What is Dark Urban Fantasy? (showing 1-22 of 22)

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

So, what IS dark urban fantasy?
Well, here's a few answers I've found around the web

Adrian Phoenix states, in her guest spot at "All Things Urban Fantasy" :

"So what is dark urban fantasy and how does it differ from other UF? Great question and one I immediately started rolling around in my brain, leading to an interesting realization: it doesn’t.

All urban fantasy is, by its nature, dark. Yes, even the UF books with humorous hearts such as Jeri Smith-Ready’s WVMP vampire series, J.F. Lewis’s Void City books, and Mark Henry’s Amanda Feral series. (Great books, btw.)

Darkness, death, violence, sex, and blood thrive in stories dealing with paranormal characters and their urban hunting grounds; mortals struggle with latent magical abilities or powers that threaten to steal their humanity; fallen angels work their seductive and deadly mojo; and demons play. A very dark and dangerous canvas for a writer to paint a story upon.

I feel that what truly makes urban fantasy dark isn’t so much the paranormal backdrop, but the issues—very human issues—the characters grapple with all while fighting and scheming and kicking ass to stay alive. Issues involving identity—who am I? What am I?—and alienation when caught between several worlds—where the hell do I belong?

But urban fantasy also delves into the darkest aspects of daily life—child abuse, government conspiracies, murder, suicide, torture, and loss in all aspects—of self-identity, of love, of moral balance, of family, of heart and soul—while exploring how these characters deal with and conquer these challenges.

Yet even in the grittiest stories, you’ll find humor and love, steamy and passionate sex, and a sense of family as the characters deal with their own relatives or create a home for themselves and those they love. Urban fantasy is packed with vivid characters that you’ll root for, ache for, and wish you could share a drink or two with.

Check out Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series—great books and the epitome of dark urban fantasy. The protagonist is an assassin and yet you care about her. A lot. She is surviving the only way she knows how in a dark and dangerous world.
Devon Monk’s Allie Beckstorm series is another great read with a fantastic world and characters. All dark, all marvelous. As is Jeanne C. Stein’s Anna Strong vampire series. Tons of great reads await you!

Come to the dark side. Join us. We even have pumpkin cookies."
--Adrian Phoenix

[Judithe, ~Bump of Chicken~ comment history]

Great definition and interesting series to check out there, too!

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

I've got a few other quotes and definitions to post. I've been scouring the internet for good descriptions. As always, there are mixing of genres. PNR with a touch of dark, YA is always mix and matchin'. :)

Part of me feels like "why assign a label", but then the OCDemon insists - a place for everything and everything in it's place and all. LOL!

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

Rebecca from "Dirty Sexy Books" posted a guest blog on "All Things Urban Fantasy" titled ""Guest Blog: DSB on What is Dark Urban Fantasy?" in it she wrote:

"If you read enough urban fantasy, sooner or later you’ll come across the term ‘dark urban fantasy.’ I’ve always likened it to dark versus milk chocolate in my mind, but I’ve never heard a good description of this sub-category, or a definitive way of knowing whether a UF is ‘dark’ or not. Instead, I’ve been using the same logic employed by the Supreme Court on their famous pornography ruling, the old ‘I know it when I see it’ rule. The only problem there is that I can only spot a dark urban fantasy (I’m itching to use the acronym DUF, but that makes me think of Homer Simpson’s beer) {{LOL! Our thoughts exactly! But, we'll share the acro with Homer and giggle a bit each time we see it ~Steph}} after I’ve read it. That’s a backward approach at best, and it doesn’t help me much when I’m looking for new books. Thus, I decided to use this guest post opportunity to try and nail down this concept, and highlight some books that I think deserve the ‘dark urban fantasy’ label.

First, I suppose I should define dark urban fantasy in my own terms. If an urban fantasy is full of magic and danger, then a dark UF will amplify those elements by a power of ten. Everything is more intense, and the writer will often shine a spotlight on something deeply disturbing, like child abuse or torture. You can bet that any relationships between the hero and the other characters are tenuous, fragile things, and if there’s a romance you can count on something tragic happening. That’s been my experience with dark UFs anyway, but let’s see if we can find an official definition.

A good place to start is Wikipedia. Don’t laugh, I use it all the time and it rarely leads me astray. I entered ‘dark urban fantasy’ and wow, I got 638 hits, but it’s interesting to note that there is no single page dedicated to the subject. There is a page for ‘dark fantasy’ though, and it says,

“Dark fantasy is a subgenre that combines elements of fantasy, including marvelous abilities, with those of horror.[1]”

Further down on this same page it talks about the combination of dark fantasy and urban fantasy, and they refer to it as ‘urban dark fantasy.’ Aw man, I hate it when people say it that way. It sounds so awkward and backward. Is it a sign of ignorance, or are they just being pretentious? I can’t tell. Anyway, I ran a search using ‘urban dark fantasy’ just in case, but I get the same results.

So, Wikipedia has reinforced one of my beliefs about dark urban fantasy, and that is the inclusion of horror elements. In my experience a dark UF does not shy away from truly horrific stuff, whereas a regular UF maintains a sense of hope even during its darkest hour. Think back to the last horror movie you’ve seen. Sure, the good guy may have won, but his woman, his car, and his dog probably bit the dust along the way. The same often happens in a dark UF novel.

