Happiness is a good book: some of Seanan's favorite urban fantasy and paranormal romance reads.
I was asked recently if I would be willing to make a list of some of my favorite urban fantasies and paranormal romances. Because I am an amiable blonde, I am doing so. In the case of series, I will list the series name and first book, so you know where I at least think you should start. Format is as follows:
The Toby Daye Series, Rosemary and Rue, Seanan McGuire.
Half-fae private investigator-slash-knight errant October Daye tries to solve magical murders and prevent more than the usual amount of chaos in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ongoing series, sequential, told in the first person. Five books currently available, two more confirmed.
Genre: Pretty unadulterated urban fantasy.
Recommended for: People who like my books, since I wrote them.
Romance level: Low so far. Sex not shown onscreen. Safe for teenagers and your mother.
For this list, "favorite" is defined as "I enjoy reading them, and am actively pleased to see another book in the series or by the same author," rather than "this is the highest quality that the genre has to offer." My books, my biases. This is by no means a comprehensive list, since my attention span is not that great right now.
With me? Awesome. Let's rock.
***
Women of the Otherworld, Bitten, Kelley Armstrong.
With its multiple narrators, ongoing plot threads, and complicated setting, Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld has grown into one of the most awesome series in urban fantasy. There are thirteen books planned, eleven currently available, but don't let that scare you off; they're pretty self-contained, and you can start anywhere, although I recommend the beginning.
Genre: Mostly urban fantasy.
Recommended for: Fans of Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Tanya Huff, me.
Romance level: High, with at least one major romance plot per book. Sex is smoking hot and onscreen, but generally plot-relevant.
Jessie Shimmer Series, Spellbent, Lucy Snyder.
These books are insane. Like, seriously deranged, somebody's been smoking something, there's a giant spider-ferret stomping around giving snotty advice, insane. I call these the Evil Dead movies of the urban fantasy world, and they have the same sort of crazy gonzo approach to damn near everything. I absolutely adore them. So much fun, so much gore, so many really crazy people.
Genre: Urban fantasy with a side order of nutbar horror.
Recommended for: People who think Bruce Campbell should be canonized.
Romance level: Romance, not so much, although Jessie has a steady lover. Sex, or at least sexy thoughts, lots and lots. Lucy Snyder is not afraid of the raunch, and she knows how to make it work for her. Sometimes in disturbing ways.
The Enchantment Emporium, Tanya Huff.
Up until this book came out, Summon the Keeper was my favorite book of Tanya's. The Gale women, who are this huge, crazy, magical family who could probably hang out with my Price girls (from InCryptid) without anyone getting stabbed, make magic and pie in Canada. I think I like this better than anything else she's done in years...except for the sequel, which I got to read for blurbing purposes, and trust me. This series is just getting better.
Genre: Urban fantasy. With pie.
Recommended for: Fans of early urban fantasy (Emma Bull, Bordertown), Jim Hines, Mercedes Lackey's urban elves, or the Toby books.
Romance level: Some romance that works almost seamlessly with the rest of the plot, rather than being the plot; basically no onscreen sex.
Jill Kismet series, Night Shift, Lilith Saintcrow.
I liked Lilith Saintcrow's first urban fantasy series, following a psionic necromancer named Dante Valentine. I was sad to hear that she was moving on to a new series...and then I actually started reading them, found myself knocked onto my ass by awesome, and totally fell in love. Seriously. You need to read these in order if you read them at all, because she builds from book to book, and the ending of the most recent one was a ballsy kick in the gut. Totally recommended.
Genre: Urban fantasy with horror elements.
Recommended for: Fans of Lucy Snyder, Kelley Armstrong, early Laurel K. Hamilton.
Romance level: Sex and romance both feature, but they're a relatively small part of the book, and they are driven by the plot, rather than taking the wheel.
Matthew Swift, A Madness of Angels, Kate Griffin.
The Matthew Swift books are like a magical stew of London folklore, modern magic, and all the best things about Neverwhere and Hellblazer. Matthew Swift was dead. But he got better. Oh, and also, he's now the blue electric angels, which is a bit of a problem for all the people who'd like to make him dead again. The tense switches in the first book can be jarring, but once you embrace them, it's incredible.
Genre: Truly urban fantasy. The city is life.
