How is Science Fiction Different From Fantasy?

Wizards and dragons are fantasy stuff. Everybody knows that.

Spaceships, robots, and clones? They’re definitely science fiction. 

But what about telekinesis? Paranormal technology? Time travel that’s written off as magic instead of explained by science? Which genres do these elements belong in?

The dividing line between fantasy and science fiction seems so obvious at first glance. Science fiction is the imagined and somewhat plausible evolution of current scientific innovations, while fantasy novels are built around magic, supernatural creatures, and all things impossible.

Look closer, however, and the line blurs. After all, both genres fall under the heading of speculative fiction, which means they take place in imagined realities. And sometimes, the question of whether an imagined reality is plausible is not so cut and dried.

If you’re struggling to determine whether your work of speculative fiction is science fiction or fantasy, you’ve come to the right place. We’re about to lay out the defining characteristics of each genre and clarify their distinctions. (Heads-up: it goes a lot deeper than science versus magic.)

You’ll also learn how to determine if your story actually counts as both science fiction and fantasy, and you’ll leave with a few writing tips for each of these categories. 

Let’s start with some definitions.

What is Science Fiction?

Science fiction is a genre of storytelling that takes place in a scientifically advanced world. It’s usually set in the future, but you’ll also see sci-fi that re-imagines the past with futuristic technology.

In this genre, you get things like spaceships, alien species, clones, self-aware artificial intelligence, and virtual reality. Underneath all the fun bells and whistles, there’s usually some commentary on the way humans interact with technology and scientific progress.

Many sci-fi fans would say that in order for a novel to be considered pure science fiction, it must be rooted in actual science. The advanced technologies portrayed in the book should feel like a plausible evolution of our current knowledge and capabilities.

This is where the line between science fiction and fantasy can get fuzzy. The notion of human clones doesn’t feel that crazy to us now, but what about time travel? 

This gets even messier when you factor in the line between hard and soft science fiction. 

Hard science fiction prioritizes clear and accurate explanations for the science portrayed in the story. In soft sci-fi, you can be a bit more vague. You still want your story’s technology to feel logical and plausible within the world of the story, but your readers care more about the emotional journey of the narrative than the accuracy of the science.

This, of course, leads us back to the question of sci-fi versus fantasy. We can say it’s science, but if it’s not rooted in real science, isn’t it just fantasy in a lab coat?

Don’t worry—we’ll explore that question more as we go along. First, we have to finish rounding out our understanding of science fiction.

Key Science Fiction Elements

The sci-fi genre is vast, filled with a wide range of subgenres. But you’ll find the following elements in nearly every science fiction story you read:

Scientific discovery - Whether it’s an alien planet or a new advancement in nanotechnology, science fiction novels frequently introduce discoveries that aren’t just new to the reader—they’re new to the characters, too.

Futuristic technology - There’s also a lot of tech that’s mind-boggling to us but old hat to anyone who inhabits this fictional world.

Commentary on scientific progress - It may not be stated outright, but many sci-fi stories feature themes examining whether certain innovations are actually good things. They might question whether the progress is worth the price, show the consequences of humans playing god, or suggest that people have a knack for corrupting even the most well-intentioned tech.

Historical Background

Science fiction is widely considered a much younger genre than fantasy, largely because fantasy is as old as storytelling itself.

Even so, sci-fi isn’t the whipper-snapper you might imagine it to be. The Ramayana, a Hindu epic from sometime around the fifth century BCE, features flying machines equipped with advanced, city-leveling weapons.

But some people think of the 17th and 18th centuries—the Age of Enlightenment, basically—as the time when science fiction was truly born. Carl Sagan himself called Somnium (1634) the first work of science fiction.

Some credit Mary Shelley (19th century) with pioneering the genre, and others consider the Golden Age of Science Fiction (mid-20th century) the true beginning of modern sci-fi, with a heavier emphasis on hard science fiction.

But honestly? This genre has been around for about as long as human beings have been actively curious about the laws of our physical world. 

What is Fantasy?

If a story incorporates supernatural or magical elements, it’s fantasy. To put it another way, fantasy stories are set in impossible worlds.

When most people think of the fantasy genre, they imagine high fantasy. High fantasy refers to any fantasy story that takes place in a secondary world—a universe the author made up.

