Urban Fantasy Chronicles

January 31, 2016 by AJ 1 Comment

This is the fourth installment of my Urban Fantasy Chronicles. Read the previous ones here: definition, origins, and genesis of urban fantasy.

In the previous post we talked about the first authors who ventured into the uncharted territory that was urban fantasy in the 80s and the 90s: Charles de Lint, Emma Bull, Laurell K. Hamilton, Neil Gaiman, and others. Now let’s see how urban fantasy evolved in the first decade of the 21^st century.

Children’s books, young adult and new adult fiction

In the 90s urban fantasy books were written essentially for adults. J.K. Rowling changed that by integrating urban fantasy themes into her Harry Potter series. The main idea of the series is similar to the one Neil Gaiman played with in Neverwhere, namely the coexistence of two levels of reality, one technological, the other magical (see my review of Neverwhere). One can even say that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (1997) was a Neverwhere for children and teens (see this essay comparing the two books).

Teen fiction (also called “young adult”) massively embraced urban fantasy in the 2000s. Twilight (2005) by Stephenie Meyer was a huge commercial success, despite the flaws of the novel (or maybe because of those flaws). Shortly afterwards Cassandra Clare started her Mortal Instruments series with City of Bones (2007). Since then teen urban fantasy invaded the shelves in every bookstore, becoming one of the most commercially successful genres in history.

The latest development is the emergence of what is called “new adult” fiction aimed at adults between 18 and 30 years of age. This genre is similar to young adult fiction but features slightly older protagonists (late teens and early twenties) and sometimes contains adult material, but not always. New adult urban fantasy started with Lev Grossman’s The Magicians in 2009 and this subgenre quickly gains momentum. The Magicians has been presented as the Harry Potter for grown-ups, but this novel is not just a reinvention of Harry Potter. The main difference is that this novel does not shy away from adult themes.

Supernatural detectives: when hardboiled meets fantasy

Detectives and private investigators dealing with unexplainable, paranormal events is not a new theme in literature. Actually the very first books dealing with this subject were not fiction books, but witch hunter’s manuals. The most famous of them was Malleus Maleficarum written in 1486 by Heinrich Kramer, a German clergyman. The theme of detectives who use magic to solve crimes is not new either. As a subgenre of crime fiction, occult detective fiction can be traced back to the 19th century:

Fitz James O’Brien’s Harry Escott in “The Pot of Tulips” (1855)
Sheridan Le Fanu’s Dr. Martin Hesselius in “Green Tea” (1869) and In a Glass Darkly (1872)
Bram Stoker’s Dr. Abraham Van Helsing in Dracula (1897).

In the 1990s, fantasy and hardboiled, i.e. noir detective stories, were completely distinct genres and seemed to have nothing in common. Fantasy stories were set in secondary, pre-industrial worlds where magic was part of everyday life. Noir detective stories were set in modern metropoles and rooted in social realities of big cities. Attempts to blend those two genres have been made, sometimes with success, for example in Hellblazer comic book series. However the fantastic noir remained a relatively minor genre, until Jim Butcher reinvented it.

Can you imagine a hybrid between Sam Spade and Gandalf?

Harry Dresden—Wizard. Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Jim Butcher is the MacGyver of fantasy. In Storm Front (2000), he combined detective fiction with sword and sorcery, two completely different genres, to create something new and functional. Unlike MacGyver, however, Butcher didn’t use his skills to fight for justice, but to write a commercially successful series of urban fantasy novels, The Dresden Files. As most bestsellers, his books will not challenge you much on an intellectual level, but they will keep you thoroughly entertained. To my knowledge, Butcher is the most commercially successful author writing in the urban fantasy genre. Five of his books were No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Few writers managed such an achievement.

The Dresden Files has many similarities with Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, but also some significant differences. In particular, fictional universes are quite different. The Dresden Files draws more heavily on hardboiled detective fiction, but also on sword and sorcery. In Anita Blake series, the stories often revolve around vampires and other undead and their struggle for power. The other important difference is the evolution of the series, as Anita Blake series veered toward paranormal romance and erotica, while The Dresden Files remained firmly rooted in the supernatural detective genre.

Fighting demons, ya think it’s funny?

Urban fantasy novels often use a light, casual tone. Humor is often present, irrespective of how dark and dramatic the story is. We already see it in Moonheart (1984) by Charles de Lint, as well as other early examples of urban fantasy. Guilty Pleasures (1993) by Laurell K. Hamilton starts like this:

Willie McCoy had been a jerk before he died. His being dead didn’t change that.

While some urban fantasy writers used a relatively serious tone (e.g. Kelley Armstrong in Bitten, Patricia Briggs in Moon Called), others didn’t hesitate to add a good dose of humor to their stories. Several passages from Storm Front come to my mind, for example when Harry Dresden argues with Bob, a spirit of intellect inhabiting a human skull. Neil Gaiman also takes a tongue-in-cheek approach in his books. For example, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (1990), co-written with Terry Pratchett, is a supernatural comedy mocking the belief in Biblical Apocalypse. Neverwhere (1996) is also filled with humorous dialogue, and the villains of the story are as hilarious as they are sinister.

Strong female protagonists

The vast majority of urban fantasy novels feature strong-willed female protagonists. The only exceptions I know of are The Dresden Files and The Magicians, both written by male authors, not surprisingly.