Recommended for: Fans of Neil Gaiman, Richard Kadrey, Paul Cornell.
Romance level: Not really a factor. Matthew doesn't have the time.
Death Works, Death Most Definite, Trent Jamieson.
An awful lot of urban fantasy is set in North America. Death Works is set in Melbourne, Australia. An awful lot of urban fantasy focuses on a female lead. Death Works centers on Steven de Selby, a psychopomp ("pomp" for short) working for the organization which, well, makes sure death happens. An awful lot of urban fantasy is vampires and werewolves and faeries, oh, my. Death works is, well...death. I happen to love, and write, all those things that fall under "an awful lot of urban fantasy." But it's nice to mix it up, and this series is awesome.
Genre: Urban fantasy with dead stuff.
Recommended for: Fans of Anton Strout, Kevin Smith (yes, the filmmaker), Hellblazer.
Romance level: Moderate to high, but the love interest spends a lot of time dead, which cuts down on the sex.
Death's Daughter, Death's Daughter, Amber Benson.
Let's stick, briefly, with the dead stuff theme: allow me to introduce Calliope Reaper-Jones, daughter of Death, possible heir to his position, unwilling immortal, and oh, right, New York fashionista in training. These are fluffy, antic romps through the lands of the dead, and they very rarely let up for even a second. Calliope is frothy and fun, and the books improve steadily, making each new installment a pleasure.
Genre: Urban fantasy with dead stuff and shoes.
Recommended for: Fans of Charlaine Harris, Tanya Huff, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Romance level: Relatively low; Calliope's too busy trying not to die or break a nail.
Weather Wardens, Ill Wind, Rachel Caine.
Djinns. Elementalists. Earth-shattering kabooms. And some of the most unexpected twists, turns, and inversions in the entire genre, all building up to a climax that must be earned through the previous volumes to be believed. Seriously, I chewed through these like they were a gingerbread house and I was a starving Girl Scout lost in a fairy tale forest. They're creative, they're inventive, and they have a body count that is not to be missed. Check them out.
Genre: Weather Channel wish-fulfillment urban fantasy.
Recommended for: Fans of Kelley Armstrong, Linda Robinson, Lilith Saintcrow.
Romance level: High, with lots of smokin'-hot sex, and an ongoing relationship that doesn't need UST to sizzle.
The Toby Daye Series, Rosemary and Rue, Seanan McGuire.
Half-fae private investigator-slash-knight errant October Daye tries to solve magical murders and prevent more than the usual amount of chaos in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ongoing series, sequential, told in the first person. Five books currently available, two more confirmed.
Genre: Pretty unadulterated urban fantasy.
Recommended for: People who like my books, since I wrote them.
Romance level: Low so far. Sex not shown onscreen. Safe for teenagers and your mother.
For this list, "favorite" is defined as "I enjoy reading them, and am actively pleased to see another book in the series or by the same author," rather than "this is the highest quality that the genre has to offer." My books, my biases. This is by no means a comprehensive list, since my attention span is not that great right now.
With me? Awesome. Let's rock.
***
Women of the Otherworld, Bitten, Kelley Armstrong.
With its multiple narrators, ongoing plot threads, and complicated setting, Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld has grown into one of the most awesome series in urban fantasy. There are thirteen books planned, eleven currently available, but don't let that scare you off; they're pretty self-contained, and you can start anywhere, although I recommend the beginning.
Genre: Mostly urban fantasy.
Recommended for: Fans of Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Tanya Huff, me.
Romance level: High, with at least one major romance plot per book. Sex is smoking hot and onscreen, but generally plot-relevant.
Jessie Shimmer Series, Spellbent, Lucy Snyder.
These books are insane. Like, seriously deranged, somebody's been smoking something, there's a giant spider-ferret stomping around giving snotty advice, insane. I call these the Evil Dead movies of the urban fantasy world, and they have the same sort of crazy gonzo approach to damn near everything. I absolutely adore them. So much fun, so much gore, so many really crazy people.
Genre: Urban fantasy with a side order of nutbar horror.
Recommended for: People who think Bruce Campbell should be canonized.
Romance level: Romance, not so much, although Jessie has a steady lover. Sex, or at least sexy thoughts, lots and lots. Lucy Snyder is not afraid of the raunch, and she knows how to make it work for her. Sometimes in disturbing ways.
