The Science Fiction Antihero

Growing up I was drawn to horror and science fiction. I loved vampires because my mother was a huge fan of the 1970s Dracula movies. My father loved science fiction TV, so as  kid I watched lots of it. For me the 70s and 80s were filled with fantasies about spaceships and cool aliens. Even back then I developed stronger attachments to villains and antiheroes than the “good guys.”

I was a true sci-fi geek, constantly reading books like Xenogenesis by Octavia E. Butler, Alien Blood by Joan D. Vinge and classic works of science fiction by Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.

What happens when a kid obsessed with horror and science fiction grows up, discovering romance novels on the way? This particular geek became a romance writer whose characters generally aren’t fully human or even human at all.

Why science fiction romance?

In this subgenre an author can create worlds and characters that are different from anything we know. Somewhere out there in the universe, anything is possible so you can suspend your disbelief and experience love with aliens or life on a different planet. In science fiction romance you can create alien characters with inhuman attributes that you find attractive and exciting. Since I lean toward antiheroes, most of the characters in my science fiction romances aren’t golden heroes.

For instance in my time travel series Rough Tough and Tumble, the main characters include a prostitute and a prisoner on death row. In my Alien Affairs series, every story features at least one lead character who has a run-in with the law. Ross Lovell from Doing Thyme is an ex-con. Xenos from Moonlight on Water is on the intergalactic most wanted list. Drago from Menage a Tasia is a spy who turns sides and ends up sentenced to hard labor in prison. The heroine in Pandora’s Box is on the run after years of serving her government as an assassin. In my upcoming Combustion series, Jace has a shady past, but the captain takes a chance and includes him on a mission to Earth.

Science fiction antiheroes are fun to write about. They have the entire universe to chase down their enemies for revenge and their potential powers are unlimited. Best of all, in the end they find love, acceptance and a positive direction in which to turn the most dangerous weapons in their arsenal–their courage and indomitable will.

How do you feel about science fiction villains and antiheroes? Are you more inclined to love the baddies or the golden heroes? Who are some of your favorites?

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