Sci-fi were creatures

[Talo Segura]

Doing a search for Sci-fi novels to read (Genre = Sci-fi) it throws up stories tagged were-creatures. Do you count were-creatures as Sci-fi or fantasy or maybe both? 

[Mikiesboy]

i count were-creatures as beyond over done and frankly now, dull.  But they can be in either genre i would suppose.

[Valkyrie]

8 hours ago, Talo Segura said:

Doing a search for Sci-fi novels to read (Genre = Sci-fi) it throws up stories tagged were-creatures. Do you count were-creatures as Sci-fi or fantasy or maybe both? 

I would say either.  Depends on what kind of world the author has built.  

[Guest]

They aren’t science fact. But I suppose it’s possible to write a historical or romance story with a were-creature. Wayne & Tim wrote a were-comedy.
;–)

[Headstall]

8 hours ago, Talo Segura said:

Doing a search for Sci-fi novels to read (Genre = Sci-fi) it throws up stories tagged were-creatures. Do you count were-creatures as Sci-fi or fantasy or maybe both? 

I would say as far as genre, they are for the most part fantasy/paranormal. I wrote an extremely popular shifter story called Morningstar: The Malaise, and I don't care what people class it as... Sci Fi, Fantasy, Paranormal... as long as they read it.   In my opinion, a good story is a good story, no matter what genre it is. Cheers! 

[Mikiesboy]

6 minutes ago, droughtquake said:

They aren’t science fact. But I suppose it’s possible to write a historical or romance story with a were-creature. Wayne & Tim wrote a were-comedy.
;–)

He was a were-creature for about 30 seconds...lol

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Mikiesboy said:

He was a were-creature for about 30 seconds...lol

@Wayne Gray shifted for 30 seconds? Were you afraid for your life? What did he shift into?
;–)

[Mikiesboy]

3 minutes ago, droughtquake said:

@Wayne Gray shifted for 30 seconds? Were you afraid for your life? What did he shift into?
;–)

You're not too big that i can't put you over my knee!

[Wayne Gray]

I love the term "were-comedy". It sort of sounds like a story that gets funny only on the full moon.

[Guest]

I’m trying to imagine a were-wolf in a spacesuit. Would his transitions be controlled by the earth’s moon or by the closest moon to his location? Wouldn’t the mission end really badly (and quickly) when he shreds his suit as his body transforms?
;–)

[Mikiesboy]

2 hours ago, droughtquake said:

I’m trying to imagine a were-wolf in a spacesuit. Would his transitions be controlled by the earth’s moon or by the closest moon to his location? Wouldn’t the mission end really badly (and quickly) when he shreds his suit as his body transforms?
;–)

The moon's fullness/brightness is due to the light of the sun .. sooooo, is it really the moon we need to worry about?

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Mikiesboy said:

The moon's fullness/brightness is due to the light of the sun .. sooooo, is it really the moon we need to worry about?

The moon’s fullness is a product of the alignment of the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon. But I’ve never heard of there being a more significant effect on the creature when more planets are in alignment (something that was celebrated in Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In from the rock musical Hair).
;–)

[Mikiesboy]

1 minute ago, droughtquake said:

The moon’s fullness is a product of the alignment of the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon. But I’ve never heard of there being a more significant effect on the creature when more planets are in alignment (something that was celebrated in Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In from the rock musical Hair).
;–)

Hair was about werewolves???      

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Mikiesboy said:

Hair was about werewolves???  

When Hair came out, there was still a huge controversy about men and boys with long hair. Even the early Beatles hairstyle was scandalous at one time! Long hair was equated with femininity and homosexuality. To many people, the long hair (sometimes combined with full beards and mustaches) made the young men look like werewolves or other unwanted creatures. There were places that forcibly removed the long locks of young men who happened to enter the location. Hair touching the collar, not just shoulder-length hair.

My grandmother was quietly horrified by a cousin’s extremely long hair in the early Seventies. It was down to his butt. He was older than me, but was the youngest child of four (with two older sisters and an older brother). We thought she was exaggerating, but later saw photographic proof of his hair hanging below his jacket.
;–)

[Zombie]

The penguin has been spreading malicious rumours about were-bears - flatly denied by a certain bear - but wouldn’t this would come under horror?  

[Valkyrie]

28 minutes ago, Zombie said:

The penguin has been spreading malicious rumours about were-bears - flatly denied by a certain bear - but wouldn’t this would come under horror?  

[Guest]

Penguin or were-penguin?
;–)

[Valkyrie]

[Guest]

Puffin (the book’s publisher) is a Penguin imprint!

[Brayon]

On 4/8/2020 at 4:35 AM, Talo Segura said:

Doing a search for Sci-fi novels to read (Genre = Sci-fi) it throws up stories tagged were-creatures. Do you count were-creatures as Sci-fi or fantasy or maybe both? 

From what I've seen, and to add another category or two to the discussion, Were-creatures, Shapeshifters, Changelings, and the like are found in Horror and Paranormal. I think the overall tone of the story would dictate what flavor of genre the story is. But as previously mentioned, Shifters are so overdone it is an instant, "nope, I'm not reading" in most cases when I come across them. It would have to be a seriously class-A story for me to read one that contains Were-anything in it. So, either a fresh take on them, i.e. people don't really change but channel the essence of the critter, or the story comes highly recommended by someone I trust, for me to look at them. For example, @Backwoods Boy has suggested I read @WolfM's stories, and I've been beta reading one of BB's stories that uses shapeshifting elements in it, that are really fresh.

[BigBen]

Don't know how I missed this thread before.  Werewolves and vampires are usually an automatic no for me, too, these days, but I have enjoyed stories in the past.  The more recent take on vampires doesn't work for me, because as far as I'm concerned, Stoker got it right and anything that doesn't fit with his writing is just wrong, lol!  Though I did like Anne Rice's vampires quite a bit.

To answer the question of the thread, however, I'd classify most stories as fantasy, supernatural, or horror, depending.  However, there are sometimes science-fiction stories that come up with a "scientific" basis for shape-shifting or vampirism, and those can be intriguing.  For example, Zelazny's Operation Chaos is science-fiction that puts magic on a scientific basis, with an explanation of therianthropy that involves polarized light.  On the other hand, while the magic in Leguin's Wizard of Earthsea, including the shape-shifting, follows definite rules, the story is clearly a fantasy.

Edited January 17, 2021 by BigBen