What is Urban Fantasy?

DamaNegra · Mar 8, 2006

I read that term on another post and I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know what it means. What does Urban Fantasy mean, and what are the other subgenres for fantasy?

Sage · Mar 8, 2006

Urban fantasy is fantasy that takes place in a contemporary setting, usually in a city (therefore, an urban setting). Magic & technology existing together, fantasy creatures existing in today's world, myths that have relevance to the current world, or even stories where the protags fall from today's world into a fantastical past or a work of fiction. Magical realism also falls into this category.

DamaNegra · Mar 8, 2006

So if my protagonists originally live in the 'real world' and are swept off to a fantasy world would that classify as urban fantasy?

Sage · Mar 8, 2006

Yes (although mine is similar, but it's the future real world, so I'm calling it fantasy AND sci-fi). Obviously, it requires some amount of magic to exist in the "real" world or they wouldn't have been able to be put into the fantasy world. And they bring their real world knowledge to the fantasy realm (so if we go into a medieval fantasy world & use a match, the people there think it's magic to produce fire, when really it's just technology. Then you pull out your cell phone... Oh, but that doesn't work because there are no cell phone towers

)

DamaNegra · Mar 8, 2006

Thanks!

Mike Coombes · Mar 9, 2006

DamaNegra said:
So if my protagonists originally live in the 'real world' and are swept off to a fantasy world would that classify as urban fantasy?

No, no more than the Thomas Covenant books are urban. They're just fantasy novels where the protagonist is plucked from our world. Or the Narnia books.

Urban fantasy is what it says - tha fantasy elements take place in an urban, modern day setting. Try Miéville's 'King Rat'.

triceretops · Mar 9, 2006

Dama, I think you read my post where I mention urban fantasy. My story involves a simple human male that lives and exists in our present day 2006, who is visited by a Roman Goddess of Luck (Fortuna) from another realm. I think it's also called contemporary fantasy. Some examples of films that might be familiar are:

Damn Yankees
Splash
Bedazzled
Manikin
Date with an Angel
Wierd Science
Bewitched

I think those are close enough. I'm also reminded of Gremlins and maybe a few of the others.

Tri

Pthom · Mar 9, 2006

triceretops said:
... I think it's also called contemporary fantasy. Some examples of films that might be familiar are:

Damn Yankees
...

And perhaps, Field of Dreams?

A couple of recently published urban fantasies are those by Cory Doctorow, especially: Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town. Although this story is often shelved with Science Fiction, there is little of what I would call science fiction in it and lots of weird fantasy. Besides, it's a fun read.

KAM · Mar 9, 2006

I tend to agree with Mike - urban fantasy refers to stories where most of the action takes place in the contemporary, "real" world, except with fantastic elements. "King Rat" is a perfect example. Another good example is the work of Charles de Lint. A lot of his stories are set in a fictional city called Newford, a typical North American city where people are constantly running into creatures of myth and magic.

Shadow_Ferret · Mar 9, 2006

So technically, anything with vampires or werewolves could be considered an urban fantasy, right?

What about the movie Lephrecan? (Aside from being bad, I mean.)

Harry Potter?

triceretops · Mar 9, 2006

Yes, Pthom, good example. Field of Dreams. Angels in the Outfield. Xanadu. The Witches of Eastwick?

Yeah, Shadow, Lep would qualify. But wouldn't werewolves and vampires be horror, or even urban horror. Belive it or not, I've seen the classification, urban horror. Don't know if I can grok that. But here's one that stradles the fence: The Stepford Wives. There is a little magic there I think, but it is kind of science fiction also in its premise. So what would you call Sepford Wives. One of my favorites was The Girl, The Gold Watch and Everything.

Tri

Sage · Mar 9, 2006

Shadow_Ferret said:
So technically, anything with vampires or werewolves could be considered an urban fantasy, right?

What about the movie Lephrecan? (Aside from being bad, I mean.)

Harry Potter?

Yes, my fave show, Buffy, is urban fantasy

Leprechan (I assume) & HP would be too, even though Harry is removed from much of the "real" world by going to Hogwarts.

madderblue · Mar 9, 2006

DamaNegra said:
I read that term on another post and I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know what it means. What does Urban Fantasy mean, and what are the other subgenres for fantasy?

I agree with KAM, when I hear the words Urban Fantsy I think Delint.

I'd stick vampires/werewolves into gothic...but then again, they could easily be walking down Fifth Avenue, 2006, right? Make that 2010 and you got yourself an urban-gothic(?)-science fiction-fantasy. Have them do something really scary and gory and you got yourself a horror-urban-gothic...(okay, you get the point).

Some other sub genres--just to get your head reeling (as mine is)--...supernatural realism, gothic fantasy, Arthurian fantasy, high fantasy, and I even read about something called indigenous fantasy.

Okay, mom, make them stop...sniff sniff

Sage · Mar 9, 2006

Mike Coombes said:
No, no more than the Thomas Covenant books are urban. They're just fantasy novels where the protagonist is plucked from our world. Or the Narnia books.

Hmm, my urban fantasy gaming book (not necessarily THE source, but certainly one I would expect to have researched it out) specifically mentions Thomas Covenant & Narnia as examples of urban fantasy. Also A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It makes sense if you think about what the characters bring into it. And, as I said before, there has to exist some magic in the "real" world to bring the people from it into the "fantasy" setting.

