by Kate
Think SF is too hardcore? Too bogged down in details? Not sexy enough for a paranormal reader like you? We beg to differ…
- Worlds – same, same, but different
Just as in paranormals, much in a science fiction world is quite familiar, but with a few key changes. Whether it’s set on a space ship, a distant planet, or a dystopian Earth, there is enough that is familiar to ease your way into the world, but enough different to add a bit of spice and excitement.
Stargate – the movie
- Sexy heroes – the galaxy is your oyster
Whether it’s the strong warrior, the diplomatic politician, or the unflappable scientist, the universe is populated with gorgeous new heroes, just waiting for you to find them.
the warrior hero – Chris Pine as Captain Kirk
The moral outlaw – Nathan Fillion as Captain Mal Reynolds
Logic has never been sexier – Zachary Quinto as Spock
Humour and strength – Will Smith in Independence Day
The unlikely hero – Bruce Willis in The 5th Element
- Strong heroines – kicking alien butt
Kick-ass, anti-, or just complex, three-dimensional heroines, Science Fiction features an array of women taking care of business in an array of situations, from facing down alien abductors or setting up planetary governments, to kicking some inter-galactic ass. Looking for strong female characters? You’ll find them in SF.
Jean Grey – the most powerful of the X-warriors. Sure she almost kills everyone, but everyone has off days.
Dana Scully – the smart, sceptical scientist that holds the X-files together
Ellen Ripley – the warrior heroine of the Alien series
Sarah Manning in Orphan Black – an anti-heroine chasing down answers behind an apparent cloning – hers.
- High stakes
Whether it’s planet-wide destruction, a chilling villain, or war on a galactic scale, something is always going on in SF that drives the relationship stakes into the atmosphere.
Luke – I disapprove of your girlfriend…
- Favourite tropes, with a twist
Bodyguards, arranged marriages, damsels who can save themselves from their own distress (but get a little help along the way), friends-to-lovers, even billionaire playboys – just throw the word ‘space’ in front of them, and you’ve got an SF plot, just waiting to be written or read!
Or, in this case, superhero genius inventor boss hero meets capable, intelligent, organised assistant/secretary heroine
- Happy ever after ending guaranteed
Who’s your SF OTP? Let us know below (pictures optional, but wholly encouraged!) for a chance to win a selection of books and upcoming ARCs from our science fiction catalogue!
Whetted your appetite for some sexy SF? Check out some Escape titles below!
From Escape’s fresh, exhilarating science fiction romance catalogue comes a story of corporate espionage, betrayal, sex, and bodyguards. Just another day in the colonies.
What if your only chance at survival was to seduce the man who broke your heart?
The first book in SE Gilchrist’s bestselling erotic Sci-Fi series about a dark and delicious alien race on a desperate quest for survival — and the human women who can cure their years-long curse.
For fans of The Walking Dead and The Hunger Games comes a YA novel about freedom, choice and family — and the terrifying disease that makes them mutually exclusive.
The Escapades 
Vala and Daniel from Stargate! FOREVER!
oooh! Like x 1000!
Am such a fan of the movie (see pic!), but just couldn’t get into the TV show. I keep meaning to try again, but then I get distracted and just rewatch the movie 🙂
It’s only the best series ever… so…. you should probably try again. 😉
Ooh, so torn between Mal and Inara from Firefly and John and Aerin from Farscape. Third woudl probably be Mulder/Scully. Though bookwise, I am a Daav and Aelliana from Sharon Lee and Steven Miller’s Liaden books fan. Okay, stopping now. Love a good SF romance!
Mal and Inara are on my list too – I have a real thing for the long-shots 😉
Also anything wherein Nathan Fillion gets naked. That too.
Pingback: Cruisin’ with RWA | Romance Writers of Australia
I can’t believe no one has mentioned Han Solo and Princess Leia. I always love to watch her tell him ‘I love you’ and for him to smile and say ‘I know’. I was a kid when I first saw it and it never gets old. It’s my SF version of ‘you had me at hello’
I’d also go for River Song and Dr Who. Time crossed lovers, his first meeting with her ended up with her pseudo-death. It was clever plot twist.
There’s something about Han, isn’t there? Proof that swagger lasts forever 😉
In books it would be Aral and Cordelia from Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan series. On screen, I’ve always had a soft spot for the tragic, short-lived love of Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor in The Terminator. For more mature love, Admiral Adama and President Roslin in the Battlestar Gallactica reboot was captivating.