance, long ago I fell in love with the work of Zenna Henderson. Her " People" stories perfectly suit my tastes; they have humor, emotion, characters I could easily identify with, warmth, and a great sense of place ( the southwest ).

And much more recently I've, oddly enough, acquired a taste for urban fantasy, such as Tanya Huff's "Blood" books, Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books, and Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments books. A bit of an odd combination, eh?

Any suggestions about converting those who purport to "hate" SF?

MRTighe

Fantastic Genres

Previously I discussed science fiction sub-genres, so I'll attempt to briefly give equal time to fantasy. What exactly is fantasy, and why is it a separate category from SF? Many people tend to lump them together, including many bookstores.

Fantasy doesn't depend upon science as its foundation, as SF does. Instead of revolving around the visible, physical world with its multitude of hard-and-fast rules, fantasy delves into the world of the invisible, the impossible, the imaginative, ie: spirits, demons, prophecies, fantastic creatures, and unseen forces.

High Fantasy features strange new lands, heroic characters engaged in epic battles between good and evil, and various magical elements such as swords, rings, wands, potions, dragons and giants. The example par excellence is "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Traditional fantasy has fewer laws about what is and is not possible; the reader enters an almost dreamlike world of infinite possibilities: fairies, gnomes, talking trees and animals, magical portals, etc. One good example of traditional fantasy is "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C. S. Lewis.

Dark fantasy is another popular category, and it is just that: dark! Dark fantasy abounds with frightening supernatural creatures, such as vampires, werewolves, demons---evil personified! Anne Rice's "Vampire Chronicles" are good examples of dark fantasy.

Lastly, in urban fantasy, a recent innovation, stories tend to be set in modern times, in the real world, usually in a city rather than an idyllic pastoral setting, where magic or magical characters intrude upon reality. Examples would be Tanya Huff's "Blood" books, set in Canadian cities.

Although my ventures into writing fantasy have so far been limited to a few short stories, I'm extremely fond of the genre in general. Some of my favorites are The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, the Twilight Saga, and Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books. Harry Potter, in particular, seems to me to be a clever combination of elements from all the fantasy sub-genres!

Fantasy or SF or whatever, light or dark---keep on reading!

MRTighe

Home Again

Readercon 22 was a very low-key, enjoyable con. We met readers and writers from Canada to California. Lots of new faces; obviously the younger generation still reads. And there were quite a few little ones in tow who will hopefully grow up to be avid readers. The future looks promising in that regard.

The book dealers room was wall-to-wall books, as was most of the space in between. We bought a good many books, ranging from Charlaine Harris to new, unknown authors. We met some of my fellow authors, spent time talking with several of the book dealers. The down side was that, unfortunately, we never managed to sell one of my own books. Competition was fierce; many people were advertising that their e-books were for sale at 99 cents! Now maybe those books are good, maybe not. I can't say without reading them. But I thought Judgment on Tartarus was a steal for $20!

I did manage to get quite a few of my business cards out there; they really did come out nice. But the postcards didn't go over as well as I'd hoped. Hubby's T-shirt, however, which was imprinted with the cover art for Judgment was a real hit. People going by kept staring at it, stopping to ask him what it represented, etc. Have to get ME one!

He also picked up a nice volume of Ann Rice's Vampire Chronicles during a side trip to Barnes and Noble. I bought the second book in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series: City of Ashes. I'll post a more in depth report on Readercon after I've had some time to think and mull it over.

Til then,

MRTighe