But the genre also includes narratives that are set in a version of our real world that contains supernatural elements alongside mundane life. This is called low fantasy.

As you probably know, one of the key differences between fantasy and science fiction is the fact that the remarkable occurrences that take place in fantasy cannot be explained by science. 

Even so, fantasy worlds come with their own internal logic. Part of the worldbuilding process is creating a magic system—laws clarifying the possibilities, limitations, and costs of magic. This system is crucial for making an impossible world feel believable. It also helps build tension when readers know the protagonist can’t solve all their problems with a magic spell.

Key Fantasy Elements

Like science fiction, fantasy fiction encompasses a wide range of diverse subgenres. But you can generally expect any fantasy novel to deliver:

Mythical or magical creatures - Whether they’re demons, faeries (or fairies or fae or fay or fey), creatures plucked from mythology, or supernatural beings invented by the author, fantasy worlds often feature a variety of magical life.

Supernatural abilities - Magic might be normal in this world or it could be a unique power possessed by only a few characters. Supernatural abilities might come naturally or through training. There are a lot of ways to play this, but the bottom line is that someone is capable of doing some pretty wild things.

Extensive worldbuilding - High fantasy writers have a ton of work to do in terms of worldbuilding. They’re creating an entirely new universe, after all. But even low fantasy authors have to put some effort into creating a compelling reality, complete with intriguing creatures and magic systems.

Historical Background

Fantasy has been around since always. Before we had any kind of grip on science, we were explaining our world through fantastical metaphors. In fact, elements of ancient mythology still show up in modern fantasy novels. Like, a lot.

That said, you can trace our contemporary understanding of the genre back to J.R.R. Tolkien (mid-20th century), who introduced extensive worldbuilding in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and brought fantasy into the mainstream.

Authors like C.S. Lewis and Ursula K. Le Guin rode that wave and pushed the evolution of the genre further, ushering us into the late 20th century, when fantasy exploded into a vast category populated by subgenres ranging from sword and sorcery narratives to urban fantasy novels.

Now fantasy is not only one of the biggest and most popular fiction genres, it’s also become a powerful vehicle for exploring themes of identity, resilience, and power.

Key Differences Between Science Fiction and Fantasy

We covered the biggest and most obvious difference between science fiction and fantasy:

The crazy stuff that happens in sci-fi is explained with science, while fantasy phenomena are rooted in magic. 

But it actually gets more nuanced than that. Turns out, science and magic tend to inspire different themes, characters, and storytelling methods.

Now, before we get into these differences, I want to clarify that these are not hard-and-fast rules. You can see typical fantasy themes in science fiction stories and vice versa.

We’re just comparing the common elements of the two genres—elements that stem naturally from sci-fi and fantasy worlds. These are features readers have come to associate with these genres. In fact, your audience will likely assume these elements are present in your novel if you market it as science fiction or fantasy.

So let’s make sure you know what you’re promising.

Worldbuilding

First, the obvious:

Science fiction stories are set in plausible realities, while fantasies depict impossible worlds.

In both genres, expect to do a lot of worldbuilding. 

For fantasy authors, this means creating creatures, magic systems, societies, political systems, histories, and possibly entire landscapes if you’re building a secondary world. 

If you write science fiction, you’ll have to do a lot of research, dream up new technology, and shape your imaginary society to be a natural result of that advanced science. You might also have to create entire planets, nations, cultures, and histories, depending on where and when your story takes place.

As for the mood of your setting, you have a lot more wiggle room than you used to. There was a time when fantasy stories were expected to be heroic and awe-inspiring, with sinister or foreboding territories tucked away inside an otherwise optimistic world.

Science fiction, on the other hand, is traditionally cynical and dystopian, depicting a world made colder and more dangerous by our need to manipulate it.

These days, however, both genres have seen so much experimentation that you can also find dark fantasies set in dystopian universes and sci-fi novels depicting utopian societies.

Common Themes

Both fantasy and science fiction are known for specific, recurring themes.

Because science fiction speculates on the progression of current science, its themes often explore the moral implications of our constant drive to innovate.

