I'm a big fan of Urban Fantasy, I can connect and enjoy it in a way I kind of never could with "classic" high fantasy.
Unfortunately, a big chunk of the genre has been coopted by a young-adult bent aimed specifically at teenage female readers, a-la Twilight. It's not necessarily bad of course, teenage females deserve reading/watching material too. In fact I did enjoy some stuff that are aimed at that demographic myself, on occasion, and sometimes it's high quality stuff and has its own merit. The problem is that so much of the genre is aimed at that demographic that it's overwhelming and hard to find anything more to my tastes. I think most males and older adults experienced this when looking for quality urban fantasy.
Even ignoring the demographic issue, a lot of UF is just plain crap, like Sturgeon's Law on steroids.
So I want this thread dedicated to recommending and discussing good and enjoyable UF (of course "good and enjoyable" is subjective and will vary from person to person. That is very much fine).
I'll start us off with a few recommendations:
Games
1) Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines.
This old PC game is what brought me initially into the genre. Really really cool first/third person RPG game, you play as a vampire and there's a lot of character customization, a lot of lore from the World of Darkness tabletop RPG game it's based on, a compelling plot and characters you grow to love and despise.
It's probably in my top 3 favorite games of all time, a huge recommendation from me.
2) Magical Diary.
This is one of those games that is aimed at teenage girls, but I don't care, I love it. It's a visual novel with simple graphics and little animation, yet it draws you in both with the setting and the mechanics.
The setting is the old Harry Potter twist with a "magical school" (which I really like, but find disappointing and somehow lackluster in Harry Potter itself), where you play a newly admitted girl who has to go to classes, learn magic, pass awesome creative tests using the spells you learned.
Seriously, the test mechanic is amazing, it's essentially an escape room with multiple creative paths to get out with the spell arsenal you amassed. And the spells you have depend on what classes you decide to attend in between the tests.
There's also a vague plot going on (although it's not very strong), and you meet a lot of interesting characters and learn a lot of original lore about the world as you progress through the game.
There are also multiple romance options, if that's your thing (no 18+ stuff though).
Truly, this is a hidden gem that I recommend to anyone despite the "Twilight/Harry Potter crossover vibes" it might give off.
Books
1) Dresden Files (Jim Butcher)
I don't believe it's necessary to add much more. This famous UF series (currently 15 novels and 2 anthologies and still going) is the king of book UF bar none. It's the bar by which all UF is measured by, and an absolute must read for anyone interested in the genre.
2) Alex Verus (Benedict Jacka)
A UF series by Benedict Jacka, recommended by Jim Butcher himself, the writer of the Dresden Files.
Follows a mage with the ability to see the future as he's trying to survive the intrigues of the ruthless mage society. Not as good as the Dresden Files, but I recommend it nonetheless.
3) The Magicians trilogy (Lev Grossman)
Very good read, not for the faint of heart as characters can die here, or get addicted to drugs, or get raped etc. It's a dark series that takes common Harry Potter and Narnia tropes and twist them into unforgiving hyperrealism (that, surprisingly enough, isn't always as grimdark as I made it sound). Very recommended for people who are not squeamish (and who can stand the sometimes idiotic main character).
4) Amber Chronicles (Roger Zelazny)
It's not exactly urban fantasy, it's more like epic fantasy with interdimensional travel to modern Earth at some points, but I'm still including it. The first 5 books are awesome, while the second series, also 5 books, is considerably worse off (I never finished it).
I hugely recommend this series, just pick up the first book, Nine Princes in Amber, it's amazing.
TV Series
1) True Blood.
It's generally pretty decent up to about season 4-ish, where it takes a nosedive. There are a lot of supernatural stuff going on and it can be quite brutal and bloody, but copious romance elements are also present. Some characters are insufferable jerks, so beware. Overall, a mild recommendation, check out at least 4-5 episodes to see if it grows on you.
2) Blade.
Yep, surprise! Blade had a TV series in... 2006 I think. And it was much better IMO than what IMDB will have you believe.
Unfortunately it got cancelled mid-season, so there's that.