Anita Blake is an iconic figure, the prototype of a kick-ass heroine (see my previous post on the history of urban fantasy). She is independent, determined, brave, and capable of defending herself. To top it all, she’s a risk-taker and an adrenaline addict. She doesn’t take crap from anyone, and often gets in trouble because of her defiant attitude. Countless urban fantasy heroines would fit this profile: Elena Michaels (Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong), Mercy Thompson (Patricia Briggs’ series), Rachel Morgan (The Hollows by Kim Harrison), Kate Daniels (Ilona Andrews’ series), Selene (Underworld film series), and so on.

Some female protagonists are more feminine and vulnerable, but even they have a strong personality, for example Sookie Stackhouse (book series by Charlaine Harris and TV series True Blood) or MacKayla Lane, called Mac (Fever series by Karen Marie Moning). They may look like Barbie dolls, but they know what they want and they get what they want. In Darkfever, the 22-year-old Mac abandons her lavish lifestyle in Ashford, Georgia, and journeys to Dublin to investigate the murder of her sister. With no detective training and no help from the police, it’s not surprising that she quickly gets in trouble. Yet she refuses to back down. Some would say she’s brave and determined, others would find her stubborn or hot-headed. Your call.

The theme of female empowerment is not new to literature. The earliest examples I know of are Gothic novels from the end of the 18^th century featuring female protagonists (see Origins of Urban Fantasy). Interestingly, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft, one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy, was published during the same period (1792). As I argued in my previous post, urban fantasy is the 21^st-century equivalent of Gothic novel, in a sense that these genres have a lot in common. However, urban fantasy allows us to consider the problem of women’s rights from a new angle.

Werewolf stories are interesting in this regard, for example Bitten by Kelley Armstrong, Moon Called by Patricia Briggs, or Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn. They feature female werewolves or shapeshifters and depict their complex relationships with the werewolf packs they belong to. Gender roles, emancipation, homophobia, authority and conflicts of authority—there’s a lot to say about werewolf stories.

Is it all about sex?

Urban fantasy has quite a reputation for featuring attractive protagonists who are no strangers to sensual pleasures with equally attractive partners of the opposite sex. The reason for that is simple. Since the beginning, urban fantasy has been closely associated with paranormal romance, although not all urban fantasy stories contain romance. Most of them do, and I don’t see that as a problem. Who doesn’t enjoy a good love story?

The problem is that, in some urban fantasy stories, romance feels forced. An ancient female vampire suddenly falls in love with a human. Why? Because it’s convenient, that’s all. I’m thinking of the Underworld series, for example. In the first movie, Selene falls for Michael Corvin. Why is she attracted to him? What makes him special?

Love triangles is also a common feature in contemporary fantasy. A love triangle can be a powerful narrative device when used intelligently. In Bitten by Kelley Armstrong, the love triangle between Elena, the protagonist, Phillip (a human), and Clay (a werewolf), reveals the duality of Elena’s personality. She’s a werewolf trying to live a normal, human life. Her boyfriend Philip doesn’t know who she truly is. Her love for Phillip stems from her attachment to humanity and her wish to become emancipated from her pack. Her desire for Clay, on the other hand, stems from her carnal, animal instincts. In other words, the human in her loves Phillip, while the wolf in her loves Clay. Which side of her personality is going to win? Read the book to find out!

Escapism or a different take on reality?

Urban fantasy—as most fantasy subgenres—tends to emphasize heroics and personal achievement. However, urban fantasy stories often feature ordinary people caught in a supernatural intrigue. As I wrote in my previous post, urban fantasy may be an escapist genre, but this is an ambiguous escapism that always brings us back to reality.

To me the most interesting aspect of urban fantasy is how this genre deals with the theme of duality. Reality versus fantasy, modernity versus tradition, technology versus magic, intellect versus instinct—duality seems to be at the core of every urban fantasy story. The opposites compete with each other to better complete each other. A good example of Yin-Yang theory, isn’t it?

History of Urban Fantasy: Genesis of the Genre

December 7, 2015 by AJ 2 Comments

In the previous posts we talked about the definition of urban fantasy and its origins. Now let’s see how this genre started and why it became so popular.

Charles de Lint, the pioneer of urban fantasy

The very first urban fantasy work was probably the novel Moonheart: A Romance by Charles de Lint published in 1984. At that time, however, the term “urban fantasy” hadn’t been coined yet. Urban fantasy was defined in 1997 by John Clute and John Grant in their Encyclopedia of Fantasy as “texts where fantasy and the mundane world interact, intersect, and interweave throughout a tale which is significantly about a real city.”

Ironically the series that launched urban fantasy wasn’t set in a real city, but in an imaginary one. Newford invented by Charles de Lint represents a typical American city, with its wealthy residential areas and its slums, its beachfronts and its wastelands, and, of course, its vast network of underground tunnels. Newford series started with the short story “Uncle Dobbin’s Parrot Fair” that appeared for the first time in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine in 1987. In 1993 several short stories by Charles de Lint, all set in Newford, were compiled by Terri Windling and published under the title Dreams Underfoot.

Dreams Underfoot is a memorable read. We meet colorful characters, grow attached to them, and explore the mysteries of Newford in their company. Some stories border on magical realism or surrealism, for example “Freewheeling,” where a street kid steals bicycles to set them free. For him even unanimated objects have a soul, a mind of their own, and therefore deserve to be free. Is he insane, or is he perceiving something real, a magic hidden in mundane objects? We will never know. Throughout the book, reality, myth, and magic intertwine so intimately that sometimes it’s impossible to tell what’s real and what’s illusion. Whether magic is real or not doesn’t change the meaning of the stories, however. What matters is what people believe in. Such is the theory of consensual reality: things exist because we want them to exist.

