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Author Topic: What OSC books would you characterize as "fantasy"?
pooka
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The only one I could maybe guess is Hart's Hope , which I have not read yet. Wyrms seemed to have a lot of sci-fi components. I don't think of Alvin Maker series as being straight fantasy. Homecoming also has fantasy together with sci-fi.
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alath
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I kind of thought of Tresure Box as a fantasy. I'm not sure of how many people on here have read that one though. I would count the Alvin Maker series as fantasy.
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HonestAbe
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enchantment
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Miro
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IMHO:
Treasure Box, Enchantment, Alvin Maker, Lost Boys, Folk of the Fringe (has elements of both fantasy and sf), Homebody, Hart's Hope, and maybe Songmaster

[ March 09, 2004, 08:27 PM: Message edited by: Miro ]

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pooka
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Oh, yeah, Enchantment is definitely fantasy. I didn't read Treasure Box either
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Ela
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I definitely would include Alvin Maker in the fantasy category.
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Princess Leah
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I can't see Lost Boys as fantasy, really. Horrer, kind of. In the Stephen King sort of vein, anyway.

Treasure box, definatley. Has a witch. ergo, fantasy.

Also Homebody. More witches!!!*monty pythonesque cackle*

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Kamisaki
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I was thinking about this just the other day, too. A lot of OSC's books are hard to classify into specific genres: his scifi books have a lot of fantasy elements and vice-versa. Mostly because the emphasis in his novels isn't on the science or magic but on the characters involved. The magic and science just provide them an interesting environment in which to work out their moral dilemmas.
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skillery
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yoku irasshaimashita kamisaki-san

[ March 10, 2004, 05:31 PM: Message edited by: skillery ]

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Kamisaki
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Sorry, I don't know any Japanese. My name actually comes from Aymara - an Indian language spoken in the Andes of Bolivia and Peru - which is where I served my LDS mission. It's a common greeting, basically means "how's it going." Sorry to disappoint. [Smile]

Hmm... I should post this on the names thread.

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eowyn of the mark
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alvin the maker is definatly fantasy, as is treasure box and lost boys. I personally don't see why so much Steven King is atomatically considered horror. The Dark Tower Series is very much fantasy,as is Insomina and many of his more famous books. Therefore, Lost boys maybe reminscent of King, but I believe it's still fantasy. Horror seems to imply that the novel is just about cheap thrills. Clearly lost boys has a deep message.
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Princess Leah
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Yes, it's too bad that horrer has the "cheap thrills" connotation. Bad horror deserves it, just like bad fantasy deserves the "kids in fairyland" connotation. Lost Boys is GOOD horror, as is Stephen King.

If Lost Boys is actually horror. There are so many elements to it.

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A Rat Named Dog
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Miro brings up an interesting point. Should a book like Folk of the Fringe, which includes supernatural elements explained by religion, rather than magic, be considered fantasy?
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Princess Leah
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I think that all this wondering about catagories stems from the fact that the sci-fi/fan/religion borders are all constantly crossed in basically all of Card's work. Take Xenocide, for example.

Sci-fi: yes, obviously. Alien life, DNA, etc, philotic linking.
Fantasy: Jane's powers. You can argue that there is a scientific explanation being made, but I say that the explanation is more or less that a creature with superhuman powers (Jane) has the ability to move things with her mind.
Religion: Yes. Strong thread of Catholicism. And religious arguments over the existance of souls (auia aiua or however you spell that), and Quim and Miro's fight over his need/desire to be healed.

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pooka
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I wouldn't really call Xenocide fantasy, since Jane's existence and powers are not more fantastic than the idea of near-light speed travel, let alone instantaneous travel. I guess maybe if you look at the Path characters and their involvement with mythology and gods, I think this would be the strongest point for arguing it is fantasy. But even then, reaching.

I think of Alvin Maker as alternate history first and fantasy second. But I believe in miracles in our world.

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mr_porteiro_head
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I've gotta disagree with pooka. Jane's powers in Xenocide and Children of the Mind are more magical than the magic in most fantasies. I know that OSC cave come "explination" that to me never made sense. To me, just because the book claims there's a scientific explination doesn't make the explination scientific. To me, it boiled down to magical transportation and magical creation of matter in whatever form desired.
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PSI Teleport
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I think OSC described SF as things that COULD happen, but haven't yet and fantasy as things that couldn't happen.

You be the judge on what could really happen one day, and what couldn't.

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Miro
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He also said that scifi has nuts and bolts while fantasy has trees.
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Princess Leah
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But the Ender series has LOTS of trees... hmmmmm...
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