The Mammoth Book of Futuristic Romance

Introduction

The future is friendly. Well, actually, the future is more than friendly. It’s a bit over-friendly, if anything.

Clumsy spacesuits and clunky helmets have done nothing to dampen our ardor, and even in those bleak dystopian visions where we keep up our wanton environmental destruction of the planet we call home, it’s love that manages to provide some light at the end of the tunnel.

On space ships, on newly colonized planets, on versions of Earth that we may recognize, or not, and amidst our own and alien species, there is no shortage of love in the future. And that is a cause for celebration. Whatever lies ahead may be all-encompassing and vast, but we can be comforted by the knowledge that we’ll always be falling in and out of love, being swept off our feet by meetings with handsome strangers, and longing, lusting and loving, far into an uncertain future. Whether we travel to new worlds or struggle to adapt to radical new changes on Earth, we can always expect to experience the warm, familiar feelings that make us human.

Although the setting might throw you, you’ll feel right at home in the future. Meet hardy pioneers settling new planetary colonies, hoping for a fresh start on a new planet, complete with a government grant and a brand-new mate. Clashes with local, indigenous populations can lead to danger, adventure and interspecies love. Space is the newest new frontier, and the race to secure new territory brings all the old familiar faces out of the woodwork from Earth’s dubious colonial past.

It’s no surprise that big business plays a prominent role in the future, as does the military. Far-reaching corporations of limitless wealth finance the exploration of new worlds, seeking the profit that new, untapped resources can supply. The military provides the muscle to fight the wars in space or dirtside, complete with genetic modifications and space-age nutritional supplements. In the future, peace seems even more elusive than it does today. The post-colonial world is over, and the race for new colonies has begun, bringing with it the same age-old aggression and ruthlessness.

But romance always saves the day, and there is a light-heartedness to these future-set stories, with great lashings of humor and warmth. You’ll meet former romantic partners trying to put the past behind them – and not succeeding – as they prepare to enter an intergalactic space race; time-traveling rebels out to romance the past; and great characters like Linnea Sinclair’s recently deflowered bio-’cybe Kel-Paten, who makes living in space seem like a really good idea. Perhaps it’s true that in space no one can hear you scream, but after sampling the stories here, you’ll be sure that they must at least be able to hear you laugh.

Trisha Telep