RT Book Reviews Brings On The Science Fiction Romance!

A couple of days ago, I went to the local B&N with my daughter so she could play with the Thomas The Tank Engine set and I could get caught up with the latest RT Book Reviews (October 2010). When I saw the cover, I was like, “Whoa!”, because at the top were the words “Worldbuilding 101: A Sci-Fi Romance Primer.” If that weren’t enough, the cover also featured the title of another article, “Women At The Helm Of The Sci-Fi Fantasy Universe.” Double whoa!

It was my lucky day. RT Book Reviews and its European sister, LoveLetter Magazine (for which I write an SFR column, if you’re new to my blog), have both been incredible about providing science fiction romance coverage. Domestic and international coverage of the subgenre in print mediums is crucial to spreading the word about the subgenre to readers—especially those who don’t spend time online. An unspoken partnership is evolving here, because science fiction romance offers readers something new, and the aforementioned magazines gain fresh content as a result.

It’s a win-win.

In “Shooting Stars: Why Women Are Piloting The Next Generation Of Science Fiction,” Linnea Sinclair (REBELS AND LOVERS) points out that there’s “a growing trend of female characters taking the lead in what used to be a ‘boys only’ club.” She goes on to state that “…the most important thing for new and old readers of science fiction and fantasy novels to know today is that times—and female characters—have changed.”

Very true, and praise Galileo. There are so many great quotes in this article, from the likes of Catherine Asaro, Marianne de Pierres, and Julie E. Czerneda. Contributors to the article stress how women authors bring the human and relationship elements to science fiction/science fiction romance/fantasy. For the most part, the boys wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole, and as the saying goes, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

There’s also an inset titled “Cleared for Liftoff: Sci Fi’s Newest Stars.” (waves to featured authors Katherine Allred and Gini Koch). When asked to name “the most challenging part of worldbuilding,” both of these authors cited “consistency.” That surprised me, but mainly because both authors did such a good job that I’d have never suspected it would be a particular challenge!

I liked the cute “What’s Your Subgenre?” feature, complete with a retro space rocket crewed by some kind of Space Family Robinson. Readers answer a short quiz to find out if they’d be fans of steampunk, time travel, space opera, or epic/high fantasy stories. I cheated and answered mostly A’s and Cs, which makes me a steampunk & space opera kind of gal. Who knew?

The other article was “Advice for Building a Science Fiction Romance—Complete With Its Own Universe” by none other than BEYOND THE SHADOWS author Jess Granger. She wrote a great opening: “Science fiction romance is in so many ways the new frontier of romance. No other subgenre has as open a canvas for innovation, conflict, and the heart-touching bonds of love we all adore.”

Ahhh…music to my ears! I find it exciting and quite a bit surreal to read an article in a national magazine that discusses such an important aspect of SFR. Jess Granger offers strategic advice that can help authors make their worldbuilding more sophisticated.

For example, she suggests making details in the world familiar so readers can mentally picture the world with ease: “If you’re talking about a chair, call it a chair, don’t call it a squarloq.” And while characters should be allowed to take technology for granted, she strongly recommends that authors “Pay attention to details when developing your technology.” Hear, hear. Because readers who know the difference between a “bulkhead” and a “sidewall” (one of her examples) will thank authors for their extra effort. Actually, I had to look up “sidewall” and am glad I did because there are like, three different definitions for it. :-P

Finally, in “Poll Reprt,” RT asked its readers, “Do you read science fiction or fantasy novels?” Heck, no, I’m not going to spoil the answer! You’ll have to read it for yourself. The number is, however, statistically significant.

So thank you, RT Book Reviews, and all the authors who contributed to the feature. We of the science fiction romance community salute you.

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Catching Up With “Summer of SFR” Reviews

I’m catching up with Verona St. James’ Summer of SFR reviews, and wanted to post them in case any of you missed the last few.

The first is about GABRIEL’S GHOST by Linnea Sinclair:

It started out well enough, as I said I enjoyed the action packed opening on the prison planet. I also loved Sully and his cocky personality, he is your typical charming rogue, but I think Ms Sinclair did a good job at giving him many, many layers and slowly pulling them away, revealing them to Chaz and the reader. Unfortunately, I felt like Sully kept too many secrets, especially from Chaz when he professed himself to be in love with her, and the way he very deliberately parceled them out in increments felt much more like a plot device to keep him enigmatic than as an organic part of his character.