-----------
I believe that's enough for now. I hope you guys share some more awesome urban fantasy stuff with us all!
Unfortunately, a big chunk of the genre has been coopted by a young-adult bent aimed specifically at teenage female readers, a-la Twilight. It's not necessarily bad of course, teenage females deserve reading/watching material too. In fact I did enjoy some stuff that are aimed at that demographic myself, on occasion, and sometimes it's high quality stuff and has its own merit. The problem is that so much of the genre is aimed at that demographic that it's overwhelming and hard to find anything more to my tastes. I think most males and older adults experienced this when looking for quality urban fantasy.
Even ignoring the demographic issue, a lot of UF is just plain crap, like Sturgeon's Law on steroids.
So I want this thread dedicated to recommending and discussing good and enjoyable UF (of course "good and enjoyable" is subjective and will vary from person to person. That is very much fine).
I'll start us off with a few recommendations:
Games
1) Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines.
This old PC game is what brought me initially into the genre. Really really cool first/third person RPG game, you play as a vampire and there's a lot of character customization, a lot of lore from the World of Darkness tabletop RPG game it's based on, a compelling plot and characters you grow to love and despise.
It's probably in my top 3 favorite games of all time, a huge recommendation from me.
2) Magical Diary.
This is one of those games that is aimed at teenage girls, but I don't care, I love it. It's a visual novel with simple graphics and little animation, yet it draws you in both with the setting and the mechanics.
The setting is the old Harry Potter twist with a "magical school" (which I really like, but find disappointing and somehow lackluster in Harry Potter itself), where you play a newly admitted girl who has to go to classes, learn magic, pass awesome creative tests using the spells you learned.
Seriously, the test mechanic is amazing, it's essentially an escape room with multiple creative paths to get out with the spell arsenal you amassed. And the spells you have depend on what classes you decide to attend in between the tests.
There's also a vague plot going on (although it's not very strong), and you meet a lot of interesting characters and learn a lot of original lore about the world as you progress through the game.
There are also multiple romance options, if that's your thing (no 18+ stuff though).
Truly, this is a hidden gem that I recommend to anyone despite the "Twilight/Harry Potter crossover vibes" it might give off.
Books
1) Dresden Files (Jim Butcher)
I don't believe it's necessary to add much more. This famous UF series (currently 15 novels and 2 anthologies and still going) is the king of book UF bar none. It's the bar by which all UF is measured by, and an absolute must read for anyone interested in the genre.
2) Alex Verus (Benedict Jacka)
A UF series by Benedict Jacka, recommended by Jim Butcher himself, the writer of the Dresden Files.
Follows a mage with the ability to see the future as he's trying to survive the intrigues of the ruthless mage society. Not as good as the Dresden Files, but I recommend it nonetheless.
3) The Magicians trilogy (Lev Grossman)
Very good read, not for the faint of heart as characters can die here, or get addicted to drugs, or get raped etc. It's a dark series that takes common Harry Potter and Narnia tropes and twist them into unforgiving hyperrealism (that, surprisingly enough, isn't always as grimdark as I made it sound). Very recommended for people who are not squeamish (and who can stand the sometimes idiotic main character).
4) Amber Chronicles (Roger Zelazny)
It's not exactly urban fantasy, it's more like epic fantasy with interdimensional travel to modern Earth at some points, but I'm still including it. The first 5 books are awesome, while the second series, also 5 books, is considerably worse off (I never finished it).
I hugely recommend this series, just pick up the first book, Nine Princes in Amber, it's amazing.
TV Series
1) True Blood.
It's generally pretty decent up to about season 4-ish, where it takes a nosedive. There are a lot of supernatural stuff going on and it can be quite brutal and bloody, but copious romance elements are also present. Some characters are insufferable jerks, so beware. Overall, a mild recommendation, check out at least 4-5 episodes to see if it grows on you.
2) Blade.
Yep, surprise! Blade had a TV series in... 2006 I think. And it was much better IMO than what IMDB will have you believe.
Unfortunately it got cancelled mid-season, so there's that.
-----------
I believe that's enough for now. I hope you guys share some more awesome urban fantasy stuff with us all!
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