Is It Magic or Tech? Unraveling the Best Science Fiction Fantasy Crossover Book Series

Mixing science fiction and fantasy tropes into a single story can be quite tricky. One is about plausibility, while the other has near complete disregard for gravity. It all seems counterintuitive. Not to mention that coming up with a creative idea for futuristic scientific inventions is already difficult enough, and now the author has to incorporate some kind of magic system, too. A lot of authors have delivered their own versions of the mixed genre. Here are some examples of the best science fiction fantasy crossover book series to entertain your curious mind.

Elfhome Series by Wen Spencer

Best Science Fiction Fantasy Crossover Book Series

Here’s the basic setup: a lot of mythologies on Earth are used as reflections or representations of alternate universes. For instance, elves are mythological creatures from Germanic folklore, and the series frames it in such a way that they physically exist but in a dimension separate from humans. Their existence helps form the basis of many stories in this world. An interdimensional gate in the near-future Pittsburgh bears witness to how Tinker, a genius mechanic, does everything she can to keep the magic level under control in the world of humans, using science.

The Windrose Chronicles by Barbara Hambly

Let’s begin by stating that The Windrose Chronicles book series involves parallel universes. Wizards are no longer as respected as in the olden days of knights and dragons, but they still exist. When one of them ends up dead, followed by the disappearance of the murderer into a dark portal, a young warrior monk named Caris is determined to solve the case. He receives the order and goes to find Antryg Windrose, a rather mad mage who understands how interdimensional passages work. And then there is Joanna, a computer programmer who gets drawn into the Void when a power is making its way between dimensions. It’s a pretty complex series, with plenty of computer jargon and magical terms used in the exposition. The good thing is that you should be able to keep up with the stories pretty easily, even if you can’t keep track of all the techie talks.

Secrets of Power Trilogy by Robert N. Charrette

There have been over three dozen novels published under the Shadowrun series, and it all started with the original Secrets of Power trilogy by Robert N. Charette. The trilogy comprises Never Deal With A Dragon (1990), Choose Your Enemies Carefully (1991), and Find Your Own Truth (1991). The books tell the tales of a future Earth when the power of magic has returned along with the re-emergence of fantastical creatures like dragons, mages, orcs, and elves. Humans have advanced to where they can merge with technologies to become deadly predators. Everyone and everything is involved in a great ploy to take control of the research into artificial intelligence. By the third book, you’ll be exposed to a global conspiracy by a magical being hellbent on triggering a nuclear holocaust. If that’s not a mixture of science fiction and fantasy, we don’t know what is.

The Alchemy Wars Trilogy by Ian Tregillis

Whether alternate history is categorized under sci-fi or fantasy, The Alchemy Wars has it neatly mixed with the laws of robotics wrapped in magical geas. In everything mechanical, the Dutch come out as a real superpower following several centuries of war against the French. A ceasefire has been declared, leaving most of North America in ruin. One of the biggest contributing factors to the Dutch hegemony is the invention of mechanical humanoids, known as clakkers, by scientist and clockmaker Christiaan Huygens. Like a typical robot depicted in sci-fi stories, clakkers are equipped with incredible speed, superhuman reflexes, and enormous strength. Unlike typical robots with AI, however, clakkers are fully sentient, but they’re bound by geas that restrict their actions. These geas are like Asimov’s three laws of robotics, only magical by nature. The real fun begins when Jax, one of the clakkers, finds itself freed from the geas.

Warlock of Gramarye Series by Christopher Stasheff

The Intergalactic Dominion Electorate is not as powerful as it used to be. A political party known as LORDS overthrows the government and builds a totalitarian regime under the name of Proletarian Eclectic State of Terra (PEST). Centuries later, a group of subversive agents brings down PEST and establishes the Decentralized Democratic Tribunal (DDT), a democracy. To rediscover cut-off colonies during the PEST regime, those agents create the Society for the Conversion of Extraterrestrial Totalitarianisms (SCENT). Our main character is Rod Gallowglass, a SCENT agent who has just landed on Planet Gramarye, inhabited by warlocks, witches, and many mythical creatures. He is accompanied by an old robot, one of the few remaining units of the Faithful Cybernetic Companion (FCC). The planet is in turmoil as the influence of PEST still runs rampant and is trying to rid the planet of democracy.

We think there are plenty of good reasons the blend of science fiction and fantasy produces a lot of mesmerizing works of literature. If you ask some authors about their own personal motivations, chances are most of them will tell you that the mixture is fun or the blend just feels right for the story they’re writing. Apart from the fun factor, fantasy actually plays a big role in expanding the scope of discussion. It can add exciting dynamics to the strict plausibility of science fiction, bring wider exploration into morality, and question the ethics of all powerful technologies.

Do you think it’s necessary to establish the rules and limitations of magic in science fiction and fantasy book series? Do technologies influence fantasy, or is it the other way around? We’d love to hear from you.

Other Things You Might Want to Know

What are the fundamentals of science fiction stories?

The genre tends to (although not always) pitch ideas about technologies that do not currently exist (if ever) such as time machines, faster-than-light travel, and sentient AI. Space exploration and encounters with extraterrestrial species are also pretty common. All the far-fetched inventions and discoveries in discussion must be well-grounded in the realm of scientific plausibility.

What about the fundamentals of fantasy?

Supernatural and magical elements are mandatory. One of the main characteristics of the fantasy genre is that the magic and supernatural aspects shouldn’t merely exist as part of the narrative, but they have to affect the storyline in a consequential fashion. These elements can be as witchcraft, spells, wizardry and mythical characters like griffin, orcs, elves, fairies, talking animals, and so on.

What might be the biggest obstacles in writing science fiction fantasy stories?

There can be many, but the most common hurdle is setting the limitation to magical powers. By nature, magic can be as powerful as you want it to be; it might present itself as a straightforward solution to just about every problem.