One of the (many) tasks of Christian writers is to understand genre and the importance of genre in writing and marketing a book.
Some genres are more popular than others, of course. Romance and women’s contemporary rule Christian fiction, while Christian living and devotional books are among the more popular genres in Christian nonfiction.
But every once in a while, something new pops up. In the last few years, a new genre called “romantasy”—combining romance and fantasy, in case that wasn’t obvious—has gained popularity in the general market. While that hasn’t caught on (and likely won’t) among Christian readers, I thought it might be fun to explore other potential new genres. You know, to make sure we’re ahead of the game, so to speak. How about these, for starters?
Alternate Church History: Speculative fiction exploring alternate scenarios in the history of the church. Titles include Pope Martin Luther I and Nicaea, Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya.
Amish Time Travel: Seems like a slam dunk. Amish characters travel back (or forward) in time. For example, Amity Hershberger in King Arthur’s Court or Charity Crosses the Rubicon. What’s not to love?
BibliHorror as a nonfiction genre. This would feature the most horrifying takes on Bible stories and Christian theology. Some might say this genre already exists; it just needs its own category.
BibPunk: Biblical fiction meets steampunk. Just imagine if Aaron had built the golden calf using industrial age technology. Or Paul’s journeys in a steam-powered vessel.
Bildungsromystery: Coming-of-age novels in which the protagonist solves crimes.
Cozy Horror: Cozy mysteries are a thing (though not so much in the Christian market), so why not cozy horror? In other words, no blood or gore but jump scares and stuff like that.
Finantasy: Personal finance books by authors who understand nothing about personal finance.
Real Estate Novels: First suggested by Billy Joel in his hit song “Piano Man.” Maybe the time has come for gripping tales of property sales.
Robotmance: This could be the next natural step from romantasy. Right?
Obviously, these are only a start. And not a particularly good one. But you can do better, right? Give it a go in the comments.
HELp *wheezes* it’s too early for me to be laughing this hard
I haven’t read any romantasy (I read it more as “romantic fantasy” because in all honesty that’s what most of these authors are selling, their own personal romantic fantasy. Ew.). I have ONE idea that would, technically, be considered a romantasy for the sheer sake that it’s a Cinderella/Romeo and Juliet/Little Mermaid retelling but the main characters are Irish water horses XP. Whether I market it as romantasy whenever I publish it, since it will be a no-spice novel that’s honestly only half about the characters getting together and mostly a cultural exploration of male-dominant vs female-dominant cultures and the toxic elements from both extremes, remains to be determined. As it is the outline sits in my drawers XP.
I actually did a Substack notes post sort of like this, except it was coming up with labels to describe already existing fantasy reader categories. Lemme grab some of it, but with the titles edited to match the theme of this… XD
HomeschoolerTM Fantasy: the genre most enjoyed by the kids who grew up on Wingfeather Saga and Lord of the Rings and Narnia. Quest plots, large casts, fantastic characters with sometimes unpronounceable names: you get the picture. Ideally there is little to no romance and medieval ish settings, and the books, by general consensus, are “clean” and while not shallow, tend to focus on defeating an extreme power of darkness in the threads of a Christian esque allegory
Crit-Fan: Animal fantasy such as The Green Ember, Redwall, etc. medieval fantasy and basically the same plots as Homeschooler TM Fantasy but to make it special they make them animals instead of people. Rodents preferred but the occasional Aves or lagomorph is acceptable.
Your Romantic Fantasy (YRF): mostly romance in a fantastical section as the fictional representation of their own personal romantic fantasies. Not to be confused with romantasy, these books lack much in plot and character and are mostly focused on lustful physical affection.
Magic City Grungepunk. Dystopian Fantasy with grim settings because who doesn’t like some magic in city grunge
Hybri-Fantasy: Critfan but all the animals are half humans
MedievHateFantasy: high fantasy that is not medieval, because as is implied, this genre hates medieval
Anti-MagicFantasy: Non magical fantasy with a cooler name
Shadowed Fantasy: The lighter subset of Dark Fantasy. not necessarily black magic, but fantasy that tackles tough things like abuse, suicide, trafficking, etc. Not to be confused with “dark fantasy” as Shadowed Fantasy readers prefer a thread of hope
Politicfantasy: Political fantasy readers, but written in shorthand for coolness
I think SpecEquiFic should be a genre too (Speculative Equine Fiction, now you can have your “save the ranch” plot… IN SPACE)
I set out to write Romantasy,
and the plot line that saw birth
was when Pilate went to see
about taxing Middle Earth.
All those Hobbits, and the Elves
and the dreadful trolls
should be paying for themselves:
put them on the rolls!
