Looking to read a book which blends sci-fi and fantasy elements together

rejkin

Hi,

Iv read a lot of fantasy books and Science fiction books in the past few years but Iv only once come across one book which kind of molds the two types together,now I cant remember what the book was called but it was good and Id love to try another one but I dont know where to look or even what to search under. Im looking for a book where instead of the full on fantasy or a full on science fiction it would have maybe a blend of both,like its set in old times with creatures but also where the humans dont just have swords but have normal guns. Im not really sure that explains it well but its just something which I was thinking about. If anyone has seen the anime Full metal alchemist then its like that world where it is fantasy with "magic" being used but also there is a military in it with more advanced weapons than just swords. Em, If anyone understands that and knows of any books like it that would be great

Red Hand

Hi rejkin!

I don't know if this counts or not, but Dan Simmons Ilium and Olympus (they're a set) spring to mind. Basically, the story of The Iliad (the Trojan war and Achilles and all that) is transposed into a really entertaining sci-fi narrative involving Gods, Heros, semi-organic robots, humans, post humans, and fantasy creatures-some even from Shakespeare!

It's got some really startling images, and is (cliche!) unputdownable, for me anyway.

Hope this helps!

tSubh Dearg

I think Marian Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series could cover this. It's set on a planet that is accidentally colonised by Terrans and then rediscovered hundreds of years later, though the original humans have evolved psi powers.

Some of Anne McCaffrey's books also merge Sci-Fi and Fantasy, most notably the Dragons of Pern series.

rejkin

Brilliant,thanks Im going to go out and get a few of them, I was actually going to get Ilium and thought it was a sci fi like Isaac Azimovs books from reading the back but Ill definitely try it now.:D

ClassicDisaster

Childish but still great, "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

Tad williams - otherland.. kinda? it's mainly sci fi I guess.

L.E. Modesitt jr wrote a few books that iirc were about a hi tech people crashing onto a world where their tech didn't work right and there was .. magic and.. weird stuff. I dunno it's been ears.

janny Wurts - the cycle of fire, just pwnz. I forget exactly what it's about, but I remember going 'awesome, they mixed in elements of science fiction' while I was reading it, and talking about it with a friend of mine. I don't remember who, or what the story was about..but I do remember liking it alot.

Queen-Mise

The previous poster, mentioned the Tad Williams - Otherland series. Those books are incredible. Probably fit the bill for exactly what you want. A stunning mix of sci-fi and fantasy, with some incredible characterizations in them. Four books in the set, arguably one of the best sets I have read, up there with LOTR, and my other suggestion...

Is Stephen Donaldson, wrote a set of Sci-fi books, which are also excellent. Bearing in mind, that he is mainly a fantasy writer (Thomas Covenant etc). The name of the series is 'The Gap into Madness/Conflict', they are four of them. Again a really good mix of sci-fi and good fantasy themes and actions.

Who else writes, this kind of stuff, is Weis & Hickman, only problem with this though, its Dungeons and Dragons or Dragonlance writers. Books are readable, but don't push any boundaries. I think of them, as the Mills & Boon of the Fantasy world:D.

I have read other stuff over the years, that fits the bill perfectly, but can't remember any authors or names. Just read too much of this stuff...:)

I recommend the Otherland series wholeheartedly. I am just after giving the four books to my local charity shop. Find the nearest Barnados, you may be lucky;).

On a slightly different note, was that a crime, i gave all my books in the attic away to charity last week. including all my Robin Hobb, etc etc. What's the point of them being in my attic, when someone else could be reading them.

Dades

How about Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun?

Described as sci-fi, but read like a fantasy with sci-fi elements to me.

Floodzie

rejkin wrote: »

Hi,

Iv read a lot of fantasy books and Science fiction books in the past few years but Iv only once come across one book which kind of molds the two types together,now I cant remember what the book was called but it was good and Id love to try another one but I dont know where to look or even what to search under. Im looking for a book where instead of the full on fantasy or a full on science fiction it would have maybe a blend of both,like its set in old times with creatures but also where the humans dont just have swords but have normal guns. Im not really sure that explains it well but its just something which I was thinking about. If anyone has seen the anime Full metal alchemist then its like that world where it is fantasy with "magic" being used but also there is a military in it with more advanced weapons than just swords. Em, If anyone understands that and knows of any books like it that would be great

Hi,

Not EXACTLY what you're looking for, but a refreshing take on the sci-fi theme are the Culture books by Iain M. Banks (he also writes excellent fiction set in modern times under the name Iain Banks), they have a sort-of fantasy twist to them.

The books usually start out strangely and it takes about 50 pages to work out what the hell is going on :-) but they are WELL worth it. The world he has created is such an imaginative utopia and poses so many really 'deep' questions that I guarantee you, you will be thinking about them for a long time.