Dreams Underfoot has been compared with works of literary fantasy such as Little, Big (1981) by John Crowley and Winter’s Tale (1983) by Mark Helprin.

Sex and fey and rock and roll!

Some would say that the first urban fantasy novel was the War for the Oaks (1987) by Emma Bull. Not sure I agree, but let’s talk about this book. It tells the story of Eddi McCandry, a young singer who lives in Minneapolis. She is having a bad day, or rather a bad night. She has broken up with her boyfriend and left his band, and later she finds herself running from a sinister man and a huge dog. The two creatures are one and the same: a phouka, a faerie being who has chosen Eddi to be a mortal pawn in the age-old war between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts.

War for the Oaks isn’t the most appropriate title for this novel, as the war of the faerie courts is not at the core of the story. Rock music is. A good title for this book would be Eddi and the Fey (the name of Eddi’s band) or even better Sex & Fey & Rock & Roll! Emma Bull was a musician; she played guitar and sang in the Flash Girls, a goth-folk duo, and was a member of Cats Laughing, a psychedelic folk-jazz band. No doubt that her passion for music inspired the War for the Oaks.

This novel would be better described as paranormal romance rather than urban fantasy. The plot revolves around Eddi and her love life (and her sex life, although there are no explicit sex scenes). There is even a love triangle between Eddi and two supernatural beings, a narrative device that will later become a hallmark of paranormal romance.

Overall, there isn’t much action in this book. Most of it (especially the middle part) is filled with dialogues between Eddi and the phouka or other members of her band. Although there are some good ideas, they are not exploited in this novel, for example the role Eddi was supposed to have in the reformation of seelie courts. On the positive side, the writing style is inspired, and the story is quite imaginative, but the characters are clichéd (the valiant price, the noble queen, the evil witch, etc.) The phouka is an exception as he seems to be more subtle than the others.

Overall the War for the Oaks is a light read, enjoyable if you like paranormal romance, but not a must read in my opinion. I mentioned this book for historical reasons, because it set the stage for more successful novels and series blending urban fantasy with paranormal romance.

For completeness I also mention Bedlam’s Bard (1998) by Mercedes Lackey which has similarities with the War for the Oaks. Again this is a story about music and elves in a contemporary setting. It’s interesting to see how urban fantasy writers integrated folk and rock music into their narratives. Charles de Lint’s stories often mention music, and this is no coincidence. In the 70s fantasy and horror literature influenced popular music to a great extent, therefore it’s not surprising that, in the 80s and the 90s, music returned the favor, so to speak, by inspiring a new breed of fantasy stories. This vast subject deserves a separate post; for now let’s return to the matter at hand and talk about vampires!

Here be vampires!

Today we couldn’t imagine urban fantasy without vampires. They are everywhere. It wasn’t the case in the early 90s, however. The novel that introduced vampires into urban fantasy was Guilty Pleasures (1993) by Laurell K. Hamilton, the first instalment of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series.

As I already mentioned in the post on the origins of urban fantasy, it’s difficult to establish the boundaries between vampire fiction (a subgenre of horror fiction) and urban fantasy. In my opinion, the difference between horror and fantasy is that the former tends to be more introverted while the latter is more extraverted. Horror fiction often focuses on what the characters feel, with an emphasis on strong negative emotions such as anger, fear, sorrow, etc. Fantasy, on the other hand, relies more on the sense of awe, and usually involves extensive world building to achieve its effect. This is by no means an absolute rule, but I think it applies quite often.

Guilty Pleasures is difficult to categorize as it borrows from horror, thriller and fantasy genres in equal measure. The novel takes place in a world where vampires revealed their existence to the living. As one would expect, such a revelation cased quite a stir, if not panic. After all, aren’t vampires preying on humans? What should be the legal status of a vampire in our society? Should they have the same rights as the living?

The author of Guilty Pleasures happily skips over social and legal aspects of this problem to focus on action. Anita Blake has a most unusual job: she’s an animator working for the police. She raises the dead so the police can interrogate them. Convenient for the police, isn’t it? Your key witnesses are dead? No worries, Anita Blake will resurrect them for you!

Her other job is even more dangerous: she executes vampires. If she has a court order of execution, she can kill a vampire in all legality. If she doesn’t have a court order… Well, she kills those bloodsuckers anyway. Not all vampires are portrayed as bloodthirsty monsters in the novel, but it’s implied that most of them are. We are not far from the situation portrayed in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). In short, Anita Blake is a self-appointed Agent 007 with a license to kill, and she uses this license quite liberally, eliminating the bad guys whether they are living or undead. By “guys” I mean both males and females, as the main villain of the novel is a female vampire. No sexism here.

Guilty Pleasures is the kind of novel that keeps the reader engaged from the first to the last page. Hamilton excels in the art of creating and maintaining tension. Her writing is visceral, full of strong sensations. However, it would be unfair to say that the novel is only sensationalist. Underneath a relatively shallow vampire hunting story, one can discern some interesting observations about human psychology.

Hamilton is probably the first urban fantasy author to step into the realm of female fantasies. In the following decade, many writers will follow her on this path. Those fantasies are not as innocent as male writers imagined them. For example, many women are attracted by men with strong personalities, to say the least. We knew that at least since Byron and his poems about charismatic, yet dangerous men. Cinema has been exploiting this theme since the early 40s. Danger and romance—a winning combination! Humphrey Bogart’s characters may have been tough, even dangerous sometimes, yet none of them could compete in both sophistication and ferocity with Anne Rice’s Lestat or Hamilton’s Jean-Claude.

