# SF and fantasy - why together in bookstores? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2003, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703 "2003-08-26T07:01:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/1 "2003-08-26T07:01:36Z")
In many large bookstores, science fiction (tales of the future, fiction regarding extraterrestrial civilizations) will be lumped along with fantasy (dragons, LTR, etc) and alternative history titles. Why are these very distinct categories of fiction classified as one by many bookstores? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/2 "2003-08-26T07:24:35Z")
Cynical answer, by a reader of speculative fiction who has spent many annoyed hours wandering around the stacks of major bookstores, pondering just such a conundrum: Because the people who make the decisions about such things are idiots. [Somewhat] more clear-eyed and hard-fact-facing answer: Because they both represent niches of speculative fiction, and they have a lot of overlap in their fan bases. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/3 "2003-08-26T07:48:09Z")
There is also overlap in their scope. The Star Wars saga, for example, is much more fantasy than science fiction, yet most people would look for it in the latter section. ---
**Author:** ![Miaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@Miaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miaz)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/4 "2003-08-26T08:13:06Z")
The only effective way to organize both genres is to sort them alphabetically by author. It’s simple, it works, and since it applies to both they lump them together to make it that much easier. ---
**Author:** ![apricot\_syrup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@apricot\_syrup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apricot_syrup)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/5 "2003-08-26T10:13:28Z")
It’s because only geeks read them. These two subcategories are appropriately categorized under the (unstated) Geek Fiction category at bookstores. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/6 "2003-08-26T11:09:08Z")
1. Because many (perhaps a majority of) readers read both genres. 2. Because many writers write in both genres (Zelazny, Donaldson and Martin come to mind). 3. Because it’s often hard to tell them apart. Frankly, I also find the seperation between SF/Fantasy and Horror to be somewhat artificial. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/7 "2003-08-26T11:27:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Frankly, I also find the seperation between SF/Fantasy and Horror to be somewhat artificial. Yeah, but SF/fantasy and Horror generally don’t share the three points you made. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/8 "2003-08-26T12:04:37Z")
There is little difference between SF and fantasy and many writers write both. You don’t want to separate “Waldo and Magic Incorporated” from Heinlein’s other works; that would only confuse readers. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/9 "2003-08-26T13:25:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by smiling bandit \* > \*\*Yeah, but SF/fantasy and Horror generally don’t share the three points you made. \*\* To a lesser degree, they do. I don’t know much about common readership, but several SF/fantasy writers (Simmons, Martin) have written Horror, and many novels can’t really be defined, genre-wise. How is Anne Rice not a fantasy writer? What shelf would you put Stephen King’s _Dark Tower_ books on? If Terry Pratchett can be defined as fantasy, rather than humor, the King can be defined as fantasy too. To me, horror is a style, not a genre. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/10 "2003-08-26T15:43:31Z")
In the library I frequent, Horror is blended with Mystery. Who thought **that** was a good idea?:mad: ---
**Author:** ![Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krisfer_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/11 "2003-08-27T00:37:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dung Beetle \* > \*\*In the library I frequent, Horror is blended with Mystery. Who thought **that** was a good idea?:mad: \*\* That’s just WRONG! In my personal Libray I have the SF and Fantasy together: 1 defining them is sometimes difficult. 2 as mentioned many authors write both. 3 coz I waste all my anal points on categorizing my non-fiction:D ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/12 "2003-08-27T01:26:09Z")
Horror and mystery are opposites. Mystery assumes there is a solution to any evil. Horror assumes there is not. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/13 "2003-08-27T12:05:33Z")
> [@](#): > > To a lesser degree, they do. I don’t know much about common readership, but several SF/fantasy writers (Simmons, Martin) have written Horror, and many novels can’t really be defined, genre-wise. How is Anne Rice not a fantasy writer? What shelf would you put Stephen King’s Dark Tower books on? If Terry Pratchett can be defined as fantasy, rather than humor, the King can be defined as fantasy too. To me, horror is a style, not a genre. That may be, but relatvely few sci/fi&Fantasy writers do horror at all. And Anne Rice doesn’t exactly do fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-and-fantasy-why-together-in-bookstores/197703/14 "2003-08-27T15:25:05Z")
I was going to mention the mixing of horror and mystery I’ve seen in many bookstores, but I see others have beaten me to it. Best explanation I can think of is both genres often have black covers.