What’s the difference between fantasy romance, romantic fantasy and romantasy?
I posed that question in the Fantasy Sub-Reddit recently, and the response was amazing. Aside from drawing 44,000+ views, the thread sparked a thoughtful and passionate discussion about those labels and how to define them.
Some Redditors framed the difference between the labels structurally: is the romance the engine of the plot, or does the fantasy stand on its own? Others focused on audience and intent, arguing that romantasy is written primarily for romance readers and follows romance rules, regardless of how elaborate the fantasy elements might be. There was also heated debated over whether or not the ‘romantasy’ tag was an indicator of the quality of world building.
The majority of Redditors generally supported the following broad definitions:
- Fantasy romance: A romance novel set in a fantasy world. The love story drives the plot; the fantasy elements enrich it.
- Romantic fantasy: A fantasy story with a recognisable romantic subplot. Without the romance, the fantasy plot would still stand on its own.
- Romantasy: A newer/colloquial term used by readers and marketers — often as another term for ‘fantasy romance’, but sometimes used to describe stories in which romance and fantasy are equally central. (This one is still very much a moving feast in terms of shared language.)
Labels in creative contexts are always problematic. But the argument above wasn’t about labels as such, rather what they create in terms of reader expectations.
That’s why it’s helpful to have common definitions and it’s important we do our best to get them right in our marketing. Otherwise, we risk readers being disappointed and frustrated when a book doesn’t deliver what they expect. (Based on the above simplified definitions, I put The Children of Verus Trilogy in the spectrum of romantic fantasy.)
I found the whole discussion/debate fascinating (and clearly one that is happening frequently). Here’s the full thread if you’re interested (feel free to add to the discussion!):
Fantasy Sub-Reddit
Meanwhile, on Instagram…
Author E.C Glynn and also I chatted about this question. She’s created an awesome Instagram post mapping fantasy sub-genres. The opening slides (and the one featuring The Shadow of the Eagle) are below and the whole post is here:
E.C. Glynn on Insta
What do you think? How do you define the different sub-genres of fantasy and what is your preferred level of romance and/or space?
