Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Hi, Nathan. Thanks for helping out so many people here.

My almost-finished novel has a UFO. Am I doomed to call it sci-fi? There's no "science" in my science fiction.

I would prefer to call the novel urban fantasy because that's a more popular genre. Most of the story takes place in a major U.S. city, plus the story has urban concerns (gangs, urban attitudes). One 500-word scene takes place off the planet.

Here's an earlier response you made, but it doesn't answer my question:
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=4&p=24856&hilit=ur ... asy#p24856

From wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_fantasy
"Urban fantasy is a subset of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times or contain supernatural elements. However, this is not the primary definition of urban fantasy. [1]Urban fantasy can be set in historical times, modern times, or futuristic times. The prerequisite is that it must be primarily set in a city, rather than in a suburban or country setting, which have their own genre subsets.[2].......As the term suggests, urban fantasy describes a work that is set primarily in a city and contains fantasy elements. Urban fantasy sometimes features problems with inner city life, such as gangs and city management.[3]."

Well, I don't know that there necessarily needs to be "science" for something to be called science fiction, and UFOs are definitely a science fiction trope. But if you're blending genres, only you and your critique partners have a sense of the balance of blending, so just go with whatever you feel best characterizes it. Genre labels are one of those things that shouldn't be overthought, and when in doubt go with the section of the bookstore you think it would be stocked under.