An easier read, as someone has already mentioned, are books by Janny Wurts in collaboration with Raymond E. Feist - the Empire Trilogy; really really good but it's been about 10 years since I've read them so I'm not 100% on that!

You've got me thinking about getting back into fantasy and sci-fi now :-)

rejkin

Thanks for all the replies, got Dan simmons "hyperion" and got Anne Mcaffrey's "Dragonfall". Read dragonfall and got into like a hundred pages and just gave up,the characters where totally unlikable,reding hyperion now and really like it though not sure if its a blend of sci-fi/fantasy yet.
Gonna get the otherland by tad williams aswell cause i saw it recently in chapters in dublin for 2euro new might aswell give it a go:D

Oh and thats good to hear Floodzie

Shryke

Hyperion isn't at all fantasy, but read it. It's fantastic. I can't vouch for anything else by Simmons though. That's all I've read of him.

dudara

Hyperion is a book that I've picked up many times and never bought. Maybe it's time to give it a go.

Hedgepig

Michael Moorcock's "Elric" series springs to mind. Also, there are some fantasy books like Terry Brooks' Shannara stuff set in the post-apocalyptic future and thus have elements of sci-fi (particularly the recent one the Voyage of Jerle Shannara or something which was utter ****e). I'm not a big fan of sci-fi mixed with fantasy.

ixoy

It's a reasonably rare mix as there's often fans who would only touch the one genre..

I see that you've picked up 'Hyperion' - neither it, nor its sequel 'Endymion' is a hybrid mix (they're actually four novels in total packaged now into two omnibus editions). It's a superb series though so well worth reading.
I've just started 'Ilium' (which too has a sequel - 'Olympos') and it seems more what you're looking for.

Peter F. Hamilton's latest novel "The Dreaming Void" has two dual storylines - one a pure science fiction and the other a pure fantasy. The two are interlinked in a way that is gradually revealed. Very good start to a new series.

Modesitt's Jr's "Recluse" series has some science fiction elements. The Sage of Recluse is written at different eras in the world's history. It's the earliest ones, at the beginning of this history, that have the science fiction elements (essentially a space ship crashing and the survivors trying to work on a world where their technology begins to fail as magic takes over).

Tad William's Otherland series is basically a giant Virtual Reality saga of four books. The sci-fi come in the VR bit, the fantasy comes in tha the VR worlds they're in are completely open to the imagination then, each fantastical in its own way (trad fantasy, a world with giant insects, etc). Excellent series.

China Mieville's work on "Perdido Street Station"/"The Scar"/"Iron Council" is a world of steampunk and dark magic. It's quite twisted but it has an interesting blend of sort of Viction steam science and black magic and a variety of weirdness in between. Extremely recommended.

Crucifix

ixoy wrote: »

China Mieville's work on "Perdido Street Station"/"The Scar"/"Iron Council" is a world of steampunk and dark magic. It's quite twisted but it has an interesting blend of sort of Viction steam science and black magic and a variety of weirdness in between. Extremely recommended.

When I saw the title Mieville was the first thing that came to mind. I've only read Perdido street station, but it definitely fitted the bill.

Shryke

Perdido starts poorly, but once the story actually gets going its great. Opinions are mixed on the ending. Over all it is very much worth reading. Even more so is the next book set in the same world, The Scar. It's not a direct sequel so you can read it first if you like but you'll be missing out on the odd reference and back story. You also wouldn't be as familiar with the world as you would be. I'm very much in favour of reading in chronological order. Go for Meiville if you want something different.
Another bit of steam punk would be Tobias Buckwells two novels. I haven't actually read them though. No idea to what extent magic might be a feature but I've only heard good things about them!

rejkin

thanks for all the replies,got a fair amount of books to read now since i started this thread:D

matrim

The deathstalker series by Simon Green would be somewhat like this (although more Science fiction than fantasy).

ZorbaTehZ

Dades wrote: »

How about Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun?

QFT.

Dades wrote: »

Described as sci-fi

It's the other way around actually. Hence it receiving the title of best fantasy book by fantasy masterworks (not including tolkiens books).

Weyhey

Not sure if its the category you are looking for but maybe try http://www.trashface.com ?

dudara

Sandor wrote: »

Perdido starts poorly, but once the story actually gets going its great. Opinions are mixed on the ending. Over all it is very much worth reading. Even more so is the next book set in the same world, The Scar. It's not a direct sequel so you can read it first if you like but you'll be missing out on the odd reference and back story. You also wouldn't be as familiar with the world as you would be. I'm very much in favour of reading in chronological order.

Two great books. Perdido Street Station utterly absorbed me. Was on holidays in Venice at the time, and well, some days I didn't do much more than read.