Urban Fantasy discussion
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
>
Looking for Recommendations: Non-Vampire
date
newest »
newest »
Rob Thurman has a series out with three books and a fourth on the way early next year that is full of demons and other magical creatures set in NYC. This is a great series, but dark and violent. First book is called Nightlife.A. Lee Martinez has a few books that are humorous and what I would consider fantasy. There is one starring a vampire, but there is one with a witch and one with ogres. I think these are very unique books. Not a series so you can read in any order. Titles are: Gil's All Fright Diner, A Nameless Witch, In the Company of Ogres.
Anything by Christopher Moore is crazy funny and definitely fantasy.
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow is a really long poem about werewolves in LA. I didn't know what to think when I first saw this book, but it is definitely one of my faves and it is unique with a great story. Again, violent, but good.
One other book that is more sci fi than fantasy that I can think of is called The Electric Church. There is a sequel out to this now, but I haven't read it yet. The Electric Church is sort of an I Robot, but everyone is being "converted" to a new "religion". This was another kick butt, take names later kind of book. I'm looking forward to the sequel because it was a pretty cool concept.
You might also try Charles De Lint's Newford books. Actually you might try anything by De Lint!
I really enjoyed the Lords of the Underworld series by Gena Showalter It's about immortal warriors who are possessed by demons. Well worth the read.
Witchling by Yasmine GalenornThis is a series about three sisters, one is a witch, one is a shape shifter who can only turn into an orange tabby cat and the other is a vampire.
Through Violet Eyes by Stephen Woodworth
This one is about people with violet eyes who have the ability to communicate with the dead.
Witch Way to Murder : An Ophelia and Abby Mystery by Shirley Damsgaard
This one is about a witch and her grandmother who is teaching her how to use her powers.
Enchanted, Inc. by Shanna Swendson
This series is pretty cute. It’s about a girl with no magical ability at all, and because of that she can see magical creatures, so she starts working for a magical company.
Ill Wind by Rachel Caine
I really like this series, it’s about a girl that can control the weather and genies.
Working for the Devil : A Dante Valentine Novel # 1 by Lilith Saintcrow
This one is about a girl that ends up working for the devil and it has demons and stuff like that in it.
Dead Witch Walking (Rachel Morgan Series #1) by Kim Harrison
This one does have vampires in it but it’s not the main theme. It’s about a witch, a vampire and a pixie (who swears like a sailor) all living together and running a sort of detective business. It also has demons it. I definitely recommend this series to everyone.
Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian Series #1)
This one has vampires in it to, but again not the main theme. It’s about a sister and brother that are half vampire and half werewolf.
Kelly Armstrong Bitten
This one is about werewolves.
You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister
This one is about Dragons and a girl that ends up being a guardian. Cute series.
Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer Series #1) by Karen Chance
This one does have a lot of vampires in it, but you should definitely give it a try. It’s about a girl that can see the future and the evil vamps that try to use her because of it.
The Devil Inside by Jenna Black
This is about a girl who is an exorcist. Just to warn you, there is a little bit of S & M in this book, but it’s still a good read.
I know some of these aren’t really considered Urban Fantasy, but I still think they are worth mentioning.
Maybe someone will enjoy these...James P Blaylock - The Last Coin, The Paper Grail, All the Bells on Earth, Winter Tides, Rainy Season
Tim Powers - Declare, Anubis Gates, Last Call, Drawing Down the Dark, Three Days to Never
Graham Joyce - Dreamside, Requiem, Indigo
Jonathan Carroll - Land of Laughs, Marriage of Sticks, Sleeping in Flame, The Wooden Sea, Kissing the Beehive
William Browning Spencer - Maybe I'll Call Anna, Resume With Monsters, Zod Wallop, Irrational Fears
Oh, wow! Lots of things to check out. :) Thank you, everybody!
One that I read recently that only mentions vampires for 2-3 pages in way of an introduction to the main character is Black Magic Woman by Justin Gustainis. It is going to be a series, but there is only the one book out right now.It is a really great book, in my opinion. The story is told from multiple perspectives... from the main character, Quincey Morris, to the detectives on the case to the bad guys.
