A New SFFWRTCHT Column by Sarah Hendrix
When you scope out the science fiction and fantasy aisles, often you find books with hot women and men, vehicles, weapons and sometimes monsters. These books attract the eyes with bright bold titles and well crafted book covers. The blurbs are intriguing; with fascinating glimpses into the lives of these heroes and mentions of the monsters they live with, fight and even love. But a lot of people get confused as to what genre Urban Fantasy really is.
Urban Fantasy (UF) is a broad genre. Not Romance, not Fantasy, not Science Fiction, not Horror, these books are sometimes a mash up of all of these in one smashing little package. Some lean more into fantasy with elements of romance, while others let horror curl your toes with images of a near future technology.
But they have one thing in common; it’s popular.
So why is that? Why does UF have so many readers?
First of all, let’s go back and look at those covers.
The Romance genre has always been a huge seller over the years, and anytime you look over those shelves you see attractive men and women. While this might not be the number one sales ploy, it does attract the eye. Do you notice something similar? Please say you notice those attractive heroes posing in front of castles, monuments, cars and monsters. UF grabs a lot of readers from the Romance fields with those images. In fact, Paranormal Romance is often just one step away from much of the UF genre.
Now, take your eyes off those heroes for just a moment. Turn the book over; take a look at that blurb on the back. Vampires, ghosts, and werewolves all play important roles in the story lines. Horror readers are often intrigued as to how their monsters fit into a normal world. Those things that go bump in the night aren’t always the scariest monsters in the book.
Sometimes they are answers to other problems.
Often, there are lots of mystery and thriller elements in a UF book. Some plot lines are spurred by kidnappings or a mysterious device. Other times the hero finds themselves in trouble and has to rely on others, including the monsters, to clear things up. Car chases, gunfights and hand to hand combat often leave the reader turning pages as fast as they can.
And when the book ends, they look for more.
Urban Fantasy doesn’t just attract the typical fantasy and science fiction reader. It broadens its horizon to include several other genres. It includes what other genres try to exclude. Romance, fantasy, action, horror, all wove into the story with deft subtly so that things that couldn’t happen in this world are natural in that one. Therefore it draws from a much broader base of readers, exposing them to pleasant and intriguing mixes unlike they’ve seen before in their favorite genres. In many cases, Urban Fantasy becomes a new favorite.
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Even though the day job keeps her busy, Sarah Hendrix finds time to sneak in words at every chance. Writing, reading and editing are her specialties even though she is wetting her toes as a publicist for Apex Book Company. Her work can be found in the In Situ and FISH anthologies from Dagan Books and the upcoming Space Battles: Full Throttle Space Tales #6 from Flying Pen Press. Look for her on twitter at @shadowflame1974, facebook and google+.
Tags: column, commentary, edge of the city, essay, reviews, sarah hendrix, uf, urban fantasy
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You can leave a response, or trackback from your site.
Edge Of The City: Urban Fantasy – The All-around Genre?
A New SFFWRTCHT Column by Sarah Hendrix
When you scope out the science fiction and fantasy aisles, often you find books with hot women and men, vehicles, weapons and sometimes monsters. These books attract the eyes with bright bold titles and well crafted book covers. The blurbs are intriguing; with fascinating glimpses into the lives of these heroes and mentions of the monsters they live with, fight and even love. But a lot of people get confused as to what genre Urban Fantasy really is.
Urban Fantasy (UF) is a broad genre. Not Romance, not Fantasy, not Science Fiction, not Horror, these books are sometimes a mash up of all of these in one smashing little package. Some lean more into fantasy with elements of romance, while others let horror curl your toes with images of a near future technology.
But they have one thing in common; it’s popular.
So why is that? Why does UF have so many readers?
First of all, let’s go back and look at those covers.
The Romance genre has always been a huge seller over the years, and anytime you look over those shelves you see attractive men and women. While this might not be the number one sales ploy, it does attract the eye. Do you notice something similar? Please say you notice those attractive heroes posing in front of castles, monuments, cars and monsters. UF grabs a lot of readers from the Romance fields with those images. In fact, Paranormal Romance is often just one step away from much of the UF genre.
Sometimes they are answers to other problems.
Often, there are lots of mystery and thriller elements in a UF book. Some plot lines are spurred by kidnappings or a mysterious device. Other times the hero finds themselves in trouble and has to rely on others, including the monsters, to clear things up. Car chases, gunfights and hand to hand combat often leave the reader turning pages as fast as they can.
And when the book ends, they look for more.
Urban Fantasy doesn’t just attract the typical fantasy and science fiction reader. It broadens its horizon to include several other genres. It includes what other genres try to exclude. Romance, fantasy, action, horror, all wove into the story with deft subtly so that things that couldn’t happen in this world are natural in that one. Therefore it draws from a much broader base of readers, exposing them to pleasant and intriguing mixes unlike they’ve seen before in their favorite genres. In many cases, Urban Fantasy becomes a new favorite.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Even though the day job keeps her busy, Sarah Hendrix finds time to sneak in words at every chance. Writing, reading and editing are her specialties even though she is wetting her toes as a publicist for Apex Book Company. Her work can be found in the In Situ and FISH anthologies from Dagan Books and the upcoming Space Battles: Full Throttle Space Tales #6 from Flying Pen Press. Look for her on twitter at @shadowflame1974, facebook and google+.
Tags: column, commentary, edge of the city, essay, reviews, sarah hendrix, uf, urban fantasy
In Uncategorized. You can leave a response, or trackback from your site.