Has anybody ever written an Epic Fantasy set in modern day times?

JK Rowling did it.

Also the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. LOVE those, and they have all of the elements you state. It's set in present day Chicago!

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

^love the dresden files but is that technically an epic fantasy? It could definately be classified as urban fantasy, and it has some mystery elements, but I don't think its an epic. Not that I couldn't be wrong...

The Highlander movies and TV series have some of those elements.

mistri said:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

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Watership Down's also set in contemporary times. kinda misses out on the AR-15s and crazy wizards, though. But it's got bunnies.

Loudernhel said:

You know, that's a good point.

I guess the biggest difference between my stuff and her's (aside from violence, sex, death and lots and lots of money) is that in mine, magic is "underground."

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Magic is underground in hers too. I'd stick with the adult/kid differences.

Charles de Lint

Tithe, by Holly Black. That's YA, so it might not have shown up on your fantasy radar.

John Crowley's Little, Big

My impression is that some of the answers are seeing only "fantasy in modern times", and missing the epic part. A lot of the modern fantasy mentioned is about individuals in trouble, or sometimes touches on a city. To me, Epic means "whole world in peril" and "evil overlord" levels of battle.

Most of Charles De Lint's books are set here and now, yet only one I think really has the epic-sweep feel, and that's Moonheart. Yarrow and Someplace to be Flying come close in places, but I think if you're looking for "Epic" you mgiht find it's not what you're looking for. Ditto Tithe - which is a super wonderful book, but not really epic.

Rosemary Edghill started a series that seemed to be the sort of thing you're looking for - the first book, The Sword of Maiden's Tears, has the right world-in-peril, plot-coupon feel. The other two she actually wrote - they're weaker, and wander into the elves' world a lot (Book three is better than two, though). Then she dropped the series.

Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Series also has the right feel. I never finished Little, Big, so I don't know if Clintl is right.

Anyhow, I think it has been done, but not often. Usually Urban Fantasy moves into noir, or mystery, or literary, or something that differentiates it from epic fantasy by more than just setting.

Pthom said:

Charles de Lint

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DRAT!! You beat me to him!

Just finished "moonheart" the other day and thought it was probably one the best fantasies I've read in a long time.

I love his work, so rich and thick.

Rabe...

heh...I was given a copy of "The Onion Girl" for Christmas. I must say I'm not as able to get through it as rapidly as I'd like. Perhaps it's because I'm not that into fantasy; I'm happier reading science fiction. However, I am enjoying Cory Doctorow, who writes more fantastical stuff with each book. I read Someone Comes to Town; Someone Leaves Town and enjoyed it greatly, but it's more fantasy than SF. Now I'm reading his first: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, which is more science fiction-like than is Someone.

Who knows? Maybe you guys'll make me into a fantasy nut, too.

But I doubt it.

pthom: The Onion Girl is probably not the place to start. While Charles did his best to make every *other* Newford novel or short story stand alone, that one is kind of like starting a series in the middle. One of the two major characters has been an ongoing character for a while, and there are some totally gratuitous appearances by a lot of other characters who've shown up in other books and short stories.

So where would I start? I'd suggest Someplace to be Flying (Crow and Coyote spirits causing possibly world-ending trouble), Greenmantle (Someone described it as "The Mob vs. Herne the Hunter. Poor Mob!"), or Jack the Giant Killer (Retelling of a fairy tale, with motorcycles).

The first is more literary and mythic. The other two are more action, and easier to connect to if you've mostly read high fantasy before. (Neither is set in Newford or includes Newford characters.)

Lenora Rose said:

pthom: The Onion Girl is probably not the place to start. While Charles did his best to make every *other* Newford novel or short story stand alone, that one is kind of like starting a series in the middle. One of the two major characters has been an ongoing character for a while, and there are some totally gratuitous appearances by a lot of other characters who've shown up in other books and short stories.

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Right. Almost the same caution is printed on the book cover and in de Lint's forward. But the book was a Christmas gift and I felt obliged to at least read the first couple of chapters.

So where would I start? I'd suggest Someplace to be Flying (Crow and Coyote spirits causing possibly world-ending trouble), Greenmantle (Someone described it as "The Mob vs. Herne the Hunter. Poor Mob!"), or Jack the Giant Killer (Retelling of a fairy tale, with motorcycles).

The first is more literary and mythic. The other two are more action, and easier to connect to if you've mostly read high fantasy before. (Neither is set in Newford or includes Newford characters.)

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I'll take your advice and look for one of these. Soon as I've finished the Doctorow books I borrowed from the library; soon as I've finished the 47,532 paperbacks I got for 50¢ each at various used book sales; soon as I've put the final edits on various WIPs and get 'em shopped around.