151 replies to this topic

[Mandy]

Mjolnir, on 11 March 2011 - 12:45 PM, said:

Second [or third, or whatever it is now] Seanan McGuire's October Daye books. Great mix of fairy-tale whimsy with the sharp teeth and edges of those same fairy-tales. They've got a very enjoyable cast of characters -- the third one in particular gets this character list rounded out nicely -- and the main character's voice is really engaging. I find the writing a little repetative occasionally, as though McGuire *really* has to make certain you get what she's saying, and I called the plot twist in the first one ... rather earlier than would've been ideal. But in all respects -- writing, characterization, plot -- they're only getting better as they go. Romance is not a focus but present as a recurring side issue. I'm somewhat addicted to these. First book's Rosemary and Rue. There are currently four, with three more contracted. Apparently the fifth will conclude this first loose story arc.

I read Soulless, the first Gail Carriger book, last summer and it was fun. Very light, maybe [for me] not quite as clever as it thought it was in places, but yeah, very fun and funny in spots. Plot comes first, but there's a good deal of romance.

Down a different path, if Jim Butcher is an author you enjoy you might check out Mike Carey's novels, first one's The Devil You Know, about a London-based exorcist. On the darker end, these, with much more focus on the horror and the problematic situations than on the romance [though romance is present, throughout the series here and there and in book 1 as one of the most useless and superfluous subplots in the history of the universe.] There are five currently [though only three are readily available in the States], and they form a reasonably satisfying loose arc but the end has definitely not been reached. I think Carey's said there will definitely be a sixth, and possibly more.

Thanks for reinforcing various good things I've heard about Bryggs' Mercy books. Definitely need to try those.

Great to hear more info on these.  And yeah, I normally dont really care for the werewolf books, but Briggs is a good writer and the characters are extremely likeable.

To be honest, I might even like her Alpha and Omega series more.  I like the Omega plotline, and I admit that it has a LOT more romance but I'm a sucker for it.

[Gigei]

I used to like the Mercy Thompson series but the third book was such a mess I didn't bother with the rest. I especially hated

Spoiler

the ending where Adam told her to go to bed with him even knowing she was still suffering from trauma from the rape. It was, what? Three days afterward?

Quote

“If you keep fussing, you’ll make me come in and get you,” Adam told me.

(when she was delaying going to bed because she was frightened)

I'm told Briggs "fixes" this in the next book but I am not convinced such a level of insensitivity can be fixed. Even if there was an explanation later on why he was being so adamant about Mercy bedding him right after her rape, well that's just way too late for me. I lost respect for Briggs because of that awful ending.

Edited by Gigei, 12 March 2011 - 12:47 PM.

[kurokaze]

Gigei:

Spoiler

At no point during the scene does Adam suggest she sleep with him. The context of the line you quoted is that it is the first thing he says after he arrives at her house, relieving Samuel from suicide-watch duty. 'Fussing' is not, as one might assume from the out-of-context quote, crying; she spent like an hour in the bathroom fussing with her appearance as a way to hide from human interaction. Then she comes out and offers sex, which Adam immediately and vehemently refuses.

Granted, the decision to end the third book just before Adam's refusal is certainly asking to be misinterpreted.

Re: Kitty
One previous post describes this as on the romance side, another says it has very little romance. Both are sort of right in a way; I'll elaborate. A reader of Urban Fantasy that focuses on action or mystery would find about as much (or less) of this from Kitty as from a Paranormal Romance, and might thus put it in that category. But there isn't very much romance going on, either, particularly after the third book - less than average for Urban Fantasy let alone Paranormal Romance. The heavy focus is on human interaction, specifically the societal ramifications caused by the supernatural. After all, the original concept is a radio show where people call in to discuss their weird paranormal-related problems. (My girlfriend won't turn me into a werewolf!) In this sense it's almost closer to a 'what if' speculative fiction story than it is to an adventure or romance story.

Re: Christopher Moore
Abby Normal's PoVs are the second most painful thing I have ever read in UF/PR, beating at least one horrible rape.

