10 Books That Perfectly Blend Sci-Fi & Romance

Summary

• Sci-fi and romance are challenging to blend, but some authors successfully intertwine the two genres for compelling narratives.
• Series like “The Lunar Chronicles” and “Shatter Me” effectively showcase how sci-fi and romance can work hand in hand to drive the story.
• When done correctly, sci-fi romance stories, like in “Winter’s Orbit” and “Crier’s War,” create intricate worlds where love and technology coexist harmoniously.

Combining sci-fi and romance in literature is not an easy task, but some books have successfully blended the two genres. Science fiction as a genre often stands alone because there is so much to critique about the world from a sci-fi perspective without including other genres, such as romance. Nevertheless, some authors have successfully created epic sci-fi worlds while incorporating other genres. Combinations like sci-fi and horror are more common, as are fantasy and romance, the latter of which is now dubbed as its own genre, “romantasy“.

However, sci-fi and romance are not as popular and more challenging to accomplish, given that the two genres do not always complement each other. There are even sci-fi romance novels that do not live up to expectations. However, when done correctly, a sci-fi and romance story is an excellent combination for a compelling narrative because the sci-fi and romance aspects often depend on each other. Some authors even have a knack for this talent and manage to create full-length sci-fi romance book series.

10 Across The Universe (2011-2013)

Written By Beth Revis

Across the Universe follows Amy aboard the spaceship Godspeed, prepared to endure cryogenic sleep for 300 years to join her family on a new planet. However, she woke up several decades too soon and had to live aboard the spaceship with the descendants of the people who had not gone to cryogenic sleep. This trilogy revolves around Amy navigating the mysteries of this spaceship that eventually leads her to the new planet, Centauri-Earth. Amy’s love interest and the deuteragonist of the series is Elder.

Beth Revis follows one of the possible formulas to create a successful sci-fi love story—the two parties are thrust into the heart of the science fiction world.

Amy and Elder’s romance works within the narrative’s frame because they navigate the sci-fi aspects of this world while developing feelings for each other. The narrative has many twists and turns, but Amy and Elder pull through together despite the obstacles. Beth Revis follows one of the possible formulas to create a successful sci-fi love story—the two parties are thrust into the heart of the science fiction world. Elder becomes the leader of the Godspeed, so Amy learns the mechanics of his people’s ways of life from him. They venture to Centauri-Earth and learn about this strange new planet together.

9 Shatter Me (2011-2020)

Written By Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me by Tahir Mafi is a young adult science fiction series about a girl named Juliette, an Unnatural—a person with special powers. Juliette’s power is her skin—touching her results in severe damage, often fatal. The books follow Juliette, beginning in a Reestablishment prison, escaping underground with the resistance, and eventually becoming their leader. Juliette’s dynamics are complicated because of her unique abilities. One of those dynamics is her romance with Aaron Warner. They begin as enemies, given that he is the Chief Commander of Sector 45, but eventually joins the resistance, and he and Juliette fall in love.

The first three books focus more on the sci-fi aspect, but Juliette’s powers make her relationships critical to the narrative—especially her budding romance. The last three books focus more on Juliette and Warner’s relationship as the narrative reveals their shared history. Likewise, the romance depends on the sci-fi in the latter half of the series. In fact, Warner and Juliette’s relationship hinges on the sci-fi aspect. The science fiction and the romance genres are inexplicably intertwined in Shatter Me—one does not work without the other.

8 The Lunar Chronicles (2012-2015)

Written By Marissa Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Mayer is about cyborg Linh Cinder living with her adoptive mother and adoptive sisters. Despite being of Lunar origin, she lives on Earth in the Eastern Commonwealth. The story revolves around Cinder as she learns about her past, which she never knew while having to defeat the evil queen of Luna, Queen Levana. Along the way, Cinder falls in love with Kaito, heir to the Eastern Commonwealth empire. While the narrative has many stakes and sci-fi elements to build this futuristic world, the story still makes room for Cinder and Kaito’s epic romance.

Although The Lunar Chronicles is Cinder’s story first and foremost, it would not be complete without her relationship with Kaito. Their dynamic also portrays what a relationship between a cyborg of Lunar origin and an Earthen crown prince would look like. The Lunar Chronicles‘ many intricate elements are unsurprising, given that it takes place in a futuristic world where humans have colonized the Moon, and now Lunar and Earthen people must learn how to co-exist.

7 The 100 (2013-2016)

Written By Kass Morgan

The 100 was a well-known CW show, but the events in the book series it was inspired by occurred much differently. Romance is a secondary factor in the show; it is a science fiction dystopia world that happens to include romantic relationships. However, the romantic relationships drive the book’s narrative—Bellamy and Clarke falling in love, Wells and Sasha’s tragic love story, and Glass and Luke’s Romeo & Juliet-themed romance. Even Clark and Wells’ relationship — they are exes in the books — is central to the narrative, although they remain friends.

