Here are 15 complete urban fantasy series to occupy you during the holiday. If theres a title you think absolutely belongs on a list of top fantasy books, feel free to mention it in the comments. Malazan book of the fallen is another deeply iconic fantasy series, often cited as one of the best high fantasies in recent years. The first law trilogy series by joe abercrombie the three novels in abercrombies. This book is so wonderful that it landed on both our best fantasy and best scifi books lists. Jim butcher has crafted a version of chicago that is rife with magic and verisimilitude. Its exhaustive narrative spanning multiple continents and thousands of years is too complex to effectively describe here, but all eventually comes back to the.
Thats a hint of what youll find in these mesmerizing series. I dont participate every week, but i join in when i find the prompt interesting. Each cover is original and only sold to one author. Favorite urban fantasy books the technical urban fantasy definition is. The hollows, by kim harrison books another recently completed cornerstone of urban fantasy is the rachel morgan series. Each book usually involves a big mystery, and the main characters are often, but certainly not always, private investigators, detectives, or lawless. Feb 23, 2018 series that i binged from start to finish.
When i am looking for a fun, fastpaced read, my goto genre is urban fantasy. It is awesome the way it came up with an idea that not a single person had ever used before and turn it into a massive ten book series. At first the idea of ghosts and vampires left me cold. My favorite of my urban fantasies and paranormal romances. Adopted into the price family at a young age, shes never been able to escape. Certain staples of urban fantasy novels are also present in television shows. This is a new list please help populate it by adding your favourite uf series. New york times bestselling author seanan mcguire is the author of the october daye urban fantasy series, the incryptid series, and several other works, both standalone and in trilogies. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Jul 23, 2019 the fifth book, heavens spite, has possibly the bravest, most true to the character and story ending i have ever encountered in urban fantasy. The ones that begin so grandly then morph into multivolume nightmares that never seem to end.
Clary is plunged into an underground world full of magical secrets. Urban fantasy for paranormal romance readers novelist. Rachel starts out as a klutzy witch and grows into a supernatural force to be reckoned with as, over the course of books, she faces vampires, elves. The best urban fantasy novels that youve probably never heard of by m. Publishers and imprints provide guidance, but arent foolproof indicators of. Generally, urban fantasy readers are more likely to engage with a series rather than a standalone novel. Mix in a pi with a sixth sense, a tech whiz with a side gig as a monster hunter, or a shapeshifting avenger. With a third out in february, this series is becoming a must for any urban fantasy fan. It usually takes place in the present day or the equivalent of the present day. Contrary to popular belief, tropes arent a bad thing. Seanan mcguires personal top ten urban fantasy books for. Sarah zellaby has always been in an interesting position. Apr 25, 2018 this book is a great title with which to start reading urban fantasy, and is filled with murder mysteries and complex vampire politics.
Hamiltons anita blake series, kim harrisons rachel morgan series its a mistake to think that urban fantasies and vampire fiction are synonymous. When gaiman released american gods a few years later, it was an even bigger success, garnering awards and praise as. Urban fantasy must be set in a specific, contemporary city in which the flavour of that city strongly influences the story. Praised for the quality of the writing, mievilles popular trilogy is a mashup of steampunk, dystopianspeculative fiction, horror, and urban fantasy. Imagine a metropolis teeming with mayhem, mystery, and magic. However, fans of one of these subgenres often love the other, so dont be afraid to give any of the books below a try. Urban fantasy must be set in a specific, contemporary city in which the flavour of that city strongly influences. But potter, and fantasy novels as a whole, would possibly not exist without this. Hamilton is the unofficial godmother of contemporary urban fantasy, which is a little amusing because lots of her hardcore urban fantasy readers are probably cursing me for including her. Sep 28, 2018 urban fantasy is legendary for its tropes.
