sinanju Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... Nina Kiriki Hoffman: The Thread That Binds The Bones, The Silent Strength of Stones, Past the Size of Dreaming, and just about anything else she's ever written. Carrie Vaughn: Kitty and the Midnight Hour, Kitty Goes to Washington, and (in April '07) Kitty Takes A Holiday. Kitty is a werewolf. She's a late night DJ, but her show slowly evolves from music to a (nationally syndicated) once-weekly talk show, "The Midnight Hour" in which people talk about werewolves, vampires, etc. At first they talk about whether they exist, then how to deal with them, and even how to cope with knowing/loving/being one. Kitty eventually comes out, and the government recognizes the existence of...werewolves, vampires, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... Thieves' World is another good example of urban fantasy in a nonmodern setting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... That is The SIERRAted Edge books. SERRAted Edge. Because in the stories the elves in question are part of a group called SERRA. It's some sort of racing orginization or somesuch, fictional of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... All of Capcom's & SNK's Fighting games in a shared world with Harry Potter. No, no, no! Harry Potter in a shared world with Mortal Kombat. "Expelliarm--urk!!" "GET OVER HERE!!" thwackthwackthwackthwack "FINISH HIM!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tesuji Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... originally, way back in the day, urban fantasy cojured to me notions of Charles De Lint and his Moonheart novel and whatever the sequel was. basically a sort of faerie realm hiding in our own. Since then however, i have expanded it due to influences of Tv shows, films and books and RPGS to include a much broader scope of genres/sub-genres. For example: Witches and Warlocks ala Charmed the Tv sho or the Dresden Files. World of Darkness ala Buffy TVS, Vampire the RPG, Forever Knight Underworld, Nightwatch. Hunters ala Night Stalker (the old), Supermatural the basic tenets are most mundanes know nothing of the fantastic "real world" that is very hidden and the environment is modern, usually set in known real world cities as opposed to fantasy lands. Within that broader definition for genre I then have the sub-genres of De Linty, horror, vampires, hunters and the like. Most zombi flicks would be out due to the "everyone sees zombi" nature of many of them. trechnically, SOME of the teen slasher flicks could fit in, with Freddie and Jason coming to mind, so maybe thats another sub-G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceTheOwl Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... Well, back in the day, wasn't most of what you could find of urban fantasy de Lint's? I seem to recall reading that he coined the term, but I could well be mistaken. The term has certainly become a lot broader thanks to an increasing definition of "fantasy". As for grouping de Lint separately from horror, I can see that with his Newford series, but have you read any of the stuff he wrote as Samuel M. Key? The first time a scene from a book was so graphically disgusting that it nearly made me throw up, it was his Angel of Darkness. He taps into that a little bit in Widdershins, where a character being forced to face her fears is reverted back into the scared, powerless little girl she was, and the man who hurt her is a hulking, larger-than-life monster. I guess my problem with accepting vampire and werewolf stories into "Urban Fantasy" is that, by their very nature, those things are SUPPOSED to happen amongst normal people. They're very often supposed to be allegorical about a facet of human nature, so it makes more sense to place them in a modern context. But I suppose I can understand how they'd end up being classified that way, rather than in horror. That they're scary or gross is rarely the point of such monsters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savinien Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... Simon Greene. Google it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teflon Billy Posted February 12, 2007 Report Share Posted February 12, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... Magic in the Modern World. If it's hidden, unknown by mundanes, or not widespread, it's just Paranormal Hero or some other genre but not Urban Fantasy. I am sick and tired of Modern RPG worlds with Fantasy trappings demanding that the rest of the world is oblivious to all things Arcane. BORING! Give me Wizarding London from HP, but where the Muggles know about Wizards. How about "Cast a Deadly Spell" style HP Lovecraft in gritty noir LA, etc... This is what I consider Urban Fantasy: The Fantastic openly visible in a Modern Earthlike Urban Society. TB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thia Halmades Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... I doubt anyone has mentioned either of these yet; as the Board Lord of Videogames and Digital Entertainment, I present you with the following for your consumption, in Linky format: Megaten, aka Shin Megami Tensei, a Japanese RPG series about man & demons. I have ... Persona for the PS1, Nocture, and Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 for the PS2. They are not your average gaming experience. Rated M for mature for a reason. It's a fantastic example of the kind of "Urban Fantasy" that I personally would LOVE to see because it's never been done. Steve: I know you don't do videogames, but please check into these for the book, if indeed this book is the one you pick. It's a major subgenre, especially in Japan (the people who brought you Parasite Eve 1 & 2 as well). While we're on the topic of Japanese Urban Fantasy, please watch Gilgamesh and KARAS -- here are links to the disc for purchasing Gilgamesh (7 discs) or KARAS. You can also search here on the boards for one of my first written reviews. I myself am a HUGE fan of KARAS; I consider it one of the best anime done in the last 10 years, at least, and the story, while not "original" is certainly freshly presented. So. Japanese Urban Fantasy/Horror definitely needs its place in the text; these are just a few examples, I can probably come up with many more if I