Whilst investigating this relatively new and exceedingly broad sub-group of the fantasy genre, I was surprised by just how many novels I’ve unwittingly enjoyed from this category.

good-omens

When pitching to publishers for the first time last year, I found classifying my manuscript into one specific genre a slippery task indeed. In the end, I decided to visit a few Sydney booksellers and ask them which shelf they’d put my novel on. Urban fantasy was the firm and unanimous reply.

the-lightning-thief

Defining urban fantasy

There seems to be a fair bit of debate online but I’m going with:

Urban – whether it takes place in the past, present or the future, the primary narrative must involve a city (real or imagined).

Fantasy – the novel contains fantastical elements, including but not limited to the supernatural, mythological, paranormal, technological or extraterrestrial.

Buffy, Witchblade, Supernatural, True Blood and Jessica Jones fans should feel right at home in this space. I certainly do.

Here are some of my favourites. You can also find more extensive lists and ‘best of’ urban fantasy books through Goodreads, Wikipedia, Harper Collins Voyager and Amazon.

Happy reading!

rivers-of-london

Adult urban fantasy

Young adult urban fantasy