When I initially encountered this, I dismissed it as rubbish, but based on a comment by a reader of this blog I've looked into it further and discovered that this may be a case where I jumped to a conclusion too quickly (a not-uncommon occurrence when blogging rapidly).
The category is explained in some detail at Wikipedia:
A type of speculative fiction, paranormal romance focuses on romance and includes elements beyond the range of scientific explanation, blending together themes from the genres of traditional fantasy, science fiction, or horror. Paranormal romance may range from traditional category romances, such as those published by Harlequin Mills & Boon, with a paranormal setting to stories where the main emphasis is on a science fiction or fantasy based plot with a romantic subplot included. Common hallmarks are romantic relationships between humans and vampires, shapeshifters, ghosts, and other entities of a fantastic or otherworldly nature.Romance is not my cup of tea, but since I am a science fiction fan, I need to give this category its due. For a deeper discussion of the genre from the viewpoint of someone in the publishing business, see "What is Paranormal Romance?" (pdf).
Beyond the more prevalent themes involving vampires, shapeshifters, ghosts, or time travel, paranormal romances can also include books featuring characters with psychic abilities, like telekinesis or telepathy.
Paranormal romance has its roots in Gothic fiction.
A few paranormals are set solely in the past and are structured much like any historical romance novel. Others are set in the future, sometimes on different worlds. Still others have a time-travel element with either the hero or the heroine traveling into the past or the future...
Thanks for the heads-up, Kirsten.
Reposted from 2010 (15 years ago!) to add a link to this story from the BBC:
Fans rush for hotly anticipated fantasy book sequelFans have queued up for Onyx Storm, the hotly anticipated new book by best-selling US fantasy author Rebecca Yarros, in one of the publishing events of the year."Onyx Storm is the third novel in Yarros's Empyrean series, set in a world of dragons, magic, warfare and steamy romance... In the US, some avid readers waited until 3am for the online release of an exclusive special edition from Target - but many who had stayed up complained on social media that the store's website couldn't cope with the demand...In anticipation of Onyx Storm's release, the first two Empyrean books, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, went back to the top two slots in the New York Times fiction bestsellers list...
Our library has 76 copies of the book on order, and already 750 patrons have placed their names on the waiting list. I'd be delighted to hear comments from readers about the first two books.
Is it really a Paranormal,........Or same thing in different way
ReplyDeleteSome thing is interesting, I would be like to see the store.
ReplyDeleteI think this question has been a part of several surveys, with the answer always the same (unfortunately, I don't have a direct reference--anyone?):
ReplyDelete"If you were stuck in a library in the middle of a snowstorm, and you had to burn books to remain warm, which books would you burn?"
The answer in at least two surveys that I recall was, "The romance novels!"
Lurker111
I urge you to pick up a few of these books before dismissing them all as trash. I read and write young adult literature, and I assure you that there are some worthy titles on that shelf. (And yes, one of my books as well.) As authors, we have little control over the labels our novels are assigned by bookstores. Perhaps “teen paranormal romance” isn’t your cup of tea. I’m not sure I’m crazy about that label, either. But I wouldn’t reject an entire shelf of books based solely on a sign at Barnes & Noble.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I would recommend everyone with public library access to take a look at the "suggestions" that its website gives you. The algorithms (it's not AI) are terrible, but this is a feature, and not a bug. It recommends books that are way out of your normal range.
DeleteWhenever you go pick up a stack of books, pick up a one or two of these rather random recommendations. Start reading, and who knows what you find. I find that a lot of them are indeed not interesting to me, but no one is forcing you to read past the first chapter and then bringing the book back. Once in a while, you will find a fascinating book that sucks you in like Alice went down the rabbit hole. What a delight.
Post amended; thank you so much for the comment.
ReplyDeleteNo, thank you. Posts like this are the reason I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteA business acquaintance sent this picture to a group of us, calling it the sign of the apocalypse. But my kids enjoy some of this stuff! I like some and find other books too far outside my own realm of reality, I guess. Maybe it depends on my mood! But I have an advance copy of a great paranormal thriller that I'm quite enjoying! It's "Stronger than Sin" by Caridad Piñeiro. It involves experimental gene therapy, doctors,patients, ordinary people drawn into extraordinary circumstances, supernatural powers ... and romance! The paranormal elements are different than other books I've read -- based on real-life science, I'd say. It comes out next week, though Barnes and Noble apparently is already selling it. Don't dismiss it until you've given it a look!
ReplyDeleteI'm a 45-year-old grim and serious kind of guy who reads more non-fiction than fiction, but a good percentage of the fiction I do read is YA. Why? Because, to be blunt, that's where the *stories* are. For the time being, it seems like a lot of the best story-tellers in speculative fiction are applying their talents to YA and I'm not going to complain about that. Among other things, it means my daughter will get to them sooner.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't mean I like Twilight specifically (sounds like trash) or "paranormal romance" whether teen or otherwise, but if that happens to be the sub-genre that's drawing people to reading then I say, "Good for you!"
