Consulting the brain of the blogoverse

[azhure]

I need recommendations for the best urban fantasy books or series out there.

For the sake of this, think the modern interpretation of urban fantasy - our world, but with magic/vampires/weres/fae in it.

[cross-posted from my website]

Comments

[nentikobe.livejournal.com]

I'd have to say, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Its a new addiction and contains all of the above. Adore his characters and the wonderful blending.

I also enjoy Kim Harrison's Dead Witch series, but that's a little more post apoc. books than our world.

[azhure.livejournal.com]

I really need to read the Dresden Files. I need to stop waiting on book series until there are twenty squillion of them and it costs a lot to buy them all.

[punkrocker1991.livejournal.com]

Jim Blaylock's THE PAPER GRAIL, anything by Jonathan Carroll

[lupabitch.livejournal.com]

War for the Oaks by Emma Bull is by far my favorite. I've also enjoyed novels by Adrian Phoenix and Jeri Smith-Ready.

[eneit.livejournal.com]

they are a bit old now, but the Modern Magician books and the Freer/Flint collaboration Pyramid Scheme always make me laugh.

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson/Alpha and Omega books. (It's two different series set in the same universe. Both are amazing.)

Finder et al

[yaguari.livejournal.com]

By Emma Bull ...

its generally considered "elfpunk", and it is the first in a series of novels of the Borderlands

Re: Finder et al

[moonfire77.livejournal.com]

Seconding on Finder. Great book.

[morgaine-lafay.livejournal.com]

The Woodwife by Terri Windling.

The Weather Warden series (can't remember the author here). It's kind of cheesy and romancy but it entertained me for at least the first 4 books. :)

Sunshine (again, I can't remember the author)

I'll be back once I figure out the forgotten authors

[azhure.livejournal.com]

Hey, do you have the Weather Warden books? If so, any chance I could borrow them :)

And don't let me forget to give you the Sookie Stackhouse books tomorrrow! :)

[morgaine-lafay.livejournal.com]

No, unfortunately. I only have the fifth book (at least I think its the fifth). I borrowed them from my friend . .. the one I was trying to hook you up with on FB and LJ 'cause she's good at helping with edits, etc. She'd let you borrow them and I would be the go between if she didn't live all the way up in Joondalup and, thus, out of the way to stop by before we get to your place tomorrow. She's the one who recently started me on the whole "urban fantasy/paranormal romance" genre. I am so glad she did!

And don't worry, I won't let you forget the books! I plan on scoping out the rest of your collection, too, if you don't mind. ;)

[antonstrout.livejournal.com]

I work in-house at Ace Roc, so I can send them to you if you like.

And of course I'll throw my uf series out there as the best of modern UF.. but I think I may be partial!

[azhure.livejournal.com]

Seriously? Given that I'm on the other side of the world, it may be way expensive, but I'm not going to say no :)

[nentikobe.livejournal.com]

If its the Sunshine I think you mean, the author is Robin McKinley.

[morgaine-lafay.livejournal.com]

Yes, I forgot to add that since I just found the book in my front room! Thanks. :)

And Rachel Caine is the author of the Weather Warden series.

[cricketk.livejournal.com]

Charles de Lint's collections of Newford stories.

[moonfire77.livejournal.com]

Heartily seconded, I was going to say just that!

[popfiend.livejournal.com]

Echoes.

They are amazing.

[azhure.livejournal.com]

Huge fan already :) As evidenced by a cat named after Jilly Coppercorn :)

[drakk.livejournal.com]

I would agree that the dresden files were good. For a modern vampire story you could also check out True Blood (http://www.hbo.com/trueblood/) with vampires coming out of the coffin and into modern society.

[azhure.livejournal.com]

I watched True Blood (and have read, and been somewhat unimpressed by, the books - they're fun, but that's about it). I do like the show a lot, though.

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books, Tanya Huff's Blood novels (that were made into the Blood Ties series but the books are better), the first 4 Laurell K Hamilton Anita Baker vampire hunter novels, before it descended into pure soft porn...

[dameboudicca.livejournal.com]

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - you will never view the London underground in quite the same way (it also happens to be one of my favourite books in its own right)!

[dawn-metcalf.livejournal.com]

Me, too! NEVERWHERE is *still* my favorite (and was an inspiration for my debut novel)!