Finished series:
There are very few finished UF series because that just isn't the genre's typical format. Like many mysteries and some thrillers, the authors just come back to the same characters and same world to use them in a new adventure. The series story arc is typically fairly strong but each book stands alone. Also, most UF series are quite new; most of them start around 2006 or later. You may want to look into some PR though, if you like that; the most common format there, though I'm not very well read in it, seems to be 'series' that are essentially reused worlds, in which entirely new characters have an entirely new romance, usually in a new part of the world as well.
The only finished series that comes to mind is Keri Arthur's Riley Jenson series, which is sort of UF/PR dialed to 11 - heavy action, heavier sex, and the main character is a werewolf who is a vampire. Who fights in six inch heels. Not a complete waste of time but not recommended.
There's also a bunch of standalones and a few minor trilogies, and a scattering of series that don't seem to be being continued but didn't really come to a story-arc conclusion either. I've recommended a very few of them below.
EDIT: IIRC Joe Pitt series by Charlie Huston is finished. A lot of people here and elsewhere seem to like it; I got bored a few pages in.

My recommendations:
Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, Carrie Vaughn
Robin McKinley's Sunshine (standalone)

Seanan McGuire is pretty great aside from some major suspension of disbelief issues I had with the first book's plot.

Kelley Armstrong is a great writer, but her series jumps around so much that it seems like everyone views her as only occasionally good - it's just nobody can agree on which are the good ones. Bitten should be considered required reading though, even though it has some notable flaws that may or may not be serious to any given reader.

Michelle Sagara (West)'s Chronicles of Elantra (beginning with Cast in Shadow) isn't set on Earth or modern times but it's absolutely urban fantasy in every other possible way. Unless you require sex, because it has none. This was essentially my introduction to the genre so I may have a soft spot for it but I like it a lot and so have a few other boarders.

Kim Harrison is good but I find the Hollows books strangely forgettable. A week or so after I read one I have no memory of what happened within it except that it was fun to read. The most recent one was superb though.

Vicki Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac is a really strange superhero-ish story that I find extremely compelling... when it's not doing something really inexplicable that shatters my suspension of disbelief. I guess it sort of tries to graft a lot of elements of comic superheroes onto a less absurdist/cartoony/slapstick, more real framework, and some of the transplant doesn't fit very well. But there's some great stuff underneath.

From the YA shelf, Holly Black's Tithe is amazing and I'm also partial to Maggie Stiefvater. Black's Modern Faerie Tale trilogy and Stiefvater's Books of Faerie seem to be 'complete series' in that there don't seem to be any additions on the horizon or loose ends to tie, and the last book in each has been out for years.

Edited by kurokaze, 13 March 2011 - 01:41 AM.

[Maia]

No mention of Steven Brust's Agyar? Granted it is a stand-alone, but it is brilliant, IMHO.

[Gigei]

Spoiler

Quote

'Fussing' is not, as one might assume from the out-of-context quote, crying; she spent like an hour in the bathroom fussing with her appearance as a way to hide from human interaction.

Yes, I know that since I actually bothered to hunt down the book, read the bad parts and then type it in a post. What I said was that she was frightened.

Quote

I could ask him to leave. To give me more time.

How is that out of context? Uh, a guy in your bed telling you to join him there isn't sexual? *shrugs*

kurokaze, on 13 March 2011 - 01:32 AM, said:

Gigei:

Spoiler

Granted, the decision to end the third book just before Adam's refusal is certainly asking to be misinterpreted.

That's just flat out ridiculous. Are we in kindergarten? Oh yeah they are gonna do it - NOT!

What's next? It was all just a dream and what we thought happened never happened? That's just the sort of silly book I don't want to read.

It shows a clumsiness on the part of the author that I really do not like. What was the point of that "little" misunderstanding? To piss off the fans?

Edited by Gigei, 13 March 2011 - 12:44 PM.

[Mandy]

I need to re-read those parts of the book. I remember interpreting it a different way, but I don't remember honestly.

[kurokaze]

Gigei, on 13 March 2011 - 12:39 PM, said:

Spoiler

Yes, I know that since I actually bothered to hunt down the book, read the bad parts and then type it in a post. What I said was that she was frightened.

Clarification: I know you knew the context, but someone who hadn't read the books or didn't remember the scene would have taken the quote as being far worse than it was.

Not going to discuss this further.