But he did not consider
the wizards that dwelt there;
they sent him down the raging river
with magical flair,
and the rock on which he hit his head
told him he should have stayed in bed.
A genre all women need: Domestic Fantasy. This is where the hero plans the meal, goes shopping for the ingredients, cooks, and cleans up, while the heroine, perched on a kitchen stool, does nothing but admires his rippling muscles as he whips up a souffle. Afterwards the hero runs the vacuum cleaner around the living room, bathes and puts the kids to bed, then settles in to give the heroine a foot massage.
Domestic Fantasy. Think about it.
LOL, this is fantastic! I could get behind these, for sure!
These are great! 😀 On a more serious note, I’ve been hearing story influencers from the secular publishing world suggest that more blended genres are potentially on the rise this year. Is this trend affecting the Christian market? Or does this just mean that all secular genres are now leaning into explicit content more heavily?
Personal finance by authors who know nothing about about finance doesn’t have to be fiction.
Real life dramas occur every day in this genre. This type of book could write itself–most of the work would be changing the names to protect the guilty.
Maybe this genius idea is what I need to write my next novel about! I guess it would be in the book store section for horror, depression and anxiety.
The Bible Horror genre really got my attention, though I have no desire to read or write it. As far as suggesting a new genre, how about Bible fantasy with a helping of real estate/mortgage banking?
Romantasy IS a thing in Christian circles … those of us who read, write, and love Christian Speculative Fiction.
Realm Makers (have you heard of this conference?) started out in 2013 with about 70 people and we now have over 500 attending in person and almost as many attending online. The faculty is amazing. The workshops terrific. And the costumes at the Awards Banquet! Sublime! Guest speakers like Frank Peretti, Terry Brooks, and the like!
Bob, you need to experience Realm Makers. There’s nothing like it.
Pam,
I’m glad you spoke up because I have found “romantasy” as a genre has the full spectrum from no spice (which I write) to “let’s not go there.” But it’s to say one does not have to pitch the baby with the bath water.
The difference between fantasy romance and romantasy:
Fantasy Romance
Fantasy = the main plot
Romance = an important subplot
Key: The story would still exist if you removed the love story.
💘 Romantasy
Romance = the main plot
Fantasy = the setting & conflict engine
Key: A romance novel told inside a fantasy world.
Anyway, thanks for speaking up 🙂
Linda
I like how you described the difference, Linda!
Induced a few chortles from me.
Then there’s extreme theological alternative history. Adam and Eve didn’t eat the forbidden fruit. Eve did and Adam didn’t. Or, they ate from the Tree of Life first.
In parallel with romance—avoiding broken hearts—being blended with many other genres, how about action/adventure—avoiding non-beating hearts—being blended with other genres?
Amish Natural Disaster. Tornadoes, forest fires, rabid squirrels or rabbits, or various combinations thereof threaten the family and farm.
Cozy Mystery Adventure. Example: A full tourist bus is trapped in a blizzard with bitter windchills—with plenty of gas and blankets so everyone is cozy in spite of the possibility of eventual hypothermia. There is a serial pickpocket—it’s cozy not horror—who starts stealing wedding rings and treasured personal belongings. The adventure comes in because they have to take turns going outside to keep the exhaust pipe clear. (I can see my wife shiver and pull her reading blanket tighter each time someone has to go outside.)
Of course following these guidelines:
1. All honeymoon and marriage doors closed, locked, and sound-proofed and allowed one brief sentence in the last chapter. Characters are too busy avoiding non-beating heart syndrome to have opportunity to do anything of that nature. Biggest threat to relationships is not misunderstood text messages but lack of avoiding something fatal. The personal features driving good relationships are integrity, competence, kindness, and honor; good looks and infatuation are fleeting.
2. Every character gets to make a difference. Many characters are battling personal demons as serious as the external threat. Their integrity and nobility are allowed to show. Except for the scum buckets who get theirs—badly—at some point. Noble non-survivors are mourned and memorialized. Ignoble non-survivors are scorned and sometimes assisted in achieving non-survivor status.
3. The core conflict for everyone boils down to choosing to do the Right Thing or not despite the cost. Redemption and growth are available to every character.
4. — —Most important— —the external threat reveals and/or forges the mettle and integrity of characters. The best stories cause a reader to experiences a sense of “I can make better choices, be a better person, and make a difference.”
Woah, started off with satire and ended with what stories affect me the most. Didn’t plan that.
I’d like to offer: Sci-mantics (Sci-fi for romantics). Would include sappy engineering puns and characters who have lost the ability to read body language due to all the technology in their world.