Sophistication, ferocity and sex appeal—that’s the winning combination for a vampire in an urban fantasy novel. Hamilton understood that and represented vampires as the embodiment of the deepest female desires. Although this view can seem shocking at first, it is surprisingly insightful considering recent scientific evidence. (For scientific information on this subject I recommend the Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology, 2nd Edition, D.M. Buss, ed. Wiley, New York, NY. In particular see the chapter Women’s sexual interests across the ovulatory cycle: Function and phylogeny by S.W. Gangestad, R. Thornhill and C.E. Garver-Apgar.)

We will continue this discussion in my next post on urban fantasy, as there is a lot to say on this subject. Now let’s talk about another urban fantasy author who contributed to shape the genre. He needs no introduction; ladies and gentlemen, I give you Neil Gaiman!

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Neverwhere started as a television series first aired in 1996 on BBC Two. It was written by Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry, and directed by Dewi Humphreys. Later that year Gaiman adapted the series into a novel. And what an influential novel that was!

Neverwhere is a parallel world that coexists alongside ours, but normally cannot be seen by us. Sometimes, for mysterious reasons, people “fall through the cracks” and become part of this unseen universe. Gaiman uses this as a metaphor for social exclusion; these people are no longer part of civilized society, lose everything they owned, have to live homeless and obey the ruthless rules of the underworld. Yet, as grim as this place originally appears, it is full of adventure and magic, which makes it more appealing for a romantic soul than our safe and predictable technological world.

There are no vampires or werewolves in Neverwhere, but there are all sorts of fantastical creatures, some of them stranger than others. In this novel, the protagonist discovers the existence of an invisible London, the London Below. Every London Underground station hides a secret world that reminds us of the city’s medieval past. There is a monastery under Blackfriars, at Earl’s Court lives an actual earl with his court, and under Angel hides… well, an Angel! Interestingly there is no paranormal romance in Neverwhere, not even a hint—this is urban fantasy in its purest form.

I believe Neverwhere is one of the best urban fantasy novels. Witty, imaginative, but also thought-provoking—this is what the genre was meant to be. The main focus of an urban fantasy story should be the city, the urban life with its contrasts and paradoxes.

Urban fantasy may be an escapist genre, but this is an ambiguous escapism that always brings us back to reality. In Neverwhere, this ambiguous escapism appears through the tribulations of the protagonist between the London Above and the London Below, the former representing reality, and the latter representing fantasy.

Gaiman produced other noteworthy works, in particular the comic book series Sandman and the novel American Gods (2001) for which he received several awards, including Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Bram Stoker Awards (see my post on science fiction, fantasy and horror awards for details on those awards).

In the next post on urban fantasy, we’ll talk about the evolution of the genre in the first decade of the 21^st century, starting with Jim Butcher and Kelley Armstrong.

Urban Fantasy and its Illustrious Origins

October 18, 2015 by AJ 2 Comments

Urban fantasy is a young and vibrant genre of speculative fiction that brings the fantastical into a modern setting*. Elves play guitar in rock bands, goblins roam our cities’ underground tunnels, and the dead rise from the graves to torment—or seduce!—the living. Those who look down on this genre and dismiss it as mere escapism would be surprised to learn about its pedigree. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, as we shall see, urban fantasy is of noble descent!

Let’s embark on a journey through time to the discovery of the origins of urban fantasy.

*Read about the definition and the characteristics of urban fantasy in the previous post.

Origins of urban fantasy

The pioneer of present-day urban fantasy was Charles de Lint, a writer, poet, folklorist, artist, songwriter and performer (according to his official biography). His first novel Moonheart: A Romance was published in 1984, so we can consider this year as the starting point of our journey back in time.

Let’s jump in the seat of our time machine and pull the lever—back in time we go!

The most immediate forerunner of urban fantasy was horror fiction, in particular vampire novels, for example Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles (starting with Interview with the Vampire, 1976). In fact, it is difficult to tell where the vampire subgenre ends and urban fantasy starts. Horror fiction also brings mythological creatures into a modern setting, as urban fantasy does. The main difference is the mood of the stories; while horror fiction focuses on the terrifying and the macabre, urban fantasy is usually lighter in tone and puts more emphasis on world building.

The evolution of traditional fantasy in the 60s and the 70s also contributed to pave the road for urban fantasy. Some authors started to bring together science fiction and fantasy, technology and magic. The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny were remarkable in this regard. Nine Princes in Amber (1970) starts with Corwin, the protagonist, waking up from a coma in a hospital in New York. He has amnesia, but he soon discovers that he’s not from Earth. He’s a member of a superhuman royal family that rules over a world called Amber. He also discovers that our reality is just a “shadow” of Amber, and that there are infinite parallel worlds called “shadows” through which the princes of Amber can travel.

At that time, female protagonists made their appearance in fantasy books thanks to authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin and Anne McCaffrey. In general, women started to have a more active role in fantasy stories, and were no longer merely damsels in distress waiting to be rescued from some dungeon.

Romantic and Victorian periods

Now let’s move back in time to the Victorian period. There we find lots of books featuring magical objects or creatures such as ghosts, vampires or supernatural doubles. Some of those books became classics, for example Sheridan Le Fanu’s In a Glass Darkly (1872), Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), Arthur Machen’s The Great God Pan (1894), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897), and Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw (1898).

This interest in the supernatural wasn’t new. When we move further back in time, we discover that Romantic authors were also interested in the fantastical. The Magic Skin (1831) by Honoré de Balzac is a good example. One of my favorites is the novella Dead Woman in Love (1836) by Theophile Gautier. It tells the story of a gorgeous woman who was in fact a vampire and who fell in love with a priest. Can one find a better example of 19^th-century paranormal romance?

