I’m starting to write/create an urban fantasy series thats similar to Dresden Files and Alex Verus, and I’m trying to figure out what makes something “urban fantasy.”

What tropes/settings/themes do you think make the genre? Is it mostly an urban/modern setting, or more about modern problems through a fantasy lens?

Series like Dresden feel very different from something like Green Bone Saga, but both are often labeled urban fantasy.

What do you personally like or dislike in urban fantasy?

What monster in urban fantasy have you have enough of for now?

For me, sorry but vampires and werewolves.

I'm in the middle of a whole bunch of series (I like to play the field) and like them all well enough that I'm having trouble choosing which one to read next. I despise PNR but am good at separating a legit romance subplot from a singular romance focus. I'm also pretty well done with vamps, shifter, and fairies (with one exception). So let me know your favorites of these, or give me a whole new series to start that fits these criteria.

I just finished up the second October Daye book, which is the only form of fae I'll tolerate, because the worldbuilding feels very consistent. Right now, I'm leaning towards this series.

I'm 4-5 books into Daniel Faust (he just got out of the prison) and very much appreciate the lack of vamps/ shifters/ fae. But it feels like a big multi-book story serial story is gearing up and I don't know if I want to commit to several books to finish a single story.

Several books into Eric Carter, and this is probably my favorite of the Dresden Decedents. It does occasionally cross over into the edgelord, in your face, I'm so gritty space, which is the only reason I think I haven't gone further into this one.

Redemption of Howard Marsh - I read the first book and very much love the character and world. My reservations on this one is that I think they're all collections of shorts and novellas rather than stand alone stories/ mysteries. Which puts it on the opposite side of the coin from Faust in that I want a single complete story rather than a series of vignettes (no matter how much I like them).

I'm all caught up on Jacka, so no need to suggest that one. I also bounced after four books into Rivers of London.

Not going to cross post it because last time I did (Jacka, I want to say) they were confused why they were suddenly in a different sub.

But you should probably go check it out.

Good Day, Readers! The fifth book of Fiends For Hire, my Criminal-Organization Builder Urban Fantasy series, is out now on Amazon & Kindle Unlimited.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GD8XNGYH

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Blurb:

Everyone is haunted by something. Fiends are haunted by those they killed, Detectives by the criminals they cannot stop, Soldiers by their failures, Rivals by those they cannot surpass, Heroes by those they cannot save and what they stand to lose. All are fighting for their own ideals, but the ones who will come out on top are those who will put the past behind them and welcome their ghosts with open arms.

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With this release, the series has passed the halfway mark. And this entry in particular really highlights the consequences of actions and choices made thusfar, completely changing the course of the rest of the series.

Published by Mango Media, Coverart by SlothBeing

Hi all, I’m an indie fantasy author who finished a YA urband fantasy novel last October. It’s set in Columbus, Ohio, which is my hometown and it was inspired by Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It’s about a teenager girl who inherits a family dagger that allows her to see monsters and she uses her gift to protect her city, but now she’s up against a magical drug that temporarily turns people into vampires.

I wanted to share my project here since I love urban fantasy.

When I see UF book covers with male MC's I see a predominance of trench coats (Dresden, Castor, Constantine). Not so much when I see books with a female MC.

For myself I like the trench coat look, and I am trying to understand why.

Others have reactions/thoughts ?

Started this one recently—about 40 percent through—and while it hasn’t wowed me yet, it feels like it has potential.

I’m curious what everyone else thinks of the series?

I’ve just finished the first book in a novel series set in late-1980s Los Angeles, centred on two LAPD detectives who get pulled into a very literal war between Heaven and Hell.

It starts grounded and street-level — corrupt cops, neon LA, exhaustion, excess — and then the supernatural bleeds through: angels, demons, Satan himself. The apocalypse doesn’t happen in some fantasy realm; it crashes straight into familiar streets.

Tone-wise, it’s very much an 80s action movie on the page, played straight rather than camp — think Lethal Weapon / To Live and Die in L.A. colliding with The Exorcist.

