: Re: Can You Mix Readers of Fantasy and Sci-Fi? In his book How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, Orson Scott Card mentions the differences between fantasy and sci-fi readers, and even says that

@Speyer920

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The readers of SciFi and Fantasies have different structural and trope expectations in their books. They are often ABOUT different things. Threading the needle that satisfies both in the same book will be difficult but far from impossible.

Once you get away from those structural elements, the idea of mixing technology and magic is not a problem. I would argue that barring the most studiously researched hard science novels the science in most science fictions novels is just a (hopefully) internally consistent magic system. The magic system is your fantasy should also be internally consistent. A book with multiple magic systems is hardly impossible.

Whether you put veneer of high tech, steampunk, mutants, psionics, sigils or bones on your magic is less important than how society interacts with it.

A society that has the scientific method will not leave magic as a separate thing. If it has a measurable, reproducible effect on the world or behavior then it will become a branch of science. Likewise a society with out that will look a high tech item and call it an enchanted relic.

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