Literary cocktails, anyone? Although fiction genres each started out with a distinct flavor profile, there’s been some excellent pairings. Star Wars put sci-fi and fantasy both on the menu. And we lapped it up! Come on, haven’t we all brandished our make-believe light sabres? And indulged in Yoda-speak?
I was surprised when the sci-fi flavor showed up in my fantasy novel. Growing up, I devoured plenty of sci-fi, with no ambition to cook some up. Yet when my story begged for scenes written from the viewpoint of its multidimensional adversaries, that’s what emerged.
One of Lonecca’s invisible manipulators wonders if she’s an evolutionary aberration. She references visual stimuli, her colony’s newborn enclosure, olfactory function, fundamental resonance, dominant life forms, a variance in vibrations, and cerebral interfacing. Oh, and she has a diaphanous dorsal membrane. Sound like sci-fi to you? Just a little? It definitely gives her narration a radically different tone from the rest of the book.
And talk about serendipity. When I invented the name for this race of creatures, “Hogrem” seemed like a decent term. Much later, I discovered that “Hogra” is Algerian for contempt, humiliation or oppression. Apt words to describe the mindset of a villain, no? Yet the Hogrem don’t see themselves as hostile. They view Loneccans as their herd who needs looking after. Just as we’d prize our dairy cows and tend them well, their intent is never murderous. As I revised my novel, I gave the Hogrem societal values and family groups. But as you’ll see once you encounter them, they’re missing that essential quality that most villains lack: empathy.
Okay, back to the blend. In cooking, new combinations of flavors are constantly trending. Remember when salted caramel wasn’t a thing? Or sweet chili chips? Any two fiction genres could theoretically blend. (Can you say Twilight???) Comedy and romance have long been paired with the rest, like the salt and pepper of fiction. A dash of mystery also works well. But imagine Dystopian + Western. Or Historical + Thriller. Or add a jigger of time travel to spice up any tale.
One of my favorite novels is historical fantasy. I know, what an oxymoron. History lovers want authentic facts, while fantasy fans crave a departure from reality. Author Susan Kay successfully combined both in her 1990 novel Phantom.Set in 19th century France, it offers an origin tale of Erik, and his metamorphosis into the Phantom of the Opera.
Have you come across any delicious genre blending in a book or drama? I’d love to hear about it.
Ciao for now,
Kai