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Grounded Fantasy vs Urban Fantasy

owlion

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I've seen the term 'grounded fantasy' used around a bit recently, but haven't been able to find a clear definition for it. If it's 'fantasy grounded in reality', then I'm wondering how it's different from urban fantasy. If anyone could explain the difference (if there is one), I would greatly appreciate it!
 

Brightdreamer

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I'd think grounded fantasy would be safer, because it reduces risk of electrocution in case of a fault.

Seriously, though, I haven't heard it either. Where do hear the term? In what context?

If I had to guess, I'd think it would be something like low fantasy, or maybe a variant of hard fantasy, with magic grounded in our reality and bound by specific rules.

(Or maybe it's fantasy that misbehaved and got sent to its room without supper...)
 

VeryBigBeard

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I too saw it on an agent MSWL a week or so ago and didn't know what it meant. Best guess is that grey area between magical realism and low fantasy, but that feels very imprecise and it's not a sub-genre I've seen used before, nor does it mean anything to me as someone who reads a fair bit of that kind of fantasy.

I don't love the term "grounded" in general, actually. It tends to be one of those craft terms, IME, that means a lot of things to a lot of people without a whole lot of clear meaning. Jargon, basically.
 

Harlequin

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The term I'd heard for this was Hard Fantasy.

Something like Marie Brennan's "Lady Trent" books (Natural History of Dragons). Fantasy world which is scientifically rigorous but fantastical or supernatural elements in the mix.
 

Harlequin

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Urban Fantasy is a thing in flux. When I was a teen, American Gods was urban fantasy. Nowadays it's just contemp or even supposedly magical realism (the hell it is).

Vampires have moved in and taken over Urban Fa, plus it's a dead genre as querying goes so I would query as contemp fantasy if contemporary, or simply "fantasy" otherwise. Be as broad as you can. Don't give agents reasons to dismiss you.
 

Polenth

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It's not a common term, so I wouldn't use it when querying. But the way I'd interpret it is to mean a story where the central conflict is grounded in things that could happen in reality, even though there are fantasy elements. It wouldn't need to be urban fantasy. You could have a secondary world fantasy where most of what's going on isn't really magical. If someone asked me for grounded fantasy recommendations, this is what I'd assume unless they said otherwise.
 

owlion

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Thanks for all the input :) Like VeryBigBeard, I saw the term being used by an agent and, having never heard of it before, wondered what it meant. So it seems it's fantasy in which fantastical elements are more explained and have stronger rules for things, right?
 

pingle

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Interesting. I'm trying to figure out the right genre wording for my cover letter and grounded fantasy is new to me, but does describe it well, while also sounding in some way unappealing... Doesn't exactly fill me with excitement I suppose.
 

pingle

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Thanks :) I'm actually very happy to not have to be too specific in the genre and theme spiel so good advice to note.
 

frimble3

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Vampires have moved in and taken over Urban Fa, plus it's a dead genre as querying goes .
I wonder if this is why 'grounded fantasy' was invented (I'd never heard of it either). But, some desperate person was fishing around, trying to find something to call their urban fantasy that wouldn't get it immediately rejected, and came up with 'grounded fantasy'. A term so vague that it could be anything.
They probably hoped that their novel would be looked at out of curiosity, at least.
 

Harlequin

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the word from some editors (Brit Elisabet from Orbit talked about this recently on twitter) is that the term urban fa is tainted but urban fa is still being published--just, under the title of "contemporary" fantasy in most cases. I guess you could say non-vampire urban fa is getting a rebrand.
 

ap123

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the word from some editors (Brit Elisabet from Orbit talked about this recently on twitter) is that the term urban fa is tainted but urban fa is still being published--just, under the title of "contemporary" fantasy in most cases. I guess you could say non-vampire urban fa is getting a rebrand.

Wait, so non-vampire/werewolf/witch UF is now grounded fantasy?
 

BethS

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the word from some editors (Brit Elisabet from Orbit talked about this recently on twitter) is that the term urban fa is tainted but urban fa is still being published--just, under the title of "contemporary" fantasy in most cases. I guess you could say non-vampire urban fa is getting a rebrand.

So is referring to fantasy as "fa" also a thing? Because I'll admit to rather loathing the sight of it...:tongue

Did this editor say what tainted the term "urban fantasy"?
 

Harlequin

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TAint is a term that I've heard from indie writers and indie editors, in relation to a swathe of indie urban fantasy having a problem with sexism (I can't confirm, I don't read it) and other urban fantasy then being tarred with that brush. Or for readers who feel urban fantasy now means vampires (it doens't, but you know).

Brit mentions urban fantasy being unpopular and rebranding: https://twitter.com/bhvide/status/959470360583340032

I tend to write posts on my phone and uf corrects to UFO so urban fa is my short for it. Picking up bad twitter habits probably.
 

BethS

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I tend to write posts on my phone and uf corrects to UFO so urban fa is my short for it. Picking up bad twitter habits probably.

I did wonder if it was a form of Twitter shorthand. :)

I read that editor's long string of posts about what she looks for, and was pleased to see that good writing (and what she termed "dense" writing, which I took to mean rich, layered, lyrical, etc.) tops her list.