I know some readers are asking, why would I want to read a dark UF? It sounds too forbidding for book lovers who like more light-hearted stuff. Well, I certainly agree that one should be in the proper kind of mood to tackle a dark UF, and I myself never read too many of these books back-to-back. However, once in a while this darker style is exactly what I want. Dark UFs are wildly creative, and they usually feature an astounding amount of world-building. When I get tired of sugary-sweet happily-ever-afters, the cynic in me welcomes these gritty visions. Life is never fair in a dark UF.

This lack of a good way to define dark urban fantasies creates a problem for readers who want to find these types of stories. I’ve yet to encounter a bookseller, either online or in person, who can identify dark UFs correctly. If you go to Amazon and search on ‘dark urban fantasy’ it spits back all kinds of series that may qualify as UF, but they definitely aren’t ‘dark.’ I suppose it’s up to the authors of dark UF to identify themselves (which some do) and for readers like ourselves to pool our knowledge.

{{Yes! Let's pool our knowledge here, help us identify those books and/or series you feel fit "your" definition of Dark UF and let's chat! ~Steph}}

In that spirit, I have a list of urban fantasies below that all qualify as ‘dark’ in my opinion. Since this is highly subjective, feel free to disagree with me, or better still, let me know if you’ve encountered a particularly good dark urban fantasy that we can add to the list. For simplicities sake, I’m only listing the first book from series that meet my expectations as dark UF."

She goes on to list the following books and series:

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

At heart, I'm a lover of series. But, I do occasionally read a stand alone here and there. I have read and love, Adrian Phoenix' Maker's Song series. I have also read JF Lewis' Void City series. I have not read the others, but have Celis T. Rono's book, Huston's #1 and Connolly's #1 TBR.

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

Another great blog post I found was on the author group blog, "Dark Side DownUnder" by Rowena Cory Daniells called "Darklight On...Rowena Cory Daniells: Kissing Cousins, or ...".

"That's the difference between a Romance book and a Fantasy with a love story. Romantic love is the prime motivation in a Romance, while it is one of many/several motivations in a Fantasy.

Having said that, the line between some Dark Urban Fantasies (as the Romance field defines them) and Dark Urban Fantasies (as the Speculative Fiction field defines them) is getting finer and finer. Take Trent Jamieson's 'Death Most Definite' and Tansy Rayner Roberts's 'Power and Majesty', both are published by speculative fiction publishers, Orbit and Voyager respectively.

Trent's trilogy is set in Brisbane were Death is a business, Tansy's trilogy is set in an invented city which is threatened by supernatural means. In the first books of both these series love is a strong motivation. In Trent's book the main character, Steve, falls in love with a dead girl (it's not icky, he can see dead people and she's there to help him). In Tansy's book the main character, Velody, is swept into the supernatural world filled with very sexy, rather menacing males. There's bucket loads of passion and sensuality. Both books have drama and action, both books have sex and love, and both books end with the promise of more to come (no Happily Ever After).

Now compare that to your Romance Dark Urban Fantasy -- the protagonist, a feisty female, is swept into a supernatural world, where sensual, menacing characters interact with them, and team up while they fight off evil. Plus there's no HEA because the main character goes in to further adventures in a series.

So there you have it. A Romance or a fantasy with a love story, the line is getting ever thinner!"

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

One series I've read that I would classify as "Romance Dark Urban Fantasy" is Sharon Ashwood's The Dark Forgotten series. They have dark UF features, but each book features a new H/h with a HEA making it more PNR.

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

Rowena Cory Daniells posted a guest spot at "Ripping Ozzie Reads" called "Dark Urban Fantasy..." and stated:

"I’m here to talk about my views on what the differences between Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and Dark Urban Fantasy are.

Years ago when I joined the Romance Writers of Australia I used to say that I wrote Fantasy with a romantic subplot. Then I thought it may be Fantasy Romance but have come to the realisation that to add the word romance in there the romance is the main focus. Mine is not. Since then, I have gone back to my original concept. I write Fantasy with romantic elements.

Having said this, I have noticed that when I use this term when querying I get the response of ‘not sure of the market’. Sigh. Am I in a no-man’s land where I have too many romantic elements for fantasy readers and not enough for romance readers? So really what is the difference?

Maybe none at all. After all Fantasy – and what I define fantasy here is the traditional fantasy – does have all sorts of elements in it. This includes action, adventure, mystery, and relationships including romance. Love is a powerful factor in many fantasy tales. I may not need the term “romantic elements”. Maybe it comes down to marketing.

And this is where the paranormal romance and dark urban fantasy debate comes in. To me when you use the word romance, it focuses on the relationship between the hero and heroine. Yes there are subplots and other things happening but this is paramount as well as a HEA (happily ever after) or at least a happy for now. Now DUF on the other hand does not have to focus on a romantic relationship. It can have a romance in there but it’s not the only factor and there is no promise of a happily ever after. It can also be darker and grittier and a hero in a DUF novel can be more unpleasant than one in a paranormal romance, where readers want to fall in love with him even if he is rough around the edges.