think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQuestionMan Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... The Dresden Files http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Files Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anita_Blake:_Vampire_Hunter_%28series%29 Buffyverse RPG http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffyverse_role-playing_games CJ Carella's WitchCraft http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CJ_Carella%27s_WitchCraft All Flesh Must Be Eaten http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Flesh_Must_Be_Eaten Conspiracy X http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_X Spycraft Dark Inheritance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spycraft#Dark_Inheritance Shadowrun http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowrun In Nomine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Nomine_%28role-playing_game%29 More later QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrFaust Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... Yikes, how could I forget the "California magic" books written by Tim Powers and James P. Blaylock? Novels like Last Call and The Paper Grail practically define urban fantasy for me. I can't believe I didn't think of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Goodwin Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... Give me Wizarding London from HP, but where the Muggles know about Wizards. How about "Cast a Deadly Spell" style HP Lovecraft in gritty noir LA, etc... This is what I consider Urban Fantasy: The Fantastic openly visible in a Modern Earthlike Urban Society. One of my favorite genres. Operation Chaos (the sequel, Operation Luna is not as good) by Poul Anderson and The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump by Harry Turtledove. Harder to find: "Elemental" by Geoffrey A. Landis (Analog, Dec. 1984). I have been able to find very little else in this same vein. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted February 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... If you like humorous Urban Fantasy, I recommend the author Tom Holt. Some of the titles he's done: Earth, Air, Fire and Custard Expecting Someone Taller Paint Your Dragon Snow White and the Seven Samurai You Don't Have To Be Evil To Work Here, But It Helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thia Halmades Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... Humor, schmumor. Angels. Demons. Holy Wars. Hey, the Prophecy series of films. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... The Highlander movies and TV series can also be considered urban fantasy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... And for that matter the Hellblazer Graphic novels and the trashy movie inspired by it. cheers,Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thia Halmades Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... HEY! I enjoyed that movie!! Okay, so it was trashy. But Gabriel (Tilda Swinton, aka the White Witch) was hawt. If you really want to devolve this conversation, Magical Girl Anime and alot of the Legend of the Overfiend stuff is Urban Fantasy just taken in a direction that is utterly away from the "gritty urban" feel I prefer. One is ... well, it's Magical Girl Anime, but it's set in the modern times and it is 100% fantasy; the other is... er, "hentai" to put it politely. That movie was wack, yo. While I'm chewing on it: Final Fantasy VII, VIII, X, X-2 & XII are all variations on "urban fantasy," albeit in more magical style worlds. There're always Giant Robots. ALWAYS. And guns. Lots and lots of guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thia Halmades Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... Probably mentioned, but I don't recall: The Matrix is most assuredly Urban Fantasy, just with heavy Cyberpunk themes and one too few college courses, or one too many hits on the bong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted February 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... Probably mentioned' date=' but I don't recall: The Matrix is most assuredly Urban Fantasy, just with heavy Cyberpunk themes and one too few college courses, or one too many hits on the bong.[/quote'] The first movie I'd classify as pretty much cyberpunk, but the later movies got less cyberpunk and more magical. The Matrix is an example of merging of cyberpunk and urban fantasy, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobGreenwade Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... What pops into my mind: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Lost Room, The X-Files, and (believe it or not) Bewitched. The last would probably be subcategorized as Suburban Fantasy, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSword Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... HEY! I enjoyed that movie!! Okay, so it was trashy. But Gabriel (Tilda Swinton, aka the White Witch) was hawt. My personal favorite scene was Constantine flipping off the devil as he ascended. Several people have mentioned it already but to me Urban Fantasy is more like Neverwhere, or Changling: The Dreaming. A world of magic and wonder hidden below dark stairwells, behid closed doors, and trying to survive in a rational world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted February 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... Bewitched is pretty much the archetype for Suburban Fantasy, I would imagine. It is also the forerunner by several decades of the anime genre called "Magical Girlfriend" stories. Anime has a lot of Urban (and Suburban) Fantasy stories. I'd include Devil Hunter Yohko, Hell Girl (aka Jigoku Shojo) and even Ranma 1/2 as types of Urban Fantasy stories from anime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teflon Billy Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... The 10th Kingdom comes to mind. TB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayapuppies Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... Covenant, Blade, Underworld, Dresden Files, Buffy and Charmed (those last two in a very campy way). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted February 13, 2007 Report Share Posted February 13, 2007 Re: When you hear Urban Fantasy... Sewers, and all that entails... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.