Urban fantasy, we are d-u-n

Urban fantasy, we are d-u-n

: sandramcdonald; April 13th, 2010

Dear Urban Fantasy,

Ladies, we're done. I've reached my fill of first person single heroines hanging out in quirky places, surrounded by offbeat friends, battling evil magic-users in a contemporary and (dare one say) urban setting. I'm tired of Handsome Mr. Right, who must be stronger and even more angsty than you so he's usually a vampire, werewolf, djinn, whatever. I'm tired of quips, pop culture references, fashionable clothes (or a deliberate disregard for fashion), kick-ass fight scenes and tattoos. Yes, I'm very sick of tattoos.

It's not you, it's me.

Okay, that's not true. It's totally you.

Is there anyone who's not sick of urban fantasy yet? Anyone? Bueller? Frye?

Love,
me

P.S. This note brought to you by Jennifer Estep's Spider's Bite, which is actually pretty good, and I liked a lot of it. But I'm done. D-u-n.

P.P.S. You've seen this, perhaps. It's great:

Tags: covers

37 comments — :

( 37 comments — Leave a comment )

j_cheney

2010-04-13 02:49 pm (UTC)

Oddly, I've never gotten into it. I liked the first 3 Anita BLake novels (but that was years ago) and I still enjoy Jim Butcher, but otherwise it doesn't do it for me.

Perhaps you're leading the curve.

sandramcdonald

2010-04-13 03:36 pm (UTC)

I love Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series, and I really liked Estep's Karma Girl.

j_cheney

2010-04-13 03:42 pm (UTC)

Now I will have to admit, I haven't yet read Rachel Caine's books. I bought the first book a couple of weeks ago, and my husband has read it (and says I can buy more if I want) but it will take me a while to get to it.

I've not tried Estep, either. I'm so far behind in reading fiction that it's embarrassing.

barbarienne

2010-04-13 03:43 pm (UTC)

I was tired of these a long time ago. (Though I am still enjoying Kim Harrison's books.) They've reached a fever pitch in the mainstream now, which I hope means it's about to flame out.

Obligatory note: I don't wish that authors' careers would flame out, just that this genre would stop monopolizing the publishing slots. There are too many published that are OBVIOUSLY just chasing the market. I'm confident that those authors could competently switch to a new hot genre.

Edited at 2010-04-13 03:43 pm (UTC)

sandramcdonald

2010-04-13 06:10 pm (UTC)

I agree: I want all good writers to keep earning money.

What is the hot new genre to be, hmmm?

barbarienne

2010-04-13 06:14 pm (UTC)

Steampunk. It's longstanding in SF/F, but just beginning its cross to the mainstream.

jerel

2010-04-14 12:02 am (UTC)

Even in the SF/F community, it seems to be growing. When I was at DragonCon 2 years ago, it was like everyone was steampunk.

pjthompson

2010-04-14 12:30 am (UTC)

Oh dear. I'm already tired of it.

sandramcdonald

2010-04-14 02:22 am (UTC)

Me too!

pjthompson

2010-04-14 06:11 pm (UTC)

I wish I'd discovered that before I wrote a steampunk novel.

apintrix

2010-04-13 04:03 pm (UTC)

I think I may have been done with Urban Fantasy before I read any of it...

Also, that video was hilarious. :)

sandramcdonald

2010-04-13 06:10 pm (UTC)

Yes, I love that video! Snarky and fun.

charmingbillie

2010-04-13 05:17 pm (UTC)

I keep hoping that urban fantasy will be what I want to read, which it isn't.

But it could be! If people would just write according to my tastes.

sandramcdonald

2010-04-13 06:11 pm (UTC)

We need more prairie fantasy!

And yes! Why don't people write just for meeeeeeeeeeeee?

burger_eater

2010-04-13 06:04 pm (UTC)

::sits in corner and cries::

::stops crying and goes out dancing instead::

sandramcdonald

2010-04-13 06:09 pm (UTC)

Do you have first person female narrator?

I think not!

Strangely enough, I'm still good with the guy narrators.

burger_eater

2010-04-13 06:15 pm (UTC)

Well, I wasn't really dancing, either.

I do have tattoos, though. :)

first-person narrators

jerel

2010-04-14 12:06 am (UTC)

I have only one story written in the first-person that I am actually happy with. And that narrator is nothing like me (different age group, different gender, different strengths and weaknesses.) I don't mind reading first person, but I find it tricky to write; maybe I couldn't shed my self-consciousness enough when writing female first person--that the only way I could do it was to be someone completely the opposite.

