Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy discussion

I've seen many discussions about what Urban Fantasy really is. Basically, it's any and all stories that involve fantasy (fantastic events/creatures/universes of any kind) in an urban setting.

If you think like that, it becomes a huge genre and nearly everything we read in paranormal, sci-fi, fairy tales etc. is urban fantasy. If there's a city, it's urban. BUT, most of the time the term is used on series and books that don't fit into other categories. Paranormal Romance is a sub-genre in Urban Fantasy (but not all Paranormal Romances are Urban).

Ok, it's getting confusing. My point is, some people enjoy Urban Fantasy in its classic form, meaning "not focussed on the romance".

I'll list some series of it here and hope you guys help out adding to the list:

- The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Harry Dresden is a professional wizard who's always involved in the most bizarre paranormal problems that happen in Chicago.

- Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter - Laurell K. Hamilton (up until about half the series, then it turned into erotica)
Anita Blake is a necromancer and an official vampire executioner. In St. Louis, she juggles between raising the dead and hunting rogue vampires who have been sentenced by the law.

- Mercedes Thompson - Patricia Briggs
Mercy is a mechanic. She's also a walker, a natural shifter who turns into a coyote. She lives in the Tri-Cities and is always in the middle of supernatural crisis, including the local werewolf pack, the fairies or the vampires.

- Women of the Otherworld - Kelley Armstrong
The series begins with Elena, a werewolf living in Toronto and trying hard to have a normal life. She's called back into the pack when mutts (rogues) start causing trouble and is forced to face the supernatural world once more.

- Night Huntress Series - Jeaniene Frost
Cat spends most of her life thinking up ways of killing vampires. She's a young beautiful woman who hates the bloodsuckers until one of them captures her. In no time, they turn into great partners in the hunt.

- Harper Connelly Mysteries - Charlaine Harris
Harper was struck by lightning when she was still a young girl. Even since she has the eerie ability of sensing the dead. No ghosts, but bodies. She can locate a corpse and say exactly how he or she died. She and her adoptive brother travel through out America doing investigations of cases nobody is able to find the dead.

I like some romance in my Urban Fantasy. And Night Huntress series is one of my favs!


THE PHOENIX CHRONICLES-Lori Handeland
Liz is the key to stopping the end of the world. She just has to figure out her powers and how to use them. She makes many mistakes along the way but comes out stronger for it in the end.

*Karen Chance's Dorina Basarab & Cassie Palmer series
*Karen Marie Moning's Fever series
*Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series
*Lilith Saintcrow's Jill Kismet series

Pretty sure this is UF

- Fever Series - Karen Marie Moning
Mackayla Lane's ordinary life underwent a complete makeover when she landed on Ireland's shores and was plunged into a dark, deadly realm unlike any she ever imagined. In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh—a million-year old book of the blackest magic imaginable that holds the key to power over both the worlds of Fae and Man. Pursued by Fae assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she cannot trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and irresistible men: V'lane, the insatiable Fae, who can turn sensual arousal into an obsession for any woman; and the ever-inscrutable Jericho Barrons, a man as alluring as he is mysterious. From KMM's website

Yes, yes, yes! The Fever series is awesome! It's a must read.

Here are urban fantasies I enjoyed if you want to check them out. Top favs are marked with an asterisk.

Mercy Thompson* and Alpha & Omega* series by Patricia Briggs (Don't miss the anthology in On the Prowl,which is a prequel to Cry Wolf)

Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews*

Chicagoland Vampires* series by Chloe Neill

Sookie Sackhouse* by Charlaine Harris

Cassandra Palmer and Dorina Basarab Dhampir* series by Karen Chance (I like Dory better than Cassie, but from a timeline perspective Cassie comes first. Dory is a great kick butt character reminiscent of Kate Daniels.)

World of Lupi series by Eileen Wilks

October Daye series by Seanan McGuire

Kara Gillian series by Diana Rowland

Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep

Jane True by Nicole Peeler

Anita Blake by LK Hamilton

Fever series by Karen Moning

Circle series by Linda Robertson

Jane Yellowrock vampire hunter series by Faith Hunter

Corine Solomon series by Ann Aguirre

Twenty Palaces series by Harry Connolly

Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine

Zodiac series by Vicki Pettersson

Sisters of the Moon series by Yasmine Galenorn

Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn

Shifters series by Rachel Vincent

Riley Jensen, Guardian series by Keri Arthur

Walker Papers series by C.E. Murphy

Qunicey Morris series by Justin Gustainis

Connor Grey series by Mark Del Franco

Nightside series by Simon R. Green (kind of horrific too)

Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

did anyone mention Greywalker series by Kat Richardson? Oh, and if we're talking older series, Mercedes Lackey's
Born to Run series and her Nightside Diana Tregarde Series series are also good.