Ditto @Platypus, though I'm 70, lol. I've read my share of romance, some are really bad (can't stand "bodice rippers"). I even convinced hubs to try a couple, but they were mystery/drama with romance thrown in and very well written. Personally I would consider Harry Potter or some of the other YA novels to fall in the paranormal romance category. Mostly well written with an interesting story line.
DeleteProbably "rubbish" (as in a binary construction), but even it's not, isn't this a question of relative value? As in, since we all have a finite lifespan, is there anything more useful, enlightening, etc. that young adults might devote themselves to? Learning to grow things, learning to build things, reading the best literature in world history? Conversations with real people, as opposed to cyber mediated junk-speak. Maybe I'll read Onyx and find it ranks among the "best literature in world history," but I don't think I'll be eating crow on that one. Of course there's an argument to be made for escape, diversion, amusement, time wasting, etc. But that's the very function of rubbish, so why not proudly call it rubbish? Worst of all would be to think that because something is marketable or popular it earns validation beyond what's due. (Of course we're in the swamp of art and taste and all the vagaries of that realm. "De gustibus non est disputandum" and all that.)
ReplyDeleteCrowboy, I used to agree with your mindset that one's time should be spent productively - especially by learning things (of which there is no end). Here's a quote from The Once and Future King:
Delete"“The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.”"
But now that I'm older (70s) I tend to disagree. I think my old mindset was inherited in a gene from my maternal grandfather who took playing cards away from my mom and threw them in the fire, telling her there were chores to be done and time should not be wasted. Now that I'm old I think there are times when time should be "wasted" on nonproductive matters. Teen paranormal romance for some, Civilization computer games for me. Especially in times of stress, I think it's good for the mind to focus on trivial things in order not to think about reality too much.
It's not that I oppose time wasting. What I oppose is dishonesty. That is, the inflation of the value of things. Ascribing more value to a thing than it really has. Hype. It seems to me the central purpose of promotion, in our capitalist culture, is to confuse us on this matter. To cultivate convincing and profitable ruses as to the value of things. This we call "marketing." Is there any hope for young adults living such an environment? How do they discover what has value? Value relative to what? The "what" is important. Without some deep knowledge our experience is devoid of reference points other than the ones the marketers want us to have. So, there's a battle going on between capitalism and truth. If something is rubbish, it's rubbish. This is not to say it has no value. It has the value of rubbish. Do I oppose all vices in some puritanical sense? No, but I do oppose marketing vice as virtue. Tolstoy came to the conclusion, late in life, that novels are generally trash--and he included his own. This was based on moral content. The message. I tend to agree with Tolstoy, even as I might chose to immerse myself in crappy, escapist entertainment. What I'm arguing for is being conscious of what we're doing. So it might be good for a YA to be aware that rubbish is rubbish. And why it's rubbish. In other words, I'm supporting your original position.
DeleteReading a book is never a waste of time.
DeleteLife may dictate that other activities are more pressing. But that does not take out the inherent value of reading a book. From the filthiest manga to the highest literature.
If I were to say that watching TV is never a waste of time... Or playing video games... Or... Does the same claim apply? Is there something sacred about words on a page that makes this medium sacrosanct in some way that redeems the worst book ever written? But maybe the idea here is that wasting time is never a waste of time. Perhaps that's sensible, though nonsensical.
DeleteIf I were to say that watching TV is never a waste of time... Or playing video games...
DeleteBut you didn't. So I did not reply to the things you didn't say. My sincere apologies.
Is there something sacred about words on a page that makes this medium sacrosanct in some way that redeems the worst book ever written?
Books are more imaginative than more visual media. Even comics.
Furthermore, filthy mangas are not bad books.
Also, if your only argument against a generic statement is some extremely stretched version of that argument, then you're basically admitting you don't have much. Arguing that way is basically turning the arguments into a linguistical discussion about the meaning over words. This might be interesting, but is not the argument at hand.
But maybe the idea here is that wasting time is never a waste of time.
Again, a different angle at the margin of my argument, but I'll bite on this one: Yes, people should relax more.
Relaxing is not a waste of time. REPEAT: Relaxing is not a waste of time.
Part of the reason why we're all going nuts is this puritan notion that man should work at much as he can to be worthy in the face of god. Fuck that shit. I'll crossref to another recent post on animals understanding better that life is about enjoying it, not about prostrating yourself for your god. Or capitalism if that's your false god.
One might also note that God rested on the seventh day. Of course, that was after a very busy week...
DeleteAs a 50+ man, I end up finding audiobooks and Netflix with young female leads, and/or with scifi elements. My two favorite Netflix 22-min series are teen paranormal romance. "I am not okay with this" has a great setting in Pennsylvania with a female, the other is "Mob Psycho 100", which is male middle school boy in Japan. The psychic power of the leads is strongly contrasted with their insecure and powerless self-image. Revisiting that age and getting to smile about it is enjoyable.
ReplyDelete