Oh, yeah!!! De Lint is the bestest. hee hee(I'm like a broken record...)
I'm reading City of Bones which is the first in a series and am really loving it. It's YA but I loved the Twilight series so much I figured I'd give this one a try. There are all kinds of demons, including a vampire at the very beginning of the book, but the story centers around the slayers more then the demons themselves.If you want old school, I loved the Mayfair Witches books by Anne Rice.
Any of Jim Butcher's Dresdan series and War of the Oaks by Emma Bull (faeries in this--no werewolves or vampires. Other authors do urban fantasy: Holly Black's YA series, Clive Barker (he does more than horror), Mercedes Lackey, Simon Green, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Mike Carey, Laura Anne Gilman, Neil Gaiman,and China Miéville. There's lots more, of clourse.
Here are a few more suggestions:(Superheroes with flaws in Las Vegas)
Zodiac Series by Vicki Pettersson:
The Scent of Shadows, The Taste of Night, The Touch of Twilight
(Doppelgängers)
The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
(Dragons)
Drákon Series by Shana Abé:
The Smoke Thief, The Dream Thief, Queen of Dragons
(Werewolves, Demons, Sensitives, Dragons)
World of the Lupi by Eileen Wilks:
Tempting Danger, Mortal Danger, Blood Lines, Night Season
I'm new to the group but I've read many of these authors. Love love love the whole Kim Harrison and Kelley Armstrong series, and they are fairly light on the vampires.Tate Hallaway has a series of 3 books about a Wiccan/Witch; again a few vampires but they're not the main characters: Tall, Dark and Dead; Dead Sexy; Romancing the Dead
I second the recommendations for Vicki Pettersson, Shirley Damsgaard and Lilith Saintcrow.I would also like to add a few authors, most of these are series and I'm just listing the first book.
Strictly Urban Fantasy:
Anton Strout - Dead to Me
Mark Del Franco - Unshapely Things
Toni Andrews - Beg For Mercy
Ilona Andrews - Magic Bites
Simon R. Green - Something From the Nightside
Simon R. Green - The Man with the Golden Torc
Carole Nelson Douglas - Dancing with Werewolves
T.A. Pratt - Blood Engines
L.A. Banks - Bad Blood (new series about werewolves)
John Levitt - Dog Days
Carrie Vaughn - Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Witches/Psychic Mystery:
Madelyn Alt - The Trouble with Magic
Victoria Laurie - Abby Cooper: Psychic Eye
Victoria Laurie - What's a Ghoul to do?
Wendy Roberts - The Remains of the Dead
Casey Daniels - Don of the Dead
Paranormal Romance:
Christine Warren - She's No Faerie Princess
Christine Feehan - Magic in the Wind (Drake Sisters Series)
Christine Feehan - Shadow Game (Game Series)
Terri Garey - Dead Girls are Easy
Rachel Vincent - Rogue
Caitlin Kittredge - Night Life
Laurell K. Hamilton - A Kiss of Shadows (closer to erotica than romance)
That's all I think of that already hasn't been listed.
I disagree with the comment about Tate Hallway, while I enjoyed the books, the protagonist is dating a vampire.
Hi everybody, I'm pretty new to the Urban Fantasy group - actually, to the urban fantasy genre, and I'm really interested in reading fantasies that contain witches in contemporary settings. Can anyone recommmend some good writers either with series or standalones?Thanks,
Debra,Here are some suggestions to get you started!
See above for title of the first book in each series:
Madelyn Alt
Shirley Damsgaard
Tate Hallaway
John Levitt
Mark Del Franco (Druid magic worker)
Ilona Andrews
T.A. Pratt
Christine Feehan (Drake Sisters Series)
Try Witch Blood and Witch Fire by Anya Bast. They're pretty good!
Thanks to Liz and everyone else who's given me names to read. I've jotted them all down. This should be fun reading!
