Ta-Da! If I could make sound-affects I’d have a drum roll, or a trumpet blare, or something suitably dramatic to announce that February’s Dirty Sexy Book Club theme is Urban Fantasy. Why? Well, because out of all the genres I enjoy, UF is my all-time favorite. Yep, it even beats out paranormal romance, and we’ll get into the differences shortly if you’ve assumed they’re the same thing. Think of these genres like kissing cousins, but each one descends from a decidedly different branch of a whacked out family tree.
Speaking of family, just last week my husband had a conversation with one of his relatives, and she told him that she checks my blog occasionally, but I read too much urban fantasy for her taste, and she’s “not into vampires, werewolves, and sex.” Oh dear. I can see that we’ve got some misconceptions to clear up. As to vampires, that’s a maybe, werewolves occasionally, but I have to say No regarding the sex. In fact, looking for a good sex scene in a UF is like trying to find water in the desert. You might see a few mirages from time to time, but nothing to quench your thirst. That’s not to say that it’s bereft of relationships though, because that’s a whole different game.
This leads me beautifully into a discussion about the rules for this genre. Think back to when you were a kid in school and suffering learning about English grammar. Do you recall how every single rule had an exception? All that, ‘I before E except after C’ crap? That’s pretty much how it goes with UF too, but that doesn’t discourage me from trying to lay out some general facts in my own personal Ten Commandments of Urban Fantasy:
I. The setting shall be Urban.
That seems kind of obvious, right? Most of the stories take place in a densely populated city, usually somewhere real and recognizable in a contemporary Earth setting, BUT there are plenty of exceptions too. I’ve read UFs set in futuristic, or post-apocalyptic worlds too, but the general gist is that urban fantasy happens where there are lots of people around, and not in some bucolic meadow where cows munch grass.
II. There shall be something Supernatural, or Paranormal, or Freaking Weird in this world
That’s where the ‘fantasy’ part comes in. It can’t be a UF unless something otherworldly is happening. This is one of the few rules that applies to every single book, without exception.
III. The Magic shall be Hidden from the lesser mortals
Although something supernatural is happening where oodles of humans live, it’s almost always hidden, sometimes in plain sight. The faeries wear disguises, or the shapeshifters hide their fangs, but they don’t parade up and down Broadway advertising their supernatural powers. Is this a hard and fast rule? Hell no. A great exception is Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files, where Harry literally has an ad in the Yellow Pages that says “Harry Dresden–Wizard Lost Items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Reasonable Rates.” He’s not exactly hiding his power, is he?
IV. The hero or heroine shall Live in a Crappy Dwelling
Part of the charm of a UF protagonist is that they’re scrappy, desperate, and usually hungry for work. This isn’t like Batman, where Bruce Wayne has endless capital and resources. The hero in a UF usually drives a shit car, lives in a moldy little apartment, and is often light on money. Again, there are exceptions to this rule, like in M. L. N. Hanover’s The Black Sun’s Daughter Series, but generally it hampers the story when the heroine is eating from a silver spoon. She must be the underdog from the get go.
V. The hero or heroine shall have Friends but he/she shall always Remain Alone
This is one of the most important rules, and I can’t think of an exception, so the ‘protagonist loner’ rule must be pretty damn critical. Our hero may have a whole posse of pals at his back, but since he’s unique in his power (next rule), he’s ultimately alone when facing the danger. He won’t have a wife and kids and a house with a mortgage, but that doesn’t mean he’s without companionship (more rules about that below).
VI. The hero or heroine shall Possess a Unique Power held by no one else
This is another biggie. The heroine is essentially a first-class loser, a nobody, but this one power singles her out and makes her special. Whatever she has, it’s just as much of a curse as a blessing, because this is what sets her apart from her fellows. This talent is why her life is constantly in danger, because somebody wants it, or they want to kill her for having it. She’ll never be safe, and she can never get rid of it, but she can usually do good with it too.
