It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sword and Planet. (Discuss)

The planetary romance is a particular sub-genre of science fiction that is heavily influenced by Eastern Adventure Stories and Edgar Rice Burroughs. Burrough's Mars and Venus novels virtually defined the field. Early planetary romances were a mainstay of the pulp magazines Planet Stories and Startling Stories. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Sword and Planet is a subgenre of speculative fiction that features rousing adventure stories set on other planets, and usually featuring Earthmen as protagonists. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan, although he produced works in many genres. ... In 1911, Edgar Rice Burroughs, now better known as the creator of the character Tarzan, began his writing career with A Princess of Mars, a rousing tale of pulp adventure on the planet Barsoom or Mars. ... Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as the pulps ) were inexpensive fiction magazines. ... Planet Stories was a pulp science fiction magazine, which published 71 issues between 1939 and 1955. ... Against the Fall of Night by Arthur C. Clarke in Startling Stories Cover by Earle Bergey Startling Stories was a pulp science fiction magazine which also published a lot of science fantasy. ...

It is one of the sub-genres which are categorized as soft science fiction. Some planetary romances also qualify as space opera, such as Leigh Brackett's early Eric John Stark stories and C. L. Moore's Northwest Smith. Brackett's stories in particular have also been sold as science fantasy. Soft science fiction or soft SF is science fiction whose plots and themes tend to focus on human feelings, while de-emphasizing the details of technological hardware and physical laws. ... Space opera is a subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction that emphasizes romantic adventure, interstellar travel, and space battles where the main storyline is centered around interstellar conflict and character drama. ... Leigh Brackett (December 7, 1915 - March 18, 1978), although best known for her fantasy and science fiction, also wrote mystery novels and Hollywood screenplays, most notably The Big Sleep (1945), Rio Bravo (1958), The Long Goodbye (1973) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980) She received the Hugo award posthumously for... Erik John Stark is a fictional character created by science fiction author Leigh Brackett. ... Catherine Lucile Moore (January 24, 1911 – April 4, 1987) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. ... Northwest Smith is a fictional character, and the hero of a series of stories by science fiction writer C. L. Moore. ... For the magazine of the same name see Science Fantasy (magazine) Science fantasy is the merging of science fiction and fantasy, two popular genres of writing. ...

Typically, planetary romance features heroic adventure set on exotic worlds other than our own, most often either Mars or Venus. The planetary setting can exist in isolation or as part of a larger spacefaring culture, often centered on a future Earth that takes the role of the British in colonial occupation stories (see Talbot Mundy). Declining galactic empires are also a popular alternative background setting. Regardless of the background setting, most planetary romances either ignore or minimize the theme of space travel, focussing instead on the main planetary venue. In Burrough's Barsoom and Poloda stories, for instance, earthmen are initially transferred to other planets mystically, by astral projection, with interplanetary travel by space ship figuring in only later in each series. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ... (*min temperature refers to cloud tops only) Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 9. ... Earth, also known as Terra, and Tellus mostly in the 19th century, is the third-closest planet to the Sun. ... Talbot Mundy was a British-born writer of adventure stories during the early twentieth century. ... Galactic empires are a fairly common theme in science fiction. ...

Stories in which space travel takes a more central role than a particular planetary locale are usually classified as space opera, although which category a given work would be considered to fall into is a matter of degree, and mixed forms are not unknown. In Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover novels the galactic background setting is quite prominant, though her focus remains firmly on the planet Darkover. Similarly, L. Sprague de Camp's Krishna series of rationalized planetary romances are a subseries of his space opera Viagens Interplanetarias series. Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley (June 3, 1930 - September 25, 1999) was a prolific author of largely feminist fantasy novels such as The Mists of Avalon and was a steadfast encourager of equality (and quality) in writing. ... The above illustration shows Darkover as the planet on the left with its four moons: Liriel, Kyrrdis, Irdriel and Mormallor. ... L. Sprague de Camp (centre) with Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov Lyon Sprague de Camp, (November 27, 1907-November 6, 2000) was a science fiction and fantasy author born in New York City. ...

There is an instructive comparison between "The Enchantress of Venus," one of Brackett's Stark stories, and A. E. Van Vogt's Empire of the Atom. Both take as their starting point the plot and situation of I, Claudius by Robert Graves. Van Vogt follows the plot somewhat more closely, concentrating his invention on the background of his empire while emphasizing the hero's vulnerability. Brackett introduces an Earthman who is struck by the romantic allure of the women involved in these intrigues. While both stories are space operas, only Brackett's is a planetary romance. Alfred Elton van Vogt (Winnipeg, Canada, April 26, 1912 - January 26, 2000) was a renowned Canadian-born science fiction author who achieved a degree of immortality as one of the most prolific, yet complex, writers from the mid-20th century Golden Age of his genre. ... I, Claudius is a novel by Robert Graves, (ISBN 067972477X) first published in 1934, dealing sympathetically with the life of the Roman Emperor Claudius and the history of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and Roman Empire, from Julius Caesars assassination in 44 BC to Caligulas assassination in 41 AD... Portrait of Robert Graves (circa 1974) by Rab Shiell Robert von Ranke Graves (July 24, 1895–December 7, 1985) was an English scholar, best remembered for his work as a poet and novelist. ...

The genre regained popularity in the wake of the revival of interest in Edgar Rice Burroughs in the 1960s. With the Solar system becoming less and less credible as a venue as detailed knowledge of it increased, new entries usually adopted extrasolar venues, though some works continued to focus on traditional locales. Presentation of the solar system (not to scale) The solar system comprises our Sun and the retinue of celestial objects gravitationally bound to it. ... Infrared image of the star GQ Lupi (A) orbited by a planet (b) at a distance of approximately 20 times the distance between Jupiter and our Sun. ...

Notable works in this second period include L. Sprague de Camp's Krishna books, Lin Carter's Green Star, Mysteries of Mars and Callisto series, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover novels and Leigh Brackett's Ginger Star novels, reviving her earlier hero Eric John Stark. Possibly the most ambitious effort of all is Kenneth Bulmer's Dray Prescot saga, which extends to more than fifty volumes and brings to the genre a level of political and cultural complexity previously unheard of. L. Sprague de Camp (centre) with Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov Lyon Sprague de Camp, (November 27, 1907-November 6, 2000) was a science fiction and fantasy author born in New York City. ... Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 - February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. ... Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley (June 3, 1930 - September 25, 1999) was a prolific author of largely feminist fantasy novels such as The Mists of Avalon and was a steadfast encourager of equality (and quality) in writing. ... Henry Kenneth Bulmer, (January 14, 1921-December 16, 2005), born in London, England, was a British author, primarily of science fiction. ...