So it's Sunday morning, I just met a deadline, and I've nothing better to do.

wicked_wish was talking recently about the difference(s) between fantasy, science fiction, and horror, and whether we really need dividing lines or not. And the subject has been niggling at me ever since. Not, of course, that the world particularly needs my opinion, but hey. What is the internet for (besides porn and cat pictures) if not for sharing unsolicited opinions?

There are three quite different answers to the question of whether the Siamese triplet genres of fantasy, science fiction, and horror need to be separated:

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. They're just marketing categories.

Let me deal with the three in reverse order.

( 3. They're just marketing categories. )

( 2. No. )

( 1. Yes. )