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Even if you don’t regularly haunt the science fiction and fantasy section of your local bookstore, chances are you’ve crossed paths with the vibrant, ever-popular subgenre of urban fantasy. Not only is there frequently an urban fantasy or two on the New York Times bestseller list, but it’s one of the most common types of fantasy to make its way to the big and small screen. How do you recognize a good urban fantasy when you see one, and if you want to try your hand at writing one, what’s the basic recipe?This guest post is by Mishell Baker. Baker is a 2009 graduate of the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop, and her short stories have appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Redstone Science Fiction, and Electric Velocipede.
She has a website at and frequently tweets about writing, parenthood, mental health, and assorted geekery at. When she’s not attending conventions or going on wild research adventures, she lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children. Her debut novel, Borderline is currently a Nebula award finalist. Its sequel, is now available.1.
The CityThe “urban” in urban fantasy means that the setting should always be one of the main characters. While books with a UF “flavor” have been set in rural areas, historical periods, small towns, or even secondary worlds, the classic urban fantasy setting is a dense, highly populated present-day metropolis. Think London, New York, or San Francisco–the sophisticated pulse and personality of the city permeates the story.
Readers will expect to become as familiar with the rules of public transport, commerce, law enforcement, and local weather as they are with the laws of the supernatural, so if you don’t live in the city you’re writing about, wear out a good, in-depth travel guide or two, speak to locals, and visit if you can. The MagicThe “fantasy” part means that somewhere, running through the veins of that sophisticated city, is something wild and strange. “Paranormal” elements like ghosts, werewolves, zombies and vampires certainly count, but if you really want to hit the urban fantasy sweet spot, at some point you’ll want to have a character cast a spell or perform a ritual.
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Part of the fun of urban fantasy is figuring out the interplay of magic and technology, and these rules differ from universe to universe. Can fairies ride the subway? Do vampires work night shifts at hospitals? Are computers and magic mutually hostile, or is there a whole branch of magic that depends on good wifi?
3. The MysteryFans of UF love a good whodunit, and for this reason, many of the most successful urban fantasies prominently feature law enforcement, private detectives, crime scenes and life-or-death suspense. But there’s lots of room to define what a “mystery” might be, especially in a world that incorporates laws beyond the ordinary. The most necessary element to consider in the plot of an urban fantasy is the unanswered question. It’s usually not enough in an urban fantasy for your protagonist to have a strong driving goal; there should also be a huge, possibly frightening unknown that gradually unfolds throughout the story, thanks to clever and persistent investigation.Agent Carly Watters discuss how to approach an agent, pitch an agent, get the most out of writing conferences and more in this Writer’s Market podcast with Brian A. Klems and Robert Lee Brewer.or!4. The Point of ViewThere’s a reason that first-person point of view is so popular in urban fantasy, and it isn’t just the genre’s cozy relationship with noir.
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One of the traditions of urban fantasy is that it is intensely character-driven: profoundly affected or even warped by the opinions of the protagonist. As with its cousin the mystery series, in urban fantasy it is often the personality of the protagonist–the investigator, the misfit, the fearless confronter of the uncanny–that keeps readers coming back for sequel after sequel. Even if you don’t plan to write a series featuring the same character throughout, great attention should be paid to your main characters “voice” and mindset. Is she at home in a pack of werewolves but lost at the corner of 5th and Main? Is he irritated and unnerved by the supernatural elements that are taking over the city he grew up in?
Make sure you know the lens your reader is looking through in your story, and how it shapes or obscures the view. The SizzleLast but not least, urban fantasy is sexy. Even if you don’t have an all-out love scene or fully-developed romantic relationship in your story, if you’re going for classic urban fantasy then you’ll want to make sure that sex simmers somewhere in the background. A lingering gaze, a billowing coat, a bit of bare leg—these things can go a long way toward creating a sensual atmosphere that keeps every page electric and exciting even when there’s not a crime scene to investigate. Urban fantasy readers want to be thrilled, and blatant or subtle eroticism is great way to keep a reader’s heart rate high. Just be sure that there’s a plot outside of and dominant to any developing relationship, or you’ve found your way into paranormal romance, which is another subgenre altogether!Now, of course there are successful urban fantasies that play havoc with these “Must-have” elements and forge entirely new territory.
