11 urban fantasies.
Feb. 18th, 2011 07:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seanan_mcguireWe are now eleven days from the release of Late Eclipses [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy]. I like to read almost as much as I like to write, and I like to read urban fantasy. So here are eleven urban fantasies you should check out.
11. Dead to Me, Anton Strout. The first of the Simon Canderous adventures, Dead to Me is sort of like a big transcription of the most awesome Bureau 13 book you never got to play in. Simon has actually met Toby in comic strip form, which tells you just how cool I think he is. The fourth (and currently final) book in the series, Dead Waters, comes out real soon now, so this is your chance to catch up!
10. Spellbent, Lucy Snyder. Jessie Shimmer is to most of the lipsticked, high-heeled girls of urban fantasy as Bruce Campbell's Ash is to the movie star leading men of most horror movies. She laughs in their faces, and then she blows the living shit out of something, just to show how awesome she is. I could not love this book (and series) more if it came to my house and baked me cookies.
9. Death Most Definite, Trent Jamieson. I sometimes feel like way too much urban fantasy is set in the United States, when there's this whole huge amazing world out there in need of some shit randomly exploding. Trent Jamieson's Death Works series addresses this gaping hole in my life with style, elan, and yes, massive property damage, which is something I like in a good Australia urban fantasy.
8. Spiral Hunt, Margaret Roland. The Evie Scelan books use aspects of deep Celtic mythology that just blow me away, because they're the sort of thing that shows loving, passionate research. The fact that they are combined with a loving, passionate story about the world's most paranormally gifted bike messenger (who is a total bad-ass) is basically just icing on the cake. The cake of awesome.
7. Staked, J.F. Lewis. Maybe I'm pushing the definition of "urban fantasy" a little by including this hard-rock vampires and demons and extensive property damage oh my delight, but I really don't care. My post, my genre, my rules...and my stars, do I love this book. It's fun, it's frantic, and it's a whole new take on vampires. Including a main character who regularly bursts into flames.
6. Carousel Tides, Sharon Lee. This isn't urban fantasy in the "bright lights, big city" sense. It's urban fantasy in the "magic leaking in around the edges of the world, all the things you never noticed, but somehow always knew had to be there" sense, and it's brilliant. It's a sweet, brilliant book, and the fact that the scope of the setting is small makes the story that much bigger.
5. Night Shift, Lilith Saintcrow. I liked Dante Valentine; I love Jill Kismet. But more, I love where this series goes. Seriously, even if the first two books were shit (which they're not; they're good, and get better with each volume), it would be worth reading just to get to book five, which contains some of the bravest, ballsiest writing I have seen in this genre. Seriously awesome.
4. Summon the Keeper, Tanya Huff. Out of everything Tanya has written, I think I love the Keeper books the very best of all. I went through three copies of this book before I stopped reading them to death, and I only stopped because I developed a large enough "to be read" shelf that I don't have time for that sort of literary abuse anymore. This series remains fascinating and unique.
3. War for the Oaks, Emma Bull. This was one of the foundational works of modern urban fantasy. Without Eddy and the Fae, your bookshelf might look very different. I know mine would. If you haven't read War for the Oaks, and you like urban fantasy, you really should, if only so you can see where some of our modern tropes and traditions came from. Also, the book kicks ass.
2. Bitten, Kelley Armstrong. This is not my favorite volume in Kelley's Women of the Otherworld series, but it's the first, and it's brilliant in its own right. Plus, if you like it, you've just unlocked a multi-volume series that persists in getting better and better with every page she writes. I am in awe of this world.
1. Welcome to Bordertown, edited by Holly Black and Ellen Kushner. You can't read this yet. It's not out yet. But just you wait; it'll blow you away.
11. Dead to Me, Anton Strout. The first of the Simon Canderous adventures, Dead to Me is sort of like a big transcription of the most awesome Bureau 13 book you never got to play in. Simon has actually met Toby in comic strip form, which tells you just how cool I think he is. The fourth (and currently final) book in the series, Dead Waters, comes out real soon now, so this is your chance to catch up!
10. Spellbent, Lucy Snyder. Jessie Shimmer is to most of the lipsticked, high-heeled girls of urban fantasy as Bruce Campbell's Ash is to the movie star leading men of most horror movies. She laughs in their faces, and then she blows the living shit out of something, just to show how awesome she is. I could not love this book (and series) more if it came to my house and baked me cookies.
9. Death Most Definite, Trent Jamieson. I sometimes feel like way too much urban fantasy is set in the United States, when there's this whole huge amazing world out there in need of some shit randomly exploding. Trent Jamieson's Death Works series addresses this gaping hole in my life with style, elan, and yes, massive property damage, which is something I like in a good Australia urban fantasy.
8. Spiral Hunt, Margaret Roland. The Evie Scelan books use aspects of deep Celtic mythology that just blow me away, because they're the sort of thing that shows loving, passionate research. The fact that they are combined with a loving, passionate story about the world's most paranormally gifted bike messenger (who is a total bad-ass) is basically just icing on the cake. The cake of awesome.
7. Staked, J.F. Lewis. Maybe I'm pushing the definition of "urban fantasy" a little by including this hard-rock vampires and demons and extensive property damage oh my delight, but I really don't care. My post, my genre, my rules...and my stars, do I love this book. It's fun, it's frantic, and it's a whole new take on vampires. Including a main character who regularly bursts into flames.
