By Frank Burton

Science Fiction and Fantasy

In a recent TV interview, Terry Pratchett complained about the fact that science fiction and fantasy books are often displayed in the same section in libraries and bookshops. His argument was that they are completely different genres, and therefore lumping them all in together is a bit of an insult.

To a certain extent, I can see where he’s coming from, but it has to be said, there is a point where the two overlap. While many science fiction novels are purely based around scientific speculations, and many works of fantasy are entirely “fantastic,” many others contain elements of both. Funnily enough, a fine example would be the novels of Terry Pratchett.

I’m a great admirer of Terry Pratchett, and I think his immense popularity is entirely deserved. While he’s by no means a literary author, his work addresses the big issues of life, death, religion, war and politics, and he does this in a far more entertaining and subversive way than many of the serious “realist” novelists. When he’s in the right mood, he’s capable of writing great works of Orwellian satire. To my mind, Small Gods is just as good as Animal Farm, and it’s funnier too.

I wouldn’t say the same about Pratchett’s work as a whole, as he’s not primarily a satirist. He’s an entertainer, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If I have one complaint to make about Pratchett, it’s that he has an over-reliance on bad puns, which he seems to have an inexhaustible supply of. For me, the humour in Pratchett’s work arises through funny ideas and funny situations, which are amusing enough on their own without the necessity of crap one-liners. The same can be said for a number of other writers in what can loosely be defined as the comic fantasy genre. Tom Holt, Robert Rankin and Jasper Fforde are three culprits who spring to mind. They’re all good at what they do, but sometimes their work begins to resemble a slightly surreal father-of-the-bride speech. You can almost picture the groans at their daughter’s weddings.

Obsessive punning is a male trait. Comic fantasy and comic science fiction are badly in need of a woman’s touch. There is no doubt that science fiction has produced some great women novelists, but I’m yet to come across a female equivalent to Pratchett.

Anyway, I’m sure you’re all dying for me to explain exactly how Pratchett’s work provides a link between sci-fi and fantasy, so here goes. Pratchett describes Discworld as “a world, and a mirror of worlds.” This is because the author has incorporated an element of parallel universe theory into his fiction. The conceit is that Discworld is a real place, based in a parallel universe that is in part a reflection of our own. Whether or not you regard this as science fiction depends on how you feel about parallel universe theory. Some people dismiss the theory as pure fantasy, in which case Pratchett is purely a fantasy writer. However, whether you believe in it or not, parallel universe theory is a legitimate scientific proposition. Numerous theoretical works have been written on the subject, as well as countless science fiction novels.

The same applies to time travel. Some would say such a thing as time travel is completely impossible, and there is no evidence to suggest that it ever will be, but because it’s been put forward as a scientific theory, you can write a work of fiction about it, and call it science fiction without fear of being arrested by the literary Thought Police. Consider the bizarre and bewildering opening monologue from Quantum Leap:

Theorising that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap Accelerator, and vanished. He awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better.

Are you with me so far? Good …

His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time who only Sam can see and hear.

Oh, right.

And so, Dr Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap would be the leap home.

The point is, if this is supposed to be a science fiction show, as the TV guide claims it is, where exactly is the science? The answer is in the first word: theorising. You can come up with any crackpot theory you want and call it science, whether it’s going back in time and taking possession of other people’s bodies, or a flat world in a parallel universe sitting on the back of a giant tortoise, populated by trolls, wizards and small gods. As long as there’s a theory behind it all, you’re safe. 

There is a very good reason for doing this, too. Many readers are put off by fantasy. I know this, because I am one such reader. For me, there needs to be some kind of rational explanation for it all; some kind of link to our own space and time. It doesn’t really matter how bizarre or how tenuous the link is, as long as the explanation has been offered. I therefore prefer Pratchett to Tolkien, partly because Pratchett has better jokes, and partly because the scientific part of my brain has been in some way satisfied.

As far as genre distinctions go, there will always be a grey area between science fiction and fantasy, because there is a grey area between fantasy and science. All we have to do to get rid of this grey area is get everyone in the universe to agree with each other.

Good luck with that.

Go here to discuss this column, tell Frank a home truth or two about that Pratchett guy or to reveal your theory on how to make everyone in the universe agree.