The problem with genre fiction is the unfortunate stereotypes and assumptions about which subset appeals to which audience. call something “science fiction” and it will inevitably be marketed to men. calls something “romance”, and the pink covers come off. this is not fair to either genre and creates a problem when a story is a strong mix of both. more often than not, publishers will decide to push in one direction or the other, even when both are to the same extent.
Sci-fi romances can be some of the most satisfying stories out there. consider, for example, star wars. Technically classified as science fiction, the love stories (Anakin and Padme, Han and Leia) are its defining aspect. Frankenstein, considered the grandmother of the science fiction novel, is about Victor Frankenstein’s longing for love and romance with Elizabeth.
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The irony is that, initially, the two genders were the same. when the Victorians began writing futuristic novels, they were classified under the “scientific romance” genre. the juxtaposition of old-fashioned human sentiments and futuristic technology is the inherent conflict within many of the best science fiction series. that’s why sci-fi romances are some of the most popular reading on this planet or any other
These are some of our favorite sci-fi romance novels that everyone should read.
ma’am. caliban by rachel ingals
the 1982 novel that inspired the oscar-winning film the shape of water, rachel ingalls’ tale of the lonely housewife who hears about a potentially dangerous monster that has just escaped from a Research Center is a classic sci-fi love story.
In it, Dorothy accidentally meets “Larry” and finds the romance and companionship with him that her marriage and life have been missing. Mrs. caliban is a romance; It’s science fiction, but it’s also a modern fairy tale mixed with a totally unforgettable TV horror movie.
naked in death, the series in death by j.d. steal
Fans of romance know j.d. robb as a pseudonym for nora roberts, one of the most prolific and well-known writers in the genre. so of course her foray into sci-fi (albeit mixed with mystery thriller elements) comes with a healthy dose of heat between her characters.
In 2058, New York Homicide Detective Lt. Eve Dallas is drawn into a world of wealth and political intrigue as she investigates the death of a senator’s daughter, only to discover that she is falling for the prime suspect, the ultra-rich, ultra-sexy Roarke. the series has been putting out new installments since the mid-1990s and has around 40 sequels and counting at this point, but the original is still the best.
the long road to an angry little planet, the series wayfarers by becky chambers
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the first novel of 2014 to introduce the world of the galactic commons, becky chambers’s long walk to a small angry planet is less about science fiction and exploration than a character-driven story about a motley crew of employees who live and work together aboard the traveling ship.
The first book, and its “Planet of the Week” adventures, centers on Rosemary Harper, who loves seeing the far corners of space as well as escaping her past. but the interspecies love stories between the characters (including an s/f lgbtq+ connection) will keep fans reading.
lilith’s brood by octavia butler
more sex-heavy science fiction than a passionate romance story, octavia butler originally wrote lilith’s brood as three separate parts of a trilogy: dawn, rites of adulthood and imago.
dawn is the only one with a romantic story (sort of), covering the arrival of an alien race, the Oankali, who “rescue” the surviving members of the human race after radioactive fallout. having decided to interbreed with them will be a win-win exercise, though humans have to get used to all three sexes, male, female, and ooloi, and sex involving “brainmasses.”
The elements of the slavery and relocation parable are what make the series a must-read for any student of the science fiction genre, and the books are now packaged and sold only as a set, but the tragic dawn. The love story between the human Lilith and Nikanj, an Ooloi, will stay with you.
keir, pippa jay’s redemption series
pippa jay first introduced her universe of travelers in her 2011 short story, bones of the sea, but the first novel in her redemption series, keir, turned his universe into a true sci-fi romance. Even the back cover blurb is structured as a romance with his and her sections, the titular “blue demon” Keirlan de Corizi, and the woman who crosses time and space to rescue him, Tarquin Secker.
With as many interstitial stories as there are novels, their romance is now at six books, with the shadow of keir expected to be out soon.
the dart of kushiel, the phèdre trilogy by jacqueline carey
I was hesitant to add kushiel’s dart to this list, even though it’s probably the first novel most people think of when they think of “sci-fi + sex”. the 2001 novel centers on phèdre nó delaunay, who is born “in the service of naamah,” which is a fancy way of saying prostitution.
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but if you’re looking for a female character whose agency is her own and whose sexual escapades are surprisingly wholesome, this is a good series, even if her romance with consort joscelin verreuil is secondary to her rise in society.
never let me go by kazuo ishiguro
Set in a dystopian alternate England, Never Let Me Go is told from the point of view of caretaker kathy, who, at 31, has been in this job since graduating from high school. Boarding school, known as Hailsham, where he spent his formative years with his best friends, Ruth and Tommy.
kathy’s flashbacks to their lives in the late 1990s, and hailsham’s slow reveal, is the kind of twist best left for the reader, but kathy, tommy and ruth’s love story is as haunting as the fate they were. born to.
fragments of honor, the vorkosigan saga by lois mcmaster bujold
I had a hard time choosing which of the vorkosigan saga novels to include here, to the point that I almost skipped it altogether. part of me wants to direct everyone straight to book 12, a civil campaign, which is practically star trek crossed with a regency romance.
but the completionist in me demands that I send you all to shards of honor, book one of this extensive series, for a proper introduction to cordelia naismith, her first encounter with commander aral vorkosigan, and the beginning of their mutual infatuation with each other which blossoms into more.
this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar & maximum gladstone
An old-fashioned epistolary novel set in the future, That’s How You Lose the Time War chronicles the ill-fated, timeless, slow-burn love story that unfolds between two rivals. . red and blue agents. as they pass each other, leaving each other secret messages as they slowly go from foe to foe friend to falling in love.
But when Red’s commanding officer learns of the emotional affair, Blue’s life is suddenly in danger. can the past be altered one more time to fix it? The time war may be lost, but readers’ hearts will be full when it ends.
ani bundel is a film and tv writer at elite daily covering all things high-end television and is associate editor of pbs/weta’s tely visions, where she co-hosts a weekly podcast by anglophiles for anglophiles. Ani, a self-taught journalist from the school of hard knocks, started blogging in the age of rapid change. ani’s other usual signatures can be found at nbc news think.