Romantasy run amuck
4/1/2026“Trouble (oh, we got trouble) Right here in River City (right here in River City)” — Meredith Wilson, “The Music Man.”
Like most of you, I generally think I’m a decent person. I let people who are in a rush cut in front of me at the grocery store. I smilingly say “no problem” when my request for two eggs over easy results in two pale yellow hockey pucks that are rocks. When an injustice occurs, I’m probably not the first one yelling at the unfairness, but I married a woman who is one of the first.
All this is to say that I am just like you — a decent person on most occasions.
But am I, really?
Sure, during the day, I’m a mild-mannered, friendly, wave-at-the-neighbors kind of guy, but at night — and here’s my shameful secret — I’m a marauding werewolf prince with magical powers. Surprise!
What happened here? Well, I was gifted a Kindle so I can read all the great books ever written. Innocent enough. At last, books written by Hemingway and Tolstoy and Aristotle are right at my fingertips. Wherever I travel, anywhere in the world, I have something to read. Isn’t that wonderful? And it’s light as a feather and takes up no more room than my phone. Wow.
And I took full advantage of my device over the years — hundreds of digital books purchased. Such fun. But then, folks, my reading list began to change. I started reading old westerns and science fiction and “Conan the Barbarian.” Still pretty innocent. Nothing that would make me blush if you peeked over my shoulder at the coffee shop. Although my Kindle was starting to identify me as a candidate for young adult literature. Really? I’m 71. I’m clearly going the wrong direction here.
Ah, but then my reading list started to take a dark turn. I began reading books with titles like “The Knight and the Moth,” “Shield of Sparrows,” “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” and “From Blood and Ash.” Yikes, I’m reading romantic fantasy books — ROMANTASY for those of you in the know. Stories that Catherine Pearson in the New York Times describes as a “crossover genre that blends elements of fantasy (think fairies and dragons) with what is often very explicit sex.”
See, trouble, with a capital “T.”
Pearson goes on to say: “Romantasy books — which tend to be written by female authors, for a largely female audience — sell millions upon millions of copies.” My goodness.
So, a million women — and me — are reading about werewolves and fairies and magical powers and fated mates and bonded couples. We’re reading about powers, both good and bad, hidden inside of every character. And the need for the characters to believe in themselves and discover their own strength. And to follow truth. And goodness. And righteousness.
And … sex?
“He lifts his hand and dusts his knuckles across my cheek. His thumb tugs my bottom lip, and it’s like he casts a spell on me. I push onto my toes and kiss him. Hard.” Sable Sorensen, “Dire Bound.”
Hard kisses are the slippery slope to staying up all night riveted to your Kindle while eating bowls of buttered popcorn. Trust me. And before you know it, certain words start to creep into your conversations. Words like “abs” and “washboard.”
But I’m not going to panic.
The Iowa legislature already justifies book bans based on a child’s “developing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity.” Now the legislature needs to ban these romantasy books based on my DECLINING cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity. Please write your legislator before it is too late — no more romantasy books in Iowa.
“Trouble (oh, we got trouble) Right here in River City (right here in River City).” ♦
Joe Weeg spent 31 years bumping around this town as a prosecutor for the Polk County Attorney’s Office. Now retired, he writes about the frequently overlooked people, places and events in Des Moines on his blog: www.joesneighborhood.com.