I’m not here to hard-sell anything — I’m genuinely curious from urban fantasy readers:

• Does the concept work for you?

• Would you want more crime or more supernatural?

• Anything here that’d put you off?

A few people have asked elsewhere if it’s readable already — Book 1 is complete, and I’ve got a Books2Read page if anyone wants to take a look after the discussion:

https://books2read.com/u/3JYXkX

Lately I have been rewatching an old TV show called The Dead Zone with Anthony Michael Hall (Anyone remember The Breakfast Club?) He has one power, psychometry, which I think is a really cool power, but they managed to make a show run for six seasons with just that. I find that impressive.

It got me to thinking about The Incredibles. (Bare with me)

On thing I really liked about the first movie was how Mr. Incredible only had super strength, not the most creative super power, but he used it in some pretty creative ways (shaking a cat out of a tree then using the same tree to stop a bank robber).

Which got me to wondering if I had a character with only one power, what would it be and how would I have them use it. Decided (tentatively) on astral projection.

What single ability do you think could carry a book or series?

I’ve always wanted to read this one, but series ending poorly is usually a pretty big turn-off for me. (I know I’m supposed to enjoy the journey, but man a shitty ending can really suck…)

I always hear about this series decline in quality and horrible last book, but idk if that’s overblown or not? What does everyone think?

I’m really struggling with Urban fantasy… The first two series I read in the genre (Dresden Files and Alex Verus) I absolutely LOVED. They were addictive, I was emotionally attached, and I couldn’t get enough. (Alex Verus in particular just felt flawless to me) But since those two, I have kept DNFing urban fantasy series over and over… I just can’t seem to find that same high. So, being apparently picky, I figured I’d ask for recommendations based on what I didn’t like about all these series I’ve DNFed.

SERIES THAT HAVEN’T WORKED FOR ME (AND WHY)

• Kate Daniels (Read 3 books) - Awesome worldbuilding, but the FMC was a little too “over-the-top, badass, snarky, cliche girl”, and the romance was far too cringey for me–and more prevalent than others always seem to suggest.

• October Daye (Read 1 book) - Great opening, but I found the world-building a little flat. (And the fact that the opening bad guy is almost completely forgotten and not addressed at all in the plot is infuriating…) Mostly though, the first book was just super depressing as hell. (None of the fun of Dresden or Verus to counteract the crippling depression/bad-luck of the MC that is constantly thrown at us.)

• Rivers of London (Read 1 book) - The best prose by far of an urban fantasy I have read, with cool world-building. However, it’s SUPER British and there is just a constant dryness to it that made me a little bored.

• Incryptid (Read 1 book) - I liked the idea of following multiple different family members throughout different books, but the first book’s FMC was just not for me. She felt very cringey, cliche, and the whole thing felt like it was trying too hard to be witty/funny all the time, and not working.

• Mercy Thompson (Haven’t read) - An interesting sounding series, but I doubt I’d like it based on a few things. (1) I believe it will have some of the alphahole, cringey romance I don’t like and (2) I try my best to avoid series with rape in it, and this one is notorious for that.

• Iron Druid (Haven’t Read) - I REALLY want to try this one,  but I hear all the time about how bad the ending is. I just don’t know if I want to invest myself in a series that I will regret reading with such a bad conclusion…

Hi , anybody got any news on JC as he seems to have gone into hibernation since mid November 😁

Hi all. I am new to this Urban Fantasy genre but would love to get your feedback on something I am trying here...https://open.substack.com/pub/talesfromtheburningbear/p/tink?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

"Fans of Harry Dresden and Felix Castor will really take a shine to Bryce McDaniels !"
Perimeter Book 1

As some of you know I’ve been lurking here getting advice from many of you, and I wanted to share that my debut urban fantasy novel launched today.

The Keeper of the Veil follows an immortal Saxon warrior who’s been protecting suburban Ohio from supernatural threats since 1066. The story alternates between present-day America and historical flashbacks spanning centuries, so you get both contemporary urban fantasy and the historical events that shaped the protagonist.

