Renee's Book Addiction

Some Classic Urban Fantasy

A while back, when plans for a televised version of her Anita Black series fell through, Laurell Hamilton reiterated her controversial observation that, “It has been frustrating watching other shows in the genre I pioneered go on the air while we didn’t, but in the end I believe most things happen for a reason.” (The above link goes to a cached version of her blog post, since I was unable to find the original.)

Now, let me first off say that I am a Laurell Hamilton fan. While I have often been frustrated with the Anita Blake series, it was an early series (though not the first) in the urban fantasy genre that I had read. I think that her latest, Skin Trade was closer to the AB series that I fell in love with than any book since Obsidian Butterfly. And, while not perfect, Skin Trade gave me much hope that the procedurals I love will once again be joined with some of my favorite characters in the urban fantasy genre. (Nathaniel, anyone? How about Edward?)

Secondly, I’m not clear in her comments which (sub)genre she meant when she made these comments. Vampire fiction? (With book turned tv series/movies: True Blood, Blood Ties, Twilight) Urban fantasy? (Dresden Files, along with the previously mentioned series/movie) Regardless, she undoubtedly is incredibly influential in either of these subgenres.

However, it’s equally clear that any way this comment is taken, there are many other authors that are at least as important and many came along before Guilty Pleasures was published.

In vampire fiction (for lack of a better term), contemporary authors Anne Rice (Interview with a Vampire 1976) and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (Hotel Transylvania 1978) immediately come to mind.

Now, this post is not a bash on LKH. But, I’ve come back to her comments in my mind over the last few weeks, and for me, the upshot is that there are a number of really great urban fantasy “pioneers”, Laurell Hamilton, among them—though she is not the first. (I decided to focus on uf, because that’s the genre that’s closest to my heart.)

These authors are not ones that I see mentioned very often, and some aren’t even currently writing urban fantasy. However, without them I don’t think that the genre would be what it is today. Also, for perspective, I’ve added LKH in there chronologically.

Lastly, this list isn’t complete by any means. It lists some of the authors/books/series that I’ve read or I’ve always meant to read that I think of when I think about “classic urban fantasy”.

War for the Oaks by Emma Bull (1987)

Eddi McCandry sings rock and roll. But her boyfriend just dumped her, her band just broke up, and life could hardly be worse. Then, walking home through downtown Minneapolis on a dark night, she finds herself drafted into an invisible war between the faerie folk. Now, more than her own survival is at risk—and her own preferences, musical and personal, are very much beside the point.

What I love about this book is its firm foot in it’s setting: the music scene in Minneapolis in the 1980′s, and how Emma Bull weaves the faerie world into the “real” world. And, while some of it seems dated, I think it’s due to the really detailed setting more than any lack on the story’s part. (Also, I’m an 80′s girl at heart.)

It’s a great blend of faerie war, romance, and rock ‘n’ roll story. It’s hard not to read War for the Oaks’ modern-day faerie tale and not see it as the precursor to Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series, Holly Black’s Modern Tale of Faerie, and (dare I say it) Laurell Hamilton’s Merry Gentry series.

The Dreaming Place (The Newford series) by Charles de Lint (1990)

A young woman locked in rage yet seeking magic, Ash is drawn into a wondrous Otherworld of totems and dryads, living tarots and mystic charms. At the same time, Ash’s cousin Nina is stalked by an Otherworld demon-a manitou who can force her mind and soul into the bodies of beasts. Ash must find the strength to overcome her own anger, learn the full power of magic, and save Nina before she becomes the manitou’s weapon, turning the faerie realm into an arctic wasteland.

There is some confusion on my part as to the first book by Charles de Lint set in the fictional North American city of Newford. (ISFDB, Newford Wiki, Charles de Lint Wiki and Fantastic Fiction all list different books/short fiction as the “first” Newford story.) However, as far as I can tell, The Dreaming Place (1990) and Memory and Dream (1994) seem to be the earliest Newford novels, and I’ve had this series on my TBB list for ages. (I’ve read de Lint’s juvenile fiction Little Grrl Lost, which is a more recent Newford book, and it was wonderful.)

