Sci-Fi or Fantasy... Choose Wisely.

What if... At the gates of Geekatopia they made you choose “Line A for Sci-Fi fans and Line B for Fantasy fans”. I love both genres, but what if I had to pick one over the other, like my Nerdography would only allow me to pick one or the other before I could proceed to the next page.

Fantasy makes up, by far, the majority of my book collection. The novels of Leiber, Tolkien and Asprin mingle with the ancient tomes of Gygax and Perrin. In the MMorpg world I have played in far more Fantasy worlds then Sci Fi, WOW, EQII, DDO and WH. I love to lose my self momentarily in those tales of hardy adventurers struggling on epic quests, the flash of a blade the snap of a bow string. The conquest of Ancient dragons, twisted wizards and Goblin Hordes have thrilled me for years. My first Re-enacting like experience was a trip to the Pensic war in 1980 ( In Bill Waters VW van) and I remember walking the crowded tiki torch light streets at night imaging that this must be what its like to roam the crowed streets of a well written Fantasy city.

Now Science Fiction... is by far the largest portion of my Video/DVD library. I am often teased by my friends for my love of the original “Star Wars” trilogy and my admiration for “Bladerunner”. I certainly don’t have allot of shelf space devoted to Sci-Fi but it is there. Starship Troopers, Hitchhikers, Gibson and the Appleseed Manga mix here and there with a plethora of Star Wars books. Traveling through space and the infinite possibilities it offers, the blast of a energy weapon and the tension of a Dogfight in the void have always captivated me. As i stated in a earlier post Heinlein’s Starship Troopers is one of my favorite books ( Probably only slightly behind the Hobbit in the amount of times it has been read or listened to). I have been to a few Star Wars Celebrations, where the superfans go to get their Force driven Geek on and have loved every minute. Sci-Fi has supplied my imagination with countless hours of escape.

So if I had to pick... At blaster or Crossbow point... I might have to say Science Fiction but in doing so I would feel as though I had betrayed a friend, like picking one family member over a other to survive. Its odd, I remember the awe of watching Star Wars for the first time as well as the Magnificence of my initial reading of the Hobbit ( in my room at 27 Longview Dr. Sitting over the heating vent to keep me warm on a cold winter day). I wonder if it says something about a person (Besides how big a Geek we are) if they prefer one over the other? I am thankful that conventions don’t make us pick. Maybe this is why that my Favorite Olde Tyme Module is “Expedition to the Barrier Peaks” a blend of Science Fiction and Fantasy. If in a situation where you had to... how would you choose?