As a lifelong fantasy enthusiast, I’ve watched the genre evolve, adapt, and expand. From the whimsical adventures of Narnia to the magical world of Hogwarts, fantasy has always offered an escape, a chance to explore worlds beyond our wildest imaginations. However, a recent trend has left me, and others like me, feeling increasingly alienated: the overwhelming dominance of romantic fantasy. This isn’t a critique of romance as a genre – romance novels have their place and their dedicated readership (VEEEEEERRRRRRRRY DEDICATED). My concern lies with the blurring of lines, the mislabeling, and the subsequent cannibalization of the fantasy genre itself.

This is my personal opinion, of course, and I understand others may feel differently. I’m not here to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t enjoy. But as someone passionate about fantasy, I feel compelled to express my concerns.

One of the most pressing issues is the way romantic fantasy seems to be crowding out other forms of fantasy. It feels like every bookstore shelf, every online recommendation, is saturated with stories where romance takes center stage, often at the expense of world-building, plot, and character development. It’s not just that romance is present; it’s that it’s become the primary focus, with the fantasy elements serving merely as a backdrop. This saturation makes it increasingly difficult for readers seeking traditional fantasy – stories focused on adventure, magic systems, epic battles, and intricate world-building – to find what they’re looking for. The sheer volume of romantic fantasy drowns out other subgenres, making discovery a frustrating experience. This trend also impacts authors writing non-romance fantasy, who find it harder to gain visibility in a market dominated by romantic tropes. (LitRPG is a close second in this trend, but that’s a discussion for another time.) Which begs a question that can be explored in another post. Is it even worth writing anything besides romantic fantasy right now? Which makes me say a big "yikes". Now that, has some scary repercussions.

This leads to my second point: the misleading marketing of these books. Many romantic fantasy novels are marketed as “epic fantasy,” a term that evokes grand narratives, intricate political systems, and sweeping conflicts. Yet, upon closer inspection, these stories often prioritize romantic entanglements above all else. The “epic” elements are minimized, or even completely absent, used only to give the characters more opportunities to “fall deeper in love and eventually ‘do the nasty’”. The marketing creates a false expectation, drawing in readers expecting a grand fantasy adventure only to deliver a primarily romance-driven narrative. This bait-and-switch tactic not only disappoints readers like myself, but also undermines the integrity of the “epic fantasy” label, diluting its meaning and making it harder to distinguish true epic fantasy from its romantic counterpart. It’s like buying a science fiction novel only to find that half of it consists of the protagonists falling in love and making out, with the actual science fiction elements relegated to the background. Wouldn’t you feel misled? I know I would. This is precisely how I feel when encountering romantic fantasy masquerading as true fantasy. I get the allure. In one of my own novels, I began writing a scene that involved romance and it felt strangely intoxicating. However, I noticed all of my story ideas began getting warped and taking a backseat to this romance (it literally threatened to become the bulk of the book). It took a conscious effort to fight that urge, so I can only imagine how hard it is for others to do the same.

Moving on, to illustrate the sinisterness of this misleading marketing, imagine someone who speaks primarily French learning English. After a while, they begin mixing the two languages, creating a hybrid of 70% French and 30% English called Frenglish. Eventually, they primarily speak this Frenglish mix and insist that they’re speaking English. Yes, while there are elements of English present, it’s not accurate to classify it as purely English. It’s a hybrid, a blend. Not even 50/50 at that. This is analogous to what’s happening with romantic fantasy. Primarily romance authors are coming into fantasy, mixing the two, then telling everyone what they created is Fantasy.

I see where you're coming from but...no. It’s a blending of genres, yet the emphasis is often overwhelmingly on the romance, making it more akin to a fantastical romance than true fantasy with romantic elements.

Now it’s important to distinguish between “Romantic Fantasy” and “Fantasy Romance.” In my view, “Romantic Fantasy” should signify a fantasy story that includes romantic elements, interwoven with other core fantasy elements like adventure, magic, and world-building. The romance should enhance the story, not define it. On the other hand, “Fantasy Romance or Fantastical Romance” should denote a romance story set in a fantastical world. The romance is the central focus, with the fantasy setting providing a backdrop for the romantic narrative. The emphasis should be clear. What we’re seeing too often is the latter being sold as the former, a misrepresentation that leaves readers like me feeling cheated. This mislabeling creates confusion and frustration, as readers searching for one experience are presented with something entirely different. This lack of clarity damages both genres, preventing readers from getting what they truly seek.

This brings me to a fourth, and perhaps more contentious, point: the use of romance as a crutch. It often feels like the romantic elements are used to compensate for weak writing, shallow plots, and underdeveloped characters. The focus shifts from crafting a compelling narrative with depth and complexity to simply creating situations where the characters can engage in romantic or sexual encounters. This reliance on romance can mask fundamental flaws in the storytelling, preventing authors from honing their skills in other much-needed areas. In some cases, these books feel less like fantasy novels and more like “smut books” set in a fantasy world, with the explicit content being the main draw. Again, there’s nothing wrong with erotica or romance as genres, but presenting them as something they’re not does a disservice to both genres and misleads readers. It truly shocks me seeing some reviews where people openly say the "spice" or explicit scenes in the book were their favorite parts or were a great addition to the story.

This highlights the shift in focus from the core elements of fantasy to the romantic and sexual content. It suggests that for some readers, the primary appeal of these books lies not in the fantasy elements, but in the explicit content, further blurring the lines between genres. Don't even get me started on what kind of fantasy is topping the lists for "Men's Adventure" books on Amazon.

My personal preference is for fantasy where romance plays a minimal role, if any. Growing up, I was captivated by series like The Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter. These stories offered adventure, magic, and profound themes, without relying on explicit romantic or sexual content. There were no lengthy scenes of “doing the nasty” or assault. The focus was on the journey, the characters’ growth, and the overarching conflicts. Yet, sadly, if you ask someone hearing of fantasy right now what they think of the genre, you might hear responses like, “Isn’t it all romance and ‘doing the nasty’? It's not for me.” <---- This perception is a direct result of the current trend, and it’s damaging the reputation of true fantasy, creating a distorted image of what the genre truly offers.

It’s disheartening to see how many “romance in a fantasy setting” books dominate the fantasy charts. There's even a series with ten-plus novels dedicated to exploring romantic relationships with a long list of public and well-known characters. While I understand that this formula is commercially successful, it doesn’t change my personal frustration. This commercial success further reinforces the trend, making it even harder for other types of fantasy to gain traction.

Ultimately, this is speaking up to say something is weird. For clarity and accurate labeling. Let romance be romance, and let fantasy be fantasy. While I acknowledge that this blend is what’s currently popular, I hope that one day, the true essence of fantasy – the exploration of imaginative worlds, the battles against darkness, and the triumph of good over evil – can once again take center stage, unburdened by the overwhelming focus on romance.

Fellow dreamer. Thank you for taking the time to read my perspective. I welcome all of your thoughts and comments. Just submit them through the contact form. Take care and safe travels!