The sci-fi aspect of The 100 books moves along with the characters. Bellamy, Wells, and Clarke navigate Earth to see if it is inhabitable as part of the original 100 prisoners in the Colony (the Ark in the show). Glass and Luke remain in space, but when the Colony goes down, they escape onto the last ship and travel to Earth. Wells also discovers the Earthborn people (Grounders in the show) and learns their technology and ways of life. Kass Morgan seamlessly blends science fiction and romance by depicting these teenagers struggling to survive while their relationships develop.

6 Arc Of A Scythe (2016-2019)

Written By Neal Shusterman

The Arc Of A Scythe series is about Citra Terranova, who is invited to apprentice for a scythe — the only group that can kill (or “glean“) people now that humanity has beaten all types of devastation, including death itself. The trilogy takes Citra on a journey in the scythe world as she learns about scythes and the Thunderhead.

Along the way, she falls in love with her initial apprentice partner, Rowan, who eventually becomes an outlaw. Neal Schusterman primarily focuses on Citra’s story, but an integral part includes her complicated relationship with Rowan. The narrative would not be complete without their complex dynamic.

5 Crosstalk (2016)

Written By Connie Willis

Crosstalk is a standalone science fiction novel by Connie Willis about a character named Briddey Flannigan, who works for a tech company called CommSpan. Trent, Briddey’s boyfriend who works at the same company, asks Briddey to be part of an experiment by implanting an EED inside her, which would allow Briddey and Trent to feel each other’s emotions. Briddey secretly endures the procedure a year earlier than planned and can now hear people’s thoughts inside her head, including the voice of her co-worker, C.B. Schwarz, an unexpected telepathic connection that was not supposed to happen.

Now, Briddey has to learn how to navigate the world as someone who can hear everyone’s thoughts while dealing with her blossoming feelings for C.B. Briddey and C.B.’s relationship is a driving force of the narrative. C.B. also has the same ability as Briddey; he teaches her how to control hearing all the voices around her. Although other people have the EED implant, the story focuses on Briddey and C.B., supposedly the only two who can now hear everyone’s thoughts. Their romance is central to the narrative, and their special abilities provide a direct glimpse into the sci-fi aspect.

4 Crier’s War (2019-2020)

Written By Nina Varela

Crier’s War by Nina Varela takes place in a world where the Automae, a group of Made beings, have conquered humans. One of the main characters, Ayla, is a servant to the crown family and plans to kill Princess Crier, the Sovereign’s daughter. However, Crier and Ayla fall in love.

The series explores humanity as Ayla becomes a critical part of the revolution to stop and dismantle the Automae, and Crier joins ther rebellion to protect the woman she loves. Crier’s War is like a sci-fi Romeo & Juliet, which is how Nina Varela successfully blends science fiction and romance.

3 The Locked Tomb (2019-TBA)

Written By Tamsyn Muir

The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir is a series about lesbian necromancers. It revolves around Gideon and Harrowhark, the cavalier and necromancer of the Ninth House. They both answer the Emperor’s call for a trial, resulting in a new Lyctor — an immortal necromancer.

The romance is very subtle, as the series focuses much more on sci-fi and fantasy. There is one book left, and it is unknown if romance will prevail. However, the blend between science fiction and romance still works because the secondary romance shapes the main characters, Gideon and Harrowhark. Despite romance taking a backseat, the story would not be complete without their complex dynamic.

2 This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019)

Written By Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

This Is How You Lose The Time War is a standalone science fiction novel about two agents from separate organizations who tamper with universes to suit their needs. These two groups are enemies, making the two agents of time, Red and Blue, enemies. They leave each other messages as a taunting mechanism that slowly turns into a romance. This novel is the epitome of excellence when it comes to blending science fiction and romance. As Red and Blue’s love story unfolds, so does the world-building of this universe and how they can transcend time.

It is a masterful novel about who suffers in war and who pays the price in a sci-fi setting across time and space. Red and Blue’s development is organic, just like the world-building. In fact, Red and Blue’s romance depends on their world because of how they leave notes for each other in different universes. By using their romance to portray how agents of time travel through universes and alter timelines, El-Mohtar and Gladstone have successfully blended science with the science fiction and romance genres.

1 Winter’s Orbit (2021)

Written By Everina Maxwell

Winter’s Orbit takes in Iskat, an empire made of seven planets. After Prince Taam suspiciously dies, the Emperor forces Prince Kiem to marry Taam’s widow, Jainan. Kiem and Jainan uncover Taam’s secrets, which include an operation to end the Resolution treaty and conquer the planets of Iskat. While attempting to take down the people Taam worked with, Jainan and Kiem fall in love.

Winter’s Orbit is an epic space opera with high stakes, including a passionate romance. The fate of Iskat hinges on Kiem and Jainan’s relationship. They are the heart of this sci-fi romance novel.