Sci-Fi Romance discussion
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Recs for colony or homsteading books
Not SFR, just SF with a very subtle and minor reltaionship story, but I'm devouring these as we speak and they are amazing. I recommend the Foreigner series by Cherryh, which is very much about two species living together on the planet.The bulk of the story is 200 years after the human colonists have landed though, and it's very heavy on the alien politics. But I'm loving the books so much, I want to force them on everyone remotely interested :)
I don't have any recs but I'm posting because I want to keep track of this thread. This theme interests me. Someone else just posted about these in another thread:
Anything You Want
and Unexpected
these are different versions of what she linked but what I found looking for print versions. They're erotic romance that looked good to me.
I saw the pimping of Foreigner else where and went ahead and requested it from Paperback Swap so you plot is working!
Ha!I read one and went ahead and got myself all the others. I totally overspent. Seriously, these books are taking over my life at the moment.
lol well luckily have PBS credits built up so I pretend I am not really spending money...I am currently shopping for ninja costumes for the whole family. lol
Booksfree has Freedom's Landing on CD. Would that be ok for a 13yr old or is there a lot of sex in it? There hasn't been any sex in her Dragons of Pern series so far but we've only read the 1st two.
Jan wrote: "Not SFR, just SF with a very subtle and minor reltaionship story, but I'm devouring these as we speak and they are amazing. I recommend the Foreigner series by Cherryh, which is very much about two..."Due to work, I haven't been able to get into
the way I'd have liked to this weekend. From little I have read, I do like C.J. Cherryh. So, I'll definitely be adding
to y list of books to buy.
Someone messaged me that 13 might be a little too young for Freedom's Landing. So I will listen to it myself. My daughter can read it when she's a little older if she wants.
Jan, I found Foreigner in my TBR pile. :-) Colonization SFR, I don't recall right now. My gut tells me I have read some but it's been a long time.
SF? Darkover! Particularly Darkover Landfall. There are some mild romantic threads in several of the
Darkover books but I can't think of any that I'd officially dub SFR.
I suspect part of the reason is that, realistically, if you're a colonist you have a lot to think about besides romance--even though propagation of the species ought to be right up there on the To Do list!
I've read several SFRs in which folks crash on alien worlds and find love while trying to survive, but they aren't typical colonization stories. They're more about survival and romance, than setting up colonies.
The final story in the Old Man's War has colonization during much of it, but it's the last book.
So, we've discovered an SFR niche with a shortage, hmm?
Sort of colonization, mostly crash and find love:The Eleven-Hour Fall (Series of short stories that together make one cool story. Excellent worldbuilding.) Elemental Crossing and Kate of Kratos
(lots of sex in this one)
Not a crash type, but early colonization stuff with a bit of cultural discovery : Promised Land. Arguably maybe also Uncharted Territory. Sweet romance plots on both.
I was going to recommend the Old Man's War series too, but then *smacks forehead* I remembered GHOST PLANET. It's all about colonizing an alien world--Ardagh I--and the impact it has on the human psyche because of the way the aliens manifest. It involves psychological and environmental factors and centers on a conflicted romance. The manuscript was a two-time Golden Heart finalist and it was rated 4-1/2 stars (highest rating) by RT Book Reviews. (Here's a hint--DON'T read the backcover blurb because it spoils a major surprise near the beginning.)
I second the recommendation of Ghost Planet!Laurie wrote: "I was going to recommend the Old Man's War series too, but then *smacks forehead* I remembered GHOST PLANET. It's all about colonizing an alien world--Ardagh I--and the impact it has on the human p..."
Have any of you read CJ Cherryh's Chanur series? She has a race of felines who are spacers, and who end up accidentally taking a lone human on board. The crew is all female, and they don't know quite what to do with him. They have to coexist for a short while during a political situation where the Captain realizes that this human is valuable -- and she is too good of a person to let anyone be taken advantage of or hurt. It was great fun to watch the interaction between them as they learned to deal with the differences between their races/species.The Pride of Chanur (Compact Space, #1)
Canoeu wrote: "I just found this one. I haven't read it yet, so no idea if it is any good.
