Butcher, Jim. Dresden Files series. Storm Front. New York: Roc, 2000. (ISBN: 0451457811).
The basis of the short-lived television show, Dresden Files novels feature fairies, demons, vampires, and Chicago’s only professional wizard, Harry Dresden. Fantasy, crime noir, and comedy make surprisingly good bedfellows, especially as the series progresses and author Butcher hits his stride. Dark themes of power, responsibility, and hints of a vast conspiracy are leavened by Dresden’s wisecracking jokes and quirky friends. Read these in order (eleven to date), starting with Storm Front.
De Lint, Charles. Newford series. New York: Atheneum, 1990. (ISBN: 014230218X).
De Lint is a granddaddy of Urban Fantasy, and he’s still going strong. Though he’s written many, many books, try focusing on his Newford series, set in a fictional North American town. Myths and folklore underpin these richly detailed stories, in which the divisions blur between the worlds of humans and fairies. The first book is The Dreaming Place, but it’s not necessary to read the series in order.
Gaiman, Neil. Neverwhere. New York: Avon, 1997. (ISBN: 0060557818).
Neverwhere is a consummate example of Urban Fantasy, though most of Gaiman’s works will appeal to fans of the subgenre. Lurking just below London is a darker, creepier version of the city, where two nasty bad guys are hunting for a strange little girl and her hapless friend Richard, a resident of the so-called “real” London.
Moning, Karen Marie. Fever series. Darkfever. New York: Delacorte, 2006. (ISBN: 0440240980).
Author Moning’s last name is rather, um, appropriate for the books she writes. Romance and steamy sex abound in these paranormal adventures, featuring MacKayla Lane, a human who gets caught up in fairy politics in Ireland. Read these racy thrillers in order, starting with Darkfever.
Historical Fantasy
“Historical fantasy” exists at the overlap of historical fiction with the fantastic, where carefully researched historical details are embellished with and altered by the addition of dragons, magic, or the otherworldly. Its fans appreciate details, the particulars that in historical fiction build authenticity and that fantasy calls “worldbuilding.” These novels reintroduce the element of surprise to the enjoyment of history; aided by dragons or alchemical weapons, maybe Napoleon won’t be defeated at Waterloo after all.
Tending towards labyrinthine plots and imposing casts of characters, historical fantasies take on the tone, whether mannered or gritty, of the historical periods that inspired them. Marion Zimmer Bradley, Sara Douglass, Juliet Marillier, and Judith Tarr are inspired by the dark and classical ages, where history blends into mythology. Mary Gentle, Harry Harrison, and Harry Turtledove play war games with military regiments shifted in time. Lian Hearn, Kij Johnson, and Kara Dalkey mine the histories of Japan and India. Writers to watch include Elizabeth Bear, Marie Brennan, and Jo Graham as well as young adult fantasist Libba Bray and co-authors Caroline Stevermer and Patricia Wrede.
Clarke, Susanna. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. New York: Bloomsbury, 2004 (ISBN: 0765356155).
Two magicians respond to the reawakening of magic in nineteenth-century England: academic Norrell hopes to confine its study to the ivory tower, while his protégé-cum-rival Strange seeks practical applications, beginning with the confounding of Napoleon’s soldiers by illusion. Footnoted digressions regarding England’s magical past give the story historical sweep. Literary, stylish, both Austen-inspired and unique in tone, this lengthy tome is a benchmark for creating an eerie yet believable world equally furnished by history and folklore.
Kay, Guy Gavriel. The Lions of al-Rassan. New York: Harper Collins, 2005 (ISBN: 0060733497).
Whether inspired by Renaissance Italy or medieval Provence, Kay’s low-magic standalone novels transpose historical conflicts to invented worlds. This variation on medieval Spain mirrors its Muslim, Christian, and Jewish cultures in an imagined setting. A young woman physician is torn between two strong men, exiled generals destined to end on opposite sides of impending war. All of Kay’s novels feature richly detailed settings, an eloquent style, and nuanced characters with divided loyalties.
Bull, Emma. Territory. New York: Tor, 2007 (ISBN: 0812548361).
Tombstone, Arizona just ain’t big enough for more than one sorcerer in this low-magic Western fantasy. Horse-breaker Jesse Fox, new to town, crosses paths with a serial-writing widow, a Chinese doctor, Doc Holliday, and a particularly sinister incarnation of Wyatt Earp, all strongly characterized. Following the power struggles leading up to the West’s most famous gunfight, Bull connects silver mining and earth magic in a moody, original chimera of fact and fancy.