[Mandy]

My take on the Mercy/Adam exchange:

Spoiler

The way I took the exchange between Adam and Mercy was that they both were afraid that if she waited too long to be with Adam in a normal sexual way, the rape would be foremost in her mind when she thought about sex; she wouldn't have any positive thoughts associated with sex at all, and that would hurt her far more than forcing herself to move on from the rape to be with Adam. It happens quite often to people who are abused sexually or raped.  I might have some personal experience with it.  It sucks, it's not something that is talked about all that often (in my opinion) and I really appreciated that this was coveredin the book because I thought it was a very realistic way to look at the emotional aftermath of the rape scenario.

Maybe I liked the books and took it in the light I chose to, but that was how I read it.

[Gigei]

Actually the more I read the scene the more convinced I am that my interpretation is right

Spoiler

and that Adam is asking for sex or a relationship because from Mercy's POV why the heck would she be thinking

Quote

I could ask him to leave. To give me more time.

if she didn't think Adam was asking for sex. Also, she was grooming herself to become more sexually attractive!

kurokaze, on 13 March 2011 - 10:30 PM, said:

Not going to discuss this further.

This is my last post, too. Too much thread-jacking otherwise. We can make a new thread if we want to discuss this.

[Mandy]

Gigei, on 14 March 2011 - 11:38 PM, said:

Actually the more I read the scene the more convinced I am that my interpretation is right

Spoiler

and that Adam is asking for sex or a relationship because from Mercy's POV why the heck would she be thinking



if she didn't think Adam was asking for sex. Also, she was grooming herself to become more sexually attractive!

This is my last post, too. Too much thread-jacking otherwise. We can make a new thread if we want to discuss this.

It's very interesting, IMO.  I don't feel threatened by this discussion.  I feel like I should re-read the thing at this point   Thanks for bringing it up

[JetboyGirl]

So following the advice of this thread, I put a lot of new books on my wishlist and also read Harris' Harper Connolley series. It is definitely total fluff, but I found the relationship in it much more believable, genuine and satisfying than anything in the Sookie series. So that was good.

I also feel the need to suggest the two new books by Ben Aaronvitch, Midnight Riot and Moon Over Soho. They're less paranormal romance, I think, because the romance isn't really that large a part of the books (especially in the first one), but there has been an interesting plot-twist that may set up more romance in the third one (out in October). The books are about a copper on the beat in London who ends up joining the bedraggled department (of two) that deals with all the magical going ons in London crime. The books are very well researched - particularly with regards to local London history and especially police procedure (it seriously sounds like you are reading a book by a resigned and witty policeman). They are very smart, there's lots of wry humor and the books contain topics that many PR/UF books just don't even touch (unless its for sensationalist reasons), such as race.This is especially true since this is one of the few series (of which I am aware) with a non-white person lead.

These are now my favorite Urban Fantasy books that I've yet read. I highly recommend them, although again, the romance isn't that much a part of it and what romance there is really ends up being reduced to the main character panting and lusting after a series of hot, curvaceous women. The 'paranormal romance' side of the books clearly embodies the typical male perspective. And while there is not much depth to the romance at all, it's still usually funny and even an eensy bit charming.

Edited by LugaJetBoyGirl, 19 March 2011 - 07:56 AM.

[murphy]

Second the Aaronovitch books.   In the states Rivers of London is called Midnight Riot and the cover isn't as good as the UK books.

Another good urban fantasy, with no romance but is funny, is Kate Griffin's Matthew Swift series.   First book is The Madness of Angels.

[Mjolnir]

About the Aaronovitch books: My local library seems to have both the first two and I'd like to try them, but they're Del Rey's American editions and I've heard some rumblings about the text having been fucked with quite severely to remove the Britishisms the publishers feel might blow our little North American minds. Obviously no one's going to have read both editions to do a text comparison, but does anyone know how heavy the alterations are supposed to be? Should I hold out and buy Gollancz's British edition?

It kind of pisses me off when American publishers do this. [And I don't believe it ever happens when books are moving the other direction, though I could be wrong about that.]

I should get back to Griffin's A Madness of Angels. Left it about 150 pages in a while back. Some beautiful descriptions -- though they go on rather, sometimes -- and it seems really engaged with London, or its geography, at least, which is fascinating for someone who doesn't live there. But the characters and the plot weren't quite working for me, and the very long dialogue/characterization-free passages were starting to get me down. I'll give it another chance some time, definitely.

