Sci Friday: The Vampires, Werewolves, Gods & Glory of Urban Fantasy

~Post by Tommy. Original artwork by Alex Rosental.

Fantasy. When we talk about this genre the first images that leap to mind are mighty wizards, ancient dragons, epic heroes, and fair maidens. But these days fantasy isn’t just confined to alternate realms and made up worlds; Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, and a whole legion of other modern day cities are playing host to the supernatural now. The idea of urban fantasy is that the supernatural world exists alongside our own and, generally, only a few people know about it. Is that guy playing with his iPad in the corner a vampire? Are there giant talking spiders living in a park in London? are the Greek gods still having children who are destined to save the world? These are the questions that urban fantasy seeks to answer with, often, fast paced adventure stories. Though it has been in the last decade or so that the genre has seen it’s popularity skyrocket, it actually has roots in what we consider classic literature. Now considered historical Gothic horror, in its day Brahm Stoker’s Dracula was in fact urban fantasy.

Urban fantasy tends to cross over with other genres. One of the two genres it crosses best with is Mystery. The result of this crossover is typically referred to as Supernatural Noir, which combines the dark shadows of the paranormal world with grim and gritty noir sensibility. If supernatural noir fiction is to be believed, the only real occupation for members of the magical community is as some sort of investigator. Werewolves, wizards, psychics, and fairies take up the mantle of detective to solve crimes for their fellows and/or save the world. One of the series that handles the end of the world well is Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. In the first book, Storm Front, Butcher introduces us to private eye Harry Dresden. Dresden is your typical modern day noir P.I. complete with shabby office, crummy apartment, and high moral standards. What sets Dresden apart from all of  the modern noir mysteries is the fact that he is a wizard and more of his cases deal with vampires and ghosts rather than cheating husbands and missing children. As the series evolves it takes on a more global scale until Dresden’s actions don’t just affect Chicago, but the whole world, forcing Harry’s character to evolve from Sam Spade, the moral sleazebag, into Batman, the seemingly outclassed hero who always manages to win.

Another rising star in the world of supernatural noir is Irish lore enthusiast Seanan McGuire and her half fay P.I. October Daye. Toby, as the main character prefers to be called, is introduced to us in Rosemary & Rue and, like Dresden, is a heavily noir-influenced character. What sets McGuire’s series apart from others is that rather than try and involve an entire supernatural community, she instead chooses to focus on the legends of mostly Irish faeries. Over the course of the six books in the series so far, McGuire takes us on a whirlwind tour of faerie legends all over the world starting with Ireland, but also introducing us to Japanese Kitsune, Native American shape shifters, and plenty more. Definitely up there as one of my favorite series along with Benedict Jacka’s Alex Verus series that starts with Fated.

The other genre that spends a lot of its time crossing over with urban fantasy is romance. Paranormal Romance, as it is called, takes the vampire, werewolf, or whatever other supernatural creature you want to use and makes them the sexiest thing on the planet. Many of these also show hints of a mystery crossover, but the main focus is always on the romance between the main character and usually at least two other people. The staple of this genre, the sexy vampire, owes it’s popularity to Anne Rice and her 1976 hit Interview With The Vampire. One series that uses the sexy vampire to its fullest is Laurel K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series that started in 1993 with Guilty Pleasures. In its twenty year history, the series navigates the life of Anita Blake, professional vampire hunter, as she changes from a young woman almost obsessed with hunting monsters to someone who sees the benefits of the supernatural community and who is forced to navigate an increasingly complex, tangled string of romantic relationships. A word of caution if you pick this series up, it gets a little steamy as the it goes on. Another staple of the paranormal romance set is Patrica Briggs, and though she has several series, her first is still the fan favorite. The Mercy Thompson series, starting with Moon Called, introduces us to a stubborn skin walker raised by werewolves who refuses to back down without a fight, even when she probably should. As the series progresses we meet vampires, faeries, and Adam, the dominant Alpha werewolf who Mercy falls in love with. Along the way the two play a few games of will-they/won’t-they as they fight obstreperous vampire lords, werewolves who lost their minds, and ancient faerie kings hell bent on returning to their former glory.

Try as we might, however, some things cannot be shoehorned into any particular sub-genre and remain simply urban fantasy. Neil Gaiman is a wonderful example of this. His solo debut novel Neverwhere tells the story of Richard Mayhew and his crazy adventures in London Below, the city beneath London. While Neverwhere does indeed have the genre’s fast action and high adventure, it also simply tells the tale of someone who wants to go home and it lacks the noir feel of supernatural mysteries and the romantic entanglements of a paranormal love story. Gaiman is perhaps best known for 2001’s American Gods. With this book he examines the effect faith has on deities and the nature of modern religion, all within the framework of a story about a man trying to stop the end of the world. With old Gods like Odin & Kali set against new Gods like Consumerism and the Internet, American Gods is a fast, but philosophical, urban fantasy tale that has its spot on anyone’s bookshelf.

Whatever your poison, romance or mystery, urban fantasy has a little something for everybody. So if you ever see a vampire skulking in a corner at a coffee shop, or a werewolf waiting to kill you in a parking lot, don’t worry. Hit the fantasy section at your local bookstore, there’s plenty of help to be had.

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Sci Friday is a weekly post focusing on all things Sci Fi. Booksellers Tommy and Marie are you intrepid leaders on this journey through awesome new books; the best and worst of what’s come before; Sci Fi film adaptations and more. Check back next Friday for more!