She also shared that she had difficulty engaging with the heroine, Chaz:

Chaz was a good heroine, but, and I'm having trouble articulating this, I felt no chemistry with her, no affiliation, no zing. I liked her OK, but there was nothing about her voice or her actions that made me sit up and say, "I want to party with this chick."

I think I’m the opposite of many GABRIEL’S GHOST readers—on the whole, I wanted to know more about Chaz than Sully, even though Sully is presented as the star of the show.

The second book is Catherine Asaro’s ALPHA. Of the hero Thomas, she observes:

Thomas was a pretty likable protagonist, and I appreciated how he was not a Teflon hero. Thomas gets beat-up and bruised and broken, and every confrontation he's in, he walks--or limps--away with injuries.

I appreciated that realistic treatment, particularly considering Thomas's age. Even Thomas himself notices he doesn't bounce back from rough-handling like he would have in his youth. This was a nice deviation from the usual SF hero, who is typically a robust specimen of Alpha-maledom.

She also points out that ultimately, the story belongs to Thomas. Upon reflection I realized that fit with my own observations no matter how big my crush on Alpha.

On a related note, Verona’s reading of ALPHA prompted her to reflect on The Problematic Nature of Immortality.

Lastly, her latest review is Sara Creasy’s cyberpunk adventure SONG OF SCARABAEUS. I skipped most of it since I recently started the book, but Verona concluded the review with:

I'd say if you're interested in complex world-building, a hot hero, and you don't mind a mild cliffhanger of an ending you should give this book a try.

From what I’ve read so far, the story lies in romantic SF territory, but the romance is structured in much the same way as a traditional romance—there’s just less of it in the beginning.

Thanks for your art, Verona!

Joyfully yours,

Heather

George Mann’s THE OSIRIS RITUAL: More Steampunk Lovin’

Shortly after I blogged about George Mann’s THE AFFINITY BRIDGE (A Newbury & Hobbes Investigation), a Tor/Forge publicist contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in a galley of the next book in the series, THE OSIRIS RITUAL. My response? “Where do I sign?!!” Upon receiving the book, I quickly devoured it. I was reading it for the steampunk, but I was also intensely curious about whether the author would continue the thread of romance he’d hinted at in the first book. I wasn’t disappointed on either count.

However, my purpose here isn’t to review THE OSIRIS RITUAL. For that, you can refer to John DeNardo’s review at SF Signal. Here’s an excerpt:

The three-pronged plot here involves mysterious murders surrounding an Egyptian mummy, a rogue agent who has been mechanically augmented, and a series of women gone missing from a magician's stage act. Each of these story lines hints at the desired mixture of flavors of The Osiris Ritual: the mummy providing the supernatural ingredient, the augmented agent representing steampunk, and the disappearances lending the air of mystery.

Rather, I’d like to make a few non-spoiler comments about the developing attraction I detected between the hero and heroine (your mileage may vary). A romance aspect is present throughout THE OSIRIS RITUAL, but again, as in THE AFFINITY BRIDGE, it’s understated. Newbury is a brilliant investigator, but also tortured man. Hobbes is presented as a progressive, capable woman who may or may not be able to tame him. That’s a recipe for a romance if I ever saw one.

My expectations were met as far as their personal relationship development. Newbury is attracted to Hobbes because she is smart and unflinching in the face of danger. Hobbes finds Newbury attractive because of his investigative skills as well as his expertise in the occult. Of course, he’s also quite the dashing fellow. Still, because of the barely-there romantic subplot, while reading the story and after finishing it, I found myself engaging in quite a few daydreams about how their romance might unfold. All it took was for the author to have Newbury make an observation about Hobbes’ physical appearance, and in my mind I fast-forwarded to the couple Doing It.

But it wasn’t just about physical attraction. Veronica Hobbes has a secret, which was revealed in the first book and has increasing prominence in THE OSIRIS RITUAL. The secret has Very Serious Implications for her relationship with Newbury. It’s a trust issue—one that factors into both their professional and personal relationships and threatens to throw a monkey wrench into the budding romance. The development was enough to make me sigh with pleasure because it foreshadows what could be very intense conflict. How totally righteous it would be if Mr. Mann decided to expand the romance in future books, or at least write a side story wholly devoted to it.

