What's up with the thinly disguised romance novels?

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What's up with the thinly disguised romance novels?

#1 acesn8s

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 01:48 PM

So, what’s the deal with the glut of re-skinned bodice-rippers being published as SciFi/Fantasy? I’m dreading the day I see Fabio next to a tatted-up supernatural heroine on the cover of a fantasy paperback in the new release section.

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#2 Illuyankas

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 01:58 PM

If you're referring to the excrement shoveled onto bookstore shelves and labeled Dark Romance, Twilight. Twilight, Twilight, fucking Twilight.

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#3 acesn8s

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 02:04 PM

Illuyankas, on 14 May 2010 - 01:58 PM, said:

If you're referring to the excrement shoveled onto bookstore shelves and labeled Dark Romance, Twilight. Twilight, Twilight, fucking Twilight.

I wish it was just limited to Twilight.

#4 MTS

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 02:18 PM

Yes, people trying to replicate the success of Twilight and ride the bandwagon. Unfortunately, it doesn't take a special sort of hack to produce this kind of drivel, hence the amount you see around.

Ah well, makes good works shine more brightly, I guess.

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#5 Use Of Weapons

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 02:54 PM

I don't think Twilight is the cause of the phenomenon so much as its most successful exponent. These kind of genre-blending novels have been around for ages -- notable examples might be Catharine Asaro's saga of the Skolian Empire (romance + space opera).

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#6 MTS

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 03:33 PM

It wasn't the start of the phenomenon - hell, even Dracula arguably had a bit of 'dark romance' to it. The success of Twilight has led to an increase in the number of these kind of series being written though.

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#7 caladanbrood

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 03:55 PM

acesn8s, on 14 May 2010 - 01:48 PM, said:

So, what's the deal with the glut of re-skinned bodice-rippers being published as SciFi/Fantasy? I'm dreading the day I see Fabio next to a tatted-up supernatural heroine on the cover of a fantasy paperback in the new release section.

A bit like this??

In my experience, Twilight may be the most hated series, but the covers are nothing like that. Authors like Rachel Caine, LJ Smith and Kristin Cast are much much worse.

This post has been edited by caladanbrood: 14 May 2010 - 03:56 PM

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#8 Abyss

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 03:58 PM

MTS, on 14 May 2010 - 03:33 PM, said:

...AND that subgenre getting more and more prominent shelf space in bookstores. Typical example is a massive twilight display near several rows of vampire/werewolf/angel/witch/demon/mutant/alien pr0n.

- Abyss, misses the old days where everyone just wanted to make sex with pirates and cowboys...

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#9 MTS

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 04:10 PM

Not only is there a whole shelf devoted to Twilight and other similar literary wet dreams, it's also taking over the movie section. I hate scanning my eyes over the newly released DVDs only to have my eyes assaulted by a whole gang of Sharkboy's abs without warning.

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#10 Tsundoku

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 04:18 PM

I blame emo Brood.

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#11 Salt-Man Z

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 04:55 PM

My Half Price Books has recently shifted its sci-fi/fantasy and horror sections over one shelf to make room for a new "paranormal" section. I guess that at least gets them out of the good sections.

This post has been edited by Salt-Man Z: 14 May 2010 - 05:00 PM

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#12 acesn8s

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 05:16 PM

caladanbrood, on 14 May 2010 - 03:55 PM, said:

acesn8s, on 14 May 2010 - 01:48 PM, said:

A bit like this??

In my experience, Twilight may be the most hated series, but the covers are nothing like that. Authors like Rachel Caine, LJ Smith and Kristin Cast are much much worse.

I hate to admit it, but that's the cover I've got.

Yes! Add Patricia Briggs and JR Ward to the mix as well.

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#13 caladanbrood

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 05:34 PM

Builder's crack!! I'm pleased to say I haven't seen either of those over here. But some of the crap I had to shelve in the "horror" section when I was working at Waterstones over christmas was truly shocking

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#14 polishgenius

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 06:33 PM

I dunno if it's all Waterstones' but my local one has them in a separate section now labelled 'dark fantasy', so Horror is no longer contaminated- though sadly for horror buffs it does eat into the shelf space. But at least it doesn't affect the SF/F shelves, which remain full-sized. Well, as full-sized as they ever were.

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#15 foolio

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 07:20 PM

My wife gave me so much shit over the The Gardens of The Moon cover that I almost ripped the cover off. The cover of Memories of Ice wasnt much better.

I remember someone recommending GoTM on a chat board, so I got it from the library and after seeing the cover and reading the first page with names like WhiskeyJack I almost returned it. Man am I glad I didnt. I like the series so much that to support the author I have bought a copy of all the books, even the ones I had read from the library. Now I am glad I did because I think re-reads are not only enjoyable as hell, but necessary, at least for me.

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#16 haroos

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Posted 14 May 2010 - 08:36 PM

acesn8s, on 14 May 2010 - 01:48 PM, said:

i know what you mean, charlaine harris writing an erotic book and dedicating it to her 12 years old son... asswipe books.

#17 EsotericForest

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Posted 15 May 2010 - 12:03 AM

foolio, on 14 May 2010 - 07:20 PM, said:

The cover and the name Whiskeyjack almost made me not buy the book as well...somebody really needs to permanently destroy that cover so it can only be something we can look back on at laugh fondly about

. At least they removed Sorry from the cover...but still...the whole thing just needs to go

.

But to get back on topic...I completely agree about the garbage romance/fantasy novels popping up. Twilight sure didn't help the situation...I can't say I would blame it entirely on that series, but it definitely added greatly too an already bad trend. Has anybody else noticed the Young Adult section of the book store has very similar looking covers and themes? I never shop in that section, but everytime I pass by it I just roll my eyes.

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#18 Macros

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Posted 19 May 2010 - 08:18 PM

I am depressed by the amount of people that have read, and ENJOYED twilight

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#19 stone monkey

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Posted 20 May 2010 - 08:57 PM

There's a big market out there of women and girls (mostly) who like their romance with a fantastical flavouring. Which isn't all that much of a surprise really. The tall, dark, handsome but slightly dangerous stranger (with a hint of inner turmoil) who appears from nowhere to sweep an ordinary woman off her feet would only become even more compelling for certain sections of the population if he's some sort of immortal magical being, I think. I'm actually surprised it took so long for publishers to spot this and start churning this kind of bodice ripper out by the yard...

I'm pretty sure I've seen a Romantic fiction/sf novel around somewhere too, but that particular genre mashup doesn't seem to have caught on nearly so much. I guess it just doesn't hit the same buttons.

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#20 Use Of Weapons

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Posted 24 May 2010 - 11:11 AM

Catherine Asaro's A Quantum Rose is a romance/sf mash-up. Apparently, the main characters' interactions in the novel follow the same pattern as a quantum entanglement, and are named after the features of such an entanglement. Not that you need to know that to enjoy the novel. There are other, more overt SF trappings, too -- it's set in her Skolian universe.

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