Science Fiction is a kind of setting or theme

If that’s all it is, then yes, you categorise by the romance or whatever. I really dislike romance that uses history or space as wallpaper, though.

The science fiction I read is a lot more than a setting. It’s about ideas. Just because there’s a relationship front and centre, doesn’t make that the most important thing about the book. Tehanu isn’t romance, it’s superb fantasy, for instance. And I would say Ginn Hale’s Feral Machines is most certainly SF first, romance second. Losing a story like that on the romance shelves would be tragic.

When science fiction is wedded to romance it becomes Futuristic Romance because romance is a style of story whereas Science Fiction is a kind of setting or theme–so it stays in the romance category, rather than traveling over to the Speculative Fiction shelves. My theory is that this happens because romance readers will accept a much wider variety of settings in their fiction than other kinds of genre readers are likely to do, so long as the story arc remains within the parameters of romantic fiction. For example, Speculative Fiction Mysteries like those of Jim Butcher always stay firmly lodged in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section even though the story style is plainly mystery.

Games of Command was the only space opera of hers reviewed here so far, but Finders Keepers and Gabriel’s Ghost as well as Accidental Goddess are all space opera.

Downhome Zombie Blues is set on Earth, mostly.

Also, not all space opera contains aliens, although it did back in the day. Lois McMaster Bujold’s science fiction is generally considered space opera and she has no aliens. She has genetically engineered humans with four arms, one seven-foot-tall super-soldier, and some other exotic characters, but they’re all descended from humans.

Irene Chandler

Thanks for the explanation, Ann. (I just finished reading Ginn Hale’s “Feral Machines” and was vaguely wondering if it fell into a particular category.) I’m not hip to all the labels; I just write stuff and leave the labeling to others . . . or make something up. Still haven’t had the ‘nads to use “yaoi,” though. ;-)

What differentiates a sci fi novel from a “space opera,”

Space opera is a *kind* of sci-fi novel. Specifically one set in outer space, with aliens and spaceships etc, with an emphasis on technology. So things like Star Wars (quintessentially space opera) Star Trek, Battle Star Galactica and so on. The Golden Age of science fiction was heavy on space opera, but not exclusively I can’t tell from Jane’s description if space opera is appropriate to this novel or not.

Lots of sci-fi is not set in space. Paranormals like I write, where people have non-magical telepathy and empathy and so, are science fiction (often called speculative fiction). You can have worlds with male pregnancy, robots, genetic selection for special traits etc. Things that are possible, but don’t exist at the moment, at least in that form. Alien Nation is a movie/TV story which is science fiction, but not space opera.

Fantasy involves magic, and things which aren’t possible.

Both fantasy and science fiction can involve alternate worlds, alternate realities. If a time traveller uses a machine, then it’s science fiction. If they use a magical spell, it’s more likely to be fantasy :)

Hope that helps.