Urban Fantasy?

[Serious Callers Only]

I just read some of Kelly Armstrong women of the underworld series. She has a nice narrative voice, and is extremely violent.

The lady is scary.

Also lately book twists are extremely apparent to me. Maybe I've just been having bad luck on books, or leveled-up my reading ability. I want my old level back please.

[Sheep the Evicted]

Im slapping myself for not remebering it before, but the best Urban Fantasy book i have read has to be Nightwatch (which has already been mentioned) but closely following that it would have to be Contract by Simon Spurrier. Its very different from all these hard case PI books but it is just as good and dark. Its also, in a weird way, a lot funnier.

Speaking of hard case PI's im about 50 pages into Already Dead and im not impressed, its like the author is trying too hard to make Pitt into a badass - im at the point now where im laughing at everything he says. Its just too stereotypical. And the setting is hardly as original as it was hyped up to be. Still it might all change in the next couple of pages i suppose.

[Sheep the Evicted]

Okay ive finished Already Dead now and i take back what i said. Its alot darker and more brutal than i initially thought it would be, and Pitt isn't nearly as badass as i thought the author would make him. I can't really say i enjoyed it but it was definitely very readable.

[Max the Mostly Mediocre]

So I have a hankering to read more of the badass women in leather stuff*. New suggestions, anyone?

*Though suggestions more along the lines of Williams or Kiernan are welcome too.

[lady narcissa]

So I have a hankering to read more of the badass women in leather stuff*. New suggestions, anyone?

I've recently enjoyed two series by Richelle Mead.

She has two books out so far in her Dark Swan series:

http://www.richellemead.com/books/darkswan.htm

And 4 books out so far in her Georgina Kincaid succubus series:

http://www.richellemead.com/books/succubusblues.htm

[Max the Mostly Mediocre]

Hmm. How similar are the two series? I recall reading the first Kincaid novel and thinking that there was too much romance novel and too little stabbystabbystabstab demon draining the life from unsuspecting folk.

Also, something about the way gender roles/politics worked bugged me, but I don't remember what.

[murphy]

So I have a hankering to read more of the badass women in leather stuff*. New suggestions, anyone?

*Though suggestions more along the lines of Williams or Kiernan are welcome too.

You might try Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels series. That starts with Magic Bites, followed by Magic Burns, Magic Strikes and due to be released sometime in May, Magic Bleeds. Pretty dark.

[lady narcissa]

Hmm. How similar are the two series? I recall reading the first Kincaid novel and thinking that there was too much romance novel and too little stabbystabbystabstab demon draining the life from unsuspecting folk.

There are some similarities as they come from the same author but I think they are different enough. I actually didn't like the Dark Swan series when I first started it whereas I automatically got into Mead's other two series. But I ended up enjoying the Dark Swan series once I got into it. It seems to be more fantasy based with time being split equally in the first book between here and the other world. The second one spends way more time in the other world. There is a lot of the main character hunting and being attacked and having to banish souls to the beyond. There is sex but the main character doesn't have a romance novel like relationship with anyone at this point.

[Max the Mostly Mediocre]

I actually have the first Kate Daniels book lying around here somewhere. I liked it. Not sure I liked it enough to continue, but I liked it.

I'll probably end up flipping through the Dark Swan and seeing if it grabs me.

Anyway, thanks, folks.

[murphy]

If you want a funny, steam punky type of story, you might try Souless by Gail Carriger. It takes place in London during Victorian times and the heroine is a bookish, English lady with a dangerous parasol. The notice on the front of the book says, "A novel of vampires, werewolves, and parasols." There were a number of laugh out loud moments, including the love scenes.

[moirne]

If you want a funny, steam punky type of story, you might try Souless by Gail Carriger. It takes place in London during Victorian times and the heroine is a bookish, English lady with a dangerous parasol. The notice on the front of the book says, "A novel of vampires, werewolves, and parasols." There were a number of laugh out loud moments, including the love scenes.

