Is Weird Sci-Fi Romance the New Black?
Cover for Ruby Dixon’s sci-fi romance Ice Planet Barbarians
Sci-fi romance has always had a touch of weirdness, perhaps because many authors who write it are geeks and/or come from a background of consuming science fiction stories in various mediums. Science fiction definitely has its share of weird stories and some of that sensibility found its way into science fiction romance. And why not? Weird is fun!
For me, the weirdness in SFR is part of the appeal and charm, but that hasn’t been the case for everyone. Yet there are signs more readers are willing to embrace the genre’s weirder side.
Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians is currently a staff pick at Belmont Books:
Look, it is what it says on the tin. There are barbarians and they live on an ice planet. I love a contemporary rom-com or a sweeping historical romance, but sometimes you just need to get a little weird in romance.
You don’t say! Let’s read that last part again:
“…sometimes you just need to get a little weird in romance.”
Well! That is some interesting news.
But let’s get real: various marketing strategies likely occurred behind the scenes between Belmont Books and Berkley, which published Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarian series, eventually leading to this staff pick. That’s not a criticism, just a fact of publishing. In other words, the weird elements in the book probably weren’t the sole driving force behind the staff pick—much as I would have liked them to be.
It also means that validation for romances that “get a little weird” probably only applies to trad published books despite the fact that Ruby Dixon and other authors have been self-publishing alien sci-fi romances/SFR with weird elements for years and years. Alas, self-published science fiction romances will still likely be considered low-status and/or relegated to the “ew, that’s too weird” category outside the circle of their already dedicated readers. Please, someone, prove me wrong!
Cover for Casey McQuiston’s time travel rom-com One Last Stop
Giving the stamp of approval to “weird” science fiction romance
In the acknowledgments of Casey McQuiston’s f/f time travel rom-com One Last Stop, the author shared that when she pitched the idea for the book her editor responded, “This is so weird. You should do it.”
For more Deep Thoughts about this subject, read my commentary about it on Twitter.
It’s difficult to parse whether her editor was endorsing the weirdness or simply not getting in the way of a bestselling author who had already contracted with the publisher to write the book. That said, the “You should do it” part is a mainstream validation by folks with lots of power for Casey McQuiston’s “weird” sci-fi romance.
And here we go again: does this validation extend to weird science fiction romances as a whole? Do the above examples mean a stamp of approval for all weird SFRs, or is the praise reserved only for certain types of “chosen one” books? In particular, will weird sci-fi romances by marginalized authors (i.e., BIPOC/queer) finally get a proper amount of interest, respect, and love?
I guess there’s something to be said for trad publishing giving its stamp of approval to weird sci-fi romance because that influence could translate to the similar work of self-published and small press published authors. Dear readers, there’s nothing to fear from sci-fi romances that get a little weird!
Keep in mind, indie/self-published authors of SFR are the ones driving the trends (hello, monster romance-in-space stories!), some of which eventually show up in traditional publishing—seemingly against all odds. If you’re a self-published/small-press author of sci-fi romance and you write offbeat, “out there” or weird stories, congratulations! I see you putting in the work and being creative and innovative. I hope readers are finding your work.
All right, no need to twist my arm—I’m just gonna call it: WEIRD SCI-FI ROMANCE IS THE NEW BLACK!
