Editing Urban fantasy

{{short description|Genre of fiction, subgenre of fantasy}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2012}}
{{Fantasy}}
'''Urban fantasy''' is a [[subgenre]] of [[fantasy]], placing supernatural elements in a contemporary [[urban area|urban]]-affected setting.<ref name=definition>{{cite news |first=Jeannie |last=Holmes |title=Writing Urban Fantasy, Part 1 |work=jeannieholmes.com |date=December 21, 2010 |access-date=May 17, 2012 |url=http://www.jeannieholmes.com/index.php/2010/12/21/writing-urban-fantasy-part-1-oh-yeah-says-who/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510070349/http://www.jeannieholmes.com/index.php/2010/12/21/writing-urban-fantasy-part-1-oh-yeah-says-who/ |archive-date=May 10, 2015 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name=Charles>{{cite book|last=Datlow|first=Ellen|title=Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy|year=2011|publisher=St. Martin's Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-312-38524-8|pages=xii-xiii}}</ref><ref name="academia.edu">{{cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/39027098 |last=Ekman |first=Stefan |year=2016 |title=Urban Fantasy: A Literature of the Unseen |journal=Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=452–469}}</ref><ref name=UF-study_def>{{cite book|url=https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.14414299|last=Ekman|first=Stefan|title=Urban Fantasy: Exploring Modernity through Magic|year=2024|publisher=Lever Press|isbn=978-1-64315-065-9|pages=10–12|doi=10.3998/mpub.14414299 |jstor=10.3998/mpub.14414299 }}</ref> The combination provides the writer with a platform for classic fantasy tropes,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barron |first=Kaelyn |date=2021-03-15 |title=15 Common Fantasy Tropes and How To Own Them |url=https://www.tckpublishing.com/common-fantasy-tropes/ |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=TCK Publishing |language=en-US}}</ref> quixotic plot-elements, and unusual characters—without demanding the creation of an entire imaginary world.

Precursors of urban fantasy are found in popular fiction of the 19th century<ref>{{Cite web |last=March-Russell |first=Paul |title=Urban fantasy novels: why they matter and which ones to read first |url=http://theconversation.com/urban-fantasy-novels-why-they-matter-and-which-ones-to-read-first-137942 |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=The Conversation |date=May 18, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> - and the present use of the term dates back to the 1970s<ref name=UF-study_start>{{cite book|url=https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.14414299|last=Ekman|first=Stefan|title=Urban Fantasy: Exploring Modernity through Magic|year=2024|publisher=Lever Press|isbn=978-1-64315-065-9|pages=39–42|doi=10.3998/mpub.14414299 |jstor=10.3998/mpub.14414299 }}</ref><ref name="academia.edu"/> - but much of its audience was established in the 1930s-50s with the success of light supernatural fare in the movies (and later on TV).  The genre's current publishing popularity began in 1980s North America, as writers and publishers were encouraged by the success of [[Stephen King]]<ref>{{cite journal |last=Morton |first=Lisa |url=https://www.nightmare-magazine.com/nonfiction/the-h-word-the-horror-of-small-town-america/ | title=The H Word: The Horror of Small Town America | date=July 10, 2013 |journal=Nightmare Magazine |issue=10}}</ref> and [[Anne Rice]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.iamhrsinclair.com/2014/06/11/understanding-urban-fantasy-and-its-roots/ | title=Understanding Urban Fantasy and Its Roots |first=H. R. |last=Sinclair | date=June 11, 2014 }}</ref>

==Characteristics==
Urban fantasy combines imaginary/unrealistic elements of plot, character, theme, or setting with a largely-familiar world<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to Recognize Urban Fantasy: 7 Elements of Urban Fantasy |website=Masterclass |url=https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-recognize-urban-fantasy |access-date=2023-05-29}}</ref>—combining the familiar and the strange. The world does not have to imitate the real world, but can instead be set in a different world or time.<ref name=UF-study_setting>{{cite book|url=https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.14414299|last=Ekman|first=Stefan|title=Urban Fantasy: Exploring Modernity through Magic|year=2024|publisher=Lever Press|isbn=978-1-64315-065-9|pages=19–26|doi=10.3998/mpub.14414299 |jstor=10.3998/mpub.14414299 }}></ref> Such elements may exist secretly in the world or may occur openly.<ref name=UF-study_unseen>{{cite book|url=https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.14414299|last=Ekman|first=Stefan|title=Urban Fantasy: Exploring Modernity through Magic|year=2024|publisher=Lever Press|isbn=978-1-64315-065-9|pages=12–13|doi=10.3998/mpub.14414299 |jstor=10.3998/mpub.14414299 }}></ref>  Fantastic components may be [[Magic (supernatural)|magic]], [[paranormal]] beings, recognizable [[myth]]ic or folk-tale plots, or thematic tropes (such as a quest, or a battle of good and evil). Authors may use current [[urban myths]], borrow [[Science fiction|fictional]] technologies, or even invent occult practices, as well as using established supernatural characters and events from folklore, literature, film, or comics. 

The urban component is usually found in the setting—typically a large or small city—or even a suburban community in a metropolitan area.  Use of contemporary technology (such as automotive vehicles or communications) and everyday community and social institutions (such as libraries, schools/universities, or markets) establish a familiar context.  The period in which the action occurs may be the fairly recent past or the near future, but will typically require merely only casual historical or other special knowledge from the reader.  The city-setting is a tool;<ref>{{Cite web |first=Sarai |last=Mannolini-Winwood |title=Urban Fantasy's Monstrous City |url=https://the-artifice.com/urban-fantasy-city/ |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=the-artifice.com |date=December 2, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> used to establish a tone, to help move the plot, and may even be acknowledged as a character itself.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-06-11 |title=Rereading Stephen King: week two – Salem's Lot |first=James |last=Smythe |url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jun/11/rereading-stephen-king-salems-lot |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

Urban fantasy is most often a sub-genre of [[low fantasy]] (where magical events intrude on an otherwise-normal world) and/or [[hard fantasy]] (treating magic as something understandable and explainable), and works may be found mixing with sub-genres of, for example, [[Gothic fiction|horror]], [[occult detective fiction]], or the various "punk"<ref>[[Cyberpunk]]</ref><ref>[[Steampunk]]</ref><ref>[[Cyberpunk derivatives]]</ref> genres.<ref name=UF-study_genres>{{cite book|url=https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.14414299|last=Ekman|first=Stefan|title=Urban Fantasy: Exploring Modernity through Magic|year=2024|publisher=Lever Press|isbn=978-1-64315-065-9|pages=13–15|doi=10.3998/mpub.14414299 |jstor=10.3998/mpub.14414299 }}></ref> Common themes include coexistence or conflict between humans and other beings, and the changes such characters and events bring to local life.<ref name=BPD>{{cite news |title=''The Better Part of Darkness'' review |work=[[Publishers Weekly]] |access-date=April 11, 2011 |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4391-0965-6}}</ref><ref name=Holzner>{{cite news |title=''Deadtown'' by Nancy Holzner |work=Publishers Weekly |access-date=April 11, 2011 |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-441-01813-0}}</ref> Many authors, publishers, and readers particularly distinguish urban fantasy from works of [[paranormal romance]], which use similar characters and settings, but focus on the romantic relationships between characters.<ref name="definition"/>

{{anchor|Elfpunk}}
The YA author [[Scott Westerfeld]] distinguished between urban fantasy and a subgenre called '''elfpunk''' on the basis that 
"Elfpunk is pretty much full of elves and fairies and traditional shit [...] Urban fantasy, though, can have some totally made-up fucked-up creatures."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/awards/scene_national_book_awards_ceremony_71157.asp|title=2007 National Book Awards|last=Hogan|first=Ron|date=2007-10-15|access-date=2007-02-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007063236/http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/awards/scene_national_book_awards_ceremony_71157.asp|archive-date=2008-10-07}}</ref>

==History==
===Predecessors===
During the late [[Romanticism|Romantic]] era, writers of [[Sensation novel|sensational fiction]] (including [[Mary Shelley]], [[Dickens]], [[E. T. A. Hoffmann|Hoffmann]], [[Sheridan Le Fanu|Le Fanu]], [[Victor Hugo|Hugo]], [[Edgar Allan Poe|Poe]], [[Wilkie Collins]], [[Bram Stoker|Stoker]], &c.) wrote supernatural-tinged [[melodrama]]s to explore social anxieties due to population shifts from farms into industrial centers,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Realistic Novel in the Victorian Era |website=British Literature Wiki |url=https://sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/the-realistic-novel-in-the-victorian-era/ |access-date=2022-11-25 |language=en-US}}</ref> novel technologies, and fear of 'foreign' immigrants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=British Library |url=https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-fear-of-invasion |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=www.bl.uk}}</ref>   Re-imagining the contemporary universe by manipulating one or more social/technical realities gave us popular works by [[Jules Verne]], as well as [[Arthur_Conan_Doyle|Doyle's]] Professor Challenger stories.  [[Jack London]]'s 1908 dystopian novel ''[[The Iron Heel]]'' preceded [[H. G. Wells]]' novel ''[[The Sleeper Awakes]].''  [[Karel Čapek]], [[Aldous Huxley]], and even [[Sinclair Lewis]] (in his novel ''[[It Can't Happen Here]]'') all wrote adventure stories that were ''post-apocalyptic'', and ''dystopian''.

