Date: Fri, 01 Apr 2005 11:10:56 -0500
From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at press.jhu.edu>
To: <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Who said: SF is fantasy with nuts and bolts painted on?
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

> omni at omniphile.com 4/1/2005 10:56:12 AM >>>
>At 09:47 AM 4/1/05 -0500, Ernest Lilley wrote:
>>Help. Anyone know the full quote and its source?
>>
>>Ernest Lilley
>
>http://blog.swiftalpha.com/archive/2005/02/10/307.aspx
>
>That link's author claims it was Terry Prachet.  I'd say he seems to
>have
>missed a great deal of SF, along with its main point.  It may be a
>political statement based on the "camp" he belonged to I suppose
>(isn't
>most of his stuff pretty much clearly Fantasy?)
>
>IMHO the difference between Fantasy and SF is that Fantasy is about
>wish
>fulfillment while SF is about problem exploration.

When I was working at Walden Books in the late 70s there was an attempt
to have an SF section and a Fantasy section.

Down that path madness.

Anne McCaffrey's Dragon stories are....?  Well, certainly the ones
published by JWC in Analog are SF.

China Mieville's Perdido Street Station is....? Well, sort of Jack
Vancevia William Gibson or somesuch.

I don't worry about SF vs F (certainly the Hugos don't).  And Anthony
Boucher & J. Francis McComas didn't care when the magazine they started
- The Magazine of Fantasy - was changed for the second issue to The
Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

If it's well written ... fine.  Poorly written SF/F is poorly written
SF/F.

mjw