But with the marketing machine, readers may find each of these types of stories in the other category. There is a broader audience to sell to if you place them in other. So is it just economics? Yes and no.

I notice the same sort of cross over in libraries. One copy of a book – say Keri Arthur’s Riley Jenson Guardian series (which I classify as a DUF and has romantic elements), may be found in the romance section, in the fantasy section, or in the horror section (vampires, werewolves). In some libraries there is a separate paranormal romance section. Again it’s about trying to get more readers to read. I suppose the more readers they have, the more the library can justify its existence, so maybe it IS all about economics.

Still a condensed version of my classification is – (I’m a former librarian, my life was to classify items for many years *smile *):
Fantasy – traditional fantasy set in another made up world, or maybe some crossover of another world with ours. There can be a lot of romance or little or even none depending on the tale.
Paranormal romance – set in an urban ‘earth’, contemporary or futuristic setting, with paranormal/supernatural elements or creatures, where the romance is the main focus, and a guaranteed HEA.
Dark Urban Fantasy – set in similar worlds to the PR, but the romance is either not the main focus or not there.

On my website I say I’m a fantasy and paranormal writer because then I can cover both PR and DUF if I so choose, and not all my short stories have romance in them. Sometimes depending on the audience, I add the phrase romantic elements in there."

[Regina comment history]

Interesting explanations, thank you for searching them out and then posting!

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

You're welcome. Hope I didn't overwhelm anyone with it all, just thought they all had great points and wanted to share. :)

[Amy or "Ames" comment history]

You didn't overwhelm me, Steph. Thanks for the clarification.

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

Yay! GTK! Thanks!

[Christina (AKA Babbling) comment history]

Steph --

I was initially surprised when I saw Ashwood's series on this list (another favorite of mine - more than 2/3 done with Unchained). But after reading most of what you posted above (especially the parts you highlighted), I can see why.

Would you consider Jessica Andersen's The Final Prophecy dark PNR? I'd say yes, especially since I had that epiphany about Rabbit (the series being, ultimately, his hero's journey). All the characters are dealing with who they are and what their roles are but Rabbit has it tenfold -- no idea about his mother's people, trying to fit in, nothing ever seems to go right with him, etc.

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

Yeah, I am having to re-evaluate the PNRs I've read and finding some/probably many, fit the dark PNR themes. I'm glad I found those posts b/c they helped break it down a bit more for me.

Part of me doesn't like to assign a category to a book, just read and enjoy. But, the OCDemon in me believes "a place for everything and everything in its place". LOL! So ... Plus, it helps when I have a group that's focusing on specific genres. :)

I think so. Good one. And, I really need to get back to that series. Hopefully I'll read them before 12/21/12. hehe

Don't forget to add those you find to our bookshelves.

[Josie comment history]

"I feel that what truly makes urban fantasy dark isn’t so much the paranormal backdrop, but the issues—very human issues—the characters grapple with all while fighting and scheming and kicking ass to stay alive. Issues involving identity—who am I? What am I?—and alienation when caught between several worlds—where the hell do I belong?"

I do agree that DUF has more issues involving identity (BDB, Dory Basarab jump out for this in particular) but for me I think I associate it more with horror/grittier elements, since most characters in all genres have some human issue, usually with their identities. For example in YA UF, a lot of the protagonists have problems with "belonging" but it doesn't necessarily mean that they're DUF. I think the two have to go together but I'm wondering maybe there's a DUF out there without human issues?

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

I too think of DUF as being closely related to horror, just add some UF elements. I definitely agree that YA novels frequently have "who am I? where do I fit in?" issues - that's a typical teen thing, but doesn't mean they'd fit this genre.

Hmmm, DUF-human issues? Good question, Josie.

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

RomanceAustralia.com has an article written by Keri Arthur regarding the difference between PNR & UF, granted it's an old post, but in it she mentioned dark urban fantasy. So, I'm sharing it here w/you. :)

You can read the entire post here .

"Dark urban fantasy contains the same elements as urban fantasy, but usually has serious leanings towards horror elements. Dark and bloody events can and do happen in these novels, and a happy ended is not a necessity.

But if you’re going to write an urban or dark urban fantasy, please do your homework and make the world work. World building is even more important in urban and dark urban fantasy than it is in paranormal romance."

[Judithe, ~Bump of Chicken~ comment history]

Good find, Steph!

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

Thanks! I keep huntin' for more on the subject - books, authors, descriptions. Gobblin' it up.

[Judithe, ~Bump of Chicken~ comment history]

I keep thinkin to do that...then get distracted and go off on other tangents...lol...it's fun, though!

[Steph, Twisted Sister comment history]

Me too. I sometimes have 10 Firefox windows open, then no time left to read through them. LOL! I have a list of links to return to so I can scour through them.

Found some cool upcoming series that look as if they may be DUFs. :) Gonna add them to an UPCOMING thread in a min.

[Judithe, ~Bump of Chicken~ comment history]

OHHH...fun!