So that’s my take on the romantic angle. If you want a sense of the story’s overall tone, here’s what a review at SF Crowsnest had to say about THE OSIRIS RITUAL:

Equal parts light and dark, the book plays well with the light-hearted dialogue reminiscent of old literary serials whilst the darker aspects are harrowing and nasty. Nasty enough to cause a jolt and to make you think twice about whose safe but not enough to terrify you out of reading it for fear of harm to the characters.

Maurice Newbury, who will inevitably and unfairly be compared to Holmes, is a fantastic lead who meshes a keen intellect together with an addictive personality. His insecurities are human enough and the pressure he puts himself under makes him all the more believable. The writing style is clear and concise, not too over-detailed, not too scarce. It's a book that prides itself on its style and its light adventurous tone, sure it has dark undercurrents but a good novel never lacks that. It's a fantastical homage to a bygone era that changed the world, in both reality and fiction.

And check this out: George Mann has inked a deal for a Newbury & Hobbes graphic novel! Earlier this summer, he posted a sample image from THE OSIRIS RITUAL at his site. A film or television version of the series can’t be far off, can it?



In the meantime, readers can look forward to the next book in the series, THE IMMORALITY ENGINE. Fingers crossed that the romance subplot thickens….

Joyfully yours,

Heather

Do You Review Science Fiction Romance? Come On Down!*

A few days ago, in Hmm…no reviews, author Erica Anderson (THE ANTAREN AFFAIR) contemplates the lack of review sites devoted to science fiction romance—or even general romance ones that review SFR on a regular basis. She reflected that

This experience has made me incredibly sympathetic to the plight of those authors who, for the last thirty years, have been trying to write, publish, and sell SFR. As an author in 2010, I am, of course, the beneficiary of all of their hard work. They slogged for years to get published because they had to prove that SFR was worthwhile.

She adds that “Nor, in my experience do many general romance review sites spend much time or digital space on SFR.”

There are definitely romance bloggers who have featured periodic reviews of SFR titles, including Dear Author, Enduring Romance, Mrs. Giggles, Dirty Sexy Books, The Book Smugglers, All About Romance, Ramblings on Romance, and Jace Scribbles. But given that many of them are general romance review sites as Ms. Anderson noted, combined with the low, low number of mainstream print books, we can’t expect much more from them.

Or can we?

Is the lack of SFR review coverage solely because it’s a niche subgenre? I’m certain that aspect plays a large role, but could it also stem from the subgenre’s low visibility. How many conversations are we having with romance review sites on behalf of science fiction romance? Are we pursuing the big sites as well as the Mom 'n' Pop ones? Many of them have staff that knows about SFR, but others might be less informed. If we want them to become as excited about the subgenre as we are, shouldn't we try our best to inform them?

That’s not to say we should ambush review sites with neon signs flashing “Pick me! Pick me!”** And perhaps the route to informing them about the SFR titles available for review needn’t always be as direct as an email soliciting a review. Direct contact should happen routinely (whether handled by the publisher or author), but other strategies include being an active members of romance review forums when possible, or doing more on our part to spread the word about any SFR book news.

The keyword being news.

It helps if the books are making news of some kind. Otherwise, we risk others viewing SFR as just another type of romance. Readers—especially if we want a steady supply of stories—can help spread news as well as authors. At this point, either we don’t have much news to offer (which I doubt), or we have it but lack the resources to broadcast it (which is what I believe the more likely scenario).

Since reading Erica Anderson’s post, I’ve been wondering about the idea of a review site devoted exclusively to science fiction romance. It wouldn’t die from lack of print and digital titles, that’s for sure, especially given the long history of stories available (and it could focus on film and television, too). But such an endeavor involves a lot of work, even thought it’d be more like a labor of love.

The way I see it, there are pros and cons:

Pros:

*An SFR review site would help raise the visibility of science fiction romance.

*Authors with SFR stories would have a new venue for reviews.

*Readers can make informed decisions about the stories they want to purchase.

*Readers can gather to discuss what they liked or didn’t like about the stories, and thus the SFR community evolves further.

Cons:

*Why compete with so many other romance review sites?

*The small number of mainstream print releases would mean that the reviewer would need to review digital titles as well as print ones, a task which would be made easier with an e-reader. The prices are going down, but such a device is still out of the reach of many.

*The reviewer would need to be a fan of SFR first and foremost, which ideally would translate to being well-read in both SF and romance.

