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I have read much more fantasy than science fiction. As I was reading Zona, I kept waiting for the science fiction, and it really didn't appear until halfway through the book. Is that normal for science fiction books?

And when it finally did appear, as prehistoric animals and different hormones and chemicals and vegetation, at first I was like, is that all there is? With fantasy, magic or unusual things appear very quickly, within the first few pages, and then there's tons of other occurrences. I think one could even argue that the science fiction elements weren't really science fiction at all, we are always discovering new animals and plants in the jungles and other areas that haven't been fully explored yet.

What did you think about the science fiction in this book? Is the type and amount of science fiction typical for books in this category?

This novel is a bit borderline as the lost world theme was famous before modern science fiction existed, so I'm not surprised that the sci-fi element became explicit only in the second part. Possibly the novel is targeted to readers who usually don't read science fiction.

This novel is a must for science fiction and mystery lovers. I say it's a science fiction due to the altercations between characters and animals.

The Science fiction elements in thus book seems to be just the right quantity. I personally don't enjoy too much science fiction, which are usually unrealistic anyway.

It really depends on the novel. There's honestly no norm for when to introduce the science fiction elements. A lot of science fiction/fantasy books, or even movies, may have barely any sci-fi/fantasy elements at all.

The lines between science fiction and fantasy often get blurred, they're both lovely genres so I see no faults in this book leaning more towards one or the other.

It de[ends on the book some are more overt with aliens and spaceships but others like Zona are more subtle and are set in the present or close to the present and the science fiction elements are less obvious.

I felt this book was of the science fiction genre. Although it did not jump in to the true science fiction elements right away, the beginning half of the story offered a good build up for the plot and what was to come. This book reminded me much of the Jurassic Park world.

I always thought I was not into science fiction, but after reading several books categorised as sich in this platform I changed my mind. I like this type of sci-fi, or if it's only called fantasy that works for me as well. I don't know enough about the genre to have a clear definition.

Leen282 wrote: ↑21 Jul 2020, 15:01 I always thought I was not into science fiction, but after reading several books categorised as sich in this platform I changed my mind. I like this type of sci-fi, or if it's only called fantasy that works for me as well. I don't know enough about the genre to have a clear definition.

I did not know I liked it, either, and have trouble differentiating the two as well. So would stories like Star Wars be sci-fi or fantasy, or both?

Kansas City Teacher wrote: ↑21 Jul 2020, 17:58

Leen282 wrote: ↑21 Jul 2020, 15:01 I always thought I was not into science fiction, but after reading several books categorised as sich in this platform I changed my mind. I like this type of sci-fi, or if it's only called fantasy that works for me as well. I don't know enough about the genre to have a clear definition.

I did not know I liked it, either, and have trouble differentiating the two as well. So would stories like Star Wars be sci-fi or fantasy, or both?

For me, Star Wars would be the kind of sci-fi I don't like.

I think both may be present in a novel. It depends on how the author tackles it. Even though science fiction and fantasy differs from each other, both are still bound by some rules that they have to follow. Regarding Zona, I believe that it is science fiction.

It's very unusual for the fiction aspect of a book to start at a late point. It was kind of weird to me. I really prefer it when fiction books start with the fantasy part in the first pages.

Leen282 wrote: ↑22 Jul 2020, 01:33

Kansas City Teacher wrote: ↑21 Jul 2020, 17:58

Leen282 wrote: ↑21 Jul 2020, 15:01 I always thought I was not into science fiction, but after reading several books categorised as sich in this platform I changed my mind. I like this type of sci-fi, or if it's only called fantasy that works for me as well. I don't know enough about the genre to have a clear definition.

I did not know I liked it, either, and have trouble differentiating the two as well. So would stories like Star Wars be sci-fi or fantasy, or both?

For me, Star Wars would be the kind of sci-fi I don't like.

For me, Star Wars is a something like space opera. This is not real sci-fi, but a hybrid between sci-fi and fantasy, where beautiful princesses, swords and magic coexist alongside aliens and spaceships.

As for the Zone, stories about a strange place with ancient animals have been popular since the 19th century. The very first book about such a place was "The Lost World" by Arthur Conan Doyle. In this book, the characters find a strange place in the forests of South America, where dinosaurs and ape-like people live. This book is considered science fiction.

However, such stories could only be considered true sci-fi during the time of Arthur Conan Doyle. Now, the Earth is too well studied. Siberia is very large, but even in Siberia one can hardly find such a place. Therefore, "Zone" should be called surreal sci-fi or something like that.

SunVixen wrote: ↑22 Jul 2020, 06:06

Leen282 wrote: ↑22 Jul 2020, 01:33

Kansas City Teacher wrote: ↑21 Jul 2020, 17:58

I did not know I liked it, either, and have trouble differentiating the two as well. So would stories like Star Wars be sci-fi or fantasy, or both?

For me, Star Wars would be the kind of sci-fi I don't like.

For me, Star Wars is a something like space opera. This is not real sci-fi, but a hybrid between sci-fi and fantasy, where beautiful princesses, swords and magic coexist alongside aliens and spaceships.

As for the Zone, stories about a strange place with ancient animals have been popular since the 19th century. The very first book about such a place was "The Lost World" by Arthur Conan Doyle. In this book, the characters find a strange place in the forests of South America, where dinosaurs and ape-like people live. This book is considered science fiction.

However, such stories could only be considered true sci-fi during the time of Arthur Conan Doyle. Now, the Earth is too well studied. Siberia is very large, but even in Siberia one can hardly find such a place. Therefore, "Zone" should be called surreal sci-fi or something like that.

You lost me. I love the expression space opera though, I can totally see what you mean even if I have seen only half a movie .