It’s a strange thing to realize that your own reading habits are lacking in one area or another. There’s been a lot of talk about Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance lately. And by lately, I probably mean over the last five years. It’s a hot genre (or genres, depending on how you view them–and I’m not here to get into that discussion…yet) and one that, I’m told, is filled with some pretty talented writers.
But do you see what I just typed there: “[...] one that, I’m told, is filled with some pretty talented writers?” This is where I have to admit a pretty embarrassing reading deficit. I haven’t read that many female authors. Why? I don’t know. And the Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance market, while not exclusively written by women, is pretty firmly dominated by them. So, as a result of my own reading bias (ohhhh…I don’t like having had to have typed that word), I haven’t read much in this genre.
And I’m starting to think that is doing a disservice to myself. So, operating under the “you’ll never know unless you try” principal, I’ve decided to offer myself up to the genre and read through it this year. It’s a resolution of sorts, and I’m choosing a public sphere (Hiya, Suvudu!) to make sure this resolution sticks.
Hello, my name is Kyle and I’m going to be an Urban Fantasy reader. But I need your help. I’ve come up with a list of books that I thought would be a good starting point from which to dive in and I’d like you to pick one for me. Here’s how I figure it’ll work: Every month I’ll offer you a list of books from which you can pick my next read. Then I’ll chronicle my way through the book, the genre, and everything else in a weekly update here on Suvudu. The books that are not selected each month will just go back into the pot and are eligible for selection later on (so don’t worry if you’re favorite isn’t the winner this time around, you can get it in my hands later).
Sound good? I have to admit, I’m kinda excited about this endeavor. Branching out as a reader has always brought me face-to-face with really cool books in the past and introduced me to countless new authors to follow, so I’m probably in for similar. Maybe. But there’s no way to know unless I read.
Finally, I would encourage you to read along with me. I’m not calling this a book club or read along as I don’t want to saddle you with that kind of commitment, but it’d be fun to have you all out there to chat with as the books move along. Just a thought…
Ready to decide what I should read? Check out the contenders below and then place your vote (you only have until noon tomorrow, Jan. 13). Oh, also, if you can think up a cool name for this adventure (of posts), I’m open to ideas; leave them in the comments after the post.
And the list of candidates are…
Spellbent by Lucy A. Snyder
What it’s about: In the heart of Ohio, Jessie Shimmer is caught up in hot, magic-drenched passion with her roguish lover, Cooper Marron, who is teaching her how to tap her supernatural powers. When they try to break a drought by calling down a rainstorm, a hellish portal opens and Cooper is ripped from this world, leaving Jessie fighting for her life against a vicious demon that’s been unleashed.
In the aftermath, Jessie, who knows so little about her own true nature, is branded an outlaw. She must survive by her wits and with the help of her familiar, a ferret named Palimpsest. Stalked by malevolent enemies, Jessie is determined to find out what happened to Cooper. But when she moves heaven and earth to find her man, she’ll be shocked by what she discovers–and by what she must ultimately do to save them all.
Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland
What it’s about: Cop and conjurer of demons, she’s a woman in danger of losing control–to a power that could kill….
Why me? Why now? That’s what Beaulac, Louisiana, detective Kara Gillian was asking herself when an angelic creature named Rhyzkahl unexpectedly appeared during a routine summoning. Kara was hoping to use her occult skills to catch a serial killer, but never had she conjured anything like this unearthly beautiful and unspeakably powerful being whose very touch set off exquisite new dimensions of pleasure. But can she enlist his aid in helping her stop a killer who’s already claimed the lives–and souls–of thirteen people? And should she? The Symbol Man is a nightmare that the city thought had ended three years ago. Now he’s back for an encore and leaving every indication on the flesh of his victims that he, too, is well versed in demonic lore.
Kara may be the only cop on Beaulac’s small force able to stop the killer, but it is her first homicide case. Yet with Rhyzkahl haunting her dreams, and a handsome yet disapproving FBI agent dogging her waking footsteps, she may be in way over her head…
Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding
What it’s about: They’ll never see her coming. . . .
When Evangeline Stone wakes up naked and bruised on a cold slab at the morgue–in a stranger’s body, with no memory of who she is and how she got there–her troubles are only just beginning. Before that night she and the two other members of her Triad were the city’s star bounty hunters, mercilessly cleansing the city of the murderous creatures living in the shadows, from vampires to shape-shifters to trolls. Then something terrible happened that not only cost all three of them their lives but also convinced the city’s other Hunters that Evy was a traitor–and she can’t even remember what it was.
Now she’s a fugitive, piecing together her memory, trying to deal some serious justice–and discovering that she has only three days to solve her own murder before the reincarnation spell wears off. Because in three days Evy will die again–but this time there’s no second chance. . . .
The Better to Hold You by Alisa Sheckley
What it’s about: “The sort of book that makes you want to invest in silver bullets before meeting the author.” –Neil Gaiman
SHE KNOWS WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE.