Now we reach the 18^th century; let’s stop our time machine and talk about the Gothic novel. This sort of terrifying stories grew in popularity in the 1780s to culminate in 1800 and progressively fall from grace toward the 1820s. (Read more about the Gothic novel, see also The Gothic: 250 Years of Success.) The Gothic novel was more than the forerunner of horror fiction—it set up the foundations for all genres we know collectively as “speculative fiction,” including fantasy. The Gothic novel has many similarities with urban fantasy: intrusion of the supernatural into everyday life, constant presence of tension and fear, and—importantly—female protagonists. The main difference is that Gothic stories were usually set in the medieval times while urban fantasy stories are set in the present or the near future.

Middle Ages and Antiquity

At this point, we have traveled some 250 years in the past. Can we say that our journey is over? Not quite! Let’s pull the lever again and venture even further. The wheel of time is spinning, taking us to the Middle Ages. Even there we find works that resemble urban fantasy.

Okay, not “urban” in the modern sense. Yet we find stories, poems, and ballads that tell us about magical creatures or objects interfering with people’s everyday lives. Arthurian legends are the most famous example. Do you think that Chrétien de Troyes genuinely believed in the existence of magic cups when he wrote Perceval, the Story of the Grail? Probably not, not more than Neil Gaiman believes in the existence of London Below (or does he?) For medieval authors, the Grail was a symbol, a metaphor, and I don’t see why we shouldn’t consider stories about Perceval as a medieval form of fantasy.

Our journey continues. When we go further back in time, it becomes more and more difficult to separate mythology from fantasy. The Romans, for example, took religion very seriously as it was part of their everyday life. For the Greeks, Hercules was not a fictional character, but a historical figure. People genuinely believed in sirens, ghosts, and faeries. This is where we find the true origins of fantasy, in the belief that, alongside the world as we know it, exists another reality, a magical realm where anything is possible.

Conclusion

What have we learned from our journey? We learned that, although urban fantasy is a young genre, its roots stretch back to the Middle Ages and Antiquity. It took inspiration from some of the greatest literary works in history: the Epic of Gilgamesh, Metamorphoses by Ovid, Beowulf, Perceval by Chrétien de Troyes, Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory, The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, and other classics.

On a deeper level, we can say that urban fantasy is a genre that connects us to our distant past. By opening the doors of our cities to the magical and the fantastical, urban fantasy helps us to discover the cultures of our ancestors, makes them more understandable and appealing to modern readers.

In the next post we will talk about the genesis of urban fantasy and see how a handful of authors managed to create one of the most popular genres in history. Stay tuned!

Urban Fantasy: Definition and Characteristics

October 8, 2015 by AJ 9 Comments

Today I start a series of blog posts about a largely misunderstood, yet hugely popular genre: urban fantasy. The Guardian recently published an interesting article titled “Urban fantasy fiction: there’s more to it than sex with were-leopards”. Provocative title, isn’t it? This is what urban fantasy writers struggle with—negative, misguided perceptions. My mission as an aficionado of the genre is to dispel those preconceptions and, I hope, bring some clarity to the matter.

What is urban fantasy?

“The numinous. The weird. The fantastic, or even the spiritual. Whatever name it goes by, humans have a profound need to glimpse some greater reality beyond our mundane existence.” In the above-mentioned article, Damien Walter nails it. Urban fantasy brings the fantastical into the mundane—this is the shortest definition of the genre one might give. In other words, urban fantasy brings mythology and lore into a modern setting. It was Dreams Underfoot, a compilation of short stories by Charles de Lint, that launched the genre in the early 90s. We will come back to the origins of urban fantasy in the next post.

Characteristics and main themes of urban fantasy

Urban fantasy is a young, vibrant genre that only recently entered maturity. It’s particularly popular with teens and readers of young adult fiction, the most well-known series being Harry Potter, Twilight and The Mortal Instruments. Some would argue that Harry Potter and Twilight are not urban fantasy, but let’s not split hairs—broadly they belong to the same category.

Adult urban fantasy is also popular with dozens of successful authors writing in this genre: Laurell K. Hamilton, Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Kelley Armstrong, Keri Arthur, Kim Harrison, Patricia Briggs, Carrie Vaughn, Karen Marie Moning, Ilona Andrews, Seanan McGuire, Deborah Harkness, and others. Particularly influential were the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton and Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files series.

Urban fantasy is a hybrid genre that lives at the crossroads between fantasy, horror, science fiction, hardboiled, thriller, and romance. One might say that urban fantasy is a liminal genre; it exists where the other genres meet. It lives at the frontier between the mundane and the fantastical, the natural and the supernatural, between technology and magic. Every urban fantasy story involves some supernatural beings and/or humans with magical abilities; yet it’s also rooted in reality.

Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere is a brilliant example of this duality. In this story (novel and TV series), the protagonist discovers the existence of another, invisible London, the London Below. Every London Underground station hides a secret world that reminds us of the city’s medieval past. There is a monastery under Blackfriars, at Earl’s Court lives an actual earl with his court, and under Angel hides… well, an Angel!

Some urban fantasy series are set in the near future or an alternate reality where supernatural creatures revealed their existence to the world. In True Blood, the TV series inspired by The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, the invention of synthetic blood allowed vampires to live peacefully with humans—at least in theory. In this series, we find the usual supernatural creatures one might expect in a fantasy story: fairies, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, demons, etc. On the other hand, the series doesn’t shy away from real social issues: drug abuse, racism, religious fanaticism and intolerance in general.

