Urban Fantasy anthologies

Yāoguài · Apr 19, 2011

I'm curious about urban fantasy anthologies -- urban fantasy, definition b, focusing on a single character proactively engaging with the supernatural through a series of stories, often following a roman noir aesthetic.

These are the urban fantasy anthologies I've seen:

Mean Streets
Dark and Stormy Knights
Must Love Hellhounds
Strange Brew
and the upcoming Chicks Kick Butt and Tales of Urban Fantasy.

Are there others out there?

Would you be interested in urban fantasy anthologies? Why or why not? I'm not sure, personally. It'd be fun to get a taste of five or ten series in one book, but that taste might spoil some of the fun of discovering a series from the beginning. "Uncle Jim is a vampire," one might read, when in the series it could take several books before Uncle Jim's secret is revealed.

Do the anthologies appeal to you? If so, why? If not, why not?

Have you read any urban fantasy anthologies? Would you share your thoughts about it?

Williebee · Apr 19, 2011

Hie thee to Duotrope.

Yāoguài · Apr 19, 2011

Thanks, Williebee! But I was more interested in reading urban fantasy anthologies than trying to get published in one. Or is there a way to set Duotrope's search functions so they show closed listings?

hillaryjacques · Apr 19, 2011

You can actually search "urban fantasy anthology" on sites like [email protected] and come up with quite a good listing.

I like anthologies. They introduce me to new (both new to me and debuting) authors. The length of a story in an anthology is usually just long enough for me to determine whether I like an author's style and might like to invest in starting their novels.

I've also seen series begin in anthologies. So, reading a short story or novella in an anthology doesn't mean the world of that story is any less complex or more of a "dead end" than that found in a novel or series.

Yāoguài · Apr 19, 2011

Thanks, hillaryjacques! I actually did search Amazon for urban fantasy anthologies, and the only ones that came up were the wrong definition of urban fantasy -- the Charles de Lint and Neil Gaiman style, which isn't what interests me.

Amazon's search function is pretty terrible no matter how ya cut it. Human response is so much better -- asking people for recommendations and titles returns better search data, and it also builds human connection. Hi!

EclipsesMuse · Apr 19, 2011

On the Prowl
I know of it because it has Patricia Briggs.

ChaosTitan · Apr 20, 2011

There's one edited by Charlaine Harris called "Death's Excellent Vacation."

You should also check out some of the "Mammoth Book of...." anthos. They tend to have a mix of paranormal romance and UF stories in some of the titles.

Kitty Pryde · Apr 20, 2011

There are a lot of single-subject anthos, like a book of all zombie tales, a book of all vampire tales, a book of all werewolf tales. The ones I've read have been awesome. Unless you require a universe containing many different types of fantasy critters.

elmoie · Apr 20, 2011

I discovered Carrie Vaughn's writing through an anthology - I think it was 'Wolfsbane and Mistletoe' - so yes, I agree they can be very good.

Sometimes I buy them though and only end up reading half of the stories - one anthology that I particularly liked was by the Mystery Writers of America - Crimes by Moonlight. It was also edited by Charlaine Harris and is a compilation of short stories by mystery writers who had to use a supernatural twist to their stories.

Jess Haines · Apr 20, 2011

There are TONS of these out there. Just to name a few that were missed above:

BITE
MY BIG FAT SUPERNATURAL WEDDING /
MY BIG FAT SUPERNATURAL HONEYMOON
LOVE & DEATH
BLOOD LITE

And that's just off the top of my head. I was in one called NOCTURNAL, but that was more PNR than UF. Keep your eyes peeled when you're shopping, you'll find them.

hillaryjacques · Apr 21, 2011

Yāoguài;6056107 said:
Thanks, hillaryjacques! I actually did search Amazon for urban fantasy anthologies, and the only ones that came up were the wrong definition of urban fantasy -- the Charles de Lint and Neil Gaiman style, which isn't what interests me.

Hello!

Hmm. Maybe I need to use your search parameters, because your results also interest me. Actually, I just typed in "urban fantasy anthology"...didn't even specify the books section, and got quite a few of them, including some you mentioned and a few I wasn't aware of.

My local Barnes and Noble also has a nice anthology area at the beginning of their SF/F section. Lots of zombies stuff lately, but also good UF. If you have a nearby bookstore, maybe try that as well. That way you can see the entire table of contents, since that doesn't always show up on online listings.

I'm looking forward to the Those Who Fight Monsters anthology, which I thought was already out, but haven't yet seen for sale. Hopefully it will be available for purchase soon.

Good luck finding great new authors!

Adobedragon · Apr 22, 2011

This falls into the category of shameless self promotion because I have a story in the collection, but I think Modern Magic: Tales of Fantasy and Magic is technically urban fantasy. It's published by Fantasist Enterprises, a small press.

Silver-Midnight · Jan 7, 2012

Are all of the anthologies listed good ones? I mean to read.

Jess Haines · Jan 10, 2012

I haven't read all the ones listed here by others, but the ones I have I liked.

Why not check the books out on Goodreads or Amazon and check out the descriptions and some of the reviews? See if they look like something you would like to read.

Darkarma · Jan 10, 2012

Mean Streets
Dark and Stormy Knights
Strange Brew

These three feature stories Dresden Files as well which is the main reason I bought them. Can't get through a year without my Dresden fix... But there have been something like 6 anthologies with Dresden in them, not sure of them all. A quick Jim Butcher search would probably reveal them.

Urban Fantasy anthologies

Yāoguài

Strange Monster

Williebee

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

Yāoguài

Strange Monster

hillaryjacques

Undercover, sort of...

Yāoguài

Strange Monster

EclipsesMuse

Questing

ChaosTitan

Around

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

elmoie

Jess Haines

Boldly going nowhere in particular.

hillaryjacques

Undercover, sort of...

Adobedragon

Silver-Midnight

Jess Haines

Boldly going nowhere in particular.

Darkarma

Master-Mage