Romance in sci-fi // Fantasy // Narnia


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Apr 08 2025 47 mins   505 2 0

Host Alice Fraser, and romance critic Jen Prokop from the Fated Mates podcast (space episode), bring you episode 12 of Realms Unknown: your one-stop show for genre fiction tropes, news and recommendations!


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  • Explore the list of all books, games, films and TV series below.


Episode 12

In this week's news, rumours abound that Meryl Streep could be cast as Aslan in Greta Gerwig's forthcoming Narnia films, and Alice and Jen discuss Simon & Schuster's rebrand and 'Simon Maverick' audiobook imprint.


Jen has recently been enjoying mafia romance such as The Kings of Italy series by Mila Finelli and the Perfectly Imperfect series by Neva Altaj.


Alice's trope on a rope for this week is people being granted immortality and being pissed about it, while Jen takes issue with fake dating.


In Mines of Urgh, Alice has a problem with her beloved The Dragonriders of Pern and then Jen sees how the heteronormative style of books of a past era, such as Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward show us how far gender and sex have come in recent years.


For all of the books mentioned in the romance in sci -fi sub genre deep dive this week, please see the lists below!


What have you been into?

The Kings of Italy series - Mila Finelli

Perfectly Imperfect series - Neva Altaj

These Summer Storms - Sarah MacLean


Romance in sci-fi

Shards of Honor / Barrayar / A Civil Campaign - Lois McMaster Bujold

Fiasco - Constance Fay (read Jen's article here)

Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir

The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

This is How You Lose the Time War - Max Gladstone

The Space Between Worlds - Micaiah Johnson

Winter’s Orbit - Everina Maxwell

Ringworld - Larry Niven

Sex Criminals - Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky

Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey

The Kushiel’s series - Jacqueline Carey

Aurora Blazing - Jessie Mihalik


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Produced by Chris Skinner and Ped Hunter. Hosted by Alice Fraser and Jen Prokop.

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