Sci-fi themes often center on topics like:

• The human cost of progress
• What it means to be human
• Our place in the universe
• Free will
• The nature of reality
• What it takes to survive

Fantasy, on the other hand, often explores world-level conflict and the battle between good and evil, with both sides wielding extraordinary power. This leads to profound themes about resilience, courage, and morality.

Fantasy themes gravitate towards topics like:

• What it means to be a hero(ine)
• What it means to be powerful
• Good versus evil
• Moral gray areas
• Destiny versus free will
• The individual good versus the common good

Character Types

You’ll find many of the same characters in both fantasy and science fiction. Well, the same in spirit, anyway.

There are greed-driven antagonists and pure-hearted heroes. The power-driven warlock and progress-driven scientist are two sides of the same coin—a coin that’s likely to destroy the world for the sake of its own single-minded obsession.

Both types of worlds often include an oppressive ruler or a dangerous being who seeks to gain power. In fantasy, it might be a Dark Lord or wicked monarch. In science fiction, it’s often a corrupt government, politician, or corporation who manipulated advanced technology to rise to power and now uses it to control citizens.

Many fantasies also include deities, which is something you don’t really see in science fiction. And while fantasy stories incorporate mythical creatures, sci-fi pulls its most intriguing beings—clones, robots, and alien life—from scientific innovation and discovery.

For both sci-fi characters and fantasy characters, you always want to consider what abilities they do and do not have, whether it’s a matter of possessing supernatural powers or being able to access technology.

Plot and Narrative Structure

Because both fantasy and science fiction have become so vast and varied, it’s hard to make any blanket statements about the types of plots you find in each genre. But I can offer some super generalized observations about certain genre traditions.

In terms of structure, fantasy is famous for embracing the Hero’s Journey. The short version of this fairly detailed structure is that an inciting incident nudges the protagonist out of their comfort zone and on an adventure that contains many obstacles and will ultimately leave them forever changed.

Honestly, science fiction uses that structure, too. It also uses the three-act structure, Dan Harmon’s story circle, the Fichtean curve… really any format that serves your story will do.

As for the content of the plot, both genres embrace super high-stakes situations in which one person (or group of people) is responsible for the well-being of a much larger whole—often a nation, planet, or galaxy. 

That said, fantasy is probably more famous for featuring world-level conflict (though you certainly see it in sci-fi, too). Meanwhile, science fiction is more likely than fantasy (fantasy romance excepted) to center on intimate, interpersonal conflict. 

Hybrid Genres and Subgenres

By now, you can probably identify stories you’ve read or seen that incorporate elements of both fantasy and science fiction. The truth is, there’s a lot of overlap between these genres, and many authors have allowed themselves to blur the line or write a full-on sci-fi/fantasy mash-up.

That’s how we get science fantasy, a huge hybrid genre that includes all fiction containing both fantasy and sci-fi elements.

Then there are the much more specific subgenres that are often filed under either science fiction or fantasy but are technically science fantasy.

One good example of this is urban fantasy, which often incorporates advanced technology or paranormal concepts presented as scientific realities. There’s also superhero fantasy, which uses alien origins, radioactivity, or gene mutation to explain supernatural abilities. 

Time travel fiction usually falls under the category of science fiction, but it’s not often grounded in clearly explained scientific concepts, especially not when the time travel is made possible by listening to music or using a magical desk.

Then you’ve got space opera, which catapults readers to far-away galaxies, thousands of years in the future, where the science is so advanced we can’t even recognize it and the universe is populated with aliens who have their own remarkable abilities defined by physical laws unique to their planets.

None of these subgenres would be considered “pure” fantasy or science fiction. Where they’re shelved typically depends on the sci-fi-to-fantasy ratio as well as the themes, worldbuilding, and dominant tropes.

All this to say, it’s okay if you’ve gotten this far and still have no idea what you’re writing. These two genres were made for creative experimentation, and it’s not at all unusual for a successful novel to have elements of both.

What matters is that you write a great story.

Writing Tips for Both Genres

If you could use a guide to writing fantasy and/or science fiction… well, you won’t find it in this article. I’m not cleared for a word count that long.

Luckily, there are tons of free, in-depth articles in DabbleU to help you. I recommend any one of these as a starting place:

How to Write a Sci-Fi Novel

How to Write a Fantasy Novel

The Ultimate Guide to Science Fantasy

For now, I’ll just share a few basic tips that are unique to these two genres. First, let’s decide which type of story you actually want to write.