I love the idea of a series where the individual stories aren’t necessarily connected, but together they create a world, like individual pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Also, Charles de Lint is one of those authors that other authors cite as influential, and since writers also tend to be avid readers, I pay attention when a name keeps popping up the way his does.

Blood Price (Victoria Nelson/Blood series) by Tanya Huff (1991)

Vicki Nelson, formerly of Toronto’s homicide unit and now a private detective, witnesses the first of many vicious attacks that are now plaguing the city of Toronto. As death follows unspeakable death, Vicki is forced to renew her tempestuous relationship with her former partner, Mike Celluci, to stop these forces of dark magic—along with another, unexpected ally…

Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII, has learned over the course of his long life how to blend with humans, how to deny the call for blood in his veins. Without him, Vicki and Mike would not survive the ancient force of chaos that has been unleashed upon the world—but in doing so, his identity may be exposed, and his life forfeit.

This is one of my earliest urban fantasy reads. This series really feels like it bridges the genre gap between horror and urban fantasy. I love this series (which was later turned into the tv series Blood Ties) and it’s equally wonderful spin-off the Smoke series. (Actually, Tony, the eventual protagonist in the Smoke series is one of my favorite characters in both series.)

Tanya Huff comes out of a fantasy writing tradition, and shows in the series’ extremely detailed world and complex plots. She also doesn’t string the reader along with the never-ending love triangle, bringing the Vicki-Mike-Henry relationship —and the series— to a really interesting conclusion. (And, no, it’s not a menage.)

Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series) by Laurell Hamilton (1993)

“My name is Anita Blake. Vampires call me “The Executioner”. What I call them isn’t repeatable.

Ever since the Supreme Court granted the undead equal rights, most people think vampires are just ordinary folks with fangs. I know better. I’ve seen their victims. I carry the scars…

But now a serial killer is murdering vampires—and the most powerful bloodsucker in town wants me to find the killer… “

Well, here it is! The early installments in the Anita Blake series are such great paranormal procedurals, owing as much to the police procedural as to the horror novel. I love it when a fantasy novel has the feel that it’s world is made from “whole cloth”, and not just window dressing. And, that is surely the case with this series. History and culture have depth from the very beginning.

One of my favorite things about Laurell Hamilton’s writing is how she makes her characters come to life and makes me, as a reader really care about them.

Saints and Shadows (The Shadow Saga) by Christopher Golden (1994)

A secret sect of the Catholic Church, armed with an ancient book of the undead called The Gospel of Shadows, has been slowly destroying vampires for centuries. Now the book has been stolen, and the sect races to retrieve it before their purpose is discovered: a final purge of all vampires. As the line between saints and shadows grows ominously faint, private eye Peter Octavian is drawn into the search. And he’ll do anything to find the book . . . for Peter Octavian is also a vampire.

I’m more familiar with Christopher Golden’s Menagerie series that he co-writes with Thomas Sniegoski. However, I came across this (older) series of his, which I found especially interesting for the fact that this first book was published the same year as Guilty Pleasures.

This series is currently being re-issued in anticipation of the 2011 release of the 3rd book in the series. I’m really intrigued by it, given the paranormal DaVinci Code style plotline.

In the course of writing this post, I had to look up a number of series which, to my mind were “early” examples of urban fantasy. However, while they may have been books that I read when I was first beginning to read uf, they weren’t necessarily early on in the genre. These  include: Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files (2000) (which I would consider the first uf series I read), Kim Harrison’s Hollows series (2004), Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series (2001), Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series (2002), and my current Re-read Challenge book, Robin McKinley’s Sunshine (2003).

Now, all this being said, I think it’s also fair to say that it’s not only the “pioneers” that are of value to any given genre. So many incredibly talented authors have more recently contributed to making the urban fantasy genre one with diverse, high quality books.

Where do you weigh in on this issue? Do you have some urban fantasy “pioneers” to add to my list? Does this value put on being a “pioneer” matter to you as a reader?

January 18, 2010 at 4:00 am 20 comments