I read that, but it was pretty underwhelming. The love scenes were so ridiculous, especially the last one in the coach. It seemed like the main character's big nose and tan skin were referred to on every other page. I did like how the vamps and werewolves were a key part of society though.

[Max the Mostly Mediocre]

I think that one's already in my TBR pile. I'll give it a whirl in a couple weeks.

[murphy]

I read that, but it was pretty underwhelming. The love scenes were so ridiculous, especially the last one in the coach. It seemed like the main character's big nose and tan skin were referred to on every other page. I did like how the vamps and werewolves were a key part of society though.

I think the love scenes were supposed to be ridiculous. I laughed my head off at them. That's why I liked it. It was over the top. :)

[Eyelesbarrow]

I've got the weather warden series by Rachel Caine. It's not an excellently written book, but it's enjoyable. I like that it involves the weather and some of the characters are amusing enough. I must admit though that I've read only three books of the series so far.

If you want a funny, steam punky type of story, you might try Souless by Gail Carriger. It takes place in London during Victorian times and the heroine is a bookish, English lady with a dangerous parasol. The notice on the front of the book says, "A novel of vampires, werewolves, and parasols." There were a number of laugh out loud moments, including the love scenes.

Vampires, werewolves, and parasols! I'm going to buy this.

To those who recommend Nightwatch, are the follow-up books good?

[shah8]

Okay, here goes...

Hard fantasy--The stuff that's internally consistent, with most power upgrades being about skill and acclimation, can be nerdy/literary:

Kit Witfield--Bareback (closer to magical realism, sorta like GGKay)

Alisa Sheckley--werewolf series (Also close to magical realism, literary in the sense of Ang Lee's The Hulk so note if you hated that movie)

Barbara Hambly--Windrose trilogy (good stuff, closer to scifi/alt worlds plot though)

Octavia Butler--Fledgling (One really wishes we could see what a *real* author does with urban fantasy)

Kat Richardson--Greywalker series (very crisp plotting with nerd out phases + check out her novella in Mean Streets)

Sean Stewart--Never got credit for writing some of the best UF during the '90s, mildly literary

Scale fantasy--The stuff that kinda blows your mind and doesn't engage in main character narcissism a la triangles...

Caitlin Kiernan--the set of Threshold, Low Red Moon, and Daughter of Hounds (crosses alot of genres, but these have a high UF component--not needed to read in order, but you do need to read all of them to really get any. NB There aren't any black people in these books of note, but there are major themes about race developed between the lines)

Emma Bull--Bone Dance (some think this is sci-fi, something of a mashup)

Liz Williams--Det Chen series (mentioned above)

Lyn Benedict--Sins and Shadows and sequels (well constructed world with plenty of playground space considering urban setting. Also nonsuperficially dark)

Good quality pop UF:

Diana Rowland--Mark of the Demon & sequels (well constructed world and ideas while mystery element is well done)

Carrie Vaughn--Kitty (Superb fluff and story does seem to have a direction to the large scale. Pretty derivative, but well done)

Eileen Wilks--Lupi (Good stuff, doesn't make you feel like you're stupid for reading and is logical. Author has a serious case of baby envy so note that if you're into reproductive politics)

Molly Harper--Nice Girls (This stuff is funny and in good humor. Nice light reads)

JF Lewis--Staked & sequels (Another funny one, unabashedly evil vamps, good plotting)

Lyda Morehouse--Archangel series (Superficially christian series, but not christianist. Good take on Revelation. More sci-fi than UF)

Stacia Kane--Devil Inside (Seems to be going in an interesting direction overall)

There are just not that many UF series that involves lots of sex and lots of killing a la Buffy that leaves you with much--even fewer that are genuine paranormal romances.

[Max the Mostly Mediocre]

Now that's a comprehensive list. Thanks.

