Does being branded “science fiction” limit sales and exposure? Apparently so, from the perspective of someone who takes umbrage to a favorite new novel being called science fiction in a New York Times review. Only certain novels fall into sf:
If you’re a strict constructionist, a sci-fi story requires an extrapolation from real science. If you take a more generous point of view, sci-fi must at least provide a science-ish accounting for non-realistic elements of the story. At the bare minimum, there must be some pseudo-scientific babble and hand-waving (hello, warp drive).
One rung up from science fiction? Well, you can “call it fantasy” and that removes the sf taint. Worthy writers apparently don’t write science fiction.
