The best novels that blend science fiction and fantasy

Dan Simmons’ book weaves together the rigour of science fiction with the allure of fantasy to create a universe that is as intellectually provocative as it is imaginatively rich.

At the centre of this story is the Shrike–a being of advanced technology that can move through space and time, with near god-like abilities more commonly found in fantasy. Learning about the Shrike through the eyes of the main characters was like reading a futuristic version of Tolkien’s Sauron–the being is mysterious, terrifying, unknowable, and casts a hypnotic pull over those who seek it.

The novel itself is a feat in narrative structure, with the story told through the tales of seven pilgrims. Backstories often impede the plot, and are best used sparingly, however, Simons subverts this to create interlinked storylines that were nothing short of page-turning. I finished the book in awe of the world he had created and his ability as a writer.

Set among the post-apocalyptic remnants of a far-future earth, this book combines the “forgotten technology” trope common to science fiction with archetypal fantasy characters. 

Civilisations relying on technology so advanced it’s incomprehensible to them, is one of my favourite concepts in science fiction. Harrison uses this to create a world I thought was magical, melancholic, and nostalgic–effecting a tone more common to epic fantasy.

However, it is the imagery that sets this book apart, with Harrison depicting battlefields and blasted landscapes with a colourful yet eerily retro and forlorn beauty. It was like reading T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land in a 70s disco, complete with knights fighting among rusted metal swamps, with lightsaber-like baans, against brain-eating bioengineered creatures from humanity’s former technological apex.  

I was hooked by the setting and drawn along by knights, queens, and old warriors interacting with androids and futuristic weapons as they attempted to save their dying world. 

The only Young Adult book on this list but firmly deserving of its place, this book is the perfect example of how to successfully blend science fiction and fantasy. 

Colfer takes a traditional fantasy fairy society and gives them advanced weaponry, surveillance gadgets, and time-stopping devices. It works incredibly well, and through convincing world-building I was immediately bought into the idea of fantasy creatures with sci-fi technology. 

A standout feature of the novel is the characters, whose backstories, motivations, and behaviours all help to build this science fantasy world. We get an elf “LEPRecon” officer with access to bionic wings, a centaur who heads the technology department of the “Lower Elements Police,” and a dwarven thief who sells stolen human property on the black market. They were all enormously fun to read.

In this book, the lines between science and sorcery are indistinguishably and deliberately blurred, crafting a narrative that has evolved into a timeless masterpiece.

Set in a distant future, the universe is ruled over by feudalistic dukes and barons who wage interstellar wars for planets and resources. Here, psychoactive substances grant visions of the future, and colossal sandworms are revered as divine entities. But what truly captured my imagination was the portrayal of the technological as the magical. The Bene Gesserit, a secretive sisterhood often likened to witches, uses multigenerational genetic engineering to bring about prophesies and wield supernatural mind-controlling abilities. 

This seamless fusion of advanced bioengineering with elements of the mystical not only makes the universe of this book feel magical but also tangibly real, resulting in a novel that is both intricate and immersive. 

This book stands as the quintessential masterpiece of the dying earth subgenre and a towering achievement in science fantasy.

Set on a far-future Earth where the sun is dying, this world is steeped in advanced technologies that, having been lost to time, are treated as magical or divine by the current inhabitants. It is at this crossroads that Wolfe utterly enthralled me. His narrative–both philosophically profound and richly imaginative–portrays what appear to be magical artefacts through the lens of forgotten or misunderstood technology.

In the citadel where we meet our protagonist, Severian, decommissioned rocket ships form the turrets, a robotic doctor roams the corridors, soldiers equipped with energy weapons mount horses for battle, and visiting aliens are met with contempt but not surprise. However, the reader must unpack these mysteries because Severian, through whose eyes we explore this world, is both unreliable and takes much of what he sees for granted. It was in deciphering Severian’s understanding of the world, himself, and his motivations, that had me fully invested in the story.