Science Fantasy

Critical Explorations in Fiction

and Film

Edited by Cenk Tan, Elçin Parçaoğlu, and

Nazan Yıldız Çiçekçi

LEXINGTON BOOKS
Lanham • Boulder • New York • London

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 Published by Lexington Books
An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
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Copyright © 2024 by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

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 Contents

Editors’ Foreword vii

Fantasy and Science Fiction: “A Rationalized Fantasy”

Nazan Yıldız Çiçekçi 1
1 Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End: A Critique of Free Will,
Determinism, and Predestination 7
Cenk Tan
2 Science Undertakes the Task: An Analysis of Miss Peregrine’s
Home for Peculiar Children Through Science Fantasy 23
Elçin Parçaoğlu
3 Andre Norton’s Androgynous Equality and Subverting Gender
Roles and Hue of Witchcraft in Witch World 35
Nazan Yıldız Çiçekçi
4 In the Shadow of the Past and of the Source Text:
I, Frankenstein as Adaptation and Americanization 55
Defne Ersin Tutan
5 From Mighty Warrior to Goofy Dad: Exploring Masculinities
in the Thor Franchise 67
Sotirios Bampatzimopoulos
6 Mars and the Martians as Others in Philip K. Dick’s Story
and Its Film Adaptation 81
Ercan Gürova

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 vi Contents

7 Reimagining Marronage in Nalo Hopkinson’s Midnight Robber 95

Keisha Allan
8 Mothering in the Multiverse: Representations of Shifting
Maternal Identities in Popular Science Fiction Films 107
Sarah Young
9 The Science Fantasy of Michael Moorcock 123
Karol Jaroszewski
10 Conscious Counter-Reality: Lexical Cohesion and
Anti-Language in Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century 133
Michael Arthur Soares
11 Exploring Feminist Utopia: A Neo-Realist Analysis of
The Feminist Utopia Project 153
Gül Varlı Karaarslan

Index 169
About the Contributors 173

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 Editors’ Foreword

As scholars fashion new categories of imaginative fiction that sporadically

intersect with established types, it can be challenging to recognize and clas-
sify them. Similarly, this applies to science fantasy, a hybrid genre that draws
from both science fiction and fantasy. Science fantasy gained popularity in
the twentieth century and is now present in a wide range of fields, including
literature, art, video games, and film. A typical fantasy primarily consists of
supernatural and imaginative rudiments that defy the laws of science, whereas
classic science fiction exhibits a scientifically logical universe. According to
Eric R. Williams, the realm of science fantasy is structured relying on sci-
entific reasoning, and supernatural elements are frequently explained using
methods akin to hard science (121). Likewise, Carl D. Malmgren articulates
that science fiction lies between imagination and realism, and science fantasy
stories mostly include plots that are similar to realistic fiction (259). Although
critics italicize shared points between science fiction and fantasy, science fan-
tasy develops as a kind of in-between genre in the midst of hot discussions.
Science fiction, in Robert Scholes’ words, “is described as hard and sharp
in contrast with the soft and shapeless lyric extravagance of fantasy. Science
fantasy, then, is by definition an impossible object, hard and soft, pointed and
uncircumscribed: a monstrosity” (5). The journey of this monster is believed
to have started with Amazing Stories magazine in 1929 and the publication
of science fantasy stories in American pulp magazines, including The Harold
Shea Series by Fletcher Pratt and L. Sprague de Camp, L. Ron Hubbard’s
Slaves of Sleep, and Robert A. Heinlein’s Magic, Inc. in the 1940s, stretching
to its forerunners in the nineteenth century in the works of Jules Verne and
H. G. Wells. Notable science fantasy writers of the present day, among oth-
ers, are Andre Norton, Patrick Rothfuss, Arthur C. Clarke, Fritz Leiber, Jack
Vance, Brandon Sanderson, Emil Petaja, Philip Jose Farmer, Roger Zelazny,

