Urban fantasy: Difference between revisions
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Over time, the genre has come to be dominated by works drawing from [[vampire]] literature, particularly [[Anne Rice]], frequently with a female protagonist, and featuring sexual or romantic situations. These novels may overlap with [[paranormal romance]]'s, or, as with the books by [[Laurell K. Hamilton]] (one of the founders of this sub-sub-genre), a sort of [[paranormal chick-lit|paranormal "chick-lit"]]. | Over time, the genre has come to be dominated by works drawing from [[vampire]] literature, particularly [[Anne Rice]], frequently with a female protagonist, and featuring sexual or romantic situations. These novels may overlap with [[paranormal romance]]'s, or, as with the books by [[Laurell K. Hamilton]] (one of the founders of this sub-sub-genre), a sort of [[paranormal chick-lit|paranormal "chick-lit"]]. | ||
* [[Peter S. Beagle]]: "[A]s a subgenre, as a kind, as a trope, I still think that urban fantasy's most important distinction is that it isn't ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'': that is, it doesn't happen in a comfortable rural, pre-industrial setting where people still ride horses, swing swords, quaff ale in variously sinister pubs, and head off apocalypses and Armageddons that would a ''[[Buffy]]'' episode look like a tussle in a schoolyard. Not that that's a bad thing... What I ''am'' clear on is that, while I wasn't looking, urban fantasy has become so vibrant, and has evolved so rapidly, that it has emerged as a distinct marketing category, often with its own section in the bookstore. Because of that rapid growth the term means different things to different generations of readers. There have, in fact, been three distinct subgenres of urban fantasy: [[mythic fiction]], [[paranormal romance]], and [[noir fantasy]]."<ref>Introduction, ''The Urban Fantasy Anthology'', edited by [[Peer S. Beagle]] and [[Joe R. Lansdale]] (2011, [[Tachyon Publications]]).</ref> | |||
== Works of Urban Fantasy == | == Works of Urban Fantasy == | ||
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* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_fantasy "urban fantasy"] at wikipedia | * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_fantasy "urban fantasy"] at wikipedia | ||
==notes== | |||
{{reflist}} | |||
[[category:Genres]] | [[category:Genres]] | ||
[[Category:Fantasy]] | [[Category:Fantasy]] | ||
[[Category:Urban fantasy| ]] | [[Category:Urban fantasy| ]] | ||
Revision as of 13:04, 9 March 2012
Key indicator is mix of fairy tale elements (often seen in pastoral or rural settings) with specifically urban elements; a recognizable city, skyscrapers, public transit, congestion, large populations, urban blight, etc.
The first works in the broad "urban fantasy" genre tended to involve faery or other magical intrusions into modern urban life; the genre overlaps with magical realism and with elfpunk.
Over time, the genre has come to be dominated by works drawing from vampire literature, particularly Anne Rice, frequently with a female protagonist, and featuring sexual or romantic situations. These novels may overlap with paranormal romance's, or, as with the books by Laurell K. Hamilton (one of the founders of this sub-sub-genre), a sort of paranormal "chick-lit".
- Peter S. Beagle: "[A]s a subgenre, as a kind, as a trope, I still think that urban fantasy's most important distinction is that it isn't The Lord of the Rings: that is, it doesn't happen in a comfortable rural, pre-industrial setting where people still ride horses, swing swords, quaff ale in variously sinister pubs, and head off apocalypses and Armageddons that would a Buffy episode look like a tussle in a schoolyard. Not that that's a bad thing... What I am clear on is that, while I wasn't looking, urban fantasy has become so vibrant, and has evolved so rapidly, that it has emerged as a distinct marketing category, often with its own section in the bookstore. Because of that rapid growth the term means different things to different generations of readers. There have, in fact, been three distinct subgenres of urban fantasy: mythic fiction, paranormal romance, and noir fantasy."[1]
Works of Urban Fantasy
elf-punk & others
- War for the Oaks and Finder, by Emma Bull
- The Kingdom of Kevin Malone & the Sorcery Hall Trilogy by Suzy McKee Charnas
- Steel Rose & Crystal Sage, by Kara Dalkey
- Tam Lin & Juniper, Gentian and Rosemary, by Pamela Dean
- many works by Charles de Lint
- Neverwhere and other books by Neil Gaiman
- Laura Ann Gilman, Retrievers series (Staying Dead, Curse of the Dark, Bring It On)
- The Dream Years and Tourists, by Lisa Goldstein
- Brown Girl in the Ring, by Nalo Hopkinson
- many works by Diana Wynne Jones
- Changer and Legends Walking, by Jane Lindskold
- Tea with the Black Dragon, by R.A. MacAvoy
- C. E. Murphy, Urban Shaman series
- Kat Richardson, Greywalker
- the Borderland and Bordertown anthologies edited by Terri Windling & Mark Alan Arnold
"paranormal chick-lit"
Can be broken down further into
- (A) mystery-oriented kick-ass female protagonists, often with multiple lovers, often in a series of books. These frequently incorporate romantic elements, but often in the service of ongoing sexual tension, romantic triangles, etc.
- (B) paranormal romance -- generally one True Love (often a very alpha male type character) and a HEA ("happily-ever-after"); mystery plot or worldbuilding may be secondary to the romance in the individual books. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the romance market saw an explosion in publishers and writers' use and marketing of paranormal, science fictional, and other speculative / non-realist elements in romance novels.
- kick-ass female protagonist series
- paranormal romance series
- Black Dagger Brotherhood series
- Kresley Cole
- Carrie Vaughn
- Rachel Caine, Weather Warden series; Glass Houses
Further reading
- "paranormal romance" at wikipedia
- "urban fantasy" at wikipedia
notes
- ↑ Introduction, The Urban Fantasy Anthology, edited by Peer S. Beagle and Joe R. Lansdale (2011, Tachyon Publications).