VII. There shall be No Sex, but UF protagonists aren’t eunuchs either
I think this is where outsiders to the genre get confused. UF covers are often so damn sexy, many people assume they’re just like paranormal romances, but that’s not true. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find an actual sex scene on par with a PNR in a UF, however, many urban fantasies create some of the best romantic tension I’ve ever encountered. How do they do this without explicit sex scenes? I think it’s precisely because they hold back that everything is heightened. Some examples are the Kate Daniels series, the Chicagoland Vampires series, and the Servant series. These are series where the romantic relationship is stretched and explored across several installments, and boy is it fun to read.
VIII. There shall be a Pet, or an Annoying Roommate, or a Sentient Car
Try to find a UF story without one of the above, and if you do, I’ll be amazed. Even though it’s a main tenant that the heroine is ultimately alone, that doesn’t mean that she can’t have companionship and support, usually in the form of a funny, annoying, and/or unique pal or pet.
IX. The Villain shall always have More [insert Power, Money, Experience] than the hero or heroine
This rule holds true across most genres, because how can it be a challenge if the good guy is more powerful than the bad guy? Superman is boring until they introduce somebody who can beat the man of steel, or slip him some Kryptonite at least. This holds doubly true in an urban fantasy, where the villains are seemingly unstoppable, but the hero’s unique power usually saves the day under a climactic moment of extreme duress – almost to the point of death.
X. It shall be Cool
If it is nothing else, an urban fantasy is always cool. Sometimes the author is obvious about inserting coolness into the story, through hot motorcycles, weapons, and tattoos, but whether it’s flashy or understated, the coolness will be undeniable. Urban fantasies are where geeks, losers, and outcasts triumph because of magic, and we readers get to participate vicariously each time we pick up a book.
The Dark Side
Did you think we were done? Not yet, because there are a few more things to discuss. For instance, you’ll hear talk about Dark Urban Fantasy, and I liken it to the difference between milk and dark chocolate. It’s completely subjective, because one person might think that a bar of Hershey’s Special Dark is ‘dark chocolate,’ but someone else might call it a fraud.
Personally, I like to think of dark urban fantasy as the extra gritty, super bleak version, and it walks a fine line between being a fantasy and a horror novel. Take all the rules above and amplify them by a power of ten. If the hero is usually a loner in a UF, then in a dark UF he doesn’t have a single ally he can trust. The world is often fraught with peril in ways that makes New York City look like Disneyland by comparison. If the hero or heroine does manage to find a meaningful relationship, you can count on something horrible happening, especially if it’s romantic in nature.
So how can you spot a dark urban fantasy novel? Crap, that’s tough. Author Adrian Phoenix classifies her stuff as dark, and okay, I guess I agree with her. But if you go to Amazon and type in ‘dark urban fantasy,’ you’ll start seeing all kinds of crazy stuff, like the Kate Daniels series, and the Cassandra Palmer books pop up. I’m sorry, but those are not dark UF. Unless you can find the opinion of someone you trust, you often won’t realize that a book is a dark urban fantasy until after you’ve read it.
HEA? Maybe
There is one last thing I should mention… don’t count on seeing a ‘happily-ever-after’ resolution in an urban fantasy, particularly when we’re talking about a series. Most authors tend to tie up the plot with just enough to keep readers from taking up a torch and a pitchfork, but sometimes the ending is downright unsatisfying. Why? They want you to keep buying their books! It works too. This is a main difference with paranormal romance, which will usually* tie up the romantic relationship in a satisfactory way. A UF can drag it out forever.
*Damn those rule breakers, but there are some. For example, Jeaniene Frost’s Night-Huntress series does not tie up things between books one and two, and even though it’s a serious breach of PNR tradition, I think it’s brilliant. That’s also the reason I always recommend readers buy books one and two together when they try it. I don’t believe in torture.
Book Club Notes
Before we get down to nominating books, I do have one restriction to suggest. Because so many urban fantasies come in series, it’s important that we don’t skip around and try to read book four or book seven in an ongoing saga. So if you’re going to nominate a book in a series, please nominate book one. Also, it’s absolutely fine to nominate something that you’ve already read, as long as you’re willing to curl up with it again and do a re-read. I can think of a few that I wouldn’t mind visiting again myself.
So go forth, to the Book Club page and nominate an urban fantasy novel for the club’s consideration. Voting will begin a week from today, on Monday, January 11th. You’ve got a whole week to think about it, so don’t be hasty and take your time. I need to put some thought into this myself.
