Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Detective Wizards, Vampire Hunters, and Werewolves Oh My! (Urban Fantasy Re-Re-Revisted)

Ever the magnet of SF Bloggery ControversyTM©®, Pat has posted a guest essay by Urban Fantasy writer Lilith Saintcrow. As is his wont, Larry at OF Blog of the Fallen, has posted something of a response. The article is also generating some interesting discussion at SFFWorld and Westeros.

Larry also points to a very cogent and fairly right-minded post/essay on the subject by Tempest Bradford from the time when she guested at Jeff VanderMeer's Ecstatic Days blog.

For what it's worth, here are a couple of my past overview posts on Urban Fantasy.
Detective Wizards, Vampire Hunters, and Werewolves Oh My! (Redux)
SPOTLIGHT: Detective Wizards, Vampire Hunters, and Werewolves Oh My!
and the long-running SFFWorld topic on the subject:
Supernatural Fantasy: Ghosts, Vampires, Werefolk and Wizards

My little write-ups didn't quite touch upon the gender/female gender issue in my posts, because it didn't jump out at me as one of the issues at the forefront of this subgenre. After all, a number of the authors and some of the most prominent in the subgenre write about male protagonists: Jim Butcher, Charlie Huston, Mike Resnick, Simon R. Green, Mike Carey, and Liz Williams. I also think, by extension, the definition of Urban Fantasy presented in the article is a bit limiting and suited to fit more in with the article's point.

Regardless, the article and subsequent discussion, is giving me things to consider in the novel I'm writing/working on right now since it can easily be labeled an Urban Fantasy.

EDIT #1 - Lilith posted a follow-up as a response here:
More Thoughts On Angry Chicks In Leather

Later EDIT #2 Larry Responds to Lilith's response:
What's in a Name

Later Edit #3 - Jeff/Bossfan2000 of Fantasy Book News & Reviews posts his thoughts:
Angry Dwarves With Pointy Beards

Thanks Larry!

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