vii

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 viii Editors’ Foreword

and Henry Kuttner. Above and beyond literature, one of the most well-liked
mediums in which science fantasy appears today is video games, as in Atlan-
tis: The Lost Tales (1997), Batman: Arkham City (2011), Granblue Fantasy
(2014), and The Technomancer (2016). In the film, more popular among oth-
ers, Star Wars (1977) is classified as science fantasy by James F. Broderick
as it combines the basics of fantasy and science fiction with a semi-futuristic
setting (135). Notwithstanding its accent on imagination and fantastical, sci-
ence fantasy is thrust into cautionary futures of substitute realms, leading
readers to the unremitting realities of this world: the fight between good and
evil, the search for identity, the human rights, the woman question, the envi-
ronmental crisis, and so forth. The ever-expanding acclaim of science fantasy
has resulted in augmented critical attention that asks the following question:
“Can fantasy and science fiction be distinguished from one another?” Like
copious books and articles in the field, our book will probably not be able to
answer this query fully, yet we are thrilled to delineate the monster in Science
Fantasy: Critical Explorations in Fiction and Film.
Science Fantasy: Critical Explorations in Fiction and Film embarks on a
riveting journey through the cosmos that transcends the boundaries of reality.
This collection of visionary tales seamlessly blends the marvels of science
fiction with the enchantment of fantastical worlds. Each story is a kaleido-
scope of imagination, weaving together futuristic technologies, otherworldly
realms, and fantastic elements. Fantasy literature, seen as an escape, takes on
a new branding when blended with science fiction. The future, shaped by cur-
rent advancements, becomes an inescapable setting. Despite often regarded
as dystopian, today’s actions determine its form. Science fantasy serves as
a medium to shape the present and build a better future through memories,
and it explores uncharted territories where science and imagination intersect.
Consisting of eleven chapters, this volume challenges preconceptions and
invites contemplation on the harmonious interplay between science fiction
and the fantastical.
In the initial chapter, Cenk Tan scrutinizes Arthur C. Clarke’s “Childhood’s
End” as a work of science fantasy, employing the critical framework of (hard)
determinism, free will, and predestination. Tan argues that, positioned as an
advocate of determinism, “Childhood’s End” presents a compelling argument
against the existence of free will. According to Clarke’s narrative, humans
lack the capacity for true free will, and the ability to make choices does not
necessarily affirm the existence of free will. This perspective implies that
individuals are unable to break free from a destructive cycle, conveying a
pessimistic message that suggests people are destined to be perpetually reliant
on determinism.
The second chapter, written by Elçin Parçaoğlu, provides an analysis of the
hybrid science fantasy text found in Ransom Riggs’s Miss Peregrine’s Home

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 Editors’ Foreword ix

for Peculiar Children. Parçaoğlu contends that while the peculiar traits of the
characters lean toward unexplained features typical of fantasy, the perpetual
existence of these peculiar offspring is rationalized by the novel’s scientific
conclusion. The author suggests that while many events could be seen as
defying scientific laws, placing the work within the fantasy fiction genre,
the narrative also employs science to justify certain mystical or supernatural
phenomena. Consequently, an interplay between science and the supernatu-
ral emerges, introducing the concept of antagonism between the two in the
narrative.
In the following text, Nazan Yıldız Çiçekçi examines Witch World, ques-
tioning the prevailing dominance of male writers over females in the science
fantasy genre. The analysis centers on Witch World’s use of scientific fantasy
to challenge the entrenched notion of associating magic with women and
frailty, rooted in the historical perception of women as inferior, tracing back
to the well-known myth of Adam and Eve and the apple. Çiçekçi concludes
her chapter by asserting that the union of Simon and Jaelithe in Norton’s
Witch World advocates for an androgynous equality between women and
men, proposing it as a solution to the enduring gender dilemma.
In the ensuing chapter, authored by Defne Ersin Tutan, the focus is on
the 2014 film adaptation I, Frankenstein, derived from the 1818 canonical
novel, Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. The analysis delves into the
contextual use of adaptation for diverse objectives and evaluates the implica-
tions of this process for the involved genres. Tutan ultimately argues that I,
Frankenstein has adeptly adapted to the film medium, catering to the prefer-
ences of scientific fantasy, and aligning with its American setting, resulting in
a multidimensional hybridity that incorporates these various factors.
Contributed by Sotirios Bampatzimopoulos, the subsequent chapter seeks
to investigate the idea of masculinity within the context of the Thor series. By
exploring the relevance and importance of such research in our current times,
it traverses the various approaches to masculinity depicted in the films. The
author discusses the progression of Thor’s character throughout an eleven-
year period, delving into the diverse and sometimes opposing depictions of
masculinity. Finally, the chapter highlights a fresh take on masculinity, accu-
rately referred to as “heroic multi-masculinity.”
In the following chapter, Ercan Gürova endeavors to illustrate the repre-
sentation of Mars and the Martians as entities distinct from the protagonist
in Philip K. Dick’s renowned short story, “We Can Remember It for You
Wholesale.” This exploration delves into the realm of postcolonial imagery
and discourse within both the short novel and its cinematic adaptation, Total
Recall. It brings to the forefront an examination of the protagonist’s quest for
his true identity and life’s purpose, shedding light on the portrayal of the Red
Planet in the context of environmental studies.