Must admit, I'm a culture not so enjoyed ANANSI BOYS and AMERICAN G-DS for that reason, too. And THE GRAVEYARD BOOK *deserved* its kudos.

Basically, Gaiman rocks.

[azhure.livejournal.com]

Massive fan of everything Gaiman :) Though I've yet to get my hands on the Graveyard Book.

[morgaine-lafay.livejournal.com]

Oh, I forgot my favourite*! Bitten by Kelley Armstrong (the rest of the books lose it after a while, though)

I have both Bitten and Sunshine here if you haven't read them and want to.

*I am, of course, avoiding the obvious with The Vampire Chronicles. ;)

[azhure.livejournal.com]

I have Sunshine (though I haven't read it yet), and Bitten is one of the ones I've actually been wanting to read - I'd love to borrow it :)

[dawn-metcalf.livejournal.com]

Well, there's also books by Melissa Marr (WICKED LOVELY, INK EXCHANGE), Holly Black (TITHE, VALIANT, IRONSIDE) & new ones by Maggie Steifvater (LAMENT) and the upcoming EYES LIKE STARS by Lisa Mantchev...

There's A LOT of great stuff out there for fans of Charles de Lint, Emma Bull & Will Shetterly!

[moonfire77.livejournal.com]

Knight of Ghosts and Shadows by Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon is good, as are its companion books, Summoned to Tourney and Spirits White as Lightning.

[krasota.livejournal.com]

We read tons of China Mieville. His short story on feral streets is awesome.

Margaret Ronald just published a book: Spiral Hunt. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[vampyrichamster.livejournal.com]

Sergei Lukyanenko's Night Watch series. Magic/vampires/weres/fae in modern-day Russia. It's as much a brilliantly cynical observation of Russia after democratization as it is about OMGMAGICVAMPIRESANDWERES!

Otherwise, Mikhail Bulgakov's Master & Margarita remains one of my most loved books. That's set in 1920s Moscow, but the Devil visits, and there's lots of delightful social commentary about the period slithered in between.

[tillianion.livejournal.com]

From Australia, there's Keri Arthur's Riley Jenson series. She's half wereworld, half vampire and lives in Melbourne and is part of the protecorate for the undead. It's cool to read the normal sort of stuff for urban fantasy set in your own country.

[memoryanddream.livejournal.com]

Kim Harrison's The Hollows/Rachel Morgan series (1st: Dead Witch Walking)

Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld (1st: Bitten)

Shanna Swendson's Katie Chandler series (1st: Enchanted, Inc.)

Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series (1st: Ill Wind)

Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse series (1st: Dead Until Dark)

Vicki Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac series (1st: Scent of Shadows)

Julie Kenner's Kate Connor, Demon Hunter series (1st: Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom)

I'm sure I could think of more but that should get you started! ;)

[rhiannontherose.livejournal.com]

I've read Huff's "Keeper" books a long ways back, and they came to mind as something I'd enjoyed and not read a whole lot else like, though I couldn't remember the author's name until someone mentioned another series of hers here.

I know you're already a huge deLint and Gaiman fan, and, honestly, they were the ones who came to mind first and foremost. Keainid recently found for me at the library a copy of Gaiman's second collection of short works, "Fragile Things", which had previously escaped even my awareness -- there's a lot in there that could prove fodder for this theme.

There's Terry Brooks' "Knight of the Word" set...

When it comes to vampire lit, I actually haven't run into anything I've enjoyed more than Anne Rice's "Vampire Chronicles" (the original set and the newer ones). Surprisingly few authors seem to approach the issue from the perspectives of vampires not suddenly losing all personality, when they lose their humanity. I also was a fan of her "Mayfair Witch" series, and the witch-vampire blended novels which came up at the end of both series'.

[kythys.livejournal.com]

Most original new concept I've seen lately is in Charlie Fletcher's YA series 'Stone Heart', 'Iron Hand' and then 'Silver Tongue'. Bit Nevewhere-ish in that its set in London and real life sculptures start coming to life and becoming characters (books include maps and photos of said statues). Terrific.
You deifnately must read Graveyard Book, one of his best ever.

Other stuff not mentioned here includes:
Sherri Tepper - Gibbon's Decline and Fall, Family Tree
Kim Wilkins - Giants of the Frost, The Autumn Castle
Rachel Pollack - Uncontrollable Fire