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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Fantasy with your Romance? or Romance with your fantasy?

I've been wondering about this lately. In my own reading preferences, I have to say, I prefer a little romance with my fantasy, instead of the other way around. The more sumptuous the worldbuilding, the more intricate the plot...the less demand I'm going to put on the writer to flesh out the romance. I can catch on from subtle nuances when two characters are going to get together. In fact, I can remember reading a few books where there was no real reason to think the characters would get together...but it seemed only right that they would.

And lately...I've read a few books where the romance is so obvious, so..."beat me over the head with it" that I wonder if I'm just a big ole cynic. I mean...bodyparts are moistening, and hearts are thumping...on page three.

So I have to say I like me some romance with my fantasy, but gimme the plot, the good v. evil, the magic, mayhem, and decadence of it all (and my all important happily ever after) and it's all good.

But what about you, dear readers? Do you want Romance-Fantasy, or Fantasy-Romance?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like it about 50/50. And that whole hearts thumping/body parts moistening thing - if it's happening on page 3, I'm not interested, no matter the subgenre. I like a slow build-up of a romance in a story.

Now, if I had to pick one or the other, I'd want more fantasy than romance in the book. Sometimes a little romance can go a long way in fantasy. Two of my favorite romantic couples are in fantasy novels: Antryg Windrose/Johanna in the books The Silent Tower and Dog Wizard, and Tarod/Cyllan in the Time Master Trilogy.

Have you read C.L. Wilson's tales yet? I haven't had the time but I'd like to tackle them. If you did, were they more romance than fantasy, or more fantasy than romance? I hear her world-building is fabulous.

Grace Draven

Gia Dawn said...

The truth is, that depends on whether you are reading a Fantasy novel or a Romance novel.
The focus of the two genres is different as will be the focus on the relationship.
They are still two seperate types of books, but I think the problem comes when the author doesn't make that very clear in their writing.
You really do have to pick one...if the lines get too blurred, the reader will, too.

Carolan Ivey said...

Then there's the whole Erotic/Fantasy/Romance sub-subgenre. In which case, moistening body parts on page 3 are required!

Like Gia said, the writer needs to focus on what they're giving the reader - an erotic romance in a fantasy setting, a romance in a fantasy setting, or a fantasy with a romance element.

Dayna_Hart said...

Grace, CL is on my list for when I go bookshopping in two weekends (I'm so counting down, too.)

I'll have to admit...for me, the romancey-stuff is the first thing on the chopping block when I have to make that call. The Romance-fantasy books are the first back on the shelf when I have too many to buy at once...but...I do love me my happy endings. And when those two finally do get together, I'm thrilled for days...