Fantasy with Friends is a weekly meme hosted by the good people over at Pages Unbound. Fantasy with Friends poses questions each Monday about fantasy, either as a genre as a whole or individual works.
This week’s prompt is:
What do you think of romantasy as a category? What makes something romantasy vs. a fantasy book with a romance?
As for the subgenre as a whole, it’s not for me. I’ve got nothing against it, but it’s not something I seek out or would. But I have friends who love it—I have family members who love it—and I’m glad they have something that entertains them.
There are individual works that I’ve read and enjoyed—some I didn’t realize fit into that category until after I’d read them, and one or two I’ve been specifically recommended. So yeah…I don’t see myself as a fan of the subgenre, but that doesn’t mean I will run away from a good one. I just won’t go looking for one.
For me—and I’m looking forward to reading more informed definitions—a Romantasy is a Romance Novel that takes place in a Fantasy world (the way that the Eddie LaCrosse novels are Detective Novels that take place in a Fantasy world, or The Midsolar Murder books are Murder Mysteries on a Space Station, etc.). These are distinguished from books that are solid Fantasy novels with a love story (The Bright Sword, for example); or a Detective Novel with a touch of the mystic (or at least possibility of it) like the Walt Longmire series; or a Science Fiction novel where someone is murdered like 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Given that understanding, my typical disinclination to reading Romance is the same as disinclination to reading Romantasy.
I’m sure some of the other posts in response to this prompt will be more thoughtful. I’m looking forward to reading them. Do you have responses to this? (either for the comment section below or from your own post)
aquavenatus
You hit the nail on the head!
Romantasy is a combination of both romance and fantasy! If you’re NOT into romance, then you’re NOT going to want to read romantasy!
Krysta
I agree. I see romantasy as primarily romance, just set in a fantasy world. Just like Amish romance fiction is romance and historical romance is romance. People are presumably not reading historical romance for a history lesson, but for the romance. I don’t typically read romance, so I’m not interested in romantasy. But I do like fantasy with a romance subplot. Sadly, I think I have to wait for the romantasy hype to die down so publishers stop marketing EVERYTHING as romantasy. It’s not romantasy if the focus is on the fantasy plot!
KWHR
I agree Krysta, let the romantasy hype train cease operation so fantasy authors can be rewarded for focusing on a fantasy plot that may have love interests rather than being a romance novel with a fantasy veneer.
HCNewton
The problem is that it’s easier to sell Romantasy at the moment. Maybe things will die down later this year when the publishers start pushing the SF/Romance mashup (I’m not going to repeat the term I’m hearing floated for it, just feels icky)
HCNewton
Preach.
Jenna @ Falling Letters
I posted on this topic but I also write from the perspective of someone who doesn’t read romance, haha. It seems most fantasy enjoyers are not going to be satisfied with romantasy, unless they are also great enjoyers of romance.