But if you’re new to the genre and looking to get a feel for it, this checklist will keep you on track and make sure that agents, editors and readers recognize what you’re after. Like the fearless mavericks that so often drive urban fantasy stories, you’ve got to know the rules before you can break them.ORDER NOW:The Brainstorm New Ideas Value Pack is designed tohelp you succeed with proven tips on structures, hooks,characters, dialogue, viewpoints, settings, and more.Thanks for visiting The Writer’s Dig blog.Brian A. Klems is the editor of this blog, online editor of Writer’s Digest and author of the popular gift book.Follow Brian on Twitter:Sign up for Brian’s free Writer’s Digest eNewsletter: Listen to Brian on.
Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg.' They can keep their heaven. When I die, I’d sooner go to Middle Earth.' -Within these pages are legends, heroes, myths, and magic. When you really need to escape, is there any better place than an entirely different realm? Always in search of a great book, Goodreads recently set out to uncover readers' all-time 50 most-loved fantasy novels.These titles were chosen based on reader reviews, so every single book had to meet at least a 4.0 average rating from the Goodreads community. Then, for good measure, we looked at how many ratings each book has received.
We also decided to select the first book in a series (although it's worth noting that the entirety of 's as well as 's have the rare distinction of being above a 4.0 rating).It's time to unveil the top 50 fantasy books on Goodreads, conjured up in alphabetical order. How many have you read? Tell us in the comments. Allayna wrote: 'Lauren wrote: 'Anne McCaffrey herself always insisted her books were science fiction, not fantasy, and I agree with her. Even her Dragonriders of Pern novels.'
I think the first Pern books people e.' I understand people may see them that way. Anne always insisted they were Sci-fi. The Dragons were genetically created by the inhabitants of Pern, their society built up around Sci-fi tech. The Dragons could travel through time. I think the only reason they're being classed as Fantasy is because of the Dragons, which is a bit of cop out. Pretty strange list.
Stephen King's Green Mile and The Stand are on it, but not The Dark Tower? There are also 2 mangas and 2 graphic novels, which tends to be media for different audiences in most cases.The 4.0 rating average also means little. Somehow Harry Potter didn't make it, despite the first book having a 4.44 and more ratings than probably 90% of the list.Also stuff like The Broken Empire, Malazan, His Dark Materials, The Dark Tower, Temeraire, Conan, Elric, The Black Company, and many others are also out and are probably bigger and more influential for the genre than some of the stuff in there. Yaniv wrote: 'I'm actually having some trouble. I love Fantasy but can't seem to find my next series. I'm not a big fan of Coming of age (except maybe Ruthfuss).I Read A darker Shade of Magic and loved it, but.' I recommend the malazan series.
It is on a different level than most books i have read. There has not been a series where i have had to put the book down and digest what has happened so often.a lot of people dislike them though, you are basically dropped in to the middle of it and dont get any explanation, you just need to accept that things are happening and work it out (i dont think the system of magic is explained until book 3 or 4).
If you count GoT as a series, i am not sure how it is in this list.I have read them all twice and after book 2, the series is just turgid until the final book (to confirm i mean the book that was published as part two of the same book) which is fun but has a lot of issueshalf of feast of crows is brienne walking through a field, you can safely skip half of this book without missing anything.sorry if my second paragraph is muddled, it is gone 1 am here and i checked goodreads before going to bed, i hope you understand what i mean. Only read 17 on my want to read list.Oh my God I am so angry right now.I think they make sure books that were in the top 10 are not here on this list, but that doesn't excuse THIS!How in the WORLD is Six of Crows not on this list?! It has a 4.46 average rating, and then there's its sequel which has an average rating of 4.62!
HOW IS IT NOT ON THIS LIST???!!!And moreover, how did The Lies of Locke Lamora beat it out when it only has a 4.30 average rating - Don't get me wrong Locke Lamora is the one book on this list I've read and I actually liked it but this is my point!)Like where is Six of Crows.?This makes me so sad.:(. Flag AbuseFlagging a post will send it to the Goodreads Customer Care team for review.We take abuse seriously in our discussion boards.Only flag comments that clearly need our attention.As a general rule we do not censor any content on the site.The only content we will consider removing is spam,slanderous attacks on other members,or extremely offensive content (eg. Pornography, pro-Nazi, child abuse, etc).We will not remove any content for bad language alone, or being criticalof a particular book.
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