Space opera is one of the most popular settings in science
fiction romance. But does it inadvertently overshadow others?
The issue came up recently in the comment section of my
latest SFR News & Link Roundup when Starla
Huchton asked, "What about non-spacey SFR?" Non-space opera
settings definitely exist, but I understand how readers can have a challenging time
discovering them amid all the wormhole and space battle action. Therefore, I
decided to compile a list of "non-spacey" SFRs.
I organized the list according to setting and/or type of
subgenre. Heat levels range from sweet to erotic. Science fictional elements
range from light to hard SF. To keep the list manageable, I presented some titles, like
anthologies and series, in a condensed form. I arranged the titles in random order.
To learn more about an individual
author's work, you can click to each author's site via the SFR Authors page.
I've also blogged about many of these titles in one way or another, so this
site's search engine will also yield more information.
This is not meant to be a complete list (and some authors have written several non-space opera settings). If you
don't see a particular qualifying title feel free to mention it in the comment section.
Some books blur the line between space opera and other settings, so I created
an additional section at the end of the list.
Enjoy!
Earth
setting/contemporary
CELESTIAL SEDUCTION; SUDDEN BREAKAWAY - Jessica E. Subject
PARAGON - Aubrey Watt
JANE'S WARLORD - Angela Knight
NEVER LOVE A STRANGER - Ellen Fisher
TIN CAT - Misa Buckley
Near Future
DRIVEN; HIDDEN - Eve Kenin
NAKED IN DEATH - J.D. Robb
THE PHOENIX CODE; SUNRISE ALLEY; ALPHA - Catherine Asaro
BORN TO DARKNESS - Suzanne Brockmann
BODY ELECTRIC - Susan Squire
PARADIGM SHIFT - Misa BuckleySOMATESTHESIA - Ann Somerville
DARK FUTURE - KC Klein
"Saint Valentine’s Day" - Michele Lang
Jordan Summers' Dead World trilogy (begins with RED)
Superhero/superhuman
PHEONIX RISING - Corrina Lawson
BLAZE OF GLORY - Sheryl Nantus
BORN TO DARKNESS - Suzanne Brockmann
SUNRISE ALLEY - Catherine Asaro
DYNAMA - Ruth Diaz
EVIL VILLAINS FALL IN LOVE - Liana Brooks
Cyberpunk
BREAK AND ENTER - Aleksandr Voinov & Rachel Haimowitz
UNACCEPTABLE RISK - Jeanette Grey
THE FACILITATOR - Sahara Kelly
SYNTHETIC DREAMS - Kim Knox
CIRCUIT THEORY - Reya Starck & Kirby Crow
GAME OVER - Taylor Keating
CIMMERIAN CITY - Rae LoriUNSECURE CONNECTION - Alanna Blackett
Samhain Publishing's Cybershock anthology
Biopunk
JAQ'S HARP; BRAIDED SILK - Ella Drake
Steampunk
Meljean Brook's The
Iron Seas series (begins with THE IRON DUKE)
Beth Ciotta's The
Victorious Glorious Darcys (begins with HER SKY COWBOY)
Kate Cross' Wardens of
the Realm series (begins with HEART OF BRASS)
Zoe Archer & Nico Rosso's Ether Chronicles (begins with SKIES OF FIRE and NIGHTS OF FIRE)
Cindy Spencer Pape's Gaslight
Chronicles (begins with STEAM & SORCERY)
WILD CARDS AND IRON HORSES - Sheryl Nantus
IRON GUNS, BLAZING HEARTS - Heather Massey (in the interest
of full disclosure, that's me!)
MECHANICAL ROSE; FULL STEAM AHEAD - Nathalie Gray
ISLAND OF ICARUS - Christine Danse
THE IRON HEART - Leslie Dicken
CLOCKWORK HEART - Dru Pagliassotti
ASHER'S INVENTION - Coleen Kwan
"A Swan In Siam" - PJ Schnyder
Samhain Publishing's Silk,
Steel, and Steam anthology
Carina Press' A
Steampunk Christmas anthology
Post-apocalyptic
BITTER HARVEST - Kim Knox
DESERT BLADE - Ella Drake
BEYOND THE NIGHT - Joss Ware
FALLEN - Claire Delacroix
THE LAST NIGHT - Nico Rosso
WHISTLING DIXIE - Serenity Woods
TWIST - Colby Hodge
Space opera or not?
(stories that take place on or near Earth, that may or may not involve alien
characters, or occur on a colonized planet; minimal reference to space travel)
Gini Koch's Alien series (begins with TOUCHED BY AN ALIEN)
THE DOWN HOME ZOMBIE BLUES - Linnea Sinclair
GHOST PLANET - Sharon Lynn Fisher (technically this is a
planetary romance)
Robin D. Owens' Heart
Book series
DARKSHIP THIEVES - Sarah A. Hoyt
RULEBREAKER; CAUGHT IN AMBER; DEEP DECEPTION - Cathy Pegau
HOTTER ON THE EDGE - anthology by Erin Kellison, KC
Klein, & Jessica Slade
EUROPA, EUROPA - K.S. Augustin
Joyfully yours,
Heather