I’ve just finished writing an Urban Fantasy trilogy, so what better way to celebrate than by talking some more about Urban Fantasy. The genre has changed a lot since I first started reading it way back when, but the things that I loved about it are still here. The magic and mystery of a hidden world, the monsters hiding in plain sight and the wonderful moment when the familiar becomes the strange. – G.D. Penman
Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K Hamilton
Did the Anita Blake books go a little bit off the rails to the point that even the most devoted fans gave up on them? Yes. Yes they did. Does that in any way diminish just how good the first few books in that long-running series were? Absolutely not.
Before all became smut, these were tightly plotted supernatural murder mysteries with a side order of romance that had me absolutely obsessed. The slowly expanding side-cast and the classic vampire/werewolf love triangle were just icing on the cake.
Hammers on Bone by Cassandra Khaw
Listen, I’m a sucker for Film Noir, and I’m a sucker for Lovecraftian horrors. So when you get a Lovecraftian horror that thinks it is a film noir detective in a modern setting, with all of the very specific stylistic choices that both of those genres use on display, I’m going to love it.
The fact that this was all written by Cassandra Khaw, one of the single best writers in the English language on the planet in our lifetime… that is what makes it worth picking up for all the people who don’t give a damn about either of those influences. This whole book is a thing of beauty. Go read it.
Half Resurrection Blues by Daniel Jose Older
Carlos Delacruz is half alive, half dead and stuck in the thrall of the sprawling bureaucracy of the Council that governs life and death. This is a treatment of Urban Fantasy unlike anything else out there, with lyrical prose and a supernatural world that feels unsettling and alien instead of familiar.
Top that off with romance, neo-noir and a willingness to confront the experiences of the Latin diaspora head on. Another book that will be as much of a hit with people who’ve never touched the genre as devoted Urban Fantasy fans.
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Set in Victorian Britain (with werewolves and vampires) this book is a comedy of manners as much as it is an urban fantasy thriller. Alexia Tarbotti is a fascinating main character, searching for a husband to avoid spinsterhood despite the rather tricky predicament that her unusual birth has placed her in. You might think that the fact that she literally has no soul (and is immune to supernatural influences as a result) would be the source of her troubles, but it seems that having an Italian father is entirely more of a social predicament.
Of course she is thrown into the midst of a murder mystery most foul and has to fend off the possibly amorous, possibly profession attentions of the werewolf investigating them in the process. Good stuff.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Probably the newest book on this list, and certainly the newest to me, Cemetery Boys revolves around teenage Bruja Yadriel, who is intent on proving to his family that he is as capable as any other boy his age in the magical arts, even if the setting has magic segregated by gender and he is trans.
While the plot itself isn’t anything surprising, the warmth and depth of the characters are potent, and Yadriel’s journey to acceptance and self-realisation are paced out beautifully.
THE LAST DAYS OF HONG KONG by G.D. Penman
RELEASE DATE: October 5, 2021
GENRE: Urban Fantasy / LGBT
SUMMARY: Book 3 in the Witch of Empire series
In the aftermath of the war, Iona “Sully” Sullivan has lost everything; her job, her friends, her fiancé and even her magic. But when an old friend shows up on her doorstep, offering her the chance to undo one of her long litany of mistakes, there is still enough of the old Sully left to get her on the first boat to Hong Kong. A stranger in a strange land, Sully must navigate alien customs, werebear chefs, the blossoming criminal underworld, religious extremists, Mongol agents, vampire separatists, and every other freak, maniac or cosmic leftover with an iota of power as they all compete for a chance at the most valuable prize in all the world; a little sailor doll named Eugene, and the last wish on earth.
BUY LINKS: Meerkat Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: G.D. Penman is the author of more books than you can shake a reasonably-sized stick at, including series like Witch of Empire, Savage Dominion, Deepest Dungeon and The Last King. Before finally realizing that the career advisor lied to them about making a living as an author, G.D. Penman worked as an editor, tabletop game designer, and literally every awful demeaning job that you can think of in-between. Nowadays they can mostly be found writing fantasy novels and smoking a pipe in the sunshine. They live in Dundee, Scotland with their partner, children, dog and cats. Just . . . so many cats.
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