Best urban fantasy
Whether a single book or a series, what is the best urban fantasy?
Tags:
fantasy, urban, and urban-fantasy
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by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman (Goodreads author) 43 people voted »
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i resent that!!! i LOVE tithe!
i agree about the scott westerfeld thing though.
neverwhere is horrible!!!
I didn't think neverwhere was horrible...but it certainly shouldn't have the #1 spot, and no Simon R. Green?
scott westerfeld is more science-fiction than urban fantasy... well from the book i read of his anyway.
Crooked Little Vein on an urban fantasy list?! I love Warren Ellis and I'd paint his name anywhere I could, but where is the fantasy in CLV? I'm happy to see Iron Dragon's Daughter though. I think The Broken Land by Ian McDonald could be added to the list.
Travis wrote: "The lack of Charles de Lint from this list is truly depressing."
i have to agree to "the blue girl" was one of the best books I had ever read!!!!
WHAT?!?! THE LIGHTNING THIEF?!?!?! THAT IS NOT URBAN FANTASY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND NOR IS CITY OF BONES!!!!!!!!!!! THOSE ARE ACTION BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS LIST IS CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Urban fantasy is a subset of contemporary fantasy, consisting of magical novels and stories set in contemporary, real-world, urban settings"The Lightning Thief and City of Bones take place in urban settings (for large parts of the books at least) therefore they are urban fantasy.
Also remember that books can have more than one genre so I think this list is pretty accurate.
Robyn wrote: "scott westerfeld is more science-fiction than urban fantasy... well from the book i read of his anyway."It really depends on which series you read. He kinda mixes them together. BTW - Westerfeld is on here - on of the books from the Midnighters series is on the list. Can't say it's my favorite series he wrote (Probably Uglies although Peeps by iteself may have been the best book), but it's a good one.
Travis wrote: "The lack of Charles de Lint from this list is truly depressing."absolutely. How can one of the progenitors of this genre not dominate it? Not to mention that he writes beautifully.
Oh, and why the heck is Stephenson on this list? There's no magic in those books, no fantasy. They're just urban scifi if anything.
Lindsey wrote: "Robyn wrote: "scott westerfeld is more science-fiction than urban fantasy... well from the book i read of his anyway."
It really depends on which series you read. He kinda mixes them together. B..."
yeah, i added peeps and the last days to the list, peeps has to be his best work, with the uglies series a close second
hey, whats stephenie meyer doing up there??? shes not urban fantasy!! especially the host, which is the one up there! thats sci-fi!!1
The Host sucked, and it is soo not a urban fantasy. And, sorry fans of Peeps, but I HATED that book. Though I did love the Uglies books, though Extras wasn't all that great.
we really do get passionate about our books sometimes, don't we?? everyone has the right to like their book for whatever reason, without having to justify it. its good to hear why a book was liked or disliked, but in the end its personal preference. I'm new to urban fantasy, i really liked Magic Bites.
There is. The Secret Hour, no.65.
♥ Brigid ♥ wrote: "eew!! TITHE? THAT IS THE WORST BOOK OMG... why isn't there any scott westerfeld on here? XD"
Half of the books on this list are utter para-romo crap that any chimpanzee with a word processor could've written ten times better. Stephenie Meyer should be strung-up by her toes for perpetuating such nonsense. We'll be drowning in horrid vampire books and movies for the next fifteen years. Way to go, world. Lets continue to not only reward mediocrity, but bury it in so much money that most third-world countries would be envious of.
Marcus wrote: "Half of the books on this list are utter para-romo crap that any chimpanzee with a word processor could've written ten times better. Stephenie Meyer should be strung-up by her toes for perpetuating..."So...any thoughts on what good books are, or just complaining?
Lindsey wrote: "Marcus wrote: "Half of the books on this list are utter para-romo crap that any chimpanzee with a word processor could've written ten times better. Stephenie Meyer should be strung-up by her toes f..."Just complaining, Lindsey, just complaining. After glancing over your books page I don't think the kind of stuff I read would be remotely interesting to you.
Marcus wrote: "Lindsey wrote: "Marcus wrote: "Half of the books on this list are utter para-romo crap that any chimpanzee with a word processor could've written ten times better. Stephenie Meyer should be strung-..."Probably not, but I'm actually trying to find books to recommend to my husband who seems to have similar thoughts to you on lots of urban fantasy...so looking for ideas.
American Gods is a great book, one of the finest fantasies ever written, but I'm not sure it fits my mental picture of urban fantasy. If I were convinced that it should be considered one, it would be my number one choice.Those looking to read one of the root works of the sub-genre should find the novella "Magic, Inc." by Robert A. Heinlein. It can be found in the book Waldo and Magic, Inc.
Lindsey wrote: I'm actually trying to find books to recommend to my husband who seems to have similar thoughts to you on lots of urban fantasy...so looking for ideas.Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series are largely free of romance. The first couple volumes are good but not great, and then the series becomes remarkably excellent.
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull is one of the core books that started the urban fantasy revival. There is some romance in the plot, but it isn't primary. I'm a guy, and the romance wasn't enough to bother me.
The later Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs have a romance element, but the first couple are romance free.
Xenophon wrote: "Lindsey wrote: I'm actually trying to find books to recommend to my husband who seems to have similar thoughts to you on lots of urban fantasy...so looking for ideas.Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden s..."
Thanks for the tips! I've seen a lot about the Jim Butcher series, but I've never read them, so I'll see if he's interested in those.
War for the Oaks sounds good too, although I'm always a little more hesitant to read fae books, since they wind up being more political than action oriented. From the description I can't really tell if it's like that or not, but I'll give it a try.
I actually did try Pat Briggs since I like her newer series (Alpha & Omega and Mercy Thompson). He read the first Mercy Thompson book, but he really didn't like her writing style, so he didn't read the others.
I definitely have more to go on now, so thanks for your help!
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