Mr. Clarkes words are one of the foundations of modern speculative fiction. Your magic can always be an even more advanced technology. Herbert's Dune comes to mind.

But you can blend magic and sci-fi. Alien worlds might be inhabited by species with capabilities to control magics and/or they may resemble fantastic creatures of terran mythology.

There will always be people who cannot afford the luxuries of high speed travel. Why do most migrant workers walk from Mexico to Northern California when they could fly? Because they can't afford to fly or even take the bus. Even the legal green card workers still have to walk sometimes.

Varying classes could also cause some people to choose flying when others are not permitted so they use beasts of burdon. Perhaps the magic wielders are the upper class. Maybe the technology which allows flight cannot be harnessed to a level of control to allow for agricultural uses. Every tried plowing a field with a F-16?

All one has to do is have it where they have not come up with internal combustion engines yet. Steam power is still the main power. Air ships might use steam engines to run the propellars.

Hmmm. That's the second time I've recommended that book today.

In terms of technology, this can literally be a high price because there isn't a large industry, the resources are scarce, there is a monopoly by the ruling elite, there is a stigma placed on the use of technology because of some past events etc...

In terms of magic, perhaps it just takes years upon years of intense study to be able to have any significant power, perhaps using it ages you, perhaps it requires exotic components, perhaps it is regulated again by some higher force, perhaps it's only present in 0.00000001% of the populous, perhaps it's still largely frightening and mythic to the general populous.

you just have to come up with your own explanation as it fits with your storyline.

Probably that's why I read and enjoy both equally.

I know that there are those people who would argue the point, and that is fine, "hard" sci-fi fans seem to be fairly rabid about some sliver of fact or mathematical theory to back up what might be possible.

I guess it comes down to rationalization. I might rationalize magic or some underlying power but I don't believe I could. Although, faith could be considered a type of magic. The sick have been healed, and the dead raised using that method, or so I have been told. Although, I've never seen it . I have never seen FTL travel either, but I am told it might work as well. Perhaps it comes down to beliveing in numbers or a feeling.

Anyway, back to the original question. There is a good example of magic and technology in a series written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman called "The Darksword Trilogy". It has a world of magic struggling to keep itself apart from tecnology. A pretty good read from what I can remember. It has one of my all time favorite characters in it, Simkin.

The whole New Weird movement is trying to dissolve genre barriers though. For a list of authors check out: