Worlds Beyond Imagination: Exploring the Best Science Fiction Fantasy Books

Some books are clear-cut science fiction, like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and The Expanse series, while others are pure fantasy, such as The Lord of the Rings series and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. And then there are also science fiction fantasy books, which combine a bit of both genres in one package. Despite their contradictory natures, the mixture has produced quite a lot of admirable stories. Don’t just take our words for it; here are just a few examples of what the blend could do, if done right.

Dune (1965) by Frank Herbert

According to some critics, Dune was heavily influenced by the works of Aeschylus (the Greek father of tragedy), Edward Rice Burroughs, and J. R. R. Tolkien, as well as the stories of Christ himself. Let’s start with the sophistication first. Dune has a glossary (with a map) and four appendices full of incomprehensible gibberish about the ecology and religions. All the actions take place on two different planets – one of which is a near completely barren land, where the desert is home to gargantuan worms that make the monsters in Tremors look cute. Major characters die or at least try to kill each other, and they’re all entangled with each other in more than half a dozen subplots.

The desert planet is uninhabitable, but it is the only known source of “spice,” a drug known for its ability not only to increase mental capacity but also prolong life. But there’s a catch – spice is an exceedingly addictive narcotic. The story is set in a distant future when humanity has finally suffered from intellectual stagnation, and so everybody wants a taste of the spice. Controlling its supply and distribution is just as good as ruling the universe. Humans once again find themselves in need of a messiah.

Foundation (1951) by Isaac Asimov

Both Dune and Foundation are perhaps the best known science fiction fantasy books ever, partly thanks to their screen adaptations. With no shred of a doubt, Foundation is an undisputed classic of the mixed genre. The story involves a Galactic Empire at the dawn of its doom, a brand-new colony on a remote planet, villains from yet another planet, an ageless sentient robot, and a brilliant man who has discovered the equation to predict the distant future. That man is Hari Seldon, a psychohistorian. If you think the plot is complex, it’s nothing compared to the exposition-heavy dialogue.

The authorities aren’t exactly fond of Seldon’s prediction that the empire is about to collapse, so the empire sends him into exile on a remote planet. Taking his best students with him to isolation, he eventually reveals that both the prediction and the exile are all parts of his grand plan to topple the old empire and establish a new one. Foundation is the first of a series comprising four sequels and two prequels.

Broken Earth by N. K. Jemisin

It’s a trilogy, consisting of The Fifth Season (2015), The Obelisk Gate (2016), and The Stone Sky (2017). On the surface, the series tells the tale of life on a planet inhabited by wizards, warriors, assassins, and strange creatures that feed on rocks. But don’t worry, there are ordinary people like doctors and engineers as well. It’s worth mentioning that this planet has relentless life-threatening volcanic activities. Permanent is not an actual term here. Cities and families are constantly under attack by Mother Nature herself.

Upon a closer inspection of the story, the series reveals itself as an exploration into the experience of slavery and at what point do the oppressed become unable to resist the temptation to revolt. External forces can bring about alternative forms, while leaving the ruins of the old forgotten and abandoned. The future is always uncertain, and the past is unrecognizable.

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

There are four main books in the series, including: The Shadow of the Torturer (1980), The Claw of the Conciliator (1981), The Sword of the Lictor (1982), and The Citadel of the Autarch (1983). Gene Wolfe also released The Urth of the New Sun in 1987, as a coda of the main story. The series is set in the distant future when the sun is dying; the moon is green; the daylight is red, and there’s a rotting jungle circling the Earth.

Our main character is Severian, a torturer who doesn’t have the stomach to execute a prisoner, so he helps her to commit suicide as an act of mercy. His act violates the rules of the Torturers’ Guild, prompting the head of the organization to put him into exile. Throughout his journey to the remote city of Thrax, Severian finds himself in the middle of precarious situations pretty often, like when he’s having a duel with a flower (which is in fact a lot more dangerous than it sounds), inadvertently stealing a magical jewel, a fishing a girl out of a lake where the dead are sunk.

We think it might be helpful to remember that, according to George R. R. Martin, the differences between sci-fi and fantasy (and horror to a certain degree) are only skin-deep. For example, you can replace the aliens in a sci-fi story with elves to transform it into fantasy. As far as the functionality is concerned, they’re much the same. Sci-fi and fantasy are closely related, but you’re free to make your own interpretation of the genre. As long as the story is good, sometimes it doesn’t really matter if a few fantastical beings make their presence on a spaceship, or that a Predator finds himself holding the Excalibur.

Do you think there’s any difference between science fiction fantasy and science fantasy, or are they basically the same? What do you think is the best mixed genre ever? We’d love to hear from you.

Other Things You Might Want to Know

Are there Star Wars books?

Yes, there are plenty of them. Many Star Wars books have been written and released with the films (novelizations). But the books aren’t merely the novel versions of the movies; many of them offer slightly different plotlines or alternate takes on the events from the original trilogy.

Can horror be categorized as fantasy?

Horror and fantasy are their own genres. For fiction, however, everything can be loosely regarded as fantasy – no matter the stories. Alternate histories, battles in space, Frankenstein, and even T-800, are all products of the authors’ imaginative faculties, hence “fantasy,” in the broadest sense of the term.