Novik, Naomi. Temeraire series, His Majesty’s Dragon. New York: Del Rey, 2006 (ISBN: 0345481283).
Building on the popularity of Patrick O’Brian’s age-of-sail historicals, Novik re-imagines the Napoleonic wars with an air corps of intelligent dragons. Royal Navy Captain Laurence’s service as an aviator begins unexpectedly when he bonds with dragon Temeraire, just captured from an enemy ship. The ongoing series ranges from Dover to the Far East, captivating readers with military action, engaging characters, and convincing details of dragon natural history.
Keyes, J. Gregory. Age of Unreason series, Newton’s Cannon. New York: Del Rey, 1998 (ISBN: 0345433785).
Isaac Newton introduces magic-enhanced weaponry to the conflict between England and France. Sorcerer’s apprentice and ladies’ man Ben Franklin endeavors, with Louis XIV’s latest mistress, to stop the Sun King from destroying London. Fictional and historical figures mingle in a busy, multi-threaded plot played out over four novels, building to an apocalypse that encompasses Europe and the New World, angels and demons. Like Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle, Keyes’s series canvasses the Age of Enlightenment, but with blacker magic.
Realistic Fantasy
“That was not how it happened in the stories.” This sorrowful statement from Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy captures the fundamental appeal of Realistic Fantasy. Influenced by George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series, worldbuilding authors began examining the high price characters pay for their ambitions. No longer stereotypical heroes and villains, these people have mixed motives, and it is sometimes difficult to find a “good guy.” Magic and the deus ex machina don’t sew up these stories with neat endings, and major characters can and do die. While action scenes are exciting, overall plots may cover months or even years in detail, so readers must be patient and collection developers alert to sequels. Brutal language, violence, and sex may make Realistic Fantasy more for mature YA and adult readers. In one of the newest corners of the fantasy genre, other realistic fantasy authors of note include K. J. Parker, David Anthony Durham, and R. Scott Bakker.
Micklem, Sarah. Firethorn. New York: Spectra, 2005. (ISBN: 055338340X).
A base-born young woman becomes a camp follower devoted to an impetuous royal knight. Herblore forms the basis for the fantasy elements, but use of it brings reward and heartbreak. While a system of gods under male and female avatars is established and maintained, there is no hint of interaction with supernatural beings. For readers who like strong female characters, unromanticized chivalry, and political maneuvering. First in a projected trilogy.
Ruckley, Brian. Godless World trilogy. Winterbirth. New York: Orbit, 2007. (ISBN: 0316068063).
Dynastic succession, conflict between traditional ways and a new apocalyptic religion, and the shadows of past crimes hang over this freezing world. Modeled on the clan warfare of the Scottish Highlands, with a dark and growing supernatural enemy, Ruckley’s Godless World (of which two books have been published) also lays bare the challenges of leadership in a time of anarchy and crisis.
Scholes, Ken. Psalms of Isaak series. Lamentation. New York: Tor, 2009. (ISBN: 0765321270).
A fierce but wise nomadic prince becomes the hope for his world, in which power is precariously balanced among various interests. Magical herbs give the characters limited powers, but a hint of the supernatural links these events to an ancient chess game of vengeance. Strong characters, swirling battle scenes, and the untangling of conspiratorial threads make this a strong first entry in a series.
Abercrombie, Joe. The First Law. The Blade Itself. Amherst, N.Y.: Pyr, 2007 (ISBN: 159102594X).
A diverse cast fights a multi-front war—some defending against human enemies, others joining a quest that requires abilities they don’t understand. Abercrombie uses multiple narrators to carry the action of the First Law trilogy forward, while legends illuminate the foundations of a war that goes back to the creation of the world. Abercrombie’s skills lie in making unlikable characters understandable and in cynically viewing a decadent, faction-riven society.
Palmatier, Joshua. Throne trilogy. The Skewed Throne. New York: Daw, 2006. (ISBN: 0756403820).
A street girl channels her anger and the power of the mysterious White Flame and rises to become Mistress of Amenkor in Palmatier’s Throne trilogy. Varis, brutalized yet vulnerable and caring, grows into power and leadership even as she experiences loss and terror with few resources other than her own strength.