"I highly recommend "Remnant Population"! Excellent book!
Kayelle wrote: "Have any of you read CJ Cherryh's Chanur series? She has a race of felines who are spacers, and who end up accidentally taking a lone human on board. The crew is all female, and they don't know qui..."I'm a big CJ Cherryh fan. The Pride of Chanur is one of my favorite rereads. In fact when I try to introduce newbies to CJC it's the one I recommend they start with. My absolute favorite book of all time is Merchanter's Luck. Space opera from CJC with a bit of romance thrown in.
That sounds good! I added it to my want to read list. When I first saw her name it struck me -- I have a sister name Cherry and one who goes by CJ. ;)
Mary: Harry Dresden's Love Slave wrote: "Booksfree has Freedom's Landing on CD. Would that be ok for a 13yr old or is there a lot of sex in it? There hasn't been any sex in her Dragons of Pern series so far but we've only read the 1st two."I wouldnt recommend it to a 13 year old as there is some amount of refering to rape and violence. The main character isnt raped but another character has had it happen to her.
Earth has been invaded, and romance ensues in these books/collections, all of which I've read and recommend. Every single one has sexy times, so beware.The Colliding Worlds Trilogy by Berinn Rae features a writer who can put together a good battle/fight scene. The series starts with
.Another trilogy with an invading species is the Krinar Chronicles by Anna Zaires. This time the colonizing aliens are peaceful and trading technology. The hero is very alpha and falls for a young, inexperienced woman. Start with
.This book is mixed-genre, with strong post-apocalypic/dystopian overtones, but fits in this category because of the Ohnenrai, who have conquered Earth.
.
I really like the colonization / homesteading trope in SFR, but in looking back at what I've read over the past two years, hardly any fall into this category. Does anyone have a suggestion for this type of SFR, avoiding invasion style books? About the only things I've read recently that encompass this theme are Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarian books. I'm hungry for more.
I've put the question to our SFR group on Facebook and will report back on recommendations! I might even write a post on it - great question, thanks.
Anne McCaffrey's old Petaybee series is what comes to my mind...but I'll report tomorrow on what, if anything, the SFR FB group suggests.
Did you read Frost Station Alpha: The Complete Series? Not exactly what you are looking for but it does involve a colony of sorts. Here are some more that I thought of that has a colony as a backdrop, but is not really about colonization:
Colonist's Wife
To Buy A Wife
Three Moon Station
Janet Miller's Gaian series: Promises to Keep
I'll keep trying to think of books that better fit the category you are looking for.
Celestine wrote: "I really like the colonization / homesteading trope in SFR, but in looking back at what I've read over the past two years, hardly any fall into this category. Does anyone have a suggestion for this..."You might try Viola Grace's Brace for Humanity series [https://www.goodreads.com/series/1870...] It has some interesting twists as the series proceeds. I enjoyed them!
OK, here are the recommendations from the SciFi Romance Group on Facebook and the SFR Brigade Fanpage on FB. I have not vetted these and I did invite authors to mention their own if they fit:
Ghost Planet by Sharon Lynn Fisher - here's what she said: Ghost Planet is about colonization that includes agriculture. (Though if they're looking for more of a small farm/pioneer angle it's not really that...)
Rinelle Grey, Reckless Rescue. Liana Brooks, Seventy. New Dawn series by Aubrie Dionne.
Redeemed by Rilic, Michelle Spiva (self recommended by her)
Cathryn Cade's Frontera series
Surviving Terranue by Liza O'Connor (self recommended)
The ES Siren Series, although it was noted the books take place on the way to the colony, not actually there.
Breath of Life, the Gaian Consortium Book 2, by Christine Pope, although another reader noted that the homesteading was more in the background.
Not sure how any of these stack up to the Ice Planet Barbarians series. I'm guessing they may be less steamy.
Hope it helps a little and maybe we've inspired some authors for the future by asking the question LOL.
