The problem is that near everything in 40k has been a part of a classic or hard scifi at some point. Its a shit dichotomy. Authors should be able to play aroun

The problem is that near everything in 40k has been a part of a classic or hard scifi at some point. Its a shit dichotomy. Authors should be able to play around with demons, philosophy, psychics etc etc, without being slapped in the face with some kind of demeaning label designed to lessen them. The real point of comparison is shit vs good. 40k is largely terrible. Dan Abnett can string a yarn together, but Graham McNeil and most other authors coming up behind him are hot trash. This isnt just because Abnett can write, but because he has a lot of experience outside the Black Library can spread his wings and grow the thing in new directions without being hampered by some nard yelling "lore" like it means anything. My touchstone is something like Dying Earth. If you can weave a story that contains unicorns, grues and wizards and still have it be an exploration, a what if, wizards controlled the world immediately before the explosion of our dying star, its legit. I really hate labels. But its legit scifi, its legit fantasy. Its legit critical mans thinking material. But you can have all those same elements, write it poorly, and its at best popcorn trash.