I know the word "urban" means city, but I didn't think that Urban Fantasy necessarily had to take place in a city. My understanding of the term was that it referred to any fantasy/paranormal story that takes place in the "real" world (ie: not some made up world like Narnia or Middle-Earth). In other words, it could take place on a rural farm in the "real" world, but would still be categorized as UF as long as it has some kind of paranormal content.

LilaBird, genres are very complex to define. I mean, we could get various different definitions and we would end up with too many terms. BUT I'll tell you what I've read about these definitions:

- Urban Fantasy is primarily in an urban setting.
- Contemporary Fantasy or Modern-Day Fantasy is set in present day.
- Mythic Fiction is inspired by myth, folklore and/or fairy tales.

But see, you can easily fit one story into the three definitions above. So usually (key word) what we call Urban Fantasy is the paranormal story that is in a town or city, most likely to exist in the real world, but could be a made up name as well.

Most of the time, it's about a hero/heroine (Anita Blake, Harry Dresden, Mercedes Thompson...), usually placed in a location that really exists (St. Louis, Chicago, Tri-Cities...), dealing with some kind of preternatural affair (hunting vampires, investigating paranormal, trying to live among humans as a supe etc.). That would be the traditional Urban Fantasy (at least what I tend to expect when seeing something labeled as).

As fans of paranormal romances we tend to overlap a lot with this traditional kind of urban fantasy, and sometimes vary a little, looking for books that will focus more on the mystery or action than in the romance.

:) Hope I didn't sound too obnoxious lol just sharing what I researched.

Actually modern and contemporary fantasy = urban fantasy. They're just different terms, but urban fantasy is used by far the most often. And Lilabird is correct. They don't need to take place in an urban setting, as long as it has some kind of fantasy element and it's in the modern world as we know it. That's pretty much the definition as I've seen publishers define it.

This is one of my favorite genre and I love most of the series mentioned. I have not seen the Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane referenced, this is one of my favorite UF series:



There are 3 published so far, and 3 more are planned -- but no cliff hangers so far. :)

Also, I didn't see this mentioned, not a favorite of mine, I am not sure I plan on finishing the series, but the Corrine Solomon series by Ann Aguirre, here is the first: (oops, now I see that it is listed above)

Disillusionist Trilogy by Carolyn Crane is great. Mind Games (book 1) blew me away and Double Cross (book 2) will be out at the end of September.

My library puts Urban Fantasy with Science Fiction. According to the library a urban setting is required along with paranormal elements. I have not read anything identified as Urban Fantasy that was in any setting other than a city. Has anyone read anything that has a rural setting? I think I have read some post-apocalyptic stuff where the cities were ruins (Kate Daniels series) and that was Urban Fantasy so anything is possible.

Tom Dietz's series might be classified as UF, and that takes place more in the country, I think. But probably most of them take place in the city because I can see more action happening there than in rural environs.

On the Edge by Ilona Andrews is a rural setting, mostly. The local town is very small, but the people who are the main focus live in a rural setting.

Regina wrote: "This is one of my favorite genre and I love most of the series mentioned. I have not seen the Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane referenced, this is one of my favorite UF series:

[bookcover:..."


I've heard about the Downside series and I'm really looking forward to getting the books and starting them

Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "On the Edge by Ilona Andrews is a rural setting, mostly. The local town is very small, but the people who are the main focus live in a rural setting."

Yeah, I was thinking of that one too, but I think that's more PNR.

I thought from the way it ended that it was going to be an on-going series with the same cast of main characters. When that happens--even if there IS an hea at the end of the first book, its still UF (think Cat and Bones and Alexia and Lord Maccon)

There is another one that I read recently. It's new series about a witch and her fae lover. He is dark fae, meaning he has been turned to a vamp. It's kind of creepy and the setting is out west in a small town but it's urban fantasy. I will post the name of the book later but if someone knows, please post it.