Science Fiction(Sci-Fi) and Fantasy books are often grouped together, but if you look closely, you will find there is a world of difference. Sci-Fi is either set in the future or in a civilization far more advanced than our own. For example, intergalactic travel and advanced weaponry. Sci-Fi is often set in some distant galaxy and the story may cover billions of miles. The powers of Sci-Fi are related to its technology. Ships, strange weapons, and psionic(mind-related)powers all play a role. The Millennium Falcon and Luke's lightsaber from Star Wars are prime examples. The force is an example of the mind control aspect. In Science fiction the emphasis is usually laid on the plot and extras like ships and weapons. Comparatively, little emphasis is laid on the characters themselves or their relationships with other characters.

Conversely, Fantasy is often set on some other world or continent, with a specific location in relation to our world never defined. The properties of this world often differ from our own and usually contradict physics. Most seem to be set somewhere in medieval Europe, but this is far from universal. The powers in Fantasy books are usually some undefined forces known generically as magic. This sprouts mostly from people, but some springs from powerful artifacts of an ancient civilization. Many books of this genre are written solely about the retrieval of one of these powerful artifacts. The main difference from fantasy to Sci-Fi, however, is Fantasy`s emphasis on characters. Characters drive the story and there are often hundreds of in depth characters in an average fantasy epic. The plot itself revolves around, but is still second to the relationships between these people. As you have seen the differences between Sci-Fi and Fantasy are numerous and they are distinct forms of writing.