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 x Editors’ Foreword

The next chapter derives inspiration from Caribbean culture and investi-
gates the notion of Marronage in Nalo Hopkinson’s Midnight Robber. In this
critical analysis, Keisha Allan highlights the pivotal role Marronage plays in
understanding the principles of freedom. Within Hopkinson’s literary work,
freedom is intricately connected to themes of flight, mobility, and creativity.
Allan asserts that Hopkinson employs speculative fiction as a tool to construct
a narrative universe firmly rooted in Marronage, intertwining it with the con-
cept mainly because it challenges traditional perceptions of reality.
Sarah Young’s chapter comes next, addressing the theme of motherhood in
the recently released films, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. Young argues that these movies utilize
the concept of the multiverse as an instructive backdrop to challenge precon-
ceptions about motherhood, questioning the criteria that define a mother as
“good” or “bad.” Through these cinematic works, audiences are prompted to
reflect on the universal reality that all mothers make mistakes, emphasizing
the idea that the most powerful tool for personal development may be the
process of learning and growing from these errors.
In the upcoming chapter, written by Karol Jaroszewski, the focus is on
Michael Moorcock’s The Dancers at the End of Time, regarded as the most
intricate science fantasy series within the author’s literary repertoire. This
analysis employs the perspective of archetypal criticism, drawing inspira-
tion from the theories of Carl Gustav Jung, Joseph Campbell, and Northrop
Frye. The discussion in this chapter, exploring the science fantasy of Michael
Moorcock, inquires into the archetypal foundations illuminated by Moor-
cock’s utilization of Eternal Champion characters.
In the subsequent chapter, Michael Arthur Soares employs a lexical analy-
sis approach to examine Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and Buck Rogers
in the 25th Century. The examples presented in this chapter illustrate how
language organizes spoken expressions into categories through recursive
processes, cross-referencing their impacts to establish lexical coherence.
This linguistic coherence, in turn, influences and permeates future televi-
sion programs. Consequently, Soares concludes that science fantasy exhibits
self-aware referential characteristics, allowing for classification, such as the
categorization into “nautical” and “military.” This results in a lexical cohe-
sion that fosters a reciprocal relationship among the three television series.
In the concluding chapter of Science Fantasy, Gül Varlı Karaarslan under-
takes an analysis of The Feminist Utopia Project. This project is introduced
as a gripping compilation encompassing utopian literature, narratives, com-
ics, visual art, theoretical articles, and interviews. Karaarslan asserts that the
collection reveals thought-provoking insights into gender relations, exploring
themes that span from linguistic deconstruction to the harrowing specter of
violence against women. The project also addresses issues such as the right

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 Editors’ Foreword xi

to procreate and the challenges of raising children in the context of policies

that marginalize women.
In closing, the edited volume Science Fantasy stands as a testament to the
captivating intersection of imagination and scientific inquiry. The critical
insights and imaginative landscapes explored within the realm of science fan-
tasy promise to stretch the boundaries of conventional thought. As the con-
tributing authors seamlessly weave together threads of science and fantasy,
they invite us to ponder the limitless possibilities that emerge when these
two realms collide, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of speculative
fiction.

REFERENCES

Broderick, James F. The Literary Galaxy of Star Trek: An Analysis of References and
Themes in the Television Series and Films. McFarland & Co., 2006.
Malmgren, Carl D. “Towards a Definition of Science Fantasy.” Science Fiction Stud-
ies, Vol. 15, no. 3. 1998, pp. 259–81.
Scholes, Robert. “Boiling Roses: Thoughts on Science Fantasy.” In Slusser and Rab-
kin, Intersections Fantasy and Science Fiction. Southern Illinois University Press,
1987, pp. 3–19.
Williams, Eric R. The Screenwriters Taxonomy: A Collaborative Approach to Cre-
ative Storytelling. Routledge, 2017.

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