I love crime and fantasy stories, so the urban fantasy genre is perfect reading material. I discovered urban fantasy by reading books by Canadian author Charles de Lint. After years of reading urban fantasy, de Lint is still one of my favorite urban fantasy authors.
Since de Lint, new paranormal authors are filling the bookstores fast, but there is still some confusion about which paranormal books are actually urban fantasy. Urban fantasy main characters are usually a detective or hero, protecting humans from paranormal criminals. The characters also need to survive in an urban environment where friends and neighbors think that believing in the supernatural is crazy. Comparing urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and magic realism will help reduce some of the confusion.
Paranormal Romance vs. Urban Fantasy
In paranormal romance one of the love interests is usually paranormal, but it is still a romance. The typical urban fantasy reader doesn't want to skip ten pages of steamy soft-core scenes just to get back to the story. Yes, there are love interests in urban fantasy, but they aren't necessarily happy and they aren't always exclusive.
The urban fantasy and romance author, Keri Arthur, easily clears up the confusion between paranormal romance and urban fantasy. She says that Paranormal Romance is "Usually written in the 3rd person. Main characters are Hero and Heroine and they MUST have a happily ever after together. … Love shall overcome is the theme." But, urban fantasy is "Usually written in the first person, Theme is horror, not love…. The protagonist is often a cynical, fiercely independent, tough chick with commitment and trust issues…."
Magic Realism vs. Urban Fantasy
Urban fantasy has also been confused with magic realism. According to the author Tahlia Newland, "the difference is that the magical elements in magical realism are symbolic in nature whereas in urban fantasy they are what they appear to be." Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is a great example of magic realism.
Athol Dickson blogged that "my novels include magical realism because I want to write more realistically about this world, not because I want to escape it." Dickson states a key difference between the two genres. The urban fantasy does not provide clarity about life; it provides the reader entertainment.
Goodreads and Urban Fantasy Starter List are great places to find the best urban fantasy authors. One of my latest favorites is the Demon-Fighting Soccer Mom series by Julie Kenner. I also recommend Kat Richardson's Greywalker series, Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series, and Illona Andrews' Kate Daniels series.
Victoria Mendez - The world is a huge and facinating place where adventure abounds and interesting finds are always just around the corner. As a technical ...
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