Choosing Your Genre

As you know now, you don’t actually have to choose. If you want to write about a teenage witch rebelling against an oppressive government fueled by futuristic tech, have at it.

But if you’d prefer the clear standards of either fantasy or sci-fi over navigating the sometimes wonky waters of science fantasy, here are a few questions to ask yourself.

How much research do you want to have to do? If you write sci-fi, readers will care about accuracy and plausibility, especially if you decide to write for hard science fiction fans.

What themes resonate most with you? If you’re intrigued by the power of the unknown, the strength of the human spirit, or the power and limitations of virtue in the presence of catastrophic threats, you might opt for fantasy.

If you’re into exploration, human folly, the price of progress, or the idea that humanity is inherently corrupt and bound to destroy everything we touch, science fiction might be your jam.

What kind of world do you want to live in for months or even years? Honestly, this is the question that matters most. Don’t worry about what’s selling or what’s easier to write (it’s all hard, anyway). Focus on what thrills you and captures your imagination.

You’re going to have to spend a lot of time in this universe—not just writing it, but marketing and discussing it, as well. Make it a universe you love.

Tips for Writing Science Fiction 

So you chose science fiction. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you really want to nail your story:

Start with a big “what if” - Science fiction stories are essentially answers to massive “what if” questions. What if the wealthiest one percent achieved immortality through cloning? What if this is all just a simulation?

Imagining the answer to a big “what if” can lead you toward compelling conflicts and profound themes.

Decide between hard and soft science fiction - It helps to decide ahead of time how much you want to ground your story in current scientific concepts and explain the technology to your reader. Not only will this decision guide your research, it’ll also keep you consistent as you introduce multiple innovations over the course of your novel.

Bring the science into your conflict - How did scientific progress cause your conflict or make it worse than it would be in our current world? How do your protagonist and antagonist use technology in ways that heighten the conflict? 

Don’t infodump - Dispense scientific explanations and key background information gradually. I know it can seem like you need to get the reader up to speed on everything immediately in chapter one, but if you load them down all at once, they’ll get overwhelmed and stop reading.

Tips for Writing Fantasy

Fantasy it is! Here are a few nuggets of advice all great fantasy writers follow:

Create a worldbuilding bible - Even if you write low fantasy, you’re going to have a lot of made-up information that’s tough to keep track of. Stay organized from the very beginning with a worldbuilding bible. Here’s a great guide on how to create one. 

Also, pro tip: You can create a customized worldbuilding bible in Dabble using Story Notes. That way, all the information about your fantasy world is one click away while you write (and the link above has a template for you to do just that).

Design an internal logic - Even though you don’t have to explain where all your fantastical elements come from, they still have to make sense. Take the time to develop a magic system, clarifying who can do what under which circumstances. Put limitations on your magic and let the use of it come at a cost.

Put the story first - The fantastical elements of your fantasy story are super important, not to mention fun. It can be easy to get so caught up in creating a universe that makes your readers’ jaws drop that you neglect to deliver a compelling story. 

That’s a huge mistake, though. They still want a great story, and everything about your fantasy world should serve that narrative.

Don’t infodump - This is the same advice I gave the sci-fi writers. Your readers don’t know this world, so it can be really tempting to dump a whole bunch of exposition on them right away in chapter one.

Instead, share details as needed and don’t shove all the information into the narration (or a lengthy prologue 70% of your readers will skip, anyway). Dialogue, action, and flashbacks are all creative ways to dispense key information.

Whatever You Write, Write It With Dabble

That’s my final piece of advice.

Dabble is like the dream writing tool for speculative fiction authors because it’s flexible enough to accommodate your creativity while offering the kind of structure you need to stay organized.

Create an extensive worldbuilding bible in Story Notes. Organize your character profiles into casts, keeping track of who’s what kind of magical creature or who inhabits which planet. Track every aspect of your story on the customizable Plot Grid.

We’ve even got templates for science fiction and fantasy so you can jump right into planning your novel.

If you’re not a Dabbler, don’t worry: you can snag a 14-day free trial right here. You don’t need a credit card to get started. Just click that link and start creating an otherworldly masterpiece.