*He/she would also benefit from having the following on his/her resume: good writing and analytical skills; be SEO savvy (to help raise visibility online); have the time and inclination to run such an operation, which in essence would be a part-time job festivity.

*Finding just the right angle or “hook” for the blog. Humorous? No-holds-barred? Academic? Quirky?

What are your thoughts? Do we need a review site dedicated to SFR? If not, what would you suggest authors do to catch the attention of reviewers?

Lastly, if you’re a blogger who reviews science fiction romance—or would consider doing so, give us a shout out in the comments.

Joyfully yours,

Heather

*As in, the catchphrase used on THE PRICE IS RIGHT game show. Couldn’t help myself.

**From Disney’s FINDING NEMO, of course. What can I say? I’m on a roll today.

Erica Anderson's THE ANTAREN AFFAIR: More Than Meets The Sexxoring

Sex and politics go hand in hand, and Erica Anderson’s THE ANTAREN AFFAIR reminded me how much science fiction romance readily lends itself to exploring such themes.

The story begins with Colonel Rákōsy Avar of the Imperial Forces who is headed to the planet Antaren for a series of diplomatic talks in order to negotiate an alliance. Heroine Meraya is a kebara, “a woman trained to provide sexual pleasure.” The Antaren leaders offer her to Avar during his stay as a show of their good faith.

I found this story interesting because on the surface, it’s about the erotic encounter between a stalwart military man and a woman who is essentially a sex slave. There are several love scenes involving Meraya surrendering sexually to Avar. His Alpha male glory gives her a taste of how a real man sexually dominates makes love to a woman.

However, beneath the titillating veneer is a story with a definite political theme, one played out against an intergalactic chessboard. In fact, one couldn’t really tell this story effectively without employing erotic elements. Think about the premise a bit further: a woman who is a potential source of Antaren political secrets (because she provides sexual pleasures to the male leaders, and you know how the tongues of male politicians wag in the privacy of their bedrooms) is expected to have intimate experiences with an Imperial diplomat. The Antaren leaders expect Meraya’s complete loyalty, but should they make such a blithe assumption?

[Slight spoilers ahead, but not enough to ruin the plot]

To Meraya, Avar represents a type of man worth serving sexually because he recognizes her worth as a free woman and views her as an equal. For example, he explains to her that:

“In the empire—the place that I come from—there is the idea that hitan is shared. That it must give pleasure to both. We have a ritual called a pair-bond. It is like a promise between two people to share service and pleasure.”

Therefore, Meraya’s story is a bit of a coming-of-age tale since once Avar enters her life, she begins to question the methods of her upbringing as well as the Antaren political hierarchy.

Meraya’s position as a kebara actually has roots in a political role. The story makes a reference to The Life of Tanat, which is about Tanat, the first kebara. Tanat “understood service as an unbreakable bond that required as much of the master as the kebara. Once, long ago, the kebareet had pledged themselves, had entered service willingly.”

In essence, as I understood it, the relationship between the kebara and the masters (“barals”) served as a check and balance system. The relationship was not just sexual, but political. As time passes, all aspects except the sexual ones were lost (this is an erotic romance, after all), and the relationship devolved into that of master and sex slave.

I would have liked to know more about how the relationship devolved because it's such a tragedy. The idea of women wielding major political power through their control over the Antaren men's sexual pleasure is intriguing. How did they lose all of that power? The story only states that “somehow, the old ways had been lost.” But that absence of information made me realize that I’d like to read about such detail in stories like THE ANTAREN AFFAIR. While the erotic scenes were plentiful and fun, there was potential here for a longer story that edged a bit more into the political sphere.

I did have some difficulty suspending my disbelief that the Antarens “controlled a very strategic portion of interstellar space that the empire coveted”, yet also managed to exercise strict control over its female population. In fact, intelligence reports “had no data on female Antarens.” I suppose it’s within the realm of possibility, but I couldn’t help my assumption that a space faring race would have some basic level of gender equality. But ultimately, I feel that was a minor distraction in an SFR story that had intriguing themes and purpose beyond the sexual journeys of the hero and heroine.

Lucky for us, Erica Anderson is working on a sequel. I don’t know if she’s going to take readers to Antaren again, but my fingers are crossed that she takes similar if not more risks with whatever skiffy elements she’ll include in the story. THE ANTAREN AFFAIR demonstrates what erotic SFR can accomplish with a scorching heat level that works with the concept and story scope instead of against it.

Joyfully yours,

Heather