Also I just read Stray by Rachel Vincent. it's a great book about Were-cats.
Urban Shaman by C.E. Murphy, which is the first in a series called the Walker papers. No vamps (in the first, at least).Dead Girls are Easy (some light romance to it, but not heavy)-protag sees ghosts and the first of the series delves into voodoo.
I second the Christopher Moore recommendation...in fact, his vampire books are the only books of his that I do not like. Read Dirty Job and Practical Demonkeeping to start.
Moore's funniest is LAMB, but that the life story of Jesus, as told by Jesus' best friend, Biff, sooooo...not so Urban.
'Valiant' by Holly Black. In fact any book from that series, 'Tithe', 'Valiant' and 'Ironside.' Written for young adults, these books are now being republished for the adult market. They're urban fantasy dealing with faeries and using some of the most beautifully lyrical prose I've ever come across in the genre.
Devon Monk's Allie Beckstrom series is enjoyable. Allie is a Hound, who traces spells back to the person who cast them. In this world, using magic takes a physical toll (such as a headache or flulike symptoms for minor spells); for Allie, it may also take a bite out of her memories. In the first book, Magic to the Bone, Allie hounds a spell that threatens a little boy's life, and the magical signature indicates it was cast by her estranged father, a wealthy businessman. I was lucky enough to snag an ARC of the sequel, Magic in the Blood, and I enjoyed that one, too. That one's due out in May, I think.
Nancy Holzner
Re msg 16...Actually, Laurell K. Hamilton writes urban fantasy. Paranormal romance requires a monogamous couple by the end of each and every book in the series. If relationships ebb and flow, no matter how high the romantic content, the books are not true romance.
I went to Waldenbooks over the weekend and they had LKH under Sci-Fi... along with Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison.
I just finished Tinker and Wolf Who Rules by Wen Spencer and I was incredibly impressed - they were FANTASTIC! I got so into them that I'm in withdrawl now, and terribly sad that it's only two books for the whole story arc. The names sound a little silly, but the writing is great. It's a blend of urban fantasy, sci fi, traditional fantasy, and paranormal romance - amazingly well done. I recommend this author strongly.
ok, I KNOW you asked for non-vampire, but still. . . Tanya Huff has 2 UF series out that are good. The Vickie Nelson series, and then the Tony spin offs.There IS a vamp in both series--Henry the VIII's son, Henry Fitzroy. He's VERY prevalent in the Vickie books, not so much so in the Tony ones. For anyone who thinks this sounds vaguely familiar--there WAS a TV series out for 1 whole season based on the Vickie Nelson books.
Also the Southern Vampire series. Totally IGNORE the HBO crap that they put out as "True Blood" it bares only a passing resemblence to the series. (Charlaine Harris is the author.)
re message 16 and 26--LKH is DEFINATELY erotica. Should not be sold to anyone under the age of 18. The first 7 or 8 of the Anita Blake books are fairly "low key" on the sex--after that, well . . .
And re message 27--where the books are put seems to be a matter of the particular bookstore. I've been in Borders where they had Briggs under--Fantasy, Sci-fi, Romance. Just seemed to be determined by what the store manager felt.
Another good author is Mercedes Lackey. She has several series. Diana Tregarth, Valdemar, Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms (more fantasy than UF) Fae. . .
Another one to consider would be Maria V.Synder- Poison Study, Magic Study and Fire Study. These have nothing to do with vampires, werewolves or any of the norm. CE Murphy, Rachel Vincent, Victoria Lauria, Vicki Pettersson, Lilith Saintcrow, Karen Chance- those are all good too... they've been mentioned
If you like werewolves than I'd suggest Carrie Vaughn's Kitty series.If you like The Dresden Files, I'd recommend Simon R. Green's Nightside series and Kat Richardson's Greywalker series. They both have that same noir feeling. Vampires exist in both Richardson and Vaughn's world, but they're not a focus (more present with Vaughn than Richardson).