[JetboyGirl]

Mjolnir, on 19 March 2011 - 05:14 PM, said:

About the Aaronovitch books: My local library seems to have both the first two and I'd like to try them, but they're Del Rey's American editions and I've heard some rumblings about the text having been fucked with quite severely to remove the Britishisms the publishers feel might blow our little North American minds. Obviously no one's going to have read both editions to do a text comparison, but does anyone know how heavy the alterations are supposed to be? Should I hold out and buy Gollancz's British edition?

It kind of pisses me off when American publishers do this. [And I don't believe it ever happens when books are moving the other direction, though I could be wrong about that.]

I'm with you on this. If I buy a book by a British person, it's because I want a book by a British person. Why is that hard to understand? Anyways, I can't really say I noticed the changes (having not read the originals), except for at one point where they refer to a car speed in miles per hour.

Anyways, if you want input on this question, you might try posting your questions in the Aaronovitch thread, which is full of British people!

[Datepalm]

I read the Kindle versions of both, and i'm assuming that was the American ones (They had the bad american covers anyway) and I can't say I noticed excessive britishisms/americanisms either way. If the Brit-speaks were removed, they were excised gently and without leaving obvious scars.

[needle]

Quote

except for at one point where they refer to a car speed in miles per hour.

We talk about miles per hour ( and for distances) in the Uk. You don't talk about kilometres per hour in america, do you?

Only the Eurocommies that do K's!

[Mjolnir]

Thanks to you both. I've asked over in the Aaronovitch thread as well. I suppose whatever the answer is I'll end up trying them; it's not as though the paragraph-by-paragraph writing'll be any different in the NA version, and if I like them I can always get my hands on the British editions at a later time.

There's this new urban fantasy series about a 2000-year-old druid by one Kevin Hearne starting up soon. First book's called Hounded, and the two subsequent books are being released in consecutive months. Think I saw a Publishers Weekly review that said it was good rollicking fun. Might be a new one in the less romance-based stream to follow up.

[Mandy]

I'm still dragging through patricia briggs' river marked. I don't know why, but this book, as well as kim harrison's new one, have left me with a very flat feeling. I think the characters/plotline are kind of boring me at this point.

I started reading The Hunger Games after urging from my kid. Its holding my interest better right now. Maybe I'm just romanced out.

[murphy]

Mjolnir, on 20 March 2011 - 12:53 PM, said:

Thanks to you both. I've asked over in the Aaronovitch thread as well. I suppose whatever the answer is I'll end up trying them; it's not as though the paragraph-by-paragraph writing'll be any different in the NA version, and if I like them I can always get my hands on the British editions at a later time.

There's this new urban fantasy series about a 2000-year-old druid by one Kevin Hearne starting up soon. First book's called Hounded, and the two subsequent books are being released in consecutive months. Think I saw a Publishers Weekly review that said it was good rollicking fun. Might be a new one in the less romance-based stream to follow up.

This looks interesting, I'll give it a look.

ETA:   Here's what PW says about it:


Publishers Weekly
Hearne, a self-professed comic-book nerd, has turned his love of awesome dudes whacking mightily at evil villains into a superb urban fantasy debut. Staying alive for 2,000 years takes a great deal of cunning, and sexy super-druid Atticus O'Sullivan, currently holed up in the Arizona desert, has vexed a few VIPs along the way. High up on that list is Aenghus Óg, the Celtic god of love. It's not just that Aenghus wants his sword back—though it is a very nice magical sword—but that Atticus didn't exactly ask permission to take it. Atticus and his trusty sidekick, Irish wolfhound Oberon, make an eminently readable daring duo as they dodge Aenghus's minions and thwart his schemes with plenty of quips and zap-pow-bang fighting. (May)

Edited by murphy, 20 March 2011 - 04:42 PM.

[nan1973]

I've read more than a few of these .  Two series that I really enjoyed that are urban fantasy with strong romance elements are Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress novels and Karen Marie Moning's Fever series.  Add chocolate and voila, great escapist fun!

Edited to add that these are both finished series.

Edited by nan1973, 20 March 2011 - 05:25 PM.