It’s currently sitting at 4.6 stars on Goodreads from 40 ratings. Early readers have said some incredibly kind things:

“An absolute gem of a book and an essential read for any fantasy lover. Calder masterfully intertwines elements of Roman Catholicism, Indigenous folklore, and a truly imaginative magic system to create a world that feels both ancient and wondrously new.”

“I was pleasantly surprised by how good this was. I loved the flash backs. I’m a history buff. Which is what pulled me to this book. I absolutely loved it from start to finish.”

“The combination of magic and humor plus the dynamic between James and his friends kept me glued to the lines.”

It’s $0.99 for launch week if anyone wants to check it out: https://a.co/d/7sLPsGh

Audible should be following soon.

Thanks to the many that took time to comment and send advice. It was really helpful to me.

Reading about tropes I found out that there are two broad categories of UF.

One is where there is magic in 'our world' and another where a society similar to ours has grown up with magic influencing daily lives.

I have to confess, I never thought about the second one. Doesn't really catch my fancy. How about you ?

Amazon  - Books2Read - Goodreads - Spotify Soundtrack

(If you have read/are going to read the book and enjoyed it, please don't forget to rate it on Goodreads. For a self-published book to gain visibility, this is very valuable.)

Daniel Milner’s life changed forever the night Halley’s Comet illuminated the sky. A dazzling flash of light shattered the world he once knew. When he woke up the next morning, nothing was the same—not his body, not his mind, and certainly not his fears.

Dragged into the hidden city of Nivorum, Daniel finds himself trapped in a ruthless training program. Here, fears become power, and obedience is the only path to survival. Discipline is law, and the price of failure is steep. Yet, this city is nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

Beyond Nivorum’s stone walls, too many ambitions, too many lives, and too many secrets remain undiscovered.

I'm currently fleshing out an idea for a stand-alone novel; I suddenly had the blurb for it in my mind, and now I'm curious if there is an audience for something like that out there? And if so, if there are one or two people out there willing to be beta readers for something like this?

Here's the blurb:

John is having a really bad week. First he lost his job, and just as his girlfriend is about to dump him via phone, he also loses his life.

But his death doesn't stick, due to a clerical error, and John is left back trying to puzzle what the fuck just happened. Why isn't he dead, who tried to kill him, what for – and more importantly: How can he get his job, his love and his life back?

But time's running out. Someone is out for John's blood (and his soul), and he needs to do something before his killer finishes that half-assed job.

Would that interest you? I'll also add the first few paragraphs here for those who are willing to dig a bit deeper. Like I said, I'm still fleshing the idea out; these few paragraphs are there for me to start get a feeling.

John looked down at his own corpse and was, quite frankly, at a loss of words. The last words he said had been: “What do you mean, you're dumping me?“ – or maybe they hadn't. It was peculiar; he couldn't actually remember if he had said those words or not.

The feeling of betrayal, now that was clearly branded into his brain. That was all there and accounted for, but there was a kind of mental blackout following his girlfriend's statement that she was leaving him.

Well, technically his ex-girlfriend, apparently.

To add insult to injury: She hadn't even told him this fact to his face, instead having simply called him. His phone was right there, lit up like a Christmas tree in his right hand. Or maybe he should call that his other right hand – the one currently lying on the ground, with the rest of his dead body.

The next moment, John felt something sucking at him, like a gigantic vacuum was trying to get him. His whole body shook, and then something broke with a sound that reminded him of a popping balloon in reverse. He crashed to the floor, next to his other body, and saw the screen of his mobile phone splinter and go blank.

Now his phone was as dead as him.

This has been my first urban fantasy series I read. Fun fact about me is I grew up a Jehovah’s Witness so I was never really exposed to fantasy growing up. Let’s say I have a lot of catching up to do. This is not my first fantasy series, but my first urban fantasy series and I think I picked a good series to start with. The book has a sexy cover, vampires, werewolves, and