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Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan
Anyone else have problems with this law? Maybe there's a "critical mass' of fantasy elements that pushes SF over into Fantasy? If there are no conventional SF elements, but scientifically-explained Fantasy elements, does it become SF, or stay as Fantasy?
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Good question. I'm not sure about the "critical mass", but an example of what you mention is Randall Garrett's "Lord Darcy" series. Darcy is Chief Criminal Investigator for His Grace, the Duke of Rouen, brother to the King, in an alternate history where Richard the Lion Hearted settled down after being wounded in the Crusades to become a very good king indeed, and founded a Plantagent dynasty that still exists, locked in a quest for dominance with the Polish empire of King Casimir.
Magic has been developed instead of science, and theoretical thaumaturgists use sophisticated mathematics to define the structure of spells that working sorcerers will cast. (
Casting spells requires the Talent, which is genetically based and possessed by a minority.) Darcy's partner, Master Forensic Sorcerer Sean O'Lochlain uses magic to uncover clues Darcy will use to solve the crime.
It was all worked up in best "hard SF" style, and originally published in Analog magazine by John W. Campbell.
It's one of the edge cases I use for things that straddle the boundary and can be arguable classed as either one.
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Dennis