Manhattan veterinarian Abra Barrow has more sense about animals than she has about men. So when her adored journalist husband returns from a research trip to Romania and starts pacing their apartment like a caged wolf, Abra agrees to move with him to a rural mansion upstate in order to save her marriage.
But while there are perks to her new life, particularly in the bedroom, Abra soon discovers that nothing in the bucolic town of Northside is what it seems. The local tavern serves a dangerous, predatory underworld. Her husband has developed feral new appetites and a roving eye, and his lack of humanity isn’t entirely emotional. As the moon waxes full, Abra must choose between trusting the man she married, taking a chance on a seductive stranger, or following her own animal instincts.
You always remember your first: which Urban Fantasy novel should I read?(survey)
Hi Kyle
besides these wonderful UF books you might also want to check out Armageddon Bound by T. Marquitz.
For mor infor about it check this http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25347
I’m currently reading it & its definitely smashing so far!
Bastard
A couple of others that are excellent reads and not on this list are…
Red Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells
Personal Demons by Stacia Kane
Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler
There are more, but those are on the top of my head. Although I have to admit that Mark of the Demon is the only one of the above listed books I have read yet. #1 and #3 are “in the TBR pile” though.
Jim Butcher’s DRESDEN FILES series is amazing. The main character is a private detective AND a wizard.
I also like Cassie Clare’s MORTAL INSTRUMENTS series and Rachel Vincent’s new SOUL SCREAMERS books–but, both of these are Young Adult Urban Fantasy, so they may not be exactly what you’re looking for.
I for one, say go with Zombie Joe’s recommendations, I sampled a couple of the above (on Kindle) except Spellbent and wasn’t interested enough to buy, however all of Zombie Joes recommends are excellent respresentations of (pure) Urban Fantasy rather than PR. They also are on a lot of Best of 2009 lists
Ditto on Zombie Joe’s recs. You might also want to try Liz Williams’ Detective Inspector Chin series (the first is Snake Agent).
My first UF was Bitten by Kelley Armstrong. Awesome. (and a fellow Canadian!)
You will NOT be disappointed if you read Diana Rowland’s Mark of the Demon. I promise. (read it or she may send demons after you…)
These are some good ones, mostly debuts though. And there are some great men writing in the genre as well (Jim Butcher, Mark Henry, Marc Del Franco, Anton Strout just to name a few) but I’ll be interested to see what you think of your foray into female written UF.
Good luck. Thems fun waters.
~Jana
Wow! Great recommendations everyone! I’ll add them to the list of titles for the next go round! In the meantime, we’ve got a dead heat running at the moment.
What fun! I voted – great choices here! I’d echo a lot of the recs above. Esp Bitten, which was also my gateway drug to UF, and I often suggest friends start there.
Seconding the Liz Williams–entirely different from everything else in the genre.
Also, kind of more on the hardcore side: the Joe Pitt, Vampire novels by Charlie Huston.
And Tanya Huff’s original Blood Series featuring Vickie Nelson goes back to the beginning of the genre’s big push. They’re very good and not “girly” at all.
I also recommend the Marks: del Franco and Henry.
Maybe you could call this Urban (Fantasy) Exploration.
@Jana: You’re absolutely right! I did a little of that on purpose, I thought since I’m new to reading in the genre (or is it subgenre? I really don’t know) that I’d start out with others who were newly (or newer) published. I do have other books from established women in the field, like Kelley Armstrong, and I thought I’d jump into those waters after I had my feet wet.
As for male UF authors, I’ll gladly leave the door open, but will probably get to them later. I’m trying to broaden my reading horizons with this venture and explore something that I feel that I’ve overlooked and, as a result, am missing out on.
Thanks for the list and the encouragement! I am–no kidding here–excited to be doing this.
@Kat Richardson – Ohhh, thank you for the recs and a little history behind the titles. I’ll make sure to add them to my list of titles to explore (may have to see about getting more than 1/month in at this rate).
Also, your title suggestion’s pretty cool. I can’t keep “Dr. Demonlove” because, well, because I’m worried it’s too cheesy to keep going under. Urban (Fantasy) Exploration is fun and gets down to business. Good one!
Since Kat Richardson was modest and didn’t mention her own works, I will recommend them – highly. If you haven’t already read it, Greywalker and the following books – Poltergeist, Underground and Vanished are all fabulous. I put Underground up as my “staff recommended” choice at Barnes and Noble and we have had to reorder it twice.
Ah ha! Well if Kat’s book Underground is your “staff recommendation” (and I’m a total sucker for those, by the way, in case you ever see me walk into your store) then I will follow that recommendation and I’ll make sure to include Underground by Kat Richardson in the future.
On a broader note – y’all are wonderful; keep it coming, we’re only just getting started here and you’re recommendations and advice are most appreciated!
