Possibly the closest to science fiction of all the intersection genres is a conventional
treatment of the intersection of science fiction and fantasy with the lost colony
motif. This type of blend of the two genres begins with a technological society
that devolves toward a more feudal, agricultural system. The worlds that are colonized, either intentionally
or through some sort of marooning, are always forgotten or abandoned by the society from
which they originated. After some necessary adjustments to ensure their survival, the
inhabitants of the lost colony invariably lose their technological skills and
knowledges, and reenter a sort of dark age, relying often on feudal systems of
government, mental skills developed once they arrive on the planet (Psionics), and sheer human
ingenuity and indomitability.
More fantasy-oriented collorary of these books are modern retellings of the King Arthur legend, which trace England's shift from Roman colony to feudal backwater, such as those by Mary Stewart and Marion Zimmer Bradley. History has clearly shown that, without the military and civil power of Rome, most of Europe did exactly as these stories indicate--they fell from the beaureacratic empire into feudal structures,which were more immediate and personal than the more difficult systems, and entered periods of extreme conservatism.
Most of the lost colonies' stories come in three parts--the development of characters and plots in the colony's lost period, as they begin to regain "modern" mindsets and technologies, or are approached and "found" by the rest of civilization, the retelling of old legends of the colonies, or the stories of the founding of the colonies, which may or may not match up with the inhabitants' versions of history.
Lost colonies are a fairly common theme. Several of the authors discussed elsewhere in this site fit the catagory perfectly, such as Anne McCaffrey, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Robert Silverburg, and Ursula Leguin, although there are also many other authors who write about worlds that fit this description, to some degree.
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