6. Carousel Tides, Sharon Lee. This isn't urban fantasy in the "bright lights, big city" sense. It's urban fantasy in the "magic leaking in around the edges of the world, all the things you never noticed, but somehow always knew had to be there" sense, and it's brilliant. It's a sweet, brilliant book, and the fact that the scope of the setting is small makes the story that much bigger.
5. Night Shift, Lilith Saintcrow. I liked Dante Valentine; I love Jill Kismet. But more, I love where this series goes. Seriously, even if the first two books were shit (which they're not; they're good, and get better with each volume), it would be worth reading just to get to book five, which contains some of the bravest, ballsiest writing I have seen in this genre. Seriously awesome.
4. Summon the Keeper, Tanya Huff. Out of everything Tanya has written, I think I love the Keeper books the very best of all. I went through three copies of this book before I stopped reading them to death, and I only stopped because I developed a large enough "to be read" shelf that I don't have time for that sort of literary abuse anymore. This series remains fascinating and unique.
3. War for the Oaks, Emma Bull. This was one of the foundational works of modern urban fantasy. Without Eddy and the Fae, your bookshelf might look very different. I know mine would. If you haven't read War for the Oaks, and you like urban fantasy, you really should, if only so you can see where some of our modern tropes and traditions came from. Also, the book kicks ass.
2. Bitten, Kelley Armstrong. This is not my favorite volume in Kelley's Women of the Otherworld series, but it's the first, and it's brilliant in its own right. Plus, if you like it, you've just unlocked a multi-volume series that persists in getting better and better with every page she writes. I am in awe of this world.
1. Welcome to Bordertown, edited by Holly Black and Ellen Kushner. You can't read this yet. It's not out yet. But just you wait; it'll blow you away.
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Date: 2011-02-18 03:59 pm (UTC)The Simon Canderous books keep getting better, so I'm sticking with him for a while longer. Besides anyone who fights magic bookshelves is an automatic winner.
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Date: 2011-02-18 04:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-18 04:08 pm (UTC)Going back a long time, and stretching the definition of 'urban' (because they're in the Outback), have you read Patricia Wrightson's series set in Australia and using native mythology, starting with "The Ice is Coming"? She wrote several non-series books also set around native Australian magic as well.
#1 gets you a "you bastard" *g*. I've ordered it, due out in May according to Amazon UK...
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Date: 2011-02-18 04:19 pm (UTC)Welcome to Bordertown is brilliant. You'll be pleased.
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Date: 2011-02-18 04:14 pm (UTC)*contemporary/modern/published-in-the-last-20-years... Just in case there's a "contemporary fiction" genre I don't know about.
I'm going to bookmark this page too, for when I have time to add books to my tbr pile. Thanks for the rec's!
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Date: 2011-02-18 04:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2011-02-18 05:17 pm (UTC)I just added a good chunk of these. Because I absolutely needed MORE on my list of 370 books I plan on reading in this lifetime.
Ah, well. It'll get me through until One Salt Sea.
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Date: 2011-02-18 05:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-18 05:29 pm (UTC)You seriously and utterly rock. I was just thinking that my kindle was lonely without any new books, and nothing was due to come out until March...
I cannot wait for the Bordertown book. I own two copies of one of the bordertown books because I deluded myself into thinking a new cover was a new book... that's how much I wanted there to be one.
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Date: 2011-02-18 06:06 pm (UTC)The Good News: I have 11 new books to read. \ o /
Thanks. = D
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Date: 2011-02-18 06:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2011-02-18 06:22 pm (UTC)Since you enjoyed Summon the Keeper, have you read her Enchantment Emporium, yet?
War for the Oaks is a yearly read for me - there is something incredibly delightful about reading urban fantasy set in a familiar place.
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Date: 2011-02-18 06:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-18 06:27 pm (UTC)Amazing--I've never heard of any of those. In fact, I'm only familiar with two of the writers' names. But that won't bee the case for much longer. Well, not tooooo much longer...I'm still picking out selections from that "100 books that rocked my world" list you posted several months back.
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Date: 2011-02-18 06:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2011-02-18 06:31 pm (UTC)The bibliophile in me thanks you, though. *runs off to gleefully read new books*
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Date: 2011-02-18 06:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2011-02-18 06:47 pm (UTC)I agree, although I've read "Sing the Four Quarters" more times. I just found my copy of Summon the Keeper so I'll be rereading it again soon.
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Date: 2011-02-18 07:04 pm (UTC)Spellbent and its' sequel
Spiral Hunt and its' sequel
Carousel Tides (I read everything and anything by Lee & Miller)
Summon the Keeper (Ditto for Huff)
War for the Oaks (Again a ditto---I'm still looking for a Brownie to rescue.)
Bitten (all of Armstrong's books)
And Late Eclipses will arrive at my house late Monday (2/21) afternoon.
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Date: 2011-02-18 07:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2011-02-18 10:36 pm (UTC)Woot for War for the Oaks and Bitten!
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Date: 2011-02-19 04:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-18 10:56 pm (UTC)Book recs are awesome things.
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Date: 2011-02-18 11:03 pm (UTC)i love jeremy! in fact, i'm sitting here in my welcome to the void t-shirt right now!
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Date: 2011-02-19 04:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-18 11:12 pm (UTC)Can I quote you on that? :)
Seriously, thanks for the props, and I'm really glad you're enjoying the series.
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Date: 2011-02-19 04:15 am (UTC)