In some urban fantasy series, the supernatural exists at the fringes of human society, and paranormal creatures coexist with humans without threatening our society. In other series, however, the supernatural threatens the very survival of our civilization. In Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, for example, magic tears apart the fabric of our technological society, forcing humans to adapt. In this near-future, post-apocalyptic world, what was once considered supernatural is now part of everyday life.

As we can see already from the examples above, urban fantasy is more diverse than one might think. In the next posts, we will explore further this fascinating genre in all its diversity.

Urban fantasy and paranormal romance

Is there a difference between urban fantasy and paranormal romance? This is a moot question. In theory those are different genres; however in reality it’s difficult to separate them. Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files series is undoubtedly urban fantasy, while The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J. R. Ward is usually considered as paranormal romance. But what about Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, for example? Many book series that belong to the urban fantasy genre also have romance as one of the main ingredients, but this is not always the case.

Personally I equally enjoy good urban fantasy stories with or without romance, but I have no interest in books that focus too much on romantic relationships to the detriment of storytelling, character development or world building. And I must warn you: I dislike books that describe in detail every sex scene. Don’t expect me to read and review those.

One last point before concluding this article: urban fantasy is for anyone who enjoys a good, imaginative story, irrespective of their age, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnicity. The genre is so diverse that everyone should be able to find urban fantasy books to their tastes, and yours truly is here to help!

Urban Fantasy and its Illustrious Origins

History of Urban Fantasy: Genesis of the Genre

Urban Fantasy Chronicles: Episode 4

Embrace the Darkness! Part 1.

October 4, 2015 by AJ 2 Comments

Whether you enjoy books, comic books, movies or TV series, you can’t escape this—“darkness” is everywhere. “Dark”, “darkness”, the words that evoked fear in our ancestors are used nowadays as marketing tools. But what do we mean by “dark” when referring to a work of fiction?

Historically, it was the 18^th-century Gothic novel that transformed negative emotions such as fear or melancholy into a source of pleasure (see the Gothic Novel and The Gothic: 250 Years of Success). However, the success of this initial wave of terrifying stories was short-lived, and in the 1820s this genre gave way to a more sophisticated kind of aesthetics—the Romantic movement was on the rise.

During the 19^th and the 20^th centuries—roughly until the 1970s—horror fiction was little more than an underground culture, although some horror books and movies managed to achieve long-lasting popularity. For example, classic adaptations of Frankenstein by James Whale and Dracula by Tod Browning were successful in the 1930s and remain influential to the present day.

The situation changed dramatically toward the end of the 1970s, when a tsunami of darkness swept away the naïve enthusiasm of the post-war period. This impressive attack of the “dark side” operated on several fronts. In 1974 appeared the first novel by Stephen King, Carrie, and two years later Anne Rice published the first book of her famous Vampire Chronicles (Interview with the Vampire, 1976). In the 80s and the 90s, Stephen King’s popularity was nothing less than phenomenal, and some other authors writing horror fiction enjoyed considerable success.

Darkness does not necessarily equal horror, however. Science fiction and fantasy also grew darker in the 70s and the 80s. Those ugly and often ridiculous monsters who terrorized beautiful girls on the covers of pulp magazines were history—a new breed of monstrosities was about to transform science fiction. In Alien (1979), Ridley Scott created a shocking, futuristic aesthetic of fear. Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) blended science fiction with film noir, and challenged our perception of human condition in the process. The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984) and Predator (John McTiernan, 1987) introduced us to new, disturbingly realistic sorts of killing machines.

Fantasy also grew darker during that period. Far from innocent fairytales for kids, fantasy drew inspiration from its roots: myths, medieval ballads, and history itself. And God knows human history is a bloody business. Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné, for example, is not your average sword & sorcery hero. He is a sorcerer and a necromancer capable of both heroism and cruelty. Knights in shining armor are no longer fashionable. Readers crave for a different kind of protagonists: anti-heroes (Stephan R. Donaldson’s Lord Foul’s Bane, 1977), torturers (Gene Wolfe’s The Shadow of the Torturer, 1980), assassins (Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s Apprentice, 1995), and others.

Fantasy grew gritty, brutal, sometimes bleak and pessimistic. No need to insist on the influence of the Game of Thrones (this book had enough publicity already). Let’s mention a few noteworthy authors such as Steven Erikson (Malazan Book of the Fallen), Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn series), Joe Abercrombie (The First Law Trilogy), Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle), and Mark Lawrence (The Broken Empire trilogy).

Urban fantasy was not immune to the overwhelming rise of darkness neither. Although the very first urban fantasy stories were relatively light in tone (War for the Oaks by Emma Bull, Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint), horror quickly found its way into this subgenre, starting with Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton, and followed by The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Those stories are teaming with vampires, ghouls, zombies, necromancers, and the nastiest sorts of black magic.

In your opinion, why are we craving for this sort of terrifying stories? What makes them so appealing to science fiction and fantasy readers?

Whitby, in the footsteps of Dracula (Part 2)

July 5, 2015 by AJ 2 Comments

Read the first part here: Whitby, in the footsteps of Dracula (Part 1)

Gothic ruins of Whitby Abbey — Ruins of Whitby Abbey

“Perched high on a cliff, it’s easy to see why the haunting remains of Whitby Abbey were inspiration for Bram Stoker’s gothic tale of Dracula,” states the English Heritage website.

