Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
Forbidden Desire in Fantasy and Sci-Fi – Part 1
I can just hear Peeta Malark in my head as I think about the idea of Star-crossed Lovers ‘I don’t want to be the one to lose you,’ he says softly. ‘I never wanted to be the one to leave you.’” Mockingjay, book 2 of The Hunger Games series, by Susanne Collins.
This is just one of the many forbidden desires writers use to captivate readers of fantasy and science fiction. Fantastical stories are created that explore deep passions and tackle themes of complex emotions and moral themes. From star-crossed lovers defying the boundaries of their worlds to the perilous pursuit of forbidden knowledge, relationships across time, and one of my favorite tropes, characters who practice forbidden or dark magic are some of the narratives that challenge societal norms and invite us to question our own boundaries. In this blog, we will uncover forbidden desires in fantasy and sci-fi literature, and the reasons behind their enduring appeal.
Of the many different themes writers utilize regarding forbidden desires in SFF works, the Star-crossed Lovers is deemed the most to occur. Romance is insidious in SFF no matter what people say. And of those who become lovers regardless of the rival factions, species, or social classes (e.g., humans and elves, nobles and commoners) whose relationships are forbidden due to societal norms or political conflicts, we have so many examples a single paragraph would not reveal them all. We definitely see this trope in thousands of earlier works like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, or Irving Schulmans West Side Story. But also, in SFF. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller reimagines the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus and what of that forbidden love Briseis found for Achilles. Or the wonderous novel The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, where Claire and Henry are tested again and again separating them or bringing them together at unexpected moments in their lives. And as mentioned at the start, what of Katniss Everdeen and Peeter Melark from The Hunger Games? How forbidden is it to be in love during a killing game where only one can survive?
Then we have themes of Taboo magic, the practice of forbidden or dark magic, often leading to consequences such as being hunted, cursed, or ostracized by society. Examples would be The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin where Essun has the natural skill of Orogeny, the power to manipulate energy from the earth. And yet, Orogeny is both feared and controlled by the ruling society, with some forms of its use considered taboo due to its destructive potential.
What about forbidden knowledge? How many mages or characters have you read about that seek to know more? Their pursuit of ancient, forbidden texts or secrets that promise great power or insights often comes with risks such as madness, curses, or attracting malevolent forces. The Everlasting Tale of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. 1984 by George Orwell, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, and of course Dune by Frank Herbert when Paul drinks the forbidden “Water of Life” and becomes the Kwisatz Haderach, a superbeing with extraordinary mental and physical abilities, capable of bridging vast distances in space and time. There is so much fun in the forbidden knowledge.
Frankenstein
I’ve even written about it in my first book Sparrows Legacy of the Sparrow series. The Mage Besinger is one of three that are sent to hunt down Tara and her brother Teng. As he has conjuring skills, he summons a creature who tells him answers.
Here is the scene of conjuring from my JL Nich Sparrow’s Legacy:
A still figure stood behind the table, a cowl draped over the features, hands folded within the sleeves. A hissing pop broke the silence. The small crystal lying on the table vibrated. It rattled in place with controlled violence. The air above thickened and swirled upward from the crystal. A circular funnel widened and climbed. In the center depths of the swirling movement a shape formed, its bending contour blurring and morphing with impossible angles as it grew in size. The clicking noise of the crystal became louder and slowed as it knocked against the table. With a final, slow, methodical beat, the swirling air dissipated to reveal the creature within.
“Why do you call me Mage Besinger?” The nebulous figure demanded, its grainy voice noticeably struggling against its forced containment.
The man’s hands, fingers adorned with jeweled rings, appeared from the robe and pushed the cowl back slightly to reveal silver-streaked hair and an equally gray pointed beard jutted from a chin. He lifted his face to the question emanating from the creature, his eyes still closed. Pocked skin and rugged features seamed with deep lines, carved the scaring evidence of powerful magics using dark forces into him. Those eyes snapped open, revealing onyx-filled depths, the sclera completely black, as if deep-veined blood filled his sight. His face twisted with rage. “Do NOT say my name, demand of the damned. You shall bend to my will and fulfill my needs, Keshik.” He bellowed.
The creature moaned and writhed as the words rebounded in the room.
“To name a thing is to own a thing. You do not own me.” The mage clarified.
“I will do such as you ask.” It stated the grit of compliance against its will.
The man stared at the shifting creature and waited. Time seemed eternal.
“Asssskkk.” The creature wailed.
Mage Besinger smiled in satisfaction.
“Capture the girl and boy kin, I seek.” He held up a single hair and flicked it into the swirling air. It became another mote for the funnel. “You will find them in the Arish lands. I want their minds to…” he smiled again. “…take back something I lost.” His hand clenched at the fleeting memory of Pashier Endric stealing his magic.
“This task is not a path revealed. There are…” the creature twisted and flinched. “There are…unknowns. And the two are not without power. I am unable to…”
The man slammed his fist down on the table. The crystal jumped up and back down.
The creature screamed. The walls echoed until they absorbed the sound.
“Tell me a resolution.” He spoke in a rigid tone, his teeth clenched.
