foreign planet for aid when they stumble across large, blue-skinned, horned aliens known as sa-kuhi or the barbarians. Although the women do not speak the same language as the barbarians, they integrate into a tight-knit community as the women are forced to survive in the harsh environment. To adapt to the environment, the women receive an alien bug implant, which allows them to understand and communicate with the barbarians, survive the freezing temperatures, consume their raw food diet, and even meet their barbarian mate. Multiple feminist themes are present in the text, from the fluidity of gender roles, diversity of relationships, exploration of otherness, consent, female solidarity, desire, and agency. Applying feminist lenses and putting the saga into conversation with various sources examining feminism and the overall romance genre, readers can find how these themes add depth to the saga.
The Ice Planet Barbarians saga is considered one of the fastest-growing romance series in terms of readers drawn to the novels due to the unique plot and erotic nature of the stories. As Gayle Rubin explains in her article“ Thinking Sex,” the stigma around women consuming sexual content is expected to either not exist entirely or only take place as a means of reproduction. Dixon is working to disarm this harmful misconception and reject stereotypes that books involving sexual themes can be dismissed due to their lack of plot or value.
One way romance novels under the science fiction genre address feminist theory is by challenging patriarchal assumptions. Jane Donawerth’ s“ Utopian Science: Contemporary Feminist Science Theory
48 TEMPO MAGAZINE— SPRING 2025