Science Fiction romances - Looking for suggestions

Piscivore said:
Wait- do you like your wife? "I will Fear no Evil" is awful and not a little bit condescending and patronizing to women.
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Let's face it, I doubt she'll get the subtler points though. The pretty lil' thing.
 
Try the Phoenix Legacy trilogy from M.K. Wren.
The Sword of the Lamb
The Shadow of the Swan
The House of the Wolf

Really interesting stuff. The romance part runs through all three books, but the series isn't just about that. Very complex and well thought out.
 
Anne McCaffrey's Talent/Tower series is pretty much all romance, but somewhat 2-dimensional. The previously mention Crystal Singer and Ship Who Sang are much better.

My personal favorite though, if she is looking for hard sci-fi, was Primary Inversion by Catharine Asaro. Since she has a strong background in physics, it didn't feel as contrived as the many sci fi novels written primarily by romance writers. Depending on whether your wife is more interested in the romance, or in the science, this may be a good choice.
 
Gawdzilla said:
There's a romance in there, epic at the end because of the way they synchronize their timelines. :)
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Well yes. But it's buried under the future shock, warfare, social changes, et cetera.

I seem to remember Mandala spending more time agonising about his sexual deviancy (by future standards), command problems, sense of duty and trying to survive than wondering about Marygay.
I've seen more romance in some of Weber's Honorverse books.

[Especially when Cachet and Palane are around.............:D]
 
catsmate1 said:
Well yes. But it's buried under the future shock, warfare, social changes, et cetera.

I seem to remember Mandala spending more time agonising about his sexual deviancy (by future standards), command problems, sense of duty and trying to survive than wondering about Marygay.
I've seen more romance in some of Weber's Honorverse books.

[Especially when Cachet and Palane are around.............:D]
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If you read Haldeman's "definitive" edition there's more romantic stuff when they're back on Earth.
 
MG1962 said:
My wife is looking for suggestions of books to read set in a science fiction universe but a romance is the major driver of the plot. None of the regular authors I can think of will fit this bill. Is there however some cross genre authors that may be able to quench her literary thirst
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Stephen King's Misery has a certain romanticism.

She wants to read science fiction? She is already married you? I would go with this. What do you have to lose?
 
MG1962 said:
My wife is looking for suggestions of books to read set in a science fiction universe but a romance is the major driver of the plot. None of the regular authors I can think of will fit this bill. Is there however some cross genre authors that may be able to quench her literary thirst
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http://www.amazon.com/BEST-SciFi-Romance-Books/lm/R1PCL1V9C2MX7K

http://www.goodreads.com/genres/science-fiction-romance

*** http://www.thegalaxyexpress.net/2010/05/what-are-must-read-science-fiction.html
 
I find the love story between Arthur and Fenchurch in so Long and Thanks For All The fish to be very sweet.

Of course, you do need to read through two other books first to get to it in context.
 
There is an ongoing romance between Elijah Baley and Gladia in the early Asimov "robot" books. See The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun and The Robots of Dawn. Not sure that the romance is the major driver of the plot though.
 
MG1962 said:
My wife is looking for suggestions of books to read set in a science fiction universe but a romance is the major driver of the plot. None of the regular authors I can think of will fit this bill. Is there however some cross genre authors that may be able to quench her literary thirst
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Of the books listed so far, all which I read involve romance, but do not have it as major driver of the plot. "The Forever War" comes closest, and that's not very close.

I cannot judge about ones I had not read, but generally romance in science fiction tends to be relegated to subplots. And in (sadly misnamed IMO) "Golden Age of SF" romance simply did not exist.
 
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Mark6 said:
Of the books listed so far, all which I read involve romance, but do not have it as major driver of the plot. "The Forever War" comes closest, and that's not very close.

I cannot judge about ones I had not read, but generally romance in science fiction tends to be relegated to subplots. And in (sadly misnamed IMO) "Golden Age of SF" romance simply did not exist.
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I disagree. A Civil Campaign is a romance.
 
My wife suggests Mercedes Lackey and Anne McCafferey. (Note: I do not like either one, read at your own risk.)

I have to suggest Elaine Cunningham's Songs and Swords books. (First book is Elfshadow.) There are five...but you must bear in mind that while they ARE standalone stories, each is intended as a part of one larger story.
 
Another Bujold series that is built entirely around a romance arc (that is, is definitely a romance) is The Sharing Knife trilogy. It's fantasy more than SF, but it has few fantasy tropes and some SF qualities; it's a low-tech but technologically developing post-collapse world, much closer to 19th century America than medieval Europe. Cause and effect, not prophecies and destiny, drive the plot.

ETA: For pure fantasy that is about 50-50 romance-adventure (the romance plots are paramount, not side issues), there's also Jacqueline Carey.
 
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How about The Time Traveler's Wife? It's romantic, with a twist. Not really what you'd call "Science Fiction", but definitely not a normal situation.

And say what you will about The Forever War, but when he opens the letter at the end it gets me. Every. Time.
 
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