The 14 most popular fantasy book series a list of the most popular fantasy books, with something for most age groups. The one quintessential element of every urban fantasy novel is that it contains. Oct 14, 2016 two books may not seem like much of a binge read, but its impossible to read the first eric carter book without immediately grabbing the second. Urban fantasy is a genre of englishlanguage fiction, a subgenre of fantasy in which the narrative uses supernatural elements in a 19thcentury to 21stcentury or equivalent urban society. Top ten wings of fire characters queenterra best epicfantasy book series of all time top ten most loved wings of fire couples feathermist top ten fantasy book series top ten best noncanon percy jackson and heroes of olympus parings annaofarendelle332 best a song of ice and fire characters esteluki top ten favorite gods from the percy jackson. Here are 20 exciting, addictive urban fantasy novels fantasy plots that. Collection of premade book covers for fantasy, young adult, urban fantasy and scifi genres. I have read the entire series 3 times and have loved even more every time. Standalone uf novels such as neverwhere or war for the oaks should not be added to this list. Many of the authors are known for work outside the fantasy genres. Browse our latest titles in the urban fantasy best sellers category to discover your next read from. This one effectively employs all the tropes that made urban fantasy so popular in the first place. Who the hell in their right mind would pay me to publish this.
Urban fantasy is a slippery sort of subgenre, but to me, calling a book urban fantasy. Sep 10, 2018 the series is a young adult take on urban fantasy, much like harry potter is, although pullman uses the story to to take a swing at organized religions as well, giving it a bit more bite. This book is a great title with which to start reading urban fantasy, and is filled with murder mysteries and complex vampire politics. Works of urban fantasy are set primarily in the real world and contain. Browse series, pseudonyms, synopses, and subgenres. Two books may not seem like much of a binge read, but its impossible to read the first eric carter book without immediately grabbing the second.
Young adultfantasyscifi premade book covers rocking. The 37 best urban fantasy books and series of all time. Nov 14, 2016 we recently provided you with a list of a dozen ongoing urban fantasy series for your bingereading pleasure, but if theres one thing we know about this addictive fantasy subgenre, its that it can often seem rarer to find a completed series than an ongoing oneauthors are happy to chug along, rack. Even the authors know they are bloated beasts, for example take tad williams, writer of. Its one of the most wellknown, wellloved series running, and for damn good reasons. The urban fantasy genre seems to be exploding in popularity lately. The dresden files, by jim butcher 16 books wizard harry dresden is the king of urban fantasy, and the dresden files are the gold standard for the gene. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon kindle store best sellers. Storm front by jim butcher, moon called by patricia briggs, magic bites by ilona andrews, fool moon by jim butcher, and b. Good reads best paranormal romanceurban fantasy series.
She concluded the trilogy with 2014s the book of life, but a tv series is in development and more books are on the way, including an untitled follow. In the scope of the fantasy genre, urban fantasy has become a heavyweight in readership. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. However you define it, its been a wildly popular field for some time and. The 51 best fantasy series ever written whether youre a swords and sorcery type of fantasy reader, a fan of battles and betrayal, or you just want a few more goddamn elves in your life, theres. Mar 11, 2014 top ten urban fantasy series march 11, 2014 august 12, 2015 posted in readers advisory, reading life, top ten tuesday top ten tuesday is a book blogging prompt hosted by the broke and the bookish. Urban fantasy is a slippery sort of subgenre, but to me, calling a book urban fantasy means it is set in a modern, urban society with an overlay of fantasy elements e. This is a list of fantasy authors, authors known for writing works of fantasy, fantasy literature, or related genres of magic realism, horror fiction, science fantasy.
In the 2000s, the harry potter novels became the rare series read by fantasy fans and nonfantasy fans, book lovers and nonbook lovers, basically everyone on. Hit tv series like outlander on starz and atwoods the handmaids tale hulu have exposed the popularity of fantasy series with strong female characters and attracted more readers to the novels. Sep 10, 2018 youll see that its categorized into sections. Best epicfantasy book series of all time thetoptens. Jun 12, 2017 15 urban fantasy cliches to avoid june 12, 2017 by hiten vyas 4 comments an urban fantasy book is one which has an urban and modern city setting, and yet, it contains supernatural components hence the name urban fantasy, where a real world setting is combined with fantasy. When gaiman released american gods a few years later, it was an even bigger success, garnering awards and praise as one of the best novels of the twentyfirst century.