Re: first-person narrators

sandramcdonald

2010-04-14 02:22 am (UTC)

I hated first person POV for the longest time, but now I like it. And my story that was boing-boinged is in first person.

auriaephiala

2010-04-13 07:31 pm (UTC)

You have more patience than I do. There is the very occasional werewolf/vampire book that I enjoy, but none of them is of the pattern you mention. I reached my fill of standard urban fantasy almost as soon as it showed up.

I've found that even with authors I like I don't necessarily like their urban fantasy works. It's distressing.

sandramcdonald

2010-04-14 02:23 am (UTC)

I won't even pick up a vampire book.

amberite

2010-04-13 07:32 pm (UTC)

I just read Doctorow's "Someone Comes To Town, Someone Leaves Town" which is a marvelous antidote.

sandramcdonald

2010-04-14 02:23 am (UTC)

Thanks for the rec!

crookedfeet

2010-04-13 11:59 pm (UTC)

To an extent, I agree, but I still love Caitlin Kittredge and Carrie Vaughn.

sandramcdonald

2010-04-14 02:23 am (UTC)

I like Rachel Caine a lot.

pjthompson

2010-04-14 12:29 am (UTC)

I'm no longer acquiring new authors, but I am sticking with the ones I already love: Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, etc. But yeah. What you said.

sandramcdonald

2010-04-14 02:24 am (UTC)

Maybe they'll all go out of fashion and return 20 years from now, and I'll like them then. :-)

pjthompson

2010-04-14 06:12 pm (UTC)

And I do think third person makes a difference. But still, I'm no longer acquiring many of the third person urban fantasies, either.

(Deleted comment)

Re: boilerplate response

keristor

2010-08-18 05:31 pm (UTC)

I think you missed some placeholders:

I am tired of [GENRE] because [INSERT REASONS HERE], which is offensive to [INSERT WORLDVIEW HERE].

But not authors [INSERT AUTHORS HERE], because they're actually pretty good and I like their stuff.

So I am done with [GENRE]. But I still like [INSERT AUTHORS HERE].

Of course, if the variables in [INSERT AUTHORS HERE] are sufficiently distributed, [GENRE] is immortal.

(Anonymous)

2010-04-15 05:30 pm (UTC)

I'm actually NOT d-u-n with Urban fantasy, I still love it and am proud to admit it. I AM however,over certain writers that use the same plot base for every single novel they write. I am still in love with Kim Harrison. I've actually never read any contemporary steampunk, though I have a good time making and wearing the costumes (majored in costume design so there you have it). Next major 'genre' trend? haven't we seen it all?

-betty B
www.mamatoadstool.blogspot.com

sandramcdonald

2010-04-15 05:32 pm (UTC)

I think we have seen it all . . . but hope springs eternal :-)

here courtesy of Whatever

princekermit

2010-04-23 06:53 pm (UTC)

Never much got into the genre to begin with but, per the video, have definitely noticed the remarkably repetitive nature of the genre titles.

Edited at 2010-04-23 06:54 pm (UTC)

deire

2010-08-18 05:36 pm (UTC)

:shamefaced look: A whole generation of artists moving into digital discovered the warp tool. So, um, lots of tattoos and fabric designs because NEW TOY!

paradisacorbasi

2010-08-18 05:47 pm (UTC)

I don't care for the first person female narration, and the angsty boyfriend thing.

But a lot of urban fantasy is good because strong, badass, kickass female proteagonists is a good thing.

They just have to stop trying to attract the Harlequin Romance and "I'm only here for the T&A" crowd.

mutantenemy

2010-08-18 07:41 pm (UTC)

Ah, you see, I am not done. :) I love the paranormal / urban fantasy novels of Seanan McGuire, Patricia Briggs, and CE Murphy. They are three authors who know how to write interesting, well-paced, and smart stories.

My two pennies for what it's worth.

druidspell

2010-08-18 08:02 pm (UTC)

Agreed! Urban fantasy is a genre I've loved for years before it was mainstream, and is a genre I expect to be loving years into the next big things. And Seanan McGuire, Patricia Briggs, and CE Murphy are three of my favorite authors. There are definitely things I'm tired of reading about at the moment, but not anything that I'd like to turn my back on just yet. (I definitely appreciate how others would be sick and tired of it, though! I feel the same way about epic fantasy)

xjenavivex

2010-08-18 08:20 pm (UTC)

Seanan McGuire is at fault for my ever reading urban fantasy. Her work is amazing.

( 37 comments — Leave a comment )

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28

Log in

Or connect using:

sandramcdonald

Sandra McDonald

writing all the time

first-person narrators

Re: first-person narrators

Re: boilerplate response

here courtesy of Whatever