Have you ever read a near-future sci fi romance?
It’s been exciting to see so many books in my favourite genre releasing this summer, and one recent release that caught my eye is Moonrising, by Claire Barner.
The cover, featuring star-spattered silhouettes, is clearly a nod to the hugely popular space opera romance Winter’s Orbit. Digging a little further, though, I found that while Moonrising includes many of the political dynamics of space opera, it’s really more of a near-future sci-fi about humanity’s first step toward colonizing the moon. That being said, it’s definitely also a romance, with not one but two romantic couples!
These differences between Moonrising and more common Space Opera romance got me really excited–moving space opera elements to an accessible, near future setting feels like a truly fresh take. I had all kinds of questions, and thankfully, Claire was kind enough to agree to an interview.
I’m excited to share what I learned about Moonrising with you, so let’s dive in!
Amy: Claire, Moonrising sounds like such a great blend of science fiction and romance. First, let’s talk about the science. This is a near-future sci-fi about moon colonization, am I right?
Claire: Yes! Moonrising takes place about fifty years from now and focuses on the first Moon colony. The main character, Dr. Alex Cole, is an agronomist tasked with building a greenhouse on the Moon. She starts the novel preferring the company of plants to people, and as she spends time on the Moon, she learns how to let people in and build community. Along the way, she falls in love with Mansoor Al Kaabi, a charming, self-contained Emirati businessman developing the first hotel on the Moon. Back on Earth, we follow self-taught physicist Victor Beard on his quest to build the world’s fastest rocket ship while obliviously falling in love with Mansoor’s brother Rashid.
The science in Moonrising is rooted in the real world and is well-researched. (Think The Martian.) I brought my experience as a vegetable gardener to Alex’s mission to grow food on the Moon. I’m not a scientist, but I understand enough physics to make Victor’s struggles to reinvent space travel feel believable. I also read many astronaut memoirs and rooted the physical experiences of space travel and moonwalking in their experiences. Early readers have loved the accessible science that feels realistic without getting boring.
Amy: When I first started reading the blurb, the story sounded really cozy—smuggling illegal chickens and fighting tomato fungus struck me as low stakes problems fit for a warm fuzzy romcom. But in space, the stakes are a lot higher, aren’t they?
Claire: Moonrising definitely has a cozy vibe, until the eco-terrorists raise the stakes. I enjoyed focusing on the colony community coming together to support one another through problems like their food supply getting destroyed in a fire and the Moon hotel’s windows leaking air. But ultimately the characters are fighting for the future of our planet and humanity—the highest of stakes! Like any romance, Moonrising has a happy ending. Readers walk away from Moonrising feeling optimistic and uplifted, and maybe hopeful about our future at a time when our present is feeling particularly dark.
Amy: Now, I adore romance, and Moonrising contains not one romantic relationship but two. I’d love to hear more about the two couples!
Claire: I love romance too! My primary couple is Alex and Mansoor. Alex is a pragmatic scientist who struggles to connect with people. Mansoor is a charismatic businessman who prioritizes personal relationships. They come from two different worlds. Alex is an American middle class woman, and Mansoor was born into the ruling family in Abu Dhabi and comes from immense wealth and privilege. I enjoyed writing their two contrasting points of view and how they are drawn to one another despite themselves. When Alex meets Mansoor, she doesn’t trust him and expects him to dismiss her ideas the way so many people have done throughout her life. Instead, Mansoor treats her with refreshing respect and supports her work and ideas. I liked writing a love story about two fully formed adults who care about their careers and connect on an intellectual and emotional level first, before a physical level.
Moonrising’s other romance is between Victor and Mansoor’s younger brother Rashid. We see this romance unfold from Victor’s point of view, and it was so fun writing two people falling in love where the POV character doesn’t realize it’s happening. I didn’t plan on writing a book with a dual romance, but when I put Victor and Rashid in the same scene, their connection was apparent immediately. Readers have really connected with their adorable slow-burn romance.
Amy: In some ways modified foods and billionaires might be a tough sell right now, and yet, these characters also intrigue me. They sound like real people rather than idealized romance icons. Tell me more about what makes Alex and Mansoor tick, and why early readers are falling for their story.
Claire: I’ve heard from so many readers who are shocked that I made them care so much about a billionaire. It’s not my intention to glorify wealth or make billionaires sexy. I’m firmly in the billionaires should not exist camp! However, you cannot explore the concept of private space tourism without wealthy characters.
Mansoor views his wealth with wariness. He knows it comes from oil and that his family’s success has come at the expense of the environment. He’s on a mission to redirect the wealth from his family and from other wealthy people into building a new future for humanity on the Moon. At the same time, he doesn’t always realize how much his wealth has shaped him. He is comfortable throwing around large sums of money to advance his goals. Something I love about his relationship with Alex is that she calls him on it. She’s fundamentally uninterested in the idea of rich people in space and is uncomfortable with the idea of being with someone with so much money and influence. It’s an interesting tension in their relationship.
In terms of modified food, I wanted to tease out the tension between scientific advancement and big corporations. Right now, when we think GMOs, we think Monsanto and their development of herbicides that harm both people and the environment. But at the same time, scientists have been modifying crops for hundreds of years in ways that benefit humanity. As we face more severe weather from climate change, we’re going to need to fundamentally shift how we feed the world. And I suspect genetic modification may have an important role to play. It’s interesting to watch the data-driven and stubborn Alex find ways to bring others along with her ideas about mutagentic food when they have good reasons to be suspicious.
Amy: Overall, does Moonrising lean heavier on the sci-fi, or on the romance? And what about spice? Are there sex scenes in this book?
Claire: Moonrising’s review in Publisher’s Weekly said I take both genres equally seriously, and I take that as the highest of compliments! I’d say in many ways this is a sci-fi novel first. However, you do not need to be a sci-fi reader to enjoy Moonrising. The world is only fifty years in the future, and it feels recognizable. There’s very little tech jargon, and the problems feel grounded in the real-world. Some readers have called Moonrising dystopian, which I don’t think is quite right because the devastating impacts of climate change I describe are the most realistic scenario, not the worst-case. But it does have the social commentary on our current society that you find in dystopian novels.
The romance is a very important part of Moonrising, and I certainly made sure to follow the conventions of the romance genre, like a happily ever after for both romances. I think romantasy and fantasy romance readers will enjoy Moonrising. The romance has that kick-your-feet vibe where you’re super invested in every touch and glance between the characters and can’t wait for them to get together. Alex and Mansoor’s relationship has some mild open-door spice, but I’d say the sex scenes are very rooted in their character development.
Amy: I know Science Fiction With Heart readers are going to want to get their hands on a copy of Moonrising right away. Where’s the best place to do that?
Claire: Moonrising is widely available online and in stock at many independent bookstores. Or you can check it out on Amazon:
Amy: Thanks again for chatting with me, Claire. For readers who want to keep in touch, what’s the best way to stay up to date on your writing?
Claire: I love connecting directly with readers! Please find me on Instagram at @clairebarner_author, Substack at https://clairebarner.substack.com/, Threads at @clairebarner_author, and Bluesky at @clairebarner.bsky.social.
Readers: Have you read a near-future sci-fi romance? Are you intrigued by Mansoor and Alex’s story. I’d love to hear your thoughts–Let me know in the comments!
