Urban and High Fantasy

[Shingetsu]

I read pretty much only High Fantasy for a year and then mixed with Urban Fantasy (Dresden Files, Nightside, etc.). Since I've addicted my brother, Mom, and Dad to SFF I've been reading allot of Urban Fantasy since my Mom likes that most and reads really fast. So her books pile up on my book case faster than mine. The last series I read was Weather Warden by Rachel Caine. Which was a pretty good series with lots of action and interesting things constantly happening to make you want to read more. Now I'm trying to read The Hollows series by Kim Harrison and it's pretty boring up to the half of the second book. My Mom liked it, and it doesn't seem bad exactly, just nothing interesting happening. I'm wondering if I've burned myself out on Urban Fantasy or not. Anyone had this problem?

Maybe I should finish this second book and take a break from the series and Urban Fantasy and go back to the High Fantasy books I probably prefer more. The sad part is there is more Urban Fantasy on my shelf than High. Though I still got the first book for George RR Martin, first book of Patrick Rothfuss, and the entire Drenai series by David Gemmel that my brother read. I just hate not finishing series up to whatever the current book is. I also have a couple books I got side tracked on and never finished. I hope I'm not burning myself out on books altogether...

 

[Clansman]

I hope I'm not burning myself out on books altogether...

NOT POSSIBLE if you like reading. Inconceivable.

Jump into Martin's series, and you won't regret it, though it is dark and bloody. If you like high fantasy, try Janny Wurts's Wars of Light and Shadow series, though I would start you on her one-shot novel To Ride Hell's Chasm to see if you like her style. Tad Williams's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is worth a go (and prior to Martin, for that matter). In the bigger, epic series, don't expect a lot to happen in the first part of the book, as the authors are building their worlds, especially in the earlier books.

 

[Shingetsu]

I tried looking for Wurts's books before but they must be out of print or something. Tad Williams is on my book getlist (To Be Read list?). Though I did buy Game of Thrones first. I would have read it long time ago, but I'm not really used to books with many characters instead of just being a few main ones. I just need to start it really and if it's interesting I will keep reading.

I don't think I'm burning myself out on books as far as I can tell, but maybe I need to change things up some from time to time. I have been reading every day for the last year and a half. I've probably read 300 books.

 

[soulsinging]

I tried looking for Wurts's books before but they must be out of print or something. Tad Williams is on my book getlist (To Be Read list?). Though I did buy Game of Thrones first. I would have read it long time ago, but I'm not really used to books with many characters instead of just being a few main ones. I just need to start it really and if it's interesting I will keep reading.

I don't think I'm burning myself out on books as far as I can tell, but maybe I need to change things up some from time to time. I have been reading every day for the last year and a half. I've probably read 300 books.

If you're feeling a bit burned out on books, I don't know if I'd start reading Game of Thrones. I'm finishing up the second book now, and it has definitely been worth reading, but it takes a very long time to heat up, and the first book and a good chunk of the second were a real struggle to get through at times.

I know what you mean though... I just recently got hooked on the Dresden Files, but find that after 2-3 books, I need a bit of a break before going back to them. But it does bother me to not be up to speed on the latest book in a series.

I might suggest reading Rothfuss. I have it on my shelf, but haven't read it yet. From what I hear though, it's pretty fantastic and an enjoyable read. It's more high fantasy I belief, and should be a nice break. Plus, since the second book isn't out, once you finish it you won't feel compelled to read on in the series like you might with Martin. Then you can take another crack at your urban fantasy shelf!

 

[Shingetsu]

That's not a bad idea soulsinging. Rothfuss has just the one book for that series so far. And it's a fairly long one as well. I could read that next to get a bit more High Fantasy in and then try to go back to Urban. It might give the break I need.

 

[Clansman]

I tried looking for Wurts's books before but they must be out of print or something.

That's because, Shingetsu, like me and many other of her fans, you live in North America. In the UK and the rest of the English-speaking world, she has stayed in print. In North America, her books got caught up in a merger of publishers, which created all kinds of havoc, and as a result, subsequent books in her series did not get any marketing support, and sales went down (I had to really search for the books when they came out). She then switched publishers to Meisha Merlin, who produced really beautiful books, but they went belly-up in early 2007. She has had to wait for the rights to the earlier books in the series to revert to her, so that she could put the entire series in print.

In late August, 2008, she posted on her website that she has a new publisher for the North American rights. As the contract is not final, she is not at liberty to say who it is, so we remain in the dark about that. However, we do know that the entire series of eight books (so far), plus the one shot novel To Ride Hell's Chasm, will be re-released over the spring-summer of 2009, building up, no doubt, to the release of the book she is writing now, namely Sword of the Canon: Initiate's Trial, the ninth book in The Wars of Light and Shadow, and the first in the fourth story arc (The Sword of the Canon, set to be two books, Initiate's Trial and Destiny's Conflict). The fifth and final story arc will be one book. So three books remain to be written/published.

