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

[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'.