(I realized my problem finding decent angry-chicks-in-leather is that I have no equivalent of this board to go to. All the PR/UF boards I've seen (admittedly, not that many)...my tastes are, uh, somewhat dissimilar to those of the board community.)

[shah8]

Oh! Forgot Jane Lindskold's new series involving Chinese magic and majjong, put 13 Orphans and like underneath hard fantasy.

[murphy]

@Shah.

You have Emma Bull's Bone Dance. I love this writer, but would definitely include her War for the Oaks as an Urban Fantasy. Fighting the fey with a rock band. The part that sticks with me through the years is the rescue of the brownie and then waking up to a sparkling clean apartment, coffee perking and the smell of the fresh bread that has been baked every morning. I kept looking for a brownie to rescue for years after that. Still haven't found one.

[Marcelo Rebelo Firqoralas]

Octavia Butler--Fledgling (One really wishes we could see what a *real* author does with urban fantasy)

What do you mean by this? Butler isn't a *real* writer, but is close to one?

One writer that hasn't been named yet, but should be, since he's one of the pioneers of the genre, is Charles de Lint.

Personally, I haven't read very much at all in this genre, but one book that might be of some interest is Jon Courtenay Grimwood's 9tail Fox. It's basically a detective story where the main character is a scruffy policeman in San Francisco who switches bodies with someone and gets stuck with visions of a Japanese fox god. It actually has as much in common with weird Murakami-style slipstream, as with urban fantasy, but the noirish style and plotline will probably give it quite a lot of appeal for UF fans.

[Eyelesbarrow]

Okay, here goes...

Hard fantasy--The stuff that's internally consistent, with most power upgrades being about skill and acclimation, can be nerdy/literary:

Kit Witfield--Bareback (closer to magical realism, sorta like GGKay)

Alisa Sheckley--werewolf series (Also close to magical realism, literary in the sense of Ang Lee's The Hulk so note if you hated that movie)

Barbara Hambly--Windrose trilogy (good stuff, closer to scifi/alt worlds plot though)

Octavia Butler--Fledgling (One really wishes we could see what a *real* author does with urban fantasy)

Kat Richardson--Greywalker series (very crisp plotting with nerd out phases + check out her novella in Mean Streets)

Sean Stewart--Never got credit for writing some of the best UF during the '90s, mildly literary

Scale fantasy--The stuff that kinda blows your mind and doesn't engage in main character narcissism a la triangles...

Caitlin Kiernan--the set of Threshold, Low Red Moon, and Daughter of Hounds (crosses alot of genres, but these have a high UF component--not needed to read in order, but you do need to read all of them to really get any. NB There aren't any black people in these books of note, but there are major themes about race developed between the lines)

Emma Bull--Bone Dance (some think this is sci-fi, something of a mashup)

Liz Williams--Det Chen series (mentioned above)

Lyn Benedict--Sins and Shadows and sequels (well constructed world with plenty of playground space considering urban setting. Also nonsuperficially dark)

Good quality pop UF:

Diana Rowland--Mark of the Demon & sequels (well constructed world and ideas while mystery element is well done)

Carrie Vaughn--Kitty (Superb fluff and story does seem to have a direction to the large scale. Pretty derivative, but well done)

Eileen Wilks--Lupi (Good stuff, doesn't make you feel like you're stupid for reading and is logical. Author has a serious case of baby envy so note that if you're into reproductive politics)

Molly Harper--Nice Girls (This stuff is funny and in good humor. Nice light reads)

JF Lewis--Staked & sequels (Another funny one, unabashedly evil vamps, good plotting)

Lyda Morehouse--Archangel series (Superficially christian series, but not christianist. Good take on Revelation. More sci-fi than UF)

Stacia Kane--Devil Inside (Seems to be going in an interesting direction overall)

There are just not that many UF series that involves lots of sex and lots of killing a la Buffy that leaves you with much--even fewer that are genuine paranormal romances.

I've been looking for UF recommendations too. I'm printing this. Thanks!