Babel Clash

Lots of Urban Fantasy questions on my mind today.  Anton and Amber, feel free to respond to any that you choose.

Urban fantasy is the hot genre in the SF&F category, and that’s been the case for the past few years.  Do you see that changing anytime soon?  Do we have a timeless formula here?  Keep in mind that I use “formula” loosely, sort of like how Robert Jordan and Terry Brooks follow the Tolkien epic fantasy “formula.”

In epic fantasy, we sometimes see rival camps.  There are those who like their high fantasy epic and optimistic, like Tolkien, and those who crave some blending of weirdness and grim realism, like Moorcock.  Do you see camps forming along those lines in the urban fantasy fan base?  If there are, do fans line up behind the sexy stories (like Laurell K. Hamilton’s) or the more action-packed (Jim Butcher, for example)?

Is it important that UF remain rooted in familiar cities, such as San Francisco or Chicago?  If the setting shifts to someplace more fantastical, is it still the same genre?  Does it matter to you?

We’re off and running with a brand new topic.  Does reading science fiction and fantasy make you a “reluctant adult”?

What about the authors working in these genres?  Should these “reluctant adults” tackle “serious literature” instead?  How’s that for a loaded question?

Ann and Ilona,

Thank you so much for joining us on Babel Clash.  It’s been a great conversation.

Fans, please check out Doubleblind and On the Edge.  Both are available in paperback on Borders.com and at your local Borders.

Tune in tomorrow to learn who will be our next guests on Babel Clash.

Ann, thank you for unveiling your cover here!  It looks sharp, and I like it, even if it does look like it could be an image for Fast & the Furious 4.  The supernatural is downplayed more than I’d expect.  Maybe instead of tattooing the girl, the artist could add a flaming pentagram on the car’s hood or an “I Brake for Demons” bumper sticker?

Seriously, it’s a cool image, and thanks for sharing it with us.  The Patricia Briggs quote helps to associate the series with UF.

I attribute much of the heroine / tattoo fixation to Briggs’ Mercy Thompson and the brilliant artwork of Dan Dos Santos.

Dane asked me what I’m looking forward to, and I’ve got a couple beyond the usual suspects.  I don’t have a lot of time to read, so I tend to read for cover quotes within the urban fantasy genre.  My favorte authors here are Jocelynn Drake (bad vampires, no sparkles here) and Vicki Pettersson (bad-ass superheros in Vegas) but I had the chance to read Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey.  (anti-hero from hell)  It’s due out late July, and I can’t wait.  –Kim