“A mind slayer, perhaps, to possess? This is within your skills. But only the boy. The girl is…resistant.” The creature reached out an arm and scratched through the air like a cat.
The Mages’s eyes narrowed as he contemplated the information. “Tell me of this resis…”
The room’s lone door burst open, propelled as if by a giant hand, slamming against the wall with intensity.
And from the same novel two star-crossed people from different parts of the world meet in deep magical meditation and find a spark of fascination that soon falls deeper into trust and love.
Tara pressed her hand into the springing texture, now expecting the fall. She dropped onto the grass surface that looked real. Still, she felt nothing beneath her feet; in fact, she did not feel her feet. The area of this place was as transparent and simple as before, but even as she watched, colors ran into it like paint from the soaking brush into the water cup. Silken streams threaded into her surroundings.
Graceling
by Kristin Cashore
“Ah, a visitor. Somehow, I thought you might return. Not that I am not just as shocked this time, but at least I know who is here.” Cree walked toward Tara and smiled. She wore a white wrap that tied as a sash at her waist. Her light hair was drifting in a non-existent wind, along with the tree limbs and bending grass, and a small rivulet cutting through the greenery. When she arrived at Tara’s side she reached out and touched the clear form and bled color into Tara’s dream, instantly. A dark color for her clothing, her browner skin, and ebony hair were almost perfect. She couldn’t see it, but she imagined her eyes were the green of her family line.
“Why would you embellish this world? Isn’t it a drain on your magic? Is it not just a meeting spot?” Tara asked, looking at the woman before her and noting the white bone staff she bore. It looked so solid. She reached out a hand and paused before retracting it.
Cree followed the action and presented the staff. “Color makes this area clearer and is not much of my magic. I know Chiri finds the color comforting, as do I. We remember it as such. But this staff? It’s much harder to justify.” She held it in both palms, hands up. “Touch it?” She asked.
Tara’s hand rose again and passed through the staff.
“It’s not real but is such a part of me I rarely leave it behind. I imagine you have such things you carry.” Cree arched an eyebrow.
Tara reached into her now visible pocket and was shocked speechless to withdraw her mother’s broach. She held it in her palm showing Cree.
“Ah, I see you’ve surprised yourself.” Cree looked it over and closed her eyes for a moment, her mouth pinched. “The cristi.” She sighed with knowing. Opening her eyes, she reached out with a trembling hand, a single finger brushing its surface. As if magic, which it was, the broach morphed in Tara’s palm, repaired to its exact shape, size, and color, and looking so new that Tara remembered its shine hanging around a chain of Matie’s neck.
“The cristi of Sparrow was once our promise and our bane. As long as it was silent, Chiri and I trained for an unknown tomorrow. We had family, friends, purpose. The fracture made in this…” she removed her finger. “…split our country so deep we won’t ever be the same. It split me and mine. It is called the unknown, as today. And yet, I know it safely hid Sparrow from evil’s touch for Ans.” She looked up at Tara, her blue eyes shining.
Tara didn’t know what to say. She held a key that an entire country warred over. It was a treasure worth too many lives to count. Even her own was not the exception. She closed her grasp around the pendant and shook her head. “I know it’s not any consolation, but Matie wore it around her neck, closest to her heart, all of her life. I’ve never known its purpose, but it was a part of her. I won’t ever leave its truths behind.”
“This is a good thing, Taren Micale Sworden. You will need those truths to heal wounds and fill that gaping separation between our people. You must cleanse the misery that runs throughout waters across our country. Those truths and the ones you will learn, will set us free. Raise the black veil.”
Tara remembered the words from the poem of the prophecy. But it was not just a black veil; it was a ‘black veil of fear.’ Tara put the broach back into her pocket, its weight so heavy she felt like falling down.
Cree stared at her; those blue eyes were intense. “You look so much like your mother; I expect any words spoken from your mouth will be held as much as hers.”
Tara turned away from that remark. How could she be what so many others needed? She was not prepared. Her fingers tightened into fists.
“What bothers you, Taren? If I can help I will.” Cree asked, waiting.
Within the ideas of forbidden desires in fantasy and sci-fi literature, it’s evident that these themes resonate deeply with readers because they push the boundaries of imagination and challenge societal norms.
“If I wanted to kill you, Po, I’d have done it by now.” He chuckled. “But I think it’s more complicated than that. You’re the first person I’ve ever met who doesn’t expect me to be a monster. And I think that’s what makes me want to do good things.” Graceling by Kristin Cashore.
These novels not only entertain but also make us reflect on our own values, fears, and desires. Whether it’s the tragic romance of star-crossed lovers, the dangerous allure of forbidden knowledge, or the ethical dilemmas posed by advanced technologies, these narratives captivate us by presenting scenarios that are both extraordinary and profoundly human.
“I had never asked him if he knew what it was to despise yourself. To feel poisoned by your own species. We were both familiar with the taste of abomination.” Paige says about the Warden from The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon.
By delving into these forbidden desires, we gain a greater understanding of ourselves and the world around us, proving that the true magic of fantasy and science fiction lies in their ability to mirror the complexities of human experience.
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JL Nich, Science Fiction Fantasy Author
