Read More SF Romance
Why You Should Read More Science Fiction Romance in 2015
Five reasons you should read more science fiction romance (SFR) in 2015. For those new to the term, in my book (oh look, humor!), SFR balances plot threads involving futuristic technology and the growth of the emotional relationship between the main characters.* It also has to have a happily-ever after (HEA), or it isn't a romance.**- Discover new authors, and new works from existing authors. SFR is a new and growing category, and some new voices are showing up to tease your reading palate. Ruby Lionsdrake, who burst onto the scene in the fall of 2014 with three books in the Mandrake Company space opera series, has more planned for 2015. Nalini Singh's excellent Psy-Changeling series, has more novels planned for 2015, though I'm not sure how she tops Heart of Obsidian. And I'll not-so-humbly point out that my novel Overload Flux, is the first in the Central Galactic Concordance series, and there will be more coming in 2015.
- Get a breath of fresh air in a cross-genre book. Tired of reading science fiction books where you have to slog through the science, or learn an alien language just to follow the plot? Tired of reading romances where the main characters mostly sit around and pine for one another? SFR offers the best of both worlds — a vision of a futuristic universe where anything can happen, and active characters with heart (and often a laser pistol or two). Want humor, too? Check out the always cheeky Eve Langlais and her Cyborg series.
- Support gender equality in science. It's a fact: SFR is written mostly by women. Yeah, yeah, I hear you, it shouldn't matter who wrote that fabulous book, but it does. There's a perceived bias against women authors in science fiction fandom, stemming perhaps from the stereotype that women aren't as knowledgeable in the sciences. If you think that's no longer true, I'll point to the horrendous Mattel blunder in publishing Barbie's “I Can Be a Computer Engineer,” (read more at Gizmodo: https://gizmodo.com/
barbie-f-cks-it-up-again- 1660326671) to bolster my argument. So, buying and reading science fiction written by women does a little bit of social good in breaking down that meme. - Stimulate your curiosity. SFR is based on science, not magic. Don't get me wrong, I love a good paranormal full of magic, vampires, shifters, fae, and assorted beasties that go bump in the night, but it's based on myth, not physics or biology. I'm fascinated by the possibilities of the real world, futuristic though it may be, and love it when science fiction makes me want to know more. Could a space elevator really work? (See https://www.extremetech.
com/extreme/176625-60000- miles-up-geostationary-space- elevator-could-be-built-by- 2035-says-new-study) Why can't we have solar roadways now? (See https://theweek.com/ article/index/262486/solar- roads-are-more-practical-than- they-sound) Is there something better than rocket fuel for liftoff? (See “Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane” in Wikipedia, and extra bonus points if you can figure out how to pronounce it.) - Achieve escape velocity. One of my favorite humor bits goes like this: “What shall I do first? Cook dinner for four, take the cat to the vet, pay the bills, and vacuum the living room… OK, then, reading it is.” Life can be frazzling, annoying, scary, uncomfortable, and all those other things that send your stress levels through the roof. A good book can take you away from all that, and with a good SFR, you can achieve escape velocity and send your imagination soaring among the stars.
NOTE: Cross-posted at RhiReading.com
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*Hat-tip to Heather Massey at Galaxy Express for her more complete definition.
**Or a happy-for-now (HFN). Note to authors: It is NOT an HEA or an HFN if one of the lovers dies by the end of the book. Don't argue with me—I will cut you and leave a nasty review for your book of you insist it's a romance.