The story of Whitby Abbey in itself could be the subject of a book. This story begins in 657 with the foundation of a monastery by Hilda of Whitby. This monastery became one of the most important religious centers in the Anglo-Saxon world. Following the withdrawal of Roman legions from Britain, Northumbria emerged as a powerful independent kingdom. Members of the Northumbrian royal family were buried at the Whitby monastery, which shows the symbolic importance this monastery had at that time. The layman Cædmon, the earliest English poet whose name is known, lived and died in Whitby in the 7th century. The memorial to Cædmon has been preserved and can be seen in St Mary’s Churchyard.

Gothic ruins of Whitby Abbey in the fog — Ruins of Whitby Abbey in the fog

Whitby monastery was abandoned in the 9th century, probably because Viking raids. In 1078, when Viking invasions were already history, a monk named Reinfrid founded a new monastic community at Whitby. Initially the monastery was built of wood, but in the 12th century it was rebuilt in stone in the Romanesque style. Later, in the 13th century, the monastery was rebuilt again, this time in the Gothic style. As many Gothic buildings, Whitby Abbey was built in stages, and the work continued with interruptions until the 15th century.

Following the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, the abbey was abandoned and its buildings sold to Sir Richard Cholmley (1578). During the Civil War (1642–51), the Parliamentarian troops captured Whitby and looted the Abbey House. After the war Sir Hugh Cholmley II restored it and added a new wing, known as the Banqueting House.

Gothic ruins of Whitby Abbey in the sunrise — Ruins of Whitby Abbey in the sunrise

The Cholmleys abandoned the place in the 18th century. The Abbey House suffered from storms and part of its roof was removed. Weakened by erosion, the shell of the abbey church also started to collapse. The south transept collapsed in 1736, the nave in 1763, the central tower in 1830, and the south side of the presbytery in 1839.

In the 19th century, the Strickland family, descendants of the Cholmleys, entered in possession of Whitby Abbey. At that time, the abbey ruins became a popular tourist destination.

In 1914 Whitby was shelled by a German fleet. The abbey ruins were hit and the west front was damaged. In 1920 the Strickland family handed the abbey over to the Ministry of Works. English Heritage carried out archaeological excavations and surveys at this site between 1993 and 2008. The visitor centre was built during that period.

Such is the story of Whitby Abbey. The symbolic importance of this building changed constantly over the centuries. Place of spirituality and knowledge, place of power, place of violence and tragedy, place of hope, place of leisure, place of artistic inspiration.

Why did Bram Stoker find inspiration here, among the ruins of Whitby Abbey? The past haunting the present—such has always been the main motif in Gothic fiction. Medieval ruins remind us that we cannot break from our history, at least not completely. Dracula is an intruder from our past; he brings with him the memories of troubled times and the ways of our ancestors. Yet we cannot ignore our medieval heritage. Whether it causes awe or fear, the medieval culture is still an important part of our civilization, and it will remain part of our culture for the decades to come.

Read also: Whitby Goth Weekend, April 2015 (Part 1) and Part 2.

Whitby Goth Weekend: April 2015 (Part 1)

May 22, 2015 by AJ 2 Comments

Twice a year, Goths, steampunks, vampires, and other alternative culture lovers flock to Whitby, a small town located in North Yorkshire, to attend the Whitby Goth Weekend. This festival has been running since 1994 and is one of the largest of its kind in the world. It’s a brilliant opportunity to see some imaginative, wonderfully scary, sometimes phantasmagorical costumes.

Sunday 26 April 2015, Saint Ann’s Staith. Weather—wonderful. Atmosphere—surreal. Mood? Gothic, yet festive.

Whitby Goth Weekend, April 2015. Photo of Gothic men and women in Whitby — Whitby Goth Weekend, April 2015. Gothic parade!

Now let’s cross the Whitby Swing Bridge and venture into Church Street. We meet couples in gorgeous Victorian or steampunk costumes. Some of them are kind enough to pose for the camera!

Whitby Goth Weekend, April 2015, photo, Victorian dress — Whitby Goth Weekend, April 2015.

The feeling of unreality grows stronger. It’s difficult to believe we are still on Earth!

Whitby Goth Weekend, April 2015. Photo. Gothic gathering. — Whitby Goth Weekend, April 2015. Fantastical gathering in the middle of the street!

Whitby Goth Weekend, April 2015. Photo. Vampires in Whitby — Whitby Goth Weekend, April 2015. Vampire gathering in broad daylight!

What? Vampires gathering in broad daylight! Did they drink fae blood? Call vampire slayers! I dial 913. “Hello, Whitby vampire hunters. How can we help you today?” I tell them what I saw. “Vampires on Church Street? Oh, this is normal, you see. No worries; they are vegetarian.” Ah. That explains a lot. “Good day, sir.”

Vegetarian vampires on the streets at noon? There is something fishy going on in Whitby. I’m glad I brought my vampire slayer kit with me. Just in case.

Okay, now let’s go up the stairs toward the Church of Saint Mary and Whitby Abbey.

Whitby Goth Weekend, April 2015. Photo. Street performance. — Whitby Goth Weekend, April 2015.

I would like to thank all the lovely people who allowed me to take a picture of them. Very kind of you indeed!

Also read Whitby, in the footsteps of Dracula (Part 1)

* * *

Subscribe to my newsletter!

Whitby, in the footsteps of Dracula (Part 1)

May 7, 2015 by AJ 5 Comments

The adjective “amazing” was invented to describe the kind of experience I had in Whitby, a small town located in North Yorkshire, UK. This is where Bram Stoker found inspiration for his famous novel Dracula (1897). Now I understand what he felt when he visited this town – I felt it too.