My recs are Mark Henry (zombies!), Kim Harrison and Kelley Armstrong (for urban fantasy/paranormal romance)
I definitely recommend Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey, The Rachel Morgan/Hollows series by Kim Harrison, and The Zodiac Series by Vicki Petterson. All very good, nice way to get an introduction to the genre. But not filled with or revolving around romance so I think guys will really enjoy them too. All have some good humor in them too.
By the way, Kim Harrison is working on a graphic novel for the Hollows series, a prequel to the novels of how Rachel and Ivy met and started working together. I’m not sure when the first one will be released.
You should start a book club!
It would appear from your selections that you are going to read paranormal romance rather than urban fantasy. I am sorry about that. There is a reason that this is a female-dominated field, just as non-paranormal romance writers are almost (if not entirely) all female. Very few people feel that they are missing out because they do not read those books. Why not read the Joe Pitt novel given away In electronic form from this site? It has a romantic interest without the prurience of the paranormal romance heroines
Amemortis: you make the mistake of judging these books by their covers and cover copy, which in most cases the authors had nothing to do with. Why not read the actual books in order to decide if they’re worthwhile?
Of the list of candidates Kyle puts forth, I am only familiar with Spellbent, and I quite enjoyed it. Last I checked, I’m not a woman, and the book isn’t paranormal romance.
How about some *classic* UF? Charles de Lint’s books. Megan Lindholm’s Wizard of Pigeons.
Or more recently there are books like Tanya Huff’s The Enchantment Emporium.
Just don’t limit yourself to the one *section* of Urban Fantasy that trends towards the Paranormal Romance. That’s what all four of your books fall into. The ass-kicking cop/PI/whatever woman with a mystic past and an enemy that turns out to be her OTL.
(And if you really want the kick-ass female blah blah blah, try Tim Pratt’s series, starting with Blood Engines. Kick-ass, amoral female with no romance! Or CE Murphy’s series starting with Urban Shaman)
(Can you tell that I’m really tired of the current fad, with their interchangeable covers and heroines and plots? My eyes just slip past them, they look so cookie-cutter)
Hi Everyone!
Wow, first I should say thanks for even more recommendations. Feel free to keep them coming, I’ll be taking note of them all and working them into my reading list.
I’m worried that maybe I didn’t quite explain my idea enough in the post. I’m going to be exploring both Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. I know that the title of this post only talks about UF (an editorial decision I made because calling out both categories in the title would have made for a really long title), so please don’t feel that I’m going to exclude one for the other. I’m planning on carrying this through all year long and will be reading and listening my way through as many of these books as I can.
Also, I’m not going to read only women authors exclusively, but I probably will trend heavily to female authors. As I wrote, I’m pretty deficient in my previous reading habits when it comes to giving women authors a read and I’m hoping to correct that here (but not only here, I’m also here to tell you that I’m going to be more fair-minded in my reading habits outside of this adventure).
So don’t worry, no need to get too up-in-arms. I love the suggestions and if you would like to fill me (and everyone else reading) in on the history behind the titles, why you’re suggesting them, and so forth, I encourage you to have fun and share the wealth. But also, don’t worry, chances are I’ll be coming around to your favorites this year too.
Thanks again everyone! I haven’t even gotten my first reading “assignment” yet and it’s already been a blast; I love the passion everyone is bringing. Now I can’t wait to get reading!
After reading the comments here, I thought I’d add this link: http://www.abnersenires.com/songs/urban-fantasy.html. Funny song about the genre. I thought it fits.
I haven’t read these but I like a lot Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock series (skindeep, blood cross), D.D. Barant’s Dying bytes, Jes Battis’ OSI series (male writer, sorry *winking*
And in Paranormal romance I would recommend Sharon Ashwood, good books, quite a lot of UF and a solid love story.
And I agree with The Enchantment Emporium, too.
(Apologies for my English, I’m Spanish)
Dawn, that was a hoot! I’m going to have to run through the song a few more times if you want me to write down the authors mentioned (though I recognize most of them). I wonder if that will cause my co-workers to look at me funny…?
For women authors, I would suggest Patricia Briggs and CE Murphy. A good husband and wife writing team is Ilona Andrews. Male authors I recommed include Simon R Green and Mark DelFranco.
You are right, Joseph. I do judge books by their covers, as that gives me some notion as to whom the publishers consider the target audience. However, you are also right that it is improper for me to judge anything of which I am ignorant. I grabbed samples (voracious Kindle reader here) of everything but Spellbent, which I could not find in Kindle form. I also grabbed a good number of the reader recommendations, for which I am grateful. They will be checked out as I get the time.
Although her latest books have become somewhat of a slog the early (1-9) Anita Blake books are great and I’m surprised they’re not on your list. They’re along the “ass kicking female cop” line but really fun to read. They go pretty deep into some hard core (very hardcore) sex scenes but that doesn’t start to dominate the series (no pun intended) until book 12 or so. After Cerulean Sins, I think.
it would be interesting to get a male perspective of those. also – do you consider Charles DeLint urban fantasy? I would but he might be read by more of the traditional fantasy fans.