This weeks prompt is to share your favorites from any genre. Uuuh, lord of the rings is a mature book for adult audiences, not the childish kind for 12 year olds like harry potter. The best fantasy novels of all time penguin random house. Wellknown examples include the 1992 series highlander and the tv adaptation of buffy the vampire slayer, which is regarded as a seminal work of the genre. I dont know about you, but ive really gotten hooked on urban fantasy lately.
Massey 0 if youre like me and you enjoy stumbling across good, solid urban fantasy novels, then its likely nothing can get your heart pumping like another avid reader sharing their best obscure finds. Word count of popular fantasy and science fiction series. Make a list browse lists search lists leaders help contact suggest feature newsletter. The longrunning story of harry dresden begins with a grisly doublemurder in chicago, one that thrusts harry into the darkest depths of magic, fairies, and courts. Nov 19, 2018 if theres a title you think absolutely belongs on a list of top fantasy books, feel free to mention it in the comments. Good reads best paranormal romanceurban fantasy series show list info. Rowling harry potter is my favorite series of all time. Apr 11, 2018 in the 2000s, the harry potter novels became the rare series read by fantasy fans and non fantasy fans, book lovers and non book lovers, basically everyone on planet earth. This is technically the third in her women of the otherworld series, and you should probably start with book. Gritty urban fantasy novels with incredible worldbuilding may have covers that scream romance, and just because a book isnt shelved in romance doesnt mean the love story wont satisfy romance readers.
However you define it, its been a wildly popular field for some time and theres lots of great books out there. The other head of the urban fantasy revolution was neil gaiman, who enthralled millions with the 1996 urban fantasy noveltv series neverwhere. So, here is my list of the most popular book series you should read. A paranormal womens fiction novel the forty proof series book 2. Sanderson plans to write two more series one in a modern, urban setting, the other in a futuristic, scifi setting, ensuring that mistborn will.
The first book in this series, child of fire, was originally released by a publisher who had no idea how to market the novels, and at a time when the publishing companies were scrambling to survive amidst the onslaught of the digital book revolution. The fifth book, heavens spite, has possibly the bravest, most true to the character and story ending i have ever encountered in urban fantasy. The 50 best fantasy books of the 21st century so far paste. They are listed in no particular order, but include the books from each series in the order they should be read in. Top ten tuesday is a book blogging prompt hosted by the broke and the bookish. Best strong female fantasy novels, the best urban fantasy, best adult urban.
Just take a look at all the popular and successful urban fantasy series out there its clear that readers like to get invested in multiple books featuring the same setting and characters. Tv land takes a crack at stephen kings sprawling fantasy series after hollywood. Bookcoverscre8tive book cover design bestselling premade. The broken crown is the first book in the series, tracking the struggle between the dominion and the empire. Urban fantasy tends to be a little grittier and more violent and is often written in the first person. The series is a young adult take on urban fantasy, much like harry potter is, although pullman uses the story to to take a swing at organized religions as well, giving it a bit more bite. A vampire paranormal romance blueblood vampires book 1. An urban fantasy dragon series death before dragons book 2. Perhaps the bestknown urban fantasy series of the twentyfirst century, mortal instruments follows the path of nyc teenager clary fray, who discovers shes a shadowhunter one with the power to hunt demons. Jul 12, 2017 she concluded the trilogy with 2014s the book of life, but a tv series is in development and more books are on the way, including an untitled followup to the trilogy, a matthewfocused prequel. When you understand them, they can be your superpower. The ninth book in the fastpaced incryptid urban fantasy series returns to the mishaps of the price family, eccentric cryptozoologists who safeguard the world of magical creatures living in secret among humans.
Works of urban fantasy have been adapted to or have originated in film and television. Top ten best book series the top ten best book series. Vampire urban fantasy is also quite popular, with vampires coexisting often ruling. Blogspot 277 for any writer or reader, books are everything. While a lot of popular urban fantasy series do focus on vampires for instance, gail carrigers soulless, jennifer rardins jaz parks series, laurell k.
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