Whitby, UK: Church of Saint Mary and Whitby Abbey — Whitby, UK: 199 steps (bottom right) leading to the Church of Saint Mary and the ruins of Whitby Abbey.

I arrived in Whiby on Wednesday 22 April after a 6-hour journey by train. Went to the B&B where I had made a reservation, checked in, then started my exploration of the famous vampire town. My first destination was Whitby Abbey, or, to be more precise, the ruins of Whitby Abbey. In the footsteps of Dracula, I climbed the 199 steps leading to the Church of Saint Mary and the top of the East Cliff.

Old tombstones surrounding the church greeted me solemnly. I turned to contemplate the setting sun that burned like a molten copper orb, bathing the cemetery in a warm orange glow.

Whitby, UK: Church of Saint Mary in the sunset.

I continued my journey toward Whitby Abbey, its ruins silhouetted against the darkening sky.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a cloud of fog appeared to shroud the town in semi-darkness. It hung oppressively – as Edgar Allan Poe would say – over the bay, the valley and the town, eclipsing the last rays of the dying sun.

Sunset over Whitby, East Cliff, panoramic view

The cloud swiftly slid over the ruins of the abbey, as if some malevolent power had cast a spell. Then the cold came, this humid, traitorous, creeping cold that sucks the warmth out of your body. The change in temperature was as swift as the change in luminosity. The warm glow of the setting sun was replaced by an icy semi-darkness. This sight was surreal, as if nature itself had staged it for my benefit. I felt a connection, an inexplicable bond with this place – the ruins, the church, the cemetery, the old stones.

Whitby, UK: ruins of Whitby Abbey shrouded in fog

After this moment of awe came the realization that I was freezing. I felt the need to send some hot drink down my throat to expel the cold tentacles of the night. Destination – the nearest café!

Whitby, UK: Church of Saint Mary in the evening.

* * *

Learn more about the history of this town in

Whitby, in the footsteps of Dracula (Part 2)

Vampires in literature

March 28, 2015 by AJ Leave a Comment

Picture of a female vampire — Female vampire

Vampires have a special place in literature, art, and popular culture. Historically, the myth of vampires resulted from our ancestors’ poor understanding of the processes that occur inside a decomposing body. At a certain stage of decomposition, the corpse inflates, creating the illusion that it fed on the living. Beliefs in creatures feeding on human blood are so ancient that it is difficult to determine their origins, and there is historical evidence showing that these beliefs existed in the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance.

In 18th-century Europe, cases of mass hysteria where people exhumed corpses to burn them forced the authorities to launch scientific investigations into the existence of vampires. Scientists concluded that the bloodsucking undead were only a product of popular superstition and tomb profanations were outlawed.

In Gothic literature, vampires made their first appearance in The Monk by Matthew Lewis before becoming an emblematic character of dark Romanticism. Byron introduced the theme of vampirism in his poem The Giaour (1813):

But first, on earth as vampire sent,

Thy corse shall from its tomb be rent:

Then ghastly haunt thy native place,

And suck the blood of all thy race;

There from thy daughter, sister, wife,

At midnight drain the stream of life;

Yet loathe the banquet which perforce

Must feed thy livid living corse:

Thy victims ere they yet expire

Shall know the demon for their sire,

As cursing thee, thou cursing them,

Thy flowers are withered on the stem.

John William Polidori, one of the closest friends of Byron, created the iconic image of the undead aristocrat in his novella The Vampyre (1819). Female vampires also haunted 19th-century literature (The Dead Woman in Love by Theophile Gautier; Carmilla, In a Glass Darkly, by Sheridan Le Fanu). After Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897), the vampire became associated with the concept of otherness. Dracula comes from Eastern Europe, and he also comes from the past, which makes him not only alien, but also anachronic. He is a reminder of our medieval past, viewed as dark and violent, and he is also representative of a non-Western culture.

The vampire represents the other, the heretic, the deviant, the marginal, the immigrant, the homosexual – anyone who belongs to a minority and is perceived as a threat to the established way of life in a given society.

A text key to understanding the evolution of the vampire as a fictional character is I Am Legend (1954) by Richard Matheson. I would strongly recommend reading Matheson’s book as the film adaptation by Francis Lawrence (2007), despite its qualities, betrays the spirit of the novel. Matheson uses a postapocalyptic setting to portray an extreme case of xenophobia. A pandemic decimates the human population all over the world, and the most horrific aspect of it is that the dead, transformed into vampires, return from their graves to infect the living. Robert Neville manages to survive this apocalypse by barricading himself during the night and, during the day, he hunts and kills the undead. He doesn’t even suspect that, meanwhile, his foes are developing their own culture, and that he, Robert Neville, gained in this culture the status of a legend: he became the incarnation of death.

The theme of vampires enjoyed a phenomenal success after the publication of the Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. An important trend in this type of literature is the humanization of the undead; nevertheless, they always remain a source of fear. Particularly popular are narratives in which vampires revealed their existence to the human society, for example The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris and the TV drama inspired by this series, True Blood (2008-present). This kind of fictional universes allow an interesting commentary on xenophobia, racism, religious intolerance, drugs, sexually transmitted diseases and other burning social problems.

The times when vampires were merely a product of superstition are long gone; nowadays, these beings are part of our popular culture. They represent the liminal state between life and death, the past and the present, the normal and the transgressive. They are “the others”, the barbarians, the Goths who live at the borders of our “civilized world”, who frighten our safety and our way of life; yet they are also our image in the distorting mirror of our collective unconscious. They are projections of our repressed fears and desires.

From The Gothic: 250 Years of Success by A J Blakemont. Copyrighted material.