Cathy C · Mar 9, 2006

I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with a couple of the comments here. Urban Fantasy, as it's being purchased presently requires world-building and magic. Merely the addition of vampires or werewolves won't do it. The world has to have its own rules, but abide by our current physical laws (physics, geology, etc.) The fantastic elements have to be woven into our existing world in such a way that a new reality is created. They're often dark and gritty, with a "noir" feel and are most often set in major cities (hence the "urban" part). Some of the current, popular urban fantasies are:

Laurell K. Hamilton - Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series
Kim Harrison - Dead Witch Walking series
Jim Butcher - Dresden Files series
Carrie Vaughn - Kitty and the Midnight Hour

The books are either shelved in fantasy or horror, depending on the store. The publishers with urban fantasy series are wide and varied: Roc, DAW, Tor, Harper/Torch, Warner, Leisure, etc.

JMHO, of course -- based on editors I've talked to.

dragonjax · Mar 9, 2006

First, there is a difference between contemporary fantasy and urban fantasy.

In contemporary fantasy, characters from modern times (usually the protagonists) take part in an otherwise traditional fantasy setting. The Wizard of Oz; The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe; The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever; and The Guardians of the Flame series are all examples of contemporary fantasy.

In urban fantasy, the setting is in a city and the fantasy is already part of the setting. Yes, werewolves and vampires fall into this category, but the genre is very overdone with these particular types of creatures, so be prepared for uphill battles.

You can blend the two. Look at Stephen King's The Dark Tower series for an example. But you damn well better have a very clear concept of the worlds you're building first.

And then there's Harry Potter: the contemporary fantasy by way of hidden urban fantasy. Neil Gaiman does this in Neverwhere.

DamaNegra said:
So if my protagonists originally live in the 'real world' and are swept off to a fantasy world would that classify as urban fantasy?

Nope. That's contemporary fantasy. And be careful: at least one agent has already blogged about how it seems like everyone is pitching a young adult fantasy in which the protagonists are Sucked Into The Portal and wind up on a world with magic. Heaven knows I've written a story like this (and it's unpublished...AND I'm rewriting it from scratch to do something, gasp, different).

dragonjax · Mar 9, 2006

Cathy C said:
I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with a couple of the comments here. Urban Fantasy, as it's being purchased presently requires world-building and magic. Merely the addition of vampires or werewolves won't do it. The world has to have its own rules, but abide by our current physical laws (physics, geology, etc.) The fantastic elements have to be woven into our existing world in such a way that a new reality is created. They're often dark and gritty, with a "noir" feel and are most often set in major cities (hence the "urban" part).

Yes, exactly!

Think Bladerunner, or its original book: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? This is science fiction, of course--a particular subgenre called cyberpunk. This is the SF version of urban fantasy: gritty, dark, a distopia in which the science could save us but instead has warped us (or the environment). Replace the science with fantasy -- magic per se, or magical entities -- and boom, you have urban fantasy.

Deleted member 42 · Mar 9, 2006

Examples of Urban Fantasy

Beagle Last Unicorn
Charles DeLint -- Almost anything in the "Newford" setting. My favorite is The Little Country
Emma Bull War for the Oaks
Bull, Shetterly, Windling et al Borderlands books (this is what started the term Urban Fantasy)

Provrb1810meggy · Nov 19, 2006

I wanted to see if my story would be urban fantasy. I'm thinking it would be YA Urban Fantasy. Ok, so the protaganist lives outside of the city, but much of the action takes place there. The city isn't a real city, though. She's a mind reader. Some of the other characters are witches, warlocks, and psychics. The plot involves having to stop this girl from being brainwashed by her warlock boyfriend, via a hickey.

So what's the verdict? YA Urban Fantasy, or not?

Evaine · Nov 22, 2006

I don't see why not, if the city is important in the story.

Elidor by Alan Garner is another example of urban fantasy, starting and ending in Manchester in the 1960s, when vast areas of 19thC terraced housing were being flattened to build new stuff.

(Someone mentioned Narnia as urban fantasy above - this just seems bizarre to me. After all, the kids are sent away from the city as evacuees at the beginning of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe).

HorrorWriter · Nov 22, 2006

Proverb,
What you have is urban fantasy, all the way! Good luck!

MattW · Nov 22, 2006

If your war chariot has spinnerz, you might be in an Urban fantasy.

JBI · Nov 22, 2006

Probably the biggest name in urban fantasy is Charles De Lint. Look into him, his work is an icon for urban fantasy. Thomas covanant and Narnia aren't urban fantasy. Urban fantasy doesn't alternate to another world. It takes place in a similar world to ours, or even in our world, the only difference is that the rules of science have somehow been altered to allow some sort of "magic" to work.

Mike Coombes · Nov 23, 2006

Best example of urban fantasy I've read is Mieville's 'King Rat'. Totally stonking novel, particularly considering it was his first.

Provrb1810meggy · Nov 23, 2006

HorrorWriter said:
Proverb,
What you have is urban fantasy, all the way! Good luck!

Heck yes! Anyone know of any YA Urban Fantasy titles?

What is Urban Fantasy?

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