Top Ten SF/Fantasy/Horror Crossovers

[Dead-Air]

Over at the Science Fiction EZ Board ( http://p090.ezboard.com/bsciencefiction ) we've got a thread up now to determine the top ten Science Fiction novels which crossover into other genres. Fantasy is often the most likely crossing point, but then Horror and Detective stories come up fairly often too, and anything is possible. We'd love to get your list as well! Obviously Michael Moorcock is at the apex of this type of writing since he often refers to himself as a "science fantasy" writer, so some representation from MM would be great!

If you can't come up with 10, then however many you do is just fine. You need not create a unique list, if others share the same favorites, great, that's what we are aiming to find out! Of course comments on the books are encouraged, but not required at all. Some people just like to make lists.

Sometime after the end of the year, I'll total the most popular responses. A number one gets 10 points, #2 gets 9 and so on. If you don't number your ten, then they'll all get 5 points.

CLICK HERE: http://p090.ezboard.com/fsciencefict...icID=168.topic to view the topic and post your own top ten!

If you feel like posting your list in this thread as well, have at it, but please come over there and post it first.

[Dead-Air]

Nobody wants to spread the word about Michael Moorcock's excellent science fantasy novels to other receptive readers?

[Doc]

A quick list off the top of my head. I tried to post on the other board but had problems.

MM- Dancers at the End of Time, Nomad of the Time Streams, Jerry Cornelius
China Mieville- Perdido Street Station
Jeff Vandermeer- City of Saints and Madmen, Veniss Underground
Michael Swanwick- Jack Faust
Ray Bradbury- Something Wicked this Way Comes, Farenheit 451
Fritz Leiber- Anything Lankhmar
Clive Barker- The Great and Secret Show

I have to give this more thought...

[David Mosley]

Here's what I posted on the site:

De-cloaking from the "Moorcock's Miscellany" fora...

In no particular order, other than as I think of them:

1) The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (SF/Humour)
2) Image of the Beast/Blown - Philip Jose Farmer (SF/Horror/Erotica)
3) The History of the Runestaff - Michael Moorcock (SF/Fantasy)
4) The Stainless Steel Rat - Harry Harrison (SF/Crime)
5) Frankenstein - Mary Shelley (SF/Gothic)
6) The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham (SF/Ecology)
7) ...

That's all I can think for the time being. Now, if you'd asked for SF films that cross genres, then I could have said:

1) Outland (SF/Western)
2) Blade Runner (SF/Noir)
3) Alien (SF/Horror)
4) Aliens (SF/Vietnam)
5) Battle Beyond the Stars (SF/Western)
6) Star Wars (SF/Fantasy)
7) Rollerball (SF/Sport)
8 ) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (SF/Red Scare)
9) The Omega Man (SF/Horror)
10) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (SF/Musical)

But you didn't. :(

[Dead-Air]

Thanks for posting Demos (I commented on your post over there) and thanks for trying Doc. I'm not sure why you should have had trouble, so I'll look into it. If you are indeed unable when you've made your final decisions, I'll post your entry from here for you. Hopefully that won't be necessary.

Given the scant votes we have so far, and the even less repetition, it looks like Dancers at the End of Time is probably running head to head with Frankenstein for #1. Hopefully more Moorcockians will make the journey and up the ante (though I'm also hoping some Jack Vance readers make it over from that board too).

[lemec]

Here's what I posted on the site:

De-cloaking from the "Moorcock's Miscellany" fora...

In no particular order, other than as I think of them:

1) The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (SF/Humour)
2) Image of the Beast/Blown - Philip Jose Farmer (SF/Horror/Erotica)
3) The History of the Runestaff - Michael Moorcock (SF/Fantasy)
4) The Stainless Steel Rat - Harry Harrison (SF/Crime)
5) Frankenstein - Mary Shelley (SF/Gothic)
6) The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham (SF/Ecology)
7) ...

That's all I can think for the time being. Now, if you'd asked for SF films that cross genres, then I could have said:

1) Outland (SF/Western)
2) Blade Runner (SF/Noir)
3) Alien (SF/Horror)
4) Aliens (SF/Vietnam)
5) Battle Beyond the Stars (SF/Western)
6) Star Wars (SF/Fantasy)
7) Rollerball (SF/Sport)
8 ) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (SF/Red Scare)
9) The Omega Man (SF/Horror)
10) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (SF/Musical)

But you didn't. :(

and if films were mentioned, how about:

Soylent Green (SF/Over-Population) ? :lol:

Logan's Run (SF/Utopia gone bad) ?

I read some fantasy book that was just a muder mystery so I guess there could be a SF/Fantasy/Murder Mystery haha

[David Mosley]

This just goes to confirm my belief that SF isn't a 'genre' as such, rather it's more like a suit that you can dress other genres up in. You can pretty much take any existing story and drape it in SF tropes and conventions and it will still make sense.

[lemec]

This just goes to confirm my belief that SF isn't a 'genre' as such, rather it's more like a suit that you can dress other genres up in. You can pretty much take any existing story and drape it in SF tropes and conventions and it will still make sense.

Indeed. :D

In fact there are several sci-fi shows that,to take this a step forward, had an episode where one person on the show was put into a 'Die-Hard' situation and so that would be a SF/Crime-Action. :lol:

Ever notice certain tv shows will take ideas from movies and they will just add their characters to the story and change it into sci-fi if it was not already science fiction?

-Lemec

[Dead-Air]

This just goes to confirm my belief that SF isn't a 'genre' as such, rather it's more like a suit that you can dress other genres up in. You can pretty much take any existing story and drape it in SF tropes and conventions and it will still make sense.

True, but if you aren't actually extrapolating on some scientific ideas you only have something "dressed up" as SF, not actually part of the genre. Now if you do have something that extrapolates on science, but has elements that meet the requirements of some other genre as well, then you have one of the crossovers we're asking people to list.

Take as an example The Ice Schooner which clearly extrapolates on the idea of climate change and how it would affect human history and global evolution, but at the same time presents elements of epic fantasy by giving us a culture clearly influenced by Viking sagas.

As Michael and his cohorts at New Worlds set out to prove as far back as the '60s, true SF is not about those tropes and conventions. They can exist in real science fiction, but they in no way have to. Often the work that crosses boundaries of genre such as Moorcock and Mieville are known for is the most speculative of speculative fiction, rooted in science fiction or otherwise.

The examples that you and Lemec put forth out of television and movies are among the reasons I limited the list to literary ventures. It is far too easy in visual based media to make the costumes and backdrops the only concessions to science fiction or even speculative fiction. Bringing up scads of such examples does not point the reader to the good stuff.