If you want to find her books now, you will have to look at second hand stores, order from Abebooks or some other online dealer, or order brand new from overseas (the shipping, though, can be a killer on the pocket book).

All the above being said, Rothfuss is a lot easier on the brain if your are feeling a bit burned out on books right now. It is a quick read, and a fair bit of fun, especially if you like first-person stories. There are some rather unbelievable bits, but hey, it IS fantasy, after all!

 

[Beamer]

As far as urban fantasy's go I enjoyed the Bedlam's Bard set by Mercedes Lackey. Shes has a couple of other urban fantasy novels also. And her regular fantasy novels are good too, although if your a action junky she might be a bit laid back for you. Laurell K. Hamilton has some urban fantasy sets also which tend to be a little faster paced, but she tends to spend a little too much time on sex for my taste. For whats it worth though I liked the Kim Harrison books which you are getting bogged down in.

 

[Xelebes]

Can... can I ask a question? What is urban fantasy? I haven't heard of it until today. Any short stories that can act as a primer for this genre for me?

 

[Clansman]

Myself, I haven't quite figured it out, as I haven't read urban fantasy. My guess is that is it is a fusion of dark fantasy, but with modern elements, and an anything goes attitude. A lot of romance novelists have attempted a switch to fantasy, and called it urban fantasy, but that is NOT what urban fantasy is. That is bad romance novels trying to pass themselves off as urban fantasy.

I think urban fantasy often involves things like vampires in a modern day setting, instead of an ancient or medieval setting, but I'm just guessing. I'm one of those high fantasy snobs, so I'm not the guy to ask. Give me dragons, and strange worlds, weird creatures, and books that last a thousand pages or more. That is where I'm happiest.

 

[David Gullen]

I think urban fantasy often involves things like vampires in a modern day setting, instead of an ancient or medieval setting

That's right. Cameron McLure, one of the agents at Donald Mass describes it simply as 'fantasy and SF set on Earth'. Personally I'd qualify that and say it is also set in a contemporary or near contemporary time, but then I'm not an agent.

 

[Shingetsu]

Yeah, Urban Fantasy is what I was just calling Modern Fantasy. It's usually set in our time but the main character usually is a vampire or witch or werewolf and those types of people around also. I'm still trying to read these Kim Harrison books. They get better, but still reading them pretty slowly.

 

[Connavar]

Yeah, Urban Fantasy is what I was just calling Modern Fantasy. It's usually set in our time but the main character usually is a vampire or witch or werewolf and those types of people around also. I'm still trying to read these Kim Harrison books. They get better, but still reading them pretty slowly.

To me there is a clear difference beteween Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. A Jim Butcher about genre crossing in fantasy,mystery etc that battles the supernatural in contemporary setting. Or a romance fantasy story about sex,vamps,demons,romance etc Which do you like more ?

If you want a Butcher type urban series i would recommend Snake Agent series by Liz Williams. Its a Urban Fantasy/Mystery/SF/Chinese Mythology.

" Inspector Chen is a policeman assigned to cases involving Hell -- cases where demons have intruded into our world, or the dead have ended up in the wrong place."

Its not totally similer to Dresden series but you can describe it as a series where a Murphy type character ei the cop that deals with supernatural is the lead character.

Its much more original than that with the hole chinese mytholgoy but im trying to describe it to a Dresden fan.

 

[Beamer]

To me urban fantasy is present day times with otherworld creatures and or powers. Mainly stories where elves and other creatures are something you could meet on the street. In some of these stories they are a hidden sector of the populous as in for instance Mercedes Lackey's stories. In others for instance the Laurell K. Hamilton, Anita Blake stories they are a recognized part of our world and are dealt with openly. Then there are other related books where for instance magic works but fantasy creatures are much rarer or confined to a otherworld that can be contacted like Katherine Kurtz's Adept stories. And of course there are the distant relatives like the Shadowrun books which show us a world slightly in the future where magic came back into the world and changed some humans based on their genes into elves, orcs, etc, plus technological advancements allowing implants to turn people into cyborgs.

 

[Shingetsu]

Liz Williams has been on my list for quite awhile. I haven't gotten around to buying Snake Agent yet but I plan to whenever I get through the huge amount of books on my shelf. I'd classify my Urban Fantasy as just Urban Fantasy, not really Paranormal Romance. Most of them are like the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Not that I mind romance at all as long as it's done decently.

 

[Shamu]

I suggest you try other urban fantasy. I think sometimes certain books can you make you feel like that.

Try something by: Richel Vincent, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs etc.

But if you're really feeling it weighing you down then I think Rothfuss is a good break as well as Brent Weeks.

 

[Shingetsu]

I have both Ilona Andrews and Patricia Briggs on my shelf. My Mom enjoyed them and I planned to get to them eventually. I looked up Rachel Vincent on Amazon and from what I read it didn't sound like a good book. But of course you can't always go by others think. But after these Harrison books I'll definitly be reading Rothfuss and a couple other different books than the usual also. (Like The Firm by John Grisham and The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.)