I'm also a fan of Rob Thurman's series but be warned that the first book in the series is definitely a first novel with the attendant writing problems (so bad it's good) but it does improve as the series continues. Again, vampires are present but not a focus.
Justin Gustainis is another author I'd recommend, his series starts with Black Magic Woman and features a pair of mature protagonists.
Vicki Petterson is good, although slightly outside the urban fantasy genre as I conceive of it (particularly because the regular supernatural creatures aren't a factor).
Ilona Andrews Magic Bites series may appeal.
Mark Del Franco's Conner Grey novels deal more with the fey than vampires or werewolves (I'm not sure they even exist in his universe).
I'd also recommend Majorie M. Liu's Iron Hunt.
Everyone has already mentioned most of the series I was thinking about. I can only think of one other that I haven't seen listed. Thomas Sniegoski has a series, there are only 2 so far plus a short story in MEAN STREETS (it's what got me interested in the books!), that's about Remy Chandler. He's an angel who denied Heaven after the Angel Wars that sent Lucifer to Hell to live among humans on Earth. He is a P.I. in Boston. Demons, angels, seraphim, hellhounds, Hell's gatekeepers, lots of stuff! The first is A KISS BEFORE THE APOCALYPSE and it was very good. The second is DANCING ON THE HEAD OF A PIN, which just came out last this mont and was also quite good.
If you like mythology and legend in a present-day setting, Christopher Golden has a trilogy called The Veil. It starts with The Myth Hunters and includes beings like Jack Frost, tricksters like Coyote and Kitsune, harvest gods, the Sandman, and many more. In it, each culture's version of a particular myth has its own manifestation (as opposed to one being having many names). A seemingly ordinary man gets pulled into the war in the land of legends, a place that exists just next to our world, behind a veil of magic. Very interesting and well-written.
Michelle M. wrote: "If you like mythology and legend in a present-day setting, Christopher Golden has a trilogy called The Veil. It starts with The Myth Hunters and includes beings like Jack Frost, tricksters like Coy..."You know, I really loved the first one but I wad disappointed with the second two. Especially since there's a part where the villain literally does a "well, I might as well tell you my evil plot since I'm going to kill you anyway."
Lol, Schnaucl.Yes, there is some of that, and I thought the end was a tad anticlimactic, but on the whole I loved all of the characters and how he wove in so many different legends. At the end of it all, I still thought it was unique.
I would add in a UF werewolf one with some good humour-Howling at the Moon and On the Prowl by Karen MacInerney
A favorite of mine without the vampires that hasn't been mentioned is Amazon Inkby Lori Devoti. It's about the kind of Amazons described in Greek myth in the contemporary world.
Simon Green's Daemons Are Forever is a great series. Very enjoyable and action-packed with a vague James Bondian flavor to them. I had a blast tearing through it.-Jon
Stuff I've written available on the Kindle: http://amzn.to/d0bpIR
Shomeret wrote: "A favorite of mine without the vampires that hasn't been mentioned is Amazon Inkby Lori Devoti. It's about the kind of Amazons described in Greek myth in the contemporary world."I like that one too. Did you know she has another one out in that series? It is Amazon Queen.
Yes, I know about Amazon Queen, Darcy. I've been working hard in my grad school courses and haven't had a chance to go book shopping. But it is on my list.
Hi everyone:If you want to try something very different in urban fantasy, please check out my novel Airship Eagle. More info is available at AirshipEagle.com
Airship Eagle
The Good Fairies of New Yorkby Martin Millar
is a vampire-free zone with fairies. It's fun! There are couples getting together, but none across species, these fairies are Tinker Belle size, and no capital R Romance.(And the edition I read has a much better cover than this one, for those who care about such things.)
Urban Fantasy
Books mentioned in this topic
The Good Fairies of New York (other topics)The Good Fairies of New York (other topics)
Airship Eagle (other topics)
Amazon Queen (other topics)
Amazon Ink (other topics)
More...
What are some other good urban fantasy books that don't have vampires as the main focus?