Science Fiction and Fantasy is a catch-all name given to two (or possibly more, see below) distinct genres of fiction. While these genres are distinct from each other they are often seen to have many similarities and are therefore often put together in bookstores - it is assumed that a fan of Science Fiction would be a fan of Fantasy. However this is not always the case and some fans of one of the two sometimes get quite irate over automatically being classified with fans of the other.
How many genres?
Science Fiction and Fantasy are themselves hard genres to define and Science Fiction in particular has very fluid genre borders (see each genres separate entry for a definition of the two genres). As such it is not unusual to find that a few books that some people would count as Science Fiction or Fantasy are not included in other peoples lists and other books that some people would not count as Science Fiction are so included. This is most noticeable with Fantasy books that are perceived to be primarily children's books (such as Harry Potter) and Science Fiction dystopian and/or alternative history books (such as Nineteen Eighty-Four).
Similarities between Science Fiction and Fantasy
Science Fiction and Fantasy are often placed together because, as mentioned before, they often share many similarities. These similarities include, but are not limited to:
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