Around the same time, popular mail-delivered periodicals appeared in Europe<ref>{{cite web | url=https://illustrationchronicles.com/how-punch-magazine-changed-everything | title=How Punch Magazine Changed Everything | date=May 3, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/04/09/wild-west-germany | title=Wild West Germany | magazine=[[The New Yorker]] | date=April 2, 2012 |first=Rivka |last=Galchen}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=ASHLIMAN |first=D. L. |year=1968 |title=The Novel of Western Adventure in Nineteenth-Century Germany |journal=Western American Literature |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=133–145 |doi=10.1353/wal.1968.0009 |jstor=43017463|s2cid=165164556 }}</ref> and the Americas (''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]'' (1821), ''[[Godey's Lady's Book]]'' (1830), and [[Harper's Weekly]] (1857)).  The success of these magazines led to ones that targeted specific readerships: ''[[Boys' Own]] Magazine'' (1855), and ''[[Argosy (magazine)|Argosy]]'' (1882) among them.  All of these magazines published short and serialized fiction features, as well as reportage, instructional articles, illustration, and opinion.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nrm.org/2013/04/pulp-magazines-and-their-influence-on-entertainment-today-by-mai-ly-degnan/ | title=Pulp Magazines and their Influence on Entertainment Today by Mai Ly Degnan - Norman Rockwell Museum - the Home for American Illustration | date=April 12, 2013 }}</ref>  Before WW1, fantasy vied for magazine space with westerns, romance, mysteries, military adventure, comedies, and horror.  Writers often published stories in multiple genres - among them [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], [[Robert E. Howard]], [[Isaac Asimov]], and [[Elmore Leonard]].  A sought-after hallmark for many of these writers was "''[[Social realism|realism]]''" - although the stories were outrageously fantastic.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://mikegrost.com/realist.htm | title=Realist School of Detective Fiction - by Michael e. Grost }}</ref><ref>Lutes, Jean. (2010). Re-Covering Modernism: Pulps, Paperbacks, and the Prejudice of Form (review). The Journal of Modern Periodical Studies. 1. 113-117. 10.1353/jmp.0.0009.</ref>

[[Dime novel]]s also arrived before the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]; some of the earliest re-printing serials from magazines.  Commonly associated with Western adventure, they also encompassed romance<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.americanantiquarian.org/dimenovelwomen/ | title=Women and the World of Dime Novels }}</ref> and crime-fiction.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://crimereads.com/on-dime-novels-sensation-stories-and-the-first-appearance-of-old-sleuth/ | title=On Dime Novels, Sensation Stories, and the First Appearance of Old Sleuth | date=December 14, 2021 }}</ref>   Robert deGraff founded Simon & Schuster's [[Pocket Books]] in 1939, he distributed not only to the 2,800 US bookstores, but also in more than a hundred thousand drugstores, news-stands, 5-&-10s, cigar stores, groceries, and diners.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/01/05/pulps-big-moment | title=Pulp's Big Moment | magazine=[[The New Yorker]] | date=December 29, 2014 }}</ref>  By doing this, he established a market - not for copies of Shakespeare or Jane Austen - but for collections and book-length versions of popular magazine fiction.

===Early urban fantasy===
In 1899, [[Harper's Weekly]] editor [[John Kendrick Bangs]] altered fantasy parameters with ''[[The Enchanted Type-Writer]]'' (a series of humorous short-stories supposedly typed by the ghost of 18th century writer [[James Boswell]]) - introducing a benign revenant in a contemporary setting.  [[Thorne Smith]] was successful in 1920s-30s, especially his two "''Topper''" farces about a middle-aged banker's adventures with a couple of ghosts (subsequently made into films, radio plays, and a 1950s television series); Smith's posthumously-released novel ''The Passionate Witch'' was made into the 1942 comic cinema romance [[I Married a Witch]] by [[Rene Clair]].  

Writer [[Charles G. Finney]]'s celebrated<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-g-finney/the-circus-of-dr-lao-2/ | title=Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction }}</ref> 1935 experimental novel ''[[The Circus of Dr. Lao]]'' placed mythical creatures in a contemporary setting to examine the society in a small Arizona town.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/reviews/a-day-in-the-life-charles-g-finneys-the-circus-of-dr-lao/ | title=A Day in the Life: Charles G. Finney's the Circus of Dr. Lao | date=May 4, 2003 }}</ref>  Gruesome cartoons by [[Charles Addams]] began exploring the humorous side of horror in the [[New Yorker magazine]] around the same time.

[[Occult detective]] stories, such as [[Manly Wade Wellman]]'s [[John Thunstone]] stories - written originally during the 1940s -are credited by many current authors for bringing contemporary characters and American settings into the fantasy and horror genres.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/wellman_interview/|title = Clarkesworld Magazine - Science Fiction & Fantasy}}</ref> These early tales, however, differ from current urban fantasy - they present supernatural beings and acts as unnatural, aberrant, and a possible danger to ordinary citizens.

''[[Unknown (magazine)|Unknown]]'' magazine (1939–1943) was conceived by its editor [[John W. Campbell]] as a fantasy equivalent of Campbell's successful ''[[Astounding]]'' science fiction magazine; its stories often took place in the present and many had a thoughtful "science-fictional" approach. Writers such as [[Fritz Leiber]] (''"Smoke Ghost"'', published in 1941), [[Jack Williamson]] with ''"[[Darker Than You Think]]"'' (originally published 1940), [[H. L. Gold]] (with his ''"Trouble with Water"'', published in 1939) and [[L. Sprague de Camp]]'s ''"[[Nothing in the Rules]]"'' (1939) presented [[ghost]]s, [[lycanthrope]]s, [[gnome]]s, [[mermaid]]s, [[demon]]s and more, in a modern setting, with horrific and/or humorous results. The prolific de Camp and his writing partner, war game inventor [[Fletcher Pratt]], also explored urban material with their stories of [[Harold Shea]] in the 1940s and [[Tales froam Gavagan's Bar|Gavagan's Bar]] stories in the 1950s.

The 1940s saw a number of comic ghost-movies; some of the best-known today include [[The Canterville Ghost (1944 film)|The Canterville Ghost]] (re-telling the 1887 story by [[Oscar Wilde]]), [[Blithe Spirit (1945 film)|Blithe Spirit]] (based on [[Noël Coward]]'s hit London and Broadway play), [[The Ghost and Mrs. Muir]] (based on an [[Josephine Leslie|R.A. Dick]] novel), series-fare [[Topper Returns]], [[Gildersleeve's Ghost]], [[The Smiling Ghost]], plus cartoons and short features from [[The Three Stooges]], [[Olsen and Johnson]], [[Walt Disney Productions]] and [[Looney Tunes]].

===1950s-60s===
[[Bell, Book and Candle]] opened on Broadway in 1950, playing 233 performances before it went on a US tour, then played in London for several years.  It was released as a film of the same name in 1958. The 1954 best-selling novel ''[[The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant]]'' details a Faustian deal with the devil in major-league professional baseball; it was made into the successful 1957 Broadway musical ''[[Damn Yankees]]''<ref>[https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/damn-yankees-2517#awards " ''Damn Yankees'' Awards"] ibdb.com, retrieved August 16, 2018</ref> (subsequently revived several times), and then into a 1958 Hollywood film. That same year, Irish-American [[Leonard Wibberley]] published ''Mrs Searwood's Secret Weapon,'' about an elderly British widow haunted by the ghost of a Powhatan warrior during the London Blitz.   British spy-novel writers Adelaide Manning and Cyril Coles (under the pseudonym Francis Gaites, but published in the United States as by [[Manning Coles]]) produced a series of humorous novels from 1954 to 1958 placing ghostly revenants of Franco-Prussian War era into 1950s Paris and Como.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ruemorguepress.com/authors/coles.html |title=Rue Morgue Press - Manning Coles |website=www.ruemorguepress.com |access-date=15 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929022840/http://www.ruemorguepress.com/authors/coles.html |archive-date=29 September 2012 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>   [[Herman Cohen]]'s teen-horror films for [[American International Pictures]] commenced in 1957 with ''[[I Was a Teenage Werewolf]]'', combining supernatural characters with the mundane popular post WW2 teen-culture.  In 1959, the fantasy/sci-fi TV anthology [[The Twilight Zone]] began, after the success of its pilot [[The Twilight Zone#"The Time Element" (1958)|''"The Time Element"'']] appeared as a 1958 episode of [[Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse]].

In 1962, [[Ray Bradbury]] published the dark novel ''[[Something Wicked This Way Comes (novel)|Something Wicked This Way Comes]]'', which has been cited as a particular influence by writers [[Stephen King]],<ref name="king">[[Bloom, Harold]] (1998). ''Stephen King''. Chelsea House, pp. 20.</ref> [[R. L. Stine]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rlstine.com/about/|title=R.L. Stine » About R. L.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127161436/http://rlstine.com/about/|archive-date=2013-11-27}}</ref> and [[Neil Gaiman]].<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jun/06/ray-bradbury-neil-gaiman-appreciation|title=A man who won't forget Ray Bradbury|work=[[The Guardian]]|first=Neil|last=Gaiman|author-link=Neil Gaiman|date=June 6, 2012}}</ref> The highly successful TV fantasy series ''[[Bewitched]]'' began its 8-year run in 1964, with its rival ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]'' and a less-successful fantasy show ''[[My Mother the Car]]'' appearing a year later; ''[[The Addams Family (1964 TV series)|The Addams Family]]'' based on Charles Addams New Yorker cartoons also debuted in 1964.  [[Ira Levin]]'s 1967 novel [[Rosemary's Baby (novel)|Rosemary's Baby]] was a best-seller and critical hit; made into a movie directed by [[Roman Polanski]] the following year.  [[Chester Anderson]]'s psychedelic adventure ''[[The Butterfly Kid]]'' was nominated for a [[Hugo Award]] for Best Novel in 1968.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/HugoNomList.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: Hugo Nominees List |website=[[Locus Magazine]] (Locusmag.com) |access-date= February 28, 2015}}</ref>  Also in 1968, the English translation of [[Italo Calvino]]'s short-story collection "''[[Le cosmicomiche]]''" made his fantastic tales built around minor scientific details available to the Anglo-American appetite for the new urban fantasy.

===1970s–early 1980s===
After the success of [[Stephen King]]'s contemporary horror-story ''[[Carrie (novel)|Carrie]]'' in 1973, the author introduced supernatural characters (vampires) into his next book, ''[['Salem's Lot]]'' (1976), which he has claimed is his own favorite.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://americanindian.net/stephenking.html |title=An Interview with Stephen King |author=Phil Konstantin |work=Articles Written by Phil Konstantin |access-date=December 23, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412115244/https://americanindian.net/stephenking.html |archive-date=April 12, 2014 }}</ref>  Retrospective reviews of King's work note that he "brought reality to genre novels",<ref>A Century of Great Suspense Stories, edited by Jeffrey Deaver [Pg. 290]/Publisher: Berkley Hardcover (2001) {{ISBN|0425181928}}</ref> and have remarked that "Jerusalem's Lot is the main character here, a warm-up for what King would later do with his beloved fictional towns of Derry and Castle Rock. We're given a vivid description, details and foibles, before the town is populated with a cast of characters..."<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jun/11/rereading-stephen-king-salems-lot | title=Rereading Stephen King: Week two – Salem's Lot | website=[[TheGuardian.com]] | date=June 11, 2012 }}</ref>

[[Anne Rice]] published ''[[Interview with the Vampire]]'' (a re-working of her own late-60s short story) in 1976 to strikingly mixed critical reviews.  Incorporating many genres (horror, eroticism, fantasy, romance, historical fiction), it and its sequels established a new audience for fantasy characters in a real world.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.denofgeek.com/culture/interview-with-the-vampire-and-the-origin-of-remorseful-bloodsuckers/ | title=Interview with the Vampire and the Origin of Remorseful Bloodsuckers | date=November 11, 2019 }}</ref>  Recognizing its potential [[Alfred A. Knopf]] editor [[Victoria Wilson]] recommended a very substantial advance; later, the paperback rights cost [[Ballantine Books]] $700,000.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/650386/interview-with-the-vampire-book-facts | title=11 Facts About Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire | date=September 20, 2021 }}</ref>

1972's TV horror-film ''[[The Night Stalker (1972 film)|The Night Stalker]]'' spun-off a 1974 occult detective TV series ''[[Kolchak: The Night Stalker]].''  It featured a Chicago newspaper reporter uncovering and battling supernatural creatures (e.g. vampires and zombies). He was unbelieved and unappreciated, considered by his boss, colleagues, the police and the public as something between a crackpot or an insane murderer as he struggles with both real and metaphorical demons in each episode. 

[[Isaac Asimov]]'s [[Azazel (Asimov)|Azazel]] stories about a tiny demon (less than an inch tall), most of which were written in the 1980s, take some of their urban character of his mystery stories initially published in ''[[Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine]]''.  [[Dorothy Gilman]], a writer known for her genre-merging ''Mrs. Pollifax'' "cozy-spy" action novels, wrote ''The Clairvoyant Countess'' in 1975 which featured various forms of [[Extrasensory perception|ESP]] (and wrote a sequel in 2002).

In the cinema, the re-write of [[Dan Aykroyd]]'s original 1982 science fiction comedy script for ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' by [[Harold Ramis]] replaced the futuristic setting for present day [[New York City]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/dan-aykroyd-on-ghostbusters-lost-origins-writing-p/1100-6467751/|title = Dan Aykroyd on Ghostbusters' Lost Origins, Writing Process, and More 35 Years Later|author=Paprocki, Matt|work=Gamespot|date=June 12, 2019}}</ref> This effectively enabled the film to be made, and introduced to the mainstream the idea of fantastical events taking place in a real-world setting.  Two years later, ''[[Gremlins]]'' brought another batch of supernatural beings into our everyday world.  At the same time another low-budget supernatural comedy success, ''[[Teen Wolf]]'' was popular enough to generate a television show, an animated cartoon, and a cinema sequel.  Before its run was finished, another general-audience teen comedy with supernatural elements, ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', was in production.

===1980s and 1990s===
The term began to come into its present use in the late 1970s;<ref name="academia.edu"/> however, its meaning kept shifting during the 1980s and early 1990s.<ref name="lj">{{cite journal|url=http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2008/06/collection-development/urban-fantasy-the-city-fantastic |last=Donohue|first=Nanette Wargo|title=Collection Development "Urban Fantasy": The City Fantastic|journal=Library Journal|date=June 1, 2008}}</ref> This development is apparent in the increased use of the term in contemporary reviews.<ref>{{cite news|last=Randall|first=Marta|title=Short Fiction's Set Firmly in Sci-Fi's Orbit|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|date=July 21, 1985}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Clines|first=Francis|title=BBC Study Finds U.S. TV More Violent|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 15, 1987}}</ref>

[[Terri Windling]]'s shared [[The Borderland Series|Borderlands]] universe, made up of a number of anthologies and novels, launched with the eponymous paperback original anthology, ''Borderland'' in 1986, followed up by ''Bordertown'', also in 1986. The series was later touted by [[Neil Gaiman]] as "one of the most important places where Urban Fantasy began".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://windling.typepad.com/editing/borderland.html|title=The Borderland Series|website=Editing Desk|access-date=2016-06-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601203403/http://windling.typepad.com/editing/borderland.html|archive-date=June 1, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> An article in Tor.com has stated that "some say, Urban Fantasy was born in Bordertown," which provided "young, beginning writers like [[Charles de Lint]] and [[Emma Bull]]" with a platform.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tor.com/2011/05/05/an-introduction-to-bordertown/|title=An Introduction to Bordertown|date=2011-05-05|website=Tor.com|access-date=2016-06-15}}</ref> Emma Bull's 1987 urban fantasy ''[[War for the Oaks]]'', where [[fairy]] factions battle in present-day [[Minneapolis]], also received interest and attention. Both Bull's novel and the Borderlands books emphasized young, poor, hip protagonists. In this, they had much in common with the usual protagonist of the [[cyberpunk]] sub-genre of [[science fiction]].

''[[Sweet Silver Blues]]'' a 1987 novel by fantasy author [[Glen Cook]] began his [[Garrett P.I.]] series. These tales chronicled adventures of a [[hardboiled]] detective in a [[contemporary fantasy]] world, and were among the earliest to use a fantastic "underworld" in place of the criminals and thugs of [[Dashiell Hammett]], [[Raymond Chandler]], and their followers.  Prolific author [[Mercedes Lackey]] started a series in the waning years of the 1980s with ''Burning Water'', exploring the life of a contemporary American witch.

The Vampire Files [https://www.goodreads.com/series/42490-vampire-files] by [[P. N. Elrod#:~:text=In April 2011, Elrod was,in Vampire Fiction Since 1990."|P.N. Elrod]]  featured a vampire detective that begins the series by him  solving his own murder. Set in Chicago in the 1930s, the 12-book series pioneered the vampire investigator role. P.N. Elrod has authored more than 25 books and edited many anthologies. She has won numerous awards for her work in establishing the UF genre.

''[[Shadowrun]]'', a [[tabletop RPG]] with a similar concept to the Borderlands universe appeared. Like those earlier books, ''Shadowrun'' took place in a future Earth setting (specifically 2050, in the first edition), after the reappearance of supernatural powers and beings. Players could play humans ([[cybernetic]]ally enhanced or otherwise), [[elves]], [[Dwarf (mythology)|dwarves]] or [[orcs]], all in a dark high tech setting. The more definitely [[cyberpunk]] approach (jaundiced and gritty) of the game's universe exerted its own influence.

Anthologist and professor.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/greenbaypressgazette/obituary.aspx?n=martin-h-greenberg&pid=152196623 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629144001/http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/greenbaypressgazette/obituary.aspx?n=martin-h-greenberg&pid=152196623 | archive-date=June 29, 2011 | title=Dr. Martin H. Greenberg Obituary (1941 - 2011) Green Bay Press-Gazette | website=[[Legacy.com]] }}</ref> Dr. [[Martin H. Greenberg]] sparked growth in urban fantasy by commissioning established authors to write stories for his many fantasy anthologies (among them ''[[Wizards (Asimov anthology)|Wizards]], [[Witches (anthology)|Witches]], [[Devils (anthology)|Devils]],'' and ''[[Faeries (anthology)|Faeries]]'').  The commissioned work was juxtaposed with older fiction; it frequently used supernatural elements in contemporary urban settings.

===21st century===
Several publications and writers have cited authors [[Laurell K. Hamilton]] and [[Kim Harrison]] as notable contributors to the genre. ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'',<ref>{{cite news |first=Catherine |last=Garcia |title=Q&A: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter author Laurell K. Hamilton |work=ew.com |date=June 1, 2010 |access-date=March 6, 2011 |url=http://shelf-life.ew.com/2010/06/01/qa-anita-blake-vampire-hunter-author-laurell-k-hamilton/}}</ref> ''[[USA Today]]'',<ref>{{cite news |first=Carol |last=Memmott |title=Vampire stories are in this writer's blood |work=USA Today |date=June 28, 2006 |access-date=March 6, 2011 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2006-06-28-chat-hamilton_x.htm}}</ref> and ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''<ref name="TimeInterview" /> have recognized the longevity and influence of Hamilton's stories, while ''[[The New York Times]]''<ref>{{cite news |first=Dwight |last=Garner |title=TBR: Inside the List |work=The New York Times |date=April 8, 2007 |access-date=March 6, 2011 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DF1130F93BA35757C0A9619C8B63}}</ref> and ''[[Amazon.com]]''<ref>{{cite news |title=Editorial Reviews |work=amazon.com |access-date=March 6, 2011 |url=https://www.amazon.com/Few-Demons-More-Hollows-Book/dp/product-description/0060788380}}</ref> have noted the work of Kim Harrison. Author Courtney Allison Moulton has cited Hamilton's early works among her inspirations.<ref>{{cite news |title=Interview with Courtney Allison Moulton, Debut Author of ''Angelfire'' |work=mundiemoms.blogspot.com |date=February 12, 2011 |access-date=March 6, 2011 |url=http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/2011/02/interview-with-courtney-allison-moulton.html}}</ref> Kelly Gay has noted Hamilton, Harrison, and Emma Bull as primary influences.<ref>{{cite news |first=Sara |last=M |title=Author Interview and Giveaway: Kelly Gay |work=urbanfantasyreader.blogspot.com |date=December 9, 2009 |access-date=February 28, 2011 |url=http://urbanfantasyreader.blogspot.com/2009/12/author-interview-and-giveaway-kelly-gay.html}}</ref> [[Jim Butcher]]'s ''The Dresden Files'' series have been described by [[Barnes and Noble]] as "the gold standard" for the genre;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/12-urban-fantasy-series-to-binge-read/|title=12 Highly Bingeable Urban Fantasy Series|date=October 14, 2016|author=Meghanball}}</ref> one of the books from the series was nominated for the 2015 [[Hugo Award]]. [[N. K. Jemisin]]'s ''[[The City We Became]]'' features major cities acquiring sentience through human avatars; it won the 2020 [[British_Science_Fiction_Association|BSFA]] [[BSFA Award for Best Novel|Award for Best Novel]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 4, 2021 |title=2020 BSFA Winners |url=https://locusmag.com/2021/04/2020-bsfa-winners/ |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=[[Locus (magazine)|Locus]]}}</ref> and was nominated for the 2021 [[Hugo Award for Best Novel|Hugo]]<ref>{{cite web |date=January 2021 |title=2021 Hugo Awards |url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2021-hugo-awards/ |access-date=2023-12-30 |publisher=World Science Fiction Society}}</ref> and 2020 [[Nebula Award for Best Novel|Nebula]]<ref>{{cite web |title=2020 Nebula Awards |url=https://nebulas.sfwa.org/award-year/2020/ |access-date=2023-12-30 |publisher=[[Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America]]}}</ref> Awards.

==Novels==

===Adult fiction===
<!-- Please keep this section brief. Unverified additions should not be included. -->
While adult urban fantasy novels may stand-alone (like ''Mulengro'' by [[Charles de Lint]] or [[Emma Bull]]'s ''War for the Oaks''), the economics of the market favor series characters, and genre-crossing allows sales along multiple lines.

Many urban-fantasy novels are told via a [[first-person narrative]], and often feature [[mythological]] beings, [[Romance (love)|romance]], and female protagonists who are involved in law enforcement or vigilantism.<ref name=definition/><ref name=salon>{{cite news |first=Laura |last=Miller |title=A guide to vampire fiction with real bite |work=salon.com |date=January 23, 2009 |access-date=February 3, 2010 |url=http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2009/06/23/vampire_fiction/}}</ref> [[Laurell K. Hamilton]]'s [[Anita Blake]] series—which follows the investigations of a supernatural Federal Marshal during paranormal cases—has been called a substantial and influential work of the genre.<ref name=TimeInterview>{{cite magazine |first=Gilbert |last=Cruz |title=Q&A:Vampire Novelist Laurell K. Hamilton |magazine=Time |date=October 30, 2008 |access-date=February 3, 2010 |url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1854991,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081103095546/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1854991,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 3, 2008}}</ref> [[Kim Harrison]]'s [[Hollows (series)|Rachel Morgan]] novels, also regarded as inspirational works, feature a bounty-hunting "witch-born" demon who battles numerous supernatural foes.<ref>{{cite news |title=''Black Magic Sanction'' overview |work=barnesandnoble.com |access-date=May 23, 2010 |url=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Black-Magic-Sanction/Kim-Harrison/e/9780061138034 |archive-date=April 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403055757/http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Black-Magic-Sanction/Kim-Harrison/e/9780061138034 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Multi-genre offerings combine urban fantasy with other established forms (e.g.: police procedurals, as presented in the [[Peter Grant (book series)|Peter Grant stories]] of [[Ben Aaronovitch]], or the [[Charlie Madigan series]], by [[Kelly Gay]], which explores challenges a police officer faces while trying to balance her paranormal cases with life as a single mother<ref name=BPD/>).

In addition to books which present largely independent characters, certain stories feature men and women who are regularly partnered on adventures—often with an underlying romantic element. The [[Jaz Parks series]], by [[Jennifer Rardin]], follows the titular Central Intelligence Agency operative and her vampire boss as they combat supernatural threats to national security.<ref name=Parks>{{cite news |title=''Once Bitten, Twice Shy'' review |work=powells.com |date=October 2007 |access-date=February 3, 2010 |url=http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780316020466-0}}</ref> Jocelynn Drake's ''Dark Days'' novels follow a vampire named Mira and a vampire hunter named Danaus, who work together to protect their people from a mutual enemy.<ref name=DD>{{cite news |title=About the Book: ''Dayhunter'' |work=harpercollins.com |access-date=February 3, 2010 |url=http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061542831/Dayhunter/index.aspx?AA=books_SearchBooks_33719}}</ref> ''[[Night Huntress]]'', a series by [[Jeaniene Frost]], centers on a half-vampire named Catherine and a vampire bounty hunter called Bones, who gradually become lovers while battling the undead.<ref>{{cite news |title=About the Book: ''Destined for an Early Grave'' |work=harpercollins.com |access-date=February 3, 2010 |url=http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Destined-Early-Grave-Jeaniene-Frost/?isbn=9780061583216?AA=index_authorIntro_32208}}</ref>

===Teen fiction===
<!-- Please keep this section brief. Unverified additions should not be included. -->
Just as late Romantic writers wrote about societal anxieties, writers for teens work with the stress surrounding growing-up.  Rather than the "professional heroes" of adult urban-fantasy, many novels for [[young adult fiction|young adult]] audiences follow inexperienced protagonists who are unexpectedly drawn into paranormal struggles. Amidst these conflicts, characters often gain allies, find romance, and, in some cases, develop or discover supernatural abilities of their own.<ref name=salon/> In [[Kelley Armstrong]]'s ''[[Darkest Powers|The Darkest Powers]]'' series, a group of teens with paranormal talents go on the run while fleeing from a persistent band of scientists.<ref name=dp>{{cite news |title=''The Awakening'' review |work=lovevampires.com|access-date=May 23, 2010 |url=http://www.lovevampires.com/katheawakening.html}}</ref> ''[[Gone (novel series)|Gone]]'', by Michael Grant, follows an isolated town in which adults have mysteriously disappeared, leaving a society of super-powered children behind.<ref name=Gone>{{cite news |title=About the Book: ''Gone'' |work=harperteen.com |access-date=February 10, 2010 |url=http://www.harperteen.com/books/9780061448768/Gone/index.aspx}}</ref> In ''[[Unearthly]]'', by Cynthia Hand, a girl discovers that she is part angel and gifted with superhuman abilities, leading her to seek out her purpose on Earth.<ref name=Unearthly>{{cite news |title=About the Book: ''Unearthly'' |work=harperteen.com |access-date=February 25, 2011 |url=http://www.harperteen.com/books/Unearthly-Cynthia-Hand/?isbn=9780061996160}}</ref>
The ''[[Evermore (novel)|Immortals]]'' series, by [[Alyson Noël]], follows a girl who gains special abilities after recovering from an accident, and also grows close to a mysterious new boy at her school.<ref name=Noel>{{cite news |title=''Evermore'' |work=macmillan.com |access-date=February 3, 2010 |url=http://us.macmillan.com/evermore}}</ref> [[Love triangle]]s also play a prominent part in these and several other urban-fantasy novels.<ref>{{cite news |first=Marie |last=Brennan |title=Love triangulation |work=sfnovelists.com |date=February 14, 2008 |access-date=February 3, 2010 |url=http://www.sfnovelists.com/2008/02/14/love-triangulation/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Marie |last=Brennan |title=Love triangles |work=community.livejournal.com |date=November 29, 2007 |access-date=February 3, 2010 |url=http://community.livejournal.com/fangs_fur_fey/229475.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713043759/http://community.livejournal.com/fangs_fur_fey/229475.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 13, 2012 }}</ref> Coming-of-age themes and teen 'voices' also often distinguish young-adult urban fantasy from adult books in the genre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/professional-development/childlit/YoungAdult/age.html|title=Vandergrift's Coming-of-Age Stories|work=rutgers.edu}}</ref>  [[Bruce Coville]] and [[Jane Yolen]] collaborated on ''[[Armageddon Summer]]'' which places a standard teen romance in the middle of an imagined apocalyptic cult.

Boarding schools are a common setting in teen urban fantasy. ''Rampant'', by [[Diana Peterfreund]], follows a group of young women at a [[cloister]]s as they train to fight killer unicorns.<ref name=Peterfreund>{{cite news |title=Interview With Diana Peterfreund |work=angieville.blogspot.com |date=August 24, 2009 |access-date=May 23, 2010 |url=http://angieville.blogspot.com/2009/08/interview-with-diana-peterfreund.html}}</ref> The ''[[House of Night]]'' series, by [[P. C. Cast|P. C.]] and [[Kristin Cast]], presents a school where future vampires are disciplined while on the path to transformation, during which several romantic conflicts and other clashes ensue.<ref>{{cite news |title=''Marked'' |work=macmillan.com |access-date=February 3, 2010 |url=http://us.macmillan.com/BookCustomPage.aspx?isbn=9780312360269#Excerpt}}</ref> [[Claudia Gray]]'s ''Evernight'' novels center on a mysterious academy, where a romantic bond develops between a girl born to vampires, and a boy who hunts them.<ref name=Evernight>{{cite news |title=Book Review: ''Hourglass'' |work=bookfizz.com |access-date=May 23, 2010 |url=http://www.bookfizz.com/stories/154513/Book_Review_Hourglass_by_Claudia_Gray_amp_Giveaway_of_Evernight.html}}</ref> ''[[Fallen (Kate novel)|Fallen]]'', by [[Lauren Kate]], revolves around a student named Luce who finds herself drawn to a boy named Daniel, unaware that he is a fallen angel who shares a history with her.<ref name=Fallen>{{cite news |title=''Fallen'' by Lauren Kate |work=randomhouse.com |access-date=February 3, 2010 |url=http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385738934}}</ref> Other series, such as [[Carrie Jones (author)|Carrie Jones]]'s ''[[Need (novel series)|Need]]'', have characters moving to new locations but attending public schools while discovering mysterious occurrences elsewhere in their towns.<ref name=CJ>{{cite news |title=''Need'' |work=bloomsburykids.com |access-date=January 20, 2010 |url=http://www.bloomsburykids.com/books/catalog/need_pb_535 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708073231/http://www.bloomsburykids.com/books/catalog/need_pb_535 |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

===Juvenile fiction===
A helping of the fantastic is often an element in children's literature, but the two major strands of urban fantasy are well-represented in particular.

The ''hidden-world'' focuses on stories and characters taking place in a fully-realized domain which operates secretly but simultaneously to the world with which we are familiar.  An outstanding example are the ''Harry Potter'' books of J. K. Rowling - where our own (''[[muggle]]'') world is unaware of an entire universe of wizards and magical creatures; and intersections of these domains provide plot material and character dimensionality for the action taking place primarily in the magic universe - and so being a type of ''[[high-fantasy]]''.

On the other hand, ''magical charm'' stories operate mostly in the mundane universe, but where a spell or token provides plot-interest.  The protagonist of [[Robert Lawson (author)|Robert Lawson]]'s 1945 ''Mr. Wilmer'' works as a clerk for a big New York City company - but suddenly one morning he can speak with and understand animals.  In the magical stories of [[Edward Eager]], groups of children are granted wishes or transported through time by invoking spells.  This makes the stories a variety of ''[[Low fantasy|low-fantasy]]''.

Possibly the best-known urban fantasy series for children are [[P. L. Travers]]' low-fantasy [[Mary Poppins (book series)|Mary Poppins]] stories, set in London between the World Wars.  As well as eight books, there have been several film and stage adaptations.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://time.com/5481538/mary-poppins-evolution/ | title=How Mary Poppins Has Evolved over the Years | date=December 20, 2018 }}</ref>  The high-fantasy [[Wizarding World|Harry Potter]] phenomenon may soon be in position to overtake Poppins in sales, but not longevity.

===Paranormal romance===
In an online commentary, author Jeannie Holmes described differences between urban fantasy and [[paranormal romance]]:<ref name=definition/>
{{blockquote|The two share 90% of their genre DNA. However, the main differences are this: Urban fantasy focuses on an issue outside of a romantic relationship between two characters. Paranormal romance focuses on a romantic relationship between two characters and how outside forces affect that relationship. The best litmus test to determine if a story is urban fantasy or paranormal romance is to ask the following question: 'If the romance between Character A and Character B were removed, would the plot still stand as a viable storyline?' If the answer is 'yes,' chances are good it's urban fantasy. If the answer is 'no,' it's most likely paranormal romance.}}

===Media tie-ins===
Use of other forms of media has become a common part of the creation and promotion of urban-fantasy works.

====Music====
{{Quote box
 | quote  = "Sometimes the songs influence the book and sometimes it's the other way around, but either way the playlist eventually comes to epitomize the feeling of the book to me."
 | source = —Christina Henry<ref name=Christina>{{cite news |first=Christina |last=Henry |title=On the importance of playlists |work=christinahenry.net |date=September 8, 2010 |access-date=January 6, 2011 |url=http://www.christinahenry.net/?p=192}}</ref>
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}}
Several urban-fantasy authors cite music as an inspiration. Certain writers recommend songs or playlists on their official websites, including Courtney Allison Moulton, Jaye Wells, and [[Sarah J. Maas]], who couple their recommendations with links to music-providing services.<ref name=Moulton>{{cite news |first=Courtney |last=Moulton |title=The Playlist |work=courtneyallisonmoulton.com |access-date=January 3, 2011 |url=http://www.courtneyallisonmoulton.com/playlist.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jaye |last=Wells |title=Extras |work=jayewells.com |access-date=January 3, 2011 |url=http://jayewells.com/extras/ |archive-date=January 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107081120/http://jayewells.com/extras/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Publishers have also used music for book trailers, including the trailer for Carrie Jones's ''Captivate'', which features the work of songwriter Derek Daisey.<ref>{{cite news |title=''Captivate'' book trailer |work=bloomsburykids.com |access-date=January 3, 2011 |url=http://www.bloomsburykids.com/node/8539 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731132853/http://www.bloomsburykids.com/node/8539 |archive-date=July 31, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Derek |last=Daisey |title=Derek Daisey |publisher=myspace |access-date=January 3, 2011 |url=https://www.myspace.com/ddaisey}}</ref>

Original music is also produced. In 2010, musicians Alexandra Monir, Michael Bearden, and Heather Holley (a songwriter for [[Christina Aguilera]]'s ''Stripped'') collaborated to create songs for Monir's debut novel, ''[[Timeless (Monir novel)|Timeless]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Alexandra Monir News |work=alexandramonir.com |access-date=January 3, 2011 |url=http://www.alexandramonir.com/en/box/news/}}</ref>

====Video====
Book trailers are often used to promote urban-fantasy novels.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jack |last=Womack |title=Book Trailers: Love 'em? Hate 'em? |work=orbitbooks.net |date=January 25, 2010 |access-date=January 3, 2011 |url=http://www.orbitbooks.net/2010/01/25/book-trailers-love-em-hate-em/}}</ref> Publishers such as [[HarperCollins]] also produce regular video interviews with debuting authors.<ref name=Paranormalcy>{{cite news |title=About the Book: ''Paranormalcy'' |work=[[HarperCollins]] |access-date=July 27, 2010 |url=http://www.harperteen.com/books/Paranormalcy-Kiersten-White/?isbn=9780061985843?AA=about_RecentBooks_36776}}</ref>

====Comics and manga====
Adaptations of urban-fantasy novels have appeared in comic books and [[manga]]. Among the tales to be adapted are Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series,<ref>{{cite news |title=Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The Laughing Corpse |work=goodreads.com |access-date=January 6, 2011 |url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6594497-anita-blake-vampire-hunter}}</ref> Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson stories,<ref>{{cite news |title=Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson: Moon Called #1 |work=comicbookresources.com |access-date=January 6, 2011 |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=6454}}</ref> and Melissa Marr's ''Wicked Lovely''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Wicked Lovely: Desert Tales |work=goodreads.com |access-date=January 6, 2011 |url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5069868-sanctuary}}</ref>

==Film and television==
Works of urban fantasy have been adapted to or have originated in film and television. Aside from popular ghost and horror films from the 1930s-60s, well-known examples include the 1992 series ''[[Highlander: The Series|Highlander]]'' and the TV adaptation of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', which is regarded as a seminal work of the genre.<ref name=salon/>

Certain staples of urban fantasy novels are also present in television shows. The concept of peaceful coexistence with paranormal beings is explored in the 1996 series ''[[Kindred: The Embraced]]'', which focuses on secret vampire clans in San Francisco.<ref>{{cite news |title=Editorial Reviews |work=amazon.com |asin=B00005Q4DS}}</ref> Works such as ''[[Witchblade (2001 TV series)|Witchblade]]'' present the more common matter of a protagonist attempting to protect citizens.<ref>{{cite news |first=Chauncey |last=Mabe |title=Witchblade: Heavy-Metal Heroine Forged Anew In Series |work=sun-sentinel.com |date=June 15, 2002 |access-date=June 2, 2012 |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-06-15/lifestyle/0206140459_1_witchblade-sara-pezzini-ian-nottingham|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819090059/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-06-15/lifestyle/0206140459_1_witchblade-sara-pezzini-ian-nottingham|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 19, 2014}}</ref>

While urban-fantasy novels are often centered on heroines, television programs have regularly featured both genders in leading roles.<ref>{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Lowry |title=TV Reviews: 'Moonlight' |work=Variety |date=September 21, 2007 |access-date=June 2, 2012 |url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934816?refCatId=32}}</ref> Shows such as ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1987 TV series)|Beauty and the Beast]]'', ''[[The Dresden Files (TV series)|The Dresden Files]]'', ''[[Forever Knight]]'', ''[[Grimm (TV series)|Grimm]]'', ''[[Moonlight (American TV series)|Moonlight]]'', and ''[[Supernatural (American TV series)|Supernatural]]'' are based around male protagonists, while other programs, including ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''[[Charmed]]'', and ''Witchblade'', focus largely on female protagonists.<ref>{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Lowry |title=TV Reviews: 'Lost Girl' |work=Variety |date=January 16, 2012 |access-date=June 2, 2012 |url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117946832}}</ref>

==Video games==
While most fantasy video games take place in [[science fantasy]] or [[high fantasy]] settings, the subgenre of urban fantasy has a significant niche in the video game media market.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Gailloreto |first=Coleman |date=2021-04-19 |title=Why Urban Fantasy Games Are More Prevalent in Japan Than In The US |url=https://screenrant.com/urban-fantasy-games-persona-ff7-japan-popular-why/ |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |language=en}}</ref>

Many urban fantasy video games such as ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', ''[[Tokyo Xanadu]]'', ''[[The World Ends with You]]'' series, the ''[[Shadowrun (disambiguation)|Shadowrun]]'' series, the ''[[Dishonored (series)|Dishonored]]'' series, and the ''[[Mother (video game series)|Mother]]'' series feature urban settings with [[Magic realism|magical elements]]''.<ref name=":0" />''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weissenberger |first=Daniel |date=May 24, 2018 |title=Tokyo Xanadu EX+ Review – Gamecritics.com |url=https://gamecritics.com/daniel-weissenberger/tokyo-xanadu-ex-review/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=gamecritics.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Glennon |first=Jen |date=2021-07-26 |title='NEO: The World Ends With You' review: 2021's most stylish video game |url=https://www.inverse.com/gaming/neo-world-ends-with-you-twewy-review |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=[[Inverse (website)|Inverse]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kopp |first=Drew |date=2023-01-25 |title=Shadowrun Is a Great D&D Alternative for Fans of Cyberpunk & Urban Fantasy |url=https://www.cbr.com/shadowrun-dnd-cyberpunk-ttrpg/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Graham |date=2022-12-29 |title=Dishonored and its excellent DLC is free to keep from Epic this week |language=en |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dishonored-and-its-excellent-dlc-is-free-to-keep-from-epic-this-week |access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pelone |first=Anthony |date=2015-10-09 |title=Retro Scope: EarthBound Beginnings |url=https://www.nintendojo.com/features/columns/retro-scope/retro-scope-earthbound-beginnings |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=Nintendojo |language=en-US}}</ref>

Urban fantasy video games often include characters from [[Folklore|folklores]] and religions in modern contexts. Games such as ''[[The Wolf Among Us]], [[Stray Gods]], [[Folklore (video game)|Folklore]], [[Dark (video game)|Dark]], [[Coffee Talk (video game)|Coffee Talk]],'' the ''[[Megami Tensei]]'' series, the ''[[Bayonetta]]'' series, the [[Vampire: The Masquerade (disambiguation)|''Vampire: The Masquerade'']] series, the ''[[Yo-kai Watch]] series'' are heavily inspired by folklore and religion.<ref>{{cite web |author=Whitbrook, James |date=February 19, 2015 |title=What You Need To Know About The Great Urban Fantasy Series Persona |url=http://io9.com/why-persona-is-the-urban-fantasy-series-you-need-to-che-1686761590 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512214628/http://io9.com/why-persona-is-the-urban-fantasy-series-you-need-to-che-1686761590 |archive-date=May 12, 2015 |access-date=June 3, 2015 |publisher=[[io9]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Fernandes |first1=Deepa |last2=Perkins Mastromarino |first2=James |date=2023-08-10 |title='Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical' lets players perform an interactive Broadway show |url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2023/08/10/stray-gods-roleplaying-musical-game |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=[[WBUR]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Naudus |first=Kris |date=2015-12-14 |title=Nintendo's 'Yo-Kai Watch' is a love letter to urban life |url=https://www.engadget.com/2015-12-14-nintendo-yo-kai-watch-love-letter-to-urban-life.html |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=[[Engadget]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Verge2020">Andrew Webster, [https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/12/21134502/coffee-talk-game-review-nintendo-switch-ps4-xbox-steam "You should play this extremely chill game about serving coffee to vampires and elves"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108043557/https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/12/21134502/coffee-talk-game-review-nintendo-switch-ps4-xbox-steam|date=8 November 2020}}, The Verge, 12 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Richard |date=14 May 2012 |title=Dark is a stealth game with vampires, sneaking to Xbox, PC |url=https://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/dark-is-a-stealth-game-with-vampires-sneaking-to-xbox-pc/ |access-date=31 January 2016 |work=[[Engadget]] ([[Joystiq]])}}</ref> Other urban fantasy video games put a modern interpretation on other fantasy media. The ''[[Devil May Cry]]'' series is based on ''[[Divine Comedy]],'' and ''[[Lies of P]]'' is based on ''[[The Adventures of Pinocchio]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Day |first=Graham |date=2020-09-12 |title=Devil May Cry Is a Bloody Shakespearean Soap Opera |url=https://www.escapistmagazine.com/devil-may-cry-is-a-bloody-shakespearean-soap-opera-dante-vergil-nero/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] |language=en-US}}</ref>''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Porter |first=Justin |date=September 19, 2023 |title=Pinocchio Takes No Prisoners in a Punishing New Video Game |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/19/arts/lies-of-p-pinocchio-video-game.html}}</ref>

==Authors==
<!-- NOTE: Please do not add anyone to this list unless they already have a Wikipedia article. Any redlinked authors will be removed. This means you. -->
The following is an incomplete list of notable authors of urban fantasy. According to 2013 statistics by the fantasy publisher [[Tor Books]], among writers of urban fantasy or paranormal romance, 57% are women and 43% are men, whereas men outnumber women by about two to one in writing [[Historical fantasy|historical]], epic, or [[high fantasy]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Crisp|first1=Julie|title=SEXISM IN GENRE PUBLISHING: A PUBLISHER'S PERSPECTIVE|url=http://www.torbooks.co.uk/blog/2013/07/10/sexism-in-genre-publishing-a-publishers-perspective|website=[[Tor Books]]|date=10 July 2013|access-date=29 April 2015|archive-date=April 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150430072612/http://www.torbooks.co.uk/blog/2013/07/10/sexism-in-genre-publishing-a-publishers-perspective|url-status=dead}} ([[Speculative fiction#Author demographics|See full statistics]])</ref>

{{div col}}
* [[Ben Aaronovitch]] (''[[Rivers of London (book series)|Rivers of London]]'' series)<ref>{{cite web|last=Hollands |first=Neil |url=http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/mobile/mhome/891346-422/epic_journeys_fantasy_makes_a.html.csp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904090205/http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/mobile/mhome/891346-422/epic_journeys_fantasy_makes_a.html.csp |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 4, 2012 |title=ljx110801SFpreview |publisher=Libraryjournal.com |date=August 15, 2011 |access-date=2011-11-28 }}</ref>
* [[Ilona Andrews]] (''Kate Daniels'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Jennifer Armintrout]] (''Blood Ties'' series)
* [[Kelley Armstrong]] (''[[Women of the Otherworld]]'' and ''[[Darkest Powers]]'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[L. A. Banks]] (''Vampire Huntress'' series and ''Crimson Moon'' novels)
* [[Holly Black]] (''Modern Faerie Tales'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Marie Brennan]] (''Midnight Never Come'' and ''In Ashes Lie'')<ref name=Brennan>{{cite news |first=Bella |last=Pagan |title=Midnight is in fact coming to Orbit! |work=orbitbooks.net |date=November 13, 2007 |access-date=November 5, 2010 |url=http://www.orbitbooks.net/2007/11/13/midnight-is-in-fact-coming-to-orbit/}}</ref>
* [[Sarah Rees Brennan]] (''The Demon's Lexicon'' series)<ref>{{cite news |title=''The Demon's Lexicon'': Book Summary & Video |work=books.simonandschuster.com |access-date=February 10, 2010 |url=http://books.simonandschuster.com/Demon%27s-Lexicon/Sarah-Rees-Brennan/Demon%27s-Lexicon-Trilogy-The/9781416963790}}</ref>
* [[Patricia Briggs]] (''[[Mercy Thompson]] series'')<ref name="lj" />
* [[Terry Brooks]] (''Word & Void'' series)
* [[Emma Bull]] (''[[War for the Oaks]]'')<ref name="lj" />
* [[Jim Butcher]] (''[[Dresden Files]]'' series)<ref name="lj" /><ref name="Discovering Your Brand of Fantasy"/>
* [[Rachel Caine]] (''Weather Warden'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Dana Cameron]] (''Fangborn'' series)
* [[Mike Carey (writer)|Mike Carey]] (''Felix Castor'' series)<ref>{{cite news |first=Paula |last=Guran |title=Review |work=Fantasy Magazine |access-date=June 7, 2012 |url=http://www.fantasy-magazine.com/reviews/gene-wolfe-mike-carey/}}</ref>
* [[Karen Chance]] (''Cassandra Palmer'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Cinda Williams Chima]] (''The Heir Trilogy'')<ref name="lj" />
* [[Cassandra Clare]] (''[[Mortal Instruments]]'' series)<ref>Campbell, Heather M.. School Library Journal 53(2007): 130.</ref><ref name="Discovering Your Brand of Fantasy"/>
* John Conroe (''Demon Accords'' series)
* [[Glen Cook]] (''[[Garrett P.I.]]'' series)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/glen-cook/|title=Glen Cook|website=www.fantasticfiction.com}}</ref>
* [[Jack Dann]] (''Junction'', editorial output)
* [[Sylvia Day|S. J. Day]] (''Marked'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Edward Eager]] ("Magic" children's books)
* [[P. N. Elrod]] (''The Vampire Files'' series)
* [[Jennifer Estep]] (''Elemental Assassin'', ''Mythos Academy'', ''Black Blade'' series)
* [[J. M. Frey]]
* [[Jeaniene Frost]] (''Night Huntress'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Neil Gaiman]] (''[[Neverwhere]]'')<ref name="lj" />
* [[Yasmine Galenorn]] (''Wild Hunt'', ''Otherworld'', ''Indigo Court'')
* [[Kelly Gay]] (''[[Charlie Madigan series]]'')<ref name=BPD/>
* [[Michael Grant (young adult author)|Michael Grant]] (''[[Gone (novel series)|Gone]]'' series)<ref name=Gone/>
* [[Claudia Gray]] (''Evernight'' series)<ref name=Evernight/>
* [[Simon R. Green]] (''[[Nightside (book series)|Nightside]]'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Lev Grossman]] (''[[The Magicians (Grossman novel)|The Magicians trilogy]]'')<ref name="lj" />
* [[Catherine Webb|Kate Griffin]] (''Matthew Swift'' series)
* [[Laurell K. Hamilton]] (The ''[[Anita Blake]]'' and ''[[Merry Gentry]]'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* Cynthia Hand (''[[Unearthly]]'' series)<ref name="Unearthly" />
* [[Charlaine Harris]] (''[[The Southern Vampire Mysteries]]'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Kim Harrison]] (''[[The Hollows]]'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Rachel Hawthorne]] (''[[Dark Guardian (novel series)|Dark Guardian]]'' series)<ref name=mlight>{{cite news |title=About the Book: ''Moonlight'' |work=harperteen.com |access-date=December 22, 2009 |url=http://www.harperteen.com/book/index.aspx?isbn=9780061709555}}</ref>
* [[Kevin Hearne]] (''[[The Iron Druid Chronicles]]'')<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kevinhearne.com/books|title=Kevin Hearne &#124; A Curse of Krakens|website=kevinhearne.com}}</ref>
* [[Mark Henry (novelist)|Mark Henry]] (Amanda Feral series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Robin Hobb]] (''Wizard of the Pigeons'')
* [[Tanya Huff]] (''Keeper Chronicles, Blood series, The Enchantment Emporium, Smoke series'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scifiguy.ca/2009/06/interview-author-tanya-huff.html|title=Interview – Author Tanya Huff|access-date=July 3, 2009}}</ref>
* [[Faith Hunter]] (''[[Rogue Mage series]]'', ''Jane Yellowrock'' series, and the ''Soulwood'' series)
* [[Charlie Huston]] (''Joe Pitt casebooks'')
* [[Benedict Jacka]] (''Alex Verus'' series)<ref>{{cite web|last=Fox|first=Rose|title=PW Talks with Benedict Jacka, Cont.|url=http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/genreville/?p=2025|publisher=Publishers Weekly|access-date=8 October 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018230435/http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/genreville/?p=2025|archive-date=October 18, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> 
* Elliott James (''Pax Arcana'' series)
* [[Carrie Jones (author)|Carrie Jones]] (''[[Need (novel series)|Need]]'' series)<ref name="CJ" />
* [[Lauren Kate]] (''[[Fallen (2009 novel)|Fallen]]'' series)<ref name=Fallen/>
* Elliott Kay (''Good Intentions'' series)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elliottkay.com/next-good-intentions/|title=So About That Next Good Intentions Book|author=Kay, Elliott|website=elliottkay.com|date=April 27, 2016 }}</ref>
* [[Jackie Kessler]]  (''Hell on Earth'' paranormal romance series)
* [[Caitlin Kittredge]] (''Nocturne City'' and ''Iron Codex'' series)<ref>{{cite news |title=Review: ''The Iron Thorn'' by Caitlin Kittredge |work=Publishers Weekly |access-date=March 2, 2011 |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-385-73829-3}}</ref>
* [[Katherine Kurtz]] (''Adept'' series)
* [[Mercedes Lackey]] (''Elves on the Road'' universe and the slightly [[steampunk]] ‘’Elemental Masters’’ books)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Fritz Lieber]] (''[[Our Lady of Darkness]]'')
* [[Charles de Lint]] (''[[Newford]]'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Sergei Lukyanenko]] (''[[Night Watch (Lukyanenko novel)|Night Watch]]'' series)
* [[Melissa Marr]] (''[[Wicked Lovely]]'' series)<ref>{{cite news |title=About the Book: ''Wicked Lovely'' |work=harperteen.com |access-date=February 10, 2010 |url=http://www.harperteen.com/books/9780061214653/Wicked_Lovely/index.aspx}}</ref>
* [[Worm (web serial)|John C. McCrae]] (''Pact'' and ''Pale'' web serials)
* [[Seanan McGuire]] (''October Daye'' series )<ref>{{cite news |title=October Daye Novels |work=seananmcguire.com |url=http://seananmcguire.com/toby.php}}</ref>
* [[Robin McKinley]] (''[[Sunshine (novel)|Sunshine]]'')
* [[Richelle Mead]] (''[[Georgina Kincaid]]'' and ''[[Vampire Academy]]'' series)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/kir/lifestyle/79852562.html |title=Vampire buzz takes bite in Kirkland |publisher=Kirkland Reporter |date=December 21, 2009 |access-date=February 10, 2010 |archive-date=July 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715094826/http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/kir/lifestyle/79852562.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Scott Mebus]]  (''Gods of Manhattan'' children's series)
* [[China Miéville]]  (''[[Bas-Lag]]'' series)<ref>{{cite web| first=Jared| last=Shurin| url=https://www.tor.com/2014/10/14/a-category-unto-himself-the-works-of-china-mieville/| title= A Category Unto Himself: The Works of China Miéville| date=October 14, 2014| publisher=Tor.com| access-date= January 26, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Karen Marie Moning]] (''Fever'' series)
* [[Devon Monk]] (''Allie Beckstrom'' series)<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bscreview.com/2010/06/urban-fantasy-mini-round-up-ilona-andrews-devon-monk-lynn-flewelling/| title= Urban Fantasy Round-up| access-date= June 17, 2010}}</ref>
* [[Courtney Allison Moulton]] (''[[Angelfire (novel series)|Angelfire]]'' series)<ref name=Moulton/>
* [[C. E. Murphy]] (''Walker Papers'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Joseph Nassise]] (''Templar Chronicles'' and ''Jeremiah Hunt'' series)
* [[Alyson Noël]] (''[[Evermore (novel)|Immortals]]'' series)<ref name="Noel" />
* [[Mary Norton (writer)|Mary Norton]]  (''The Borrowers'' and its sequels)
* [[Jackson Pearce]] (''As You Wish'' and ''Sisters Red'')<ref>{{cite news |title=Publishers Marketplace: Jackson Pearce |work=publishersmarketplace.com |access-date=February 10, 2010 |url=http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/JacksonPearce/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100207120734/http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/JacksonPearce/ |archive-date=February 7, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
* [[Marlene Perez]] (''Dead Is...'' series)<ref>{{cite news |first=Tammy |last=Moore |title=''Dead is the New Black'' review |work=greenmanreview.com |access-date=November 5, 2010 |url=http://www.greenmanreview.com/book/book_perez_deadistehnewblack.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615152052/http://www.greenmanreview.com/book/book_perez_deadistehnewblack.html |archive-date=June 15, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
* [[Diana Peterfreund]] (''Killer Unicorns'' series)<ref name=Peterfreund/>
* [[Vicki Pettersson]] (''Signs of the Zodiac'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[T. A. Pratt]] (''Marla Mason'' series)
* [[Kalayna Price]] (''Alex Craft'' series)<ref name=AlexCraft >{{cite news |title=Alex Craft Novels |work=penguingroup.com |access-date=February 25, 2010 |url=http://www.kalayna.com/alexcraft.html}}</ref>
* [[Cat Rambo]]
* [[Jennifer Rardin]] (''[[Jaz Parks series]]'')<ref name=Parks/>
* [[Natasha Rhodes]] (''Kayla Steele'' series)
* [[Kat Richardson]] (''Greywalker'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Rick Riordan]] (''[[Percy Jackson and the Olympians]]'' series)<ref name="Percy Jackson idea">{{cite web|url=http://www.rickriordan.com/index.php/about-the-author/an-interview-with-rick-riordan/where-did-you-get-the-idea-for-percy-jackson/|title=Where did you get the idea for Percy Jackson?|last=Riordan|first=Rick|page=1|access-date=2009-05-17|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515165142/http://www.rickriordan.com/index.php/about-the-author/an-interview-with-rick-riordan/where-did-you-get-the-idea-for-percy-jackson/|archive-date=May 15, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* [[J. K. Rowling]] (''Harry Potter'' series)
* [[Lilith Saintcrow]] (''Dante Valentine'' series, ''Jill Kismet'' series)
* [[Ekaterina Sedia]] (''[[The House of Discarded Dreams]]'')
* [[Oh Seong-dae]] (''Tales of the Unusual'')
* [[Thomas E. Sniegoski]] (''[[The Fallen (series)|The Fallen]]'' series)
* [[Lucy A. Snyder]] (''Jessie Shimmer'' series)
* [[Jeff Somers]]
* [[Jeanne C. Stein]] (''Anna Strong'' series)
* [[Shanna Swendson]] (''[[Enchanted, Inc.]]'' series)
* [[Anton Strout]] (''Simon Canderous'' series)<ref>{{cite web|first=Tim |last=Davis |url=http://www.bookloons.com/cgi-bin/Review.asp?bookid=9247|title=Dead to Me by Anton Strout|publisher=Bookloons.com |date=September 13, 2009}}</ref>
* [[Mark Teppo]] (''Codex of Souls'' series)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fantasy-magazine.com/2010/03/mark-teppo-of-men-and-magick/|title=Mark Teppo: Of Men and Magick ...|work=Fantasy Magazine |date=March 5, 2010|access-date=2010-08-30|author=Wood, Jonathan}}</ref>
* [[S. D. Tooley|Sandra D. Tooley]]  (''Sam Casey'' mysteries, ''Chase Dagger'' mysteries)
* [[P. L. Travers]] (''[[Mary Poppins (book series)|Mary Poppins]] books'')
* [[Carrie Vaughn]] (''Kitty Norville'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* [[Catherine Webb]] (''Matthew Swift'' and ''Magicals Anonymous'' series)
* [[H.G.Wells]] (''The Sea Lady'')
* Kiersten White (''[[Paranormalcy]]'')<ref name=Paranormalcy/>
* [[Terri Windling]] (''[[Borderland (book series)|Borderlands]]'' series)<ref name="lj" />
* Yvonne Woon (''[[Dead Beautiful]]'' series)<ref>{{cite news |title=''Dead Beautiful'' by Yvonne Woon |work=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |access-date=February 25, 2011 |url=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/childrens-books/yvonne-woon/dead-beautiful/}}</ref>
* [[Alyssa Wong]] (''[[Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers]]'')
{{div col end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Speculative fiction}}
*[[Contemporary fantasy]]
*[[Paranormal fiction]]
*[[List of literary genres]]
*[[List of genres]]
*[[List of urban fantasy novels]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="Discovering Your Brand of Fantasy">{{cite news |title='Discovering Your Brand of Fantasy |work=imagineforest.com |access-date=August 10, 2024 |url=https://www.imagineforest.com/blog/discovering-your-brand-of-fantasy/}}</ref>

}}

{{Fantasy fiction}}

[[Category:Urban fantasy| ]]
[[Category:Fantasy genres]]
[[Category:Urban fiction]]