How to Recognize Urban Fantasy: 7 Elements of Urban Fantasy

Urban fantasy is a genre of literature encompassing novels, novellas, and short stories in which fantastical characters and concepts are placed in a real-world urban setting, often in the present day. It is a subgenre within the broader world of fantasy literature. This expansive genre may even include elements of science fiction or thrillers, but it also overlaps with fantasy subgenres like sword and sorcery, high fantasy, epic fantasy, dark fantasy, and more. Young adult audiences are key to urban fantasy’s overall readership, and many urban fantasy authors specifically cater their work to the YA audience. Urban fantasy novels have also spawned film and TV adaptations such as Neil Gaiman’s American Gods and Neverwhere.

If you’re asking yourself “what is urban fantasy?” think of it this way: Imagine a book that combines the dense worldbuilding of fantasy and science fiction with the gritty grounded reality of contemporary novels set in New York City, Chicago, or other iconic urban locales. That’s the urban fantasy genre. Here are some key elements of urban fantasy novels, short stories, and films:

1. 1. Fantasy tropes: Urban fantasy storylines combine the real-life grit with of modern world with fantastical worldbuilding. Learn more about fantasy tropes here.
2. 2. An urban setting: Although small town urban fantasies do exist, most take place in present-day major cities.
3. 3. Magic: Supernatural elements, sci-fi technologies, fairy tales, and folk mythologies are all found throughout urban fantasy novels.
4. 4. A noir aesthetic: Urban fantasies lift genre conventions from noir and gritty police procedurals.
5. 5. Mythical creatures: Urban fantasies are populated with supernatural creatures including (but not limited to) undead zombies, vampires, werewolves, druids, demons, shapeshifters, and perhaps a mage or wizard.
6. 6. A protagonist with a foot in both worlds: The main character of an urban fantasy is typically savvy to the real-life ways of their urban environment yet can also wield or exploit magical powers.
7. 7. A young protagonist: Relatively young characters who practice wizardry or witchcraft are common in urban fantasy series.

The pantheon of iconic urban fantasy works includes:

1. 1. The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher (2000)
2. 2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (2001)
3. 3. The Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch (2011)
4. 4. The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews (2007)
5. 5. The October Daye series by Seanan McGuire (2009)
6. 6. The Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton (2000)
7. 7. The Hollows series by Kim Harrison (2004)
8. 8. The Alex Craft series by Kalayna Price (2010)
9. 9. The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs (2006)
10. 10. The Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter (2009)
11. 11. The Alex Verus Series by Benedict Jacka (2012)
12. 12. The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris (2001)
13. 13. Moonheart: a romance by Charles de Lint (1984)
14. 14. War for the Oaks by Emma Bull (1987)
15. 15. The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne (2011)

If you’re surprised that the above list does not include titles from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, or C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, this is because those series do not meet the criteria of urban fantasy. While they of course feature many core elements of fantasy—from a fantastical world to magical elements and supernatural creatures—they lack the urban fantasy setting.

Urban fantasy books often overlap with the fantasy subgenre known as paranormal romance—which combines romantic themes with fantasy elements like vampires, werewolves, shifters, faeries, goblins, and zombie armies. The terms, however, are not synonymous. As their name implies, paranormal romances tend to emphasize characters seeking love. When writing urban fantasy, it’s typical to feature at least one romantic storyline, but that is not strictly required. So while both these contemporary fantasy subgenres share many traits, there are plenty of urban fantasy stories that do not double as paranormal romance.

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