The Enchantment Emporium, Tanya Huff.
Up until this book came out, Summon the Keeper was my favorite book of Tanya's. The Gale women, who are this huge, crazy, magical family who could probably hang out with my Price girls (from InCryptid) without anyone getting stabbed, make magic and pie in Canada. I think I like this better than anything else she's done in years...except for the sequel, which I got to read for blurbing purposes, and trust me. This series is just getting better.
Genre: Urban fantasy. With pie.
Recommended for: Fans of early urban fantasy (Emma Bull, Bordertown), Jim Hines, Mercedes Lackey's urban elves, or the Toby books.
Romance level: Some romance that works almost seamlessly with the rest of the plot, rather than being the plot; basically no onscreen sex.
Jill Kismet series, Night Shift, Lilith Saintcrow.
I liked Lilith Saintcrow's first urban fantasy series, following a psionic necromancer named Dante Valentine. I was sad to hear that she was moving on to a new series...and then I actually started reading them, found myself knocked onto my ass by awesome, and totally fell in love. Seriously. You need to read these in order if you read them at all, because she builds from book to book, and the ending of the most recent one was a ballsy kick in the gut. Totally recommended.
Genre: Urban fantasy with horror elements.
Recommended for: Fans of Lucy Snyder, Kelley Armstrong, early Laurel K. Hamilton.
Romance level: Sex and romance both feature, but they're a relatively small part of the book, and they are driven by the plot, rather than taking the wheel.
Matthew Swift, A Madness of Angels, Kate Griffin.
The Matthew Swift books are like a magical stew of London folklore, modern magic, and all the best things about Neverwhere and Hellblazer. Matthew Swift was dead. But he got better. Oh, and also, he's now the blue electric angels, which is a bit of a problem for all the people who'd like to make him dead again. The tense switches in the first book can be jarring, but once you embrace them, it's incredible.
Genre: Truly urban fantasy. The city is life.
Recommended for: Fans of Neil Gaiman, Richard Kadrey, Paul Cornell.
Romance level: Not really a factor. Matthew doesn't have the time.
Death Works, Death Most Definite, Trent Jamieson.
An awful lot of urban fantasy is set in North America. Death Works is set in Melbourne, Australia. An awful lot of urban fantasy focuses on a female lead. Death Works centers on Steven de Selby, a psychopomp ("pomp" for short) working for the organization which, well, makes sure death happens. An awful lot of urban fantasy is vampires and werewolves and faeries, oh, my. Death works is, well...death. I happen to love, and write, all those things that fall under "an awful lot of urban fantasy." But it's nice to mix it up, and this series is awesome.
Genre: Urban fantasy with dead stuff.
Recommended for: Fans of Anton Strout, Kevin Smith (yes, the filmmaker), Hellblazer.
Romance level: Moderate to high, but the love interest spends a lot of time dead, which cuts down on the sex.
Death's Daughter, Death's Daughter, Amber Benson.
Let's stick, briefly, with the dead stuff theme: allow me to introduce Calliope Reaper-Jones, daughter of Death, possible heir to his position, unwilling immortal, and oh, right, New York fashionista in training. These are fluffy, antic romps through the lands of the dead, and they very rarely let up for even a second. Calliope is frothy and fun, and the books improve steadily, making each new installment a pleasure.
Genre: Urban fantasy with dead stuff and shoes.
Recommended for: Fans of Charlaine Harris, Tanya Huff, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Romance level: Relatively low; Calliope's too busy trying not to die or break a nail.
Weather Wardens, Ill Wind, Rachel Caine.
Djinns. Elementalists. Earth-shattering kabooms. And some of the most unexpected twists, turns, and inversions in the entire genre, all building up to a climax that must be earned through the previous volumes to be believed. Seriously, I chewed through these like they were a gingerbread house and I was a starving Girl Scout lost in a fairy tale forest. They're creative, they're inventive, and they have a body count that is not to be missed. Check them out.
Genre: Weather Channel wish-fulfillment urban fantasy.
Recommended for: Fans of Kelley Armstrong, Linda Robinson, Lilith Saintcrow.
Romance level: High, with lots of smokin'-hot sex, and an ongoing relationship that doesn't need UST to sizzle.