Ghost Planet by Sharon Lynn Fisher - here's what she said: Ghost Planet is about colonization that includes agriculture. (Though if they're looking for more of a small farm/pioneer angle it's not really that...)
Rinelle Grey, Reckless Rescue. Liana Brooks, Seventy. New Dawn series by Aubrie Dionne.
Redeemed by Rilic, Michelle Spiva (self recommended by her)
Cathryn Cade's Frontera series
Surviving Terranue by Liza O'Connor (self recommended)
The ES Siren Series, although it was noted the books take place on the way to the colony, not actually there.
Breath of Life, the Gaian Consortium Book 2, by Christine Pope, although another reader noted that the homesteading was more in the background.
Not sure how any of these stack up to the Ice Planet Barbarians series. I'm guessing they may be less steamy.
Hope it helps a little and maybe we've inspired some authors for the future by asking the question LOL.
Thanks, Veronica. Your recs had three titles/series I haven't read. I will gladly look them up. A number of these titles have been out for awhile, so I am guessing this theme is just not popular right now.
Yes, I think you may be right...tropes do come and go in popularity. Maybe we're overdue for an upswing in this type of story then!
I can't seem to find the ES Siren series. Does anyone know if it has been packaged and republished under different titles? It looks like it was a collaboration among three authors.
Yes, that's true, three authors did collaborate on it. Looking at Amazon, I don't see a compilation currently available.....I'll see what I can find out.
So what got me thinking about digging into SFR colonization books was a preview I saw in the theater earlier this week. Married couples on a spaceship seeking to colonize, landing on an unoccupied paradise planet. I thought, "Wow, I'll like that." Then it turned dark and creepy and then Ridley Scott's name popped up, and oozing aliens started to pop out of pods and the colonists were screaming, and I thought, "Oh, no." Anyway, maybe that Aliens sequel will spawn kinder, gentler romantic space exploration novels. One can hope!
Shona Husk reports that the E S Siren series is currently being "republished" and will be available again 'soon', so I guess we need to keep our eyes peeled for that!
A few more recommendations came in: Mercy by Catherine Miller, UnderSilver by Linda Mooney, Paradise Reclaimed series by Aubrie Dionne, Syn-En series by Linda Andrews. Laurann Dohner's Zorn Warriors or Cyborg Seduction series. (Personally, I'm not sure those fit the colonization/homesteading theme? Any opinions anyone? I love her books but don't recall the theme being along the lines of what was being asked for...) The Lawman Takes a Bride by Alvania Scarborough. The Seeding New Earth series by C M Roberts was mentioned but looking at the descriptions in Amazon, they appear to be erotica with BDSM and I'm betting the colonization/homesteading theme, if present, isn't the key to the plots LOL. I remembered another old Anne McCaffrey series where a colony was built - Freedom's Landing.
Thanks, Veronica. I posted the first four on the FB page for your article. I will look into a couple of others listed here. I also did some extensive searching on Amazon and came up with a few possibilities. Many only had a handful of reviews or may have limited romantic angles. If any are worth recommending, I will report back in this thread.
Oh duh, so sorry not to have noticed that you were the poster on those books (on FB)! I probably need a second cup of tea this morning :) More caffeine required! Yes, it would be very interesting to hear some followup on any of the books, if you find them worth sharing. Best wishes!
. After sampling several colonization / homesteading recs, I finally settled on this one to read and was not disappointed! It focuses on a colony on a distant planet that was undergoing terra forming and divisive (perhaps genetic racist?) politics apparently got in the way. Lots of intrigue for a novella. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...I am also reading another book that looks promising for this theme, but I need to get further into it before committing it to this thread.
Books mentioned in this topic
New Earth Eve (other topics)Mastering Sinful Mae (other topics)
The Colony (other topics)
Trade (other topics)
Mercy (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Ruby Dixon (other topics)Berinn Rae (other topics)
Anna Zaires (other topics)
C.J. Cherryh (other topics)








Even though it erotica
Your recs?