McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Are Readers Growing Tired of New Urban Fantasy?
Madd:
Probably.
I'm not, but the only UF I've read was The Dresden Files and The Nightside series by Simon R. Green. I prefer sword and sorcery/high fantasy generally, but good authors always pull me in no matter what the setting.
I'd love to write an UF series, not for others but just for me. To see where things would go. Alas, the time the time...
hank the ancient:
Here's my 2 cents. I want the oldey but goody stuff back. I miss the comic relief of eighties horror movies, not slasher, horror. I miss the star trek idea that yeah, the future maybe is gonna be a good place with good people in it. I miss fictional characters you aspire to be like rather than reality tv stars that lower your expectations of humanity. I miss the clever heroes that win by showing bright, not might, makes right. I miss the stories where the good guy doesn't get the girl, because yes, Rick is the good guy. I miss comedies that aren't all gross out humor or kick the protagonist, let Neidermeyer get the abuse. I miss vampires being the bad guys. I miss the occasional western. etc.etc. etc.
I believe that the popularity of different stories and genres goes through cycles based on freshness for the audience. Certain things get popular then get overdone and have to take a rest because low quality stuff jumps on the bandwagon. You can tell when it is time for a change when it becomes the new, new, new, new version of the old stories rather than their return. The need to "make it fresh" kills the core values that make certain stories great to begin with.
I don't think readers are tired of urban fantasy, I think they are tired of the gimmicks that get slapped on to the point where it just becomes mass marketed cliches aimed at spoiled teenagers and later to be produced by michael bay starring the latest pop singer.
Madd:
--- Quote from: hank the ancient on April 02, 2012, 04:24:36 AM ---Here's my 2 cents. I want the oldey but goody stuff back. I miss the comic relief of eighties horror movies, not slasher, horror. I miss the star trek idea that yeah, the future maybe is gonna be a good place with good people in it. I miss fictional characters you aspire to be like rather than reality tv stars that lower your expectations of humanity. I miss the clever heroes that win by showing bright, not might, makes right. I miss the stories where the good guy doesn't get the girl, because yes, Rick is the good guy. I miss comedies that aren't all gross out humor or kick the protagonist, let Neidermeyer get the abuse. I miss vampires being the bad guys. I miss the occasional western. etc.etc. etc.
--- End quote ---
I agreed with your whole post, but wanted to highlight this section, mostly because I'm pretty sure you are secretly recording me and my wife's personal conversations ;D
synthesis:
--- Quote from: The Deposed King on April 02, 2012, 02:13:18 AM ---
I actually like the Ilona Andrews husband wife team. The wife ilona writes most everything, except the scenes with the male leads. Then the husband writes at the male part. It leads to a certain consistency with the man/woman dicotamy you normally run into with a single sex author ( :o not sure I used the right descriptor here :P).
--- End quote ---
Yeah, you are write about the "Andrews team"--the relationship development in those books is probably amongst the best I've ever read. Very natural and not forced. The Kate Daniels series along with Patricia Briggs' series, are my favorites in the Urban Fantasy category (along with, of course, the Dresden Files) because the focus is not on the whole "romance" thing, but on the actual story.
So many of the books that have flooded the genre are really just serialized romances with a paranormal element thrown in. And the vast majority of them suck :D
The Deposed King:
--- Quote from: synthesis on April 02, 2012, 05:19:03 AM ---Yeah, you are write about the "Andrews team"--the relationship development in those books is probably amongst the best I've ever read. Very natural and not forced. The Kate Daniels series along with Patricia Briggs' series, are my favorites in the Urban Fantasy category (along with, of course, the Dresden Files) because the focus is not on the whole "romance" thing, but on the actual story.
--- End quote ---
Yeah its pretty natural. I really only found one scene I thought Curran failed at, back in book two. I messaged the author(s) about it. Actually got a couple back and forth responces about it. (One of the two or three highlights of my e-mailing established authors out of the blue with complaints.)
On a slightly tangential note, and I've probably already mentioned this somewhere. It was cool to read when ilona posted, that there were several complaints from a few female readers about Currans lack of emotional/indepth feelings/monologue during the Curran POV scenes. Ilona pointed out that since her husband wrote most of the thing and she just cleaned it out for read-ability ??? they were getting the actual male perspective, from the male half of the team. Sorry if they didn't like the actual look inside the thought process. 8)
--- Quote from: synthesis on April 02, 2012, 05:19:03 AM ---So many of the books that have flooded the genre are really just serialized romances with a paranormal element thrown in. And the vast majority of them suck :D
--- End quote ---
You're right. There's a lot of drek out there. :D
Have a blast!
The Deposed King
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