| Re: What actually makes it....
I suspect that, as much as anything else, it is the style in which it is written. I've read SF about vampires, werewolves, psi abilities (definitely magic talents) and ancient empires, alongside fantasy featuring time travel, interplanetary exploration, research and development (more scientific method than much SF) and steam trains.
Yes, science fiction is frequently set in the future (near to distant) and tends towards an optimistic view of the possibilities (but any SF reader could bark out a dozen exceptions to this rule without stopping to think about it.
Fantasy has a tendency towards an earlier golden age, when things were more advanced, and "rightful" (god-chosen?) ruling families, but enough contrary examples exist to fill a library.
When you read "The magic goes away" by Larry Niven, it's undoubtedly fantasy, all the elements (the Warlock, demons, incantations and spells) are there; but it's written in such an analytic, logical, scientific fashion that it's sometimes difficult to be sure.
I'm convinced it would be possible to write the same story, with the same characters and events happening, as SF, fantasy or mainstream thriller, and make each one work. I doubt it will be me that tries. |