The Line Between Romance and Science Fiction

As a teenager, I didn't really read a lot of science-fiction or fantasy. I hated to read books that had so many made up names and words that I would have to reread a sentence twice just to make sense of everything.

There were exceptions to this rule - I loved Isaac Asimov, David Brin and Philip Jose Farmer. The Riverworld series was one of the first sci-fi/fantasy series I read multiple times. I still can't hear the word "grail" without picturing elements of Riverworld.

While at the bookstore this past February, I happened to glance over and I saw a new Philip Jose Farmer book called STRANGE RELATIONS. If you are a fan of his, you know that this is actually the name of a previously released short story. That short story is included in this volume, along with Flesh and The Lovers.

So far, I have read The Lovers and Flesh. These are two very erotic, romantic and creepy sci-fi stories. Apparently when The Lovers was first released in the 1960s, this story pushed the envelope on what was sexually appropriate.

The Lovers tells the tale of Hal Yarrow, a linguist from Earth a thousand years from now. All the worries we have now - scarce resources, overpopulation, world wars and increasing violations of privacy - have created the world Hal lives in. He volunteers for a mission to a far off planet that might be a candidate for colonization. The rest of the spaceship plans to kill off all the inhabitants and then come back and settle in.

But Hal falls in love with a descendent from some of the original settlers. He keeps her secret, risks his life for her, and in return, he learns about love and sexual pleasure.

While not graphic in its descriptions, it is still a very beautiful and erotic tale of love and sexual awakening. The fact that the male is the one with the awakening makes it that much more interesting. The twist at the end does not make it any less romantic, but does up the creepy factor a bit.

The second story, Flesh, is a bit harder to explain. Due to a lack of resources and other calamities, Earth has returned to a simpler way of life - little in the way of electrical technology, wood is used sparingly and the family unit is of primary importance. When Peter Stagg returns from a space expedition that started 800 years before, Earthpeople mistake him for their Sungod, and force him into a sexual slavery that is both wonderful and horrible for him.

Farmer does such a wonderful job of combining the scientific elements of his fiction with a cautionary philosophy that resonates all the more because it was written 40 years ago. The love stories he incorporates don't feel like they are forced in, but are a natural progression of the thoughts and emotions of the characters.

I was thrilled to find more stories by Farmer to explore and I highly recommend them to those fans of futuristic romances. If you like Susan Kearney or Linnea Sinclair, you might like STRANGE RELATIONS, too.

Nicole