Imagine: One night after gradually falling asleep, you wake up to the most intense chill you have ever felt in your life. As you adjust to your surroundings, a 7-foot-tall-blue alien man informs you that you’ve been kidnapped by aliens. But these aren’t the bad aliens that kidnapped you — No! These are the good aliens, and eventually, thanks to a parasite implantation required for you to survive, one of these alien men will be your mate.
This is roughly the plot of author Ruby Dixon’s infamous series known as Ice Planet Barbarians (IPB), where a group of women become stranded on an unspecified “ice planet” after being kidnapped by aliens. Although the women were initially kidnapped from Earth to be sold into slavery, their ship crash-landed onto a planet inhabited by a group of aliens referred to as the “Sa Khui.” The term “khui” refers to a parasite that every individual on this new planet must acquire in order to survive. Here’s the thing: the parasite will choose your most biologically compatible partner. Essentially, there is one alien man destined to be with each female character and each book in the series focuses on a different couple and their journey to happily ever after, ice planet style.
For years, the popularity of the series remained dormant as the idea of an alien-themed romance novel seemed too campy for even the most open-minded readers. But suddenly, in 2021, the IPB fanbase exploded when the series became popular on TikTok.
While a concept like this one may seem too niche to have a significant fanbase, Ruby Dixon gets an incredible amount of feedback from her fans, which is ultimately why the series continues to expand. Currently, the original series has more than 40 installments, including fan-requested short stories and an updated spin-off series that focuses on a new set of women.
But the question remains: who does IPB appeal to and why?
Part of the appeal of an isolated planet allows for romance to develop in isolation, which is essentially the plot of many romance novels (although most don’t include blue aliens). This is a version of the forced proximity trope, which allows for a romantic pair to develop feelings in isolation without the external pressures that tend to impact relationships in modern society. Since the women in IPB are stranded with no way to get back to Earth, they have no choice but to adapt to their new environment. Additionally, the mate that is chosen for each woman is utterly and completely dedicated to her and her alone. The mate-picking parasite makes it so that those who are mated could never conceive of betraying the person they are supposed to be in love with. There are no concerns about infidelity, marital, or fertility issues in most cases. No matter what happens throughout the book, the female main character (FMC) and her alien man always end up together and they are always a happy couple.
While Dixon’s methodology is predictable and formulaic, there is an inherent consistency that many have grown to enjoy. Many readers enjoy knowing that no matter what happens, the happy ending is always around the corner.
However, it’s important to recognize that the series has some consistently problematic elements. Alexis Hall, an author and frequent Goodreads reviewer, pointed out the issues of consent and heteronormativity that IPB perpetuates. Every book deals with a cis-heterosexual couple falling in love and eventually having children. Despite the drawbacks, Hall respects the artistry required to craft such an imaginative plot:
“There are elements in it that don’t work for me specifically but the more I read of, err, Ice Planet Barbarians the more I enjoyed it and the more I admired its artistry.
Yes. Its artistry.”
While from the outside IPB can be perceived as surface-level “alien smut”, the value of the series is contained in its central plot points that focus on healing from traumatic events and exercising agency in a primitive society. Once the women get past the initial shock of landing on a different planet, they must find an outlet to grieve for the past they have left behind.
From someone who has read almost every book in the IPB universe, I encourage you to explore the series and everything it has to offer. But just remember to bring a jacket, because ice planet weather is no joke!