Ice Planet Barbarians

Science-fiction romance is a subgenre of romance that contains sci-fi elements. By combining the generic rules of romance—traditionally a more realist genre—with sci-fi elements, sci-fi romances often create allegories to question concepts of identity, attraction, power structures, and the meaning and purpose of love and sex for the individual and society. Like romance in general, sci-fi romance is often written by and marketed to women and has been seen as a way to adapt the predominantly male-centric traditional narratives of sci-fi for a female readership.

Texts in this genre follow the “golden rule” of romance, which dictates a happy ending, often known as a “happily ever after,” or HEA. Some works in the genre contain a more temporary element as part of the plot progression, known as “happy for now.” The HEA is usually related to some form of romantic attachment between two or more people but is often not restricted to that romantic attachment. HEAs often contain elements of other forms of satisfaction, such as finding personal meaning in life, reconciling with family, making new (non-romantic) connections, or working to process past traumas. Unlike the romance narrative, which must be fulfilled by the end of a work, these non-romantic HEA elements may still be in progress when a novel or series concludes.