Making It Urban

[naomi_jay]

In an earlier post I asked if death was necessary in urban fantasy. I'm broadening that question now to: what makes urban fantasy?

What do you think the key elements are, the features that you'll find in every last book that comes under that tag? Magic? Sex? Kick-ass first person female narrator? Vampires? What differentiates it from epic, high fantasy besides location? What would you have to take away (or add in) to make it paranormal romance?

And on an unrelated note, are you reading Barb & JC Hendee's Noble Dead series? If not, why not? I finished Traitor to the Blood last night and I'm now moping because I can't get hold of the next book, Rebel Fay. Seriously, it's an awesome series.

Comments

[six-old-cars.livejournal.com]

I'm not really an "urban fantasy" fan (or really a great reader of any form of fantasy) so my opinion probably counts for nothing. However, it seems to me that urban fantasy only needs to be differentiated from epic/high fantasy by location. Of course, the location will affect other aspects of the narrative. The residents of an ancient wood in middle earth somehow need to behave more respectably than those of a more "urban" setting. Magic, of some form, is expected in any fantasy genre. Sex, vampires and a kick-ass female first-person narrator are, to my mind, features of a sub-sub-genre rather than essential to being "urban".

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

Do you think urban fantasy might be closer to sci-fi or speculative fiction? I don't know much about either, so I'm just guessing with this...

The Great Trout Speaks

[antonstrout.livejournal.com]

What makes urban fantasy urban fantasy is your editor sitting down with managing editorial and the sales department in a pub or strat meeting and saying stuff like this...:

It's not quite horror and there's weird supernatural shit AND it takes place in modern day AND in a city. Gender doesn't count, tho the amount of Buffy clones out there these days is amazing...

Death isn't a requirement... tone and setting and the arbitrary decisions of people in meetings like the ones I go to...

Anita Blake used to be urban fantasy for us, but the more sexual she got and the more popular she became, we switched her to one of our mainstream imprints and had her listed as fiction suddenly.

Jim Butcher, however, we still keep as urban fantasy... I suppose until everyone starts doin' it!

Re: The Great Trout Speaks

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

And there was me thinking it was a conscious decision by the writer, when actually it's all down to cunning marketing strategies. Fooled again!

Re: The Great Trout Speaks

[antonstrout.livejournal.com]

Well, the writer may set out with that in mind, and if the tropes are all there, it's a no brainer for the sales and marketing people... but the author has little say by that point on category and I would actually trust the sales people to know where it's gonna sell best anyway.

Hmmm.. I have the sudden desire to kill my parents...

Re: The Great Trout Speaks

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

Hmmm.. I have the sudden desire to kill my parents...

It's funny how many people have said that to me lately...

Well, the writer may set out with that in mind, and if the tropes are all there, it's a no brainer for the sales and marketing people

My first novel is being touted round the publishers at the moment, and by far the most frequent feedback my agent is getting is that it's a YA rather an an urban fantasy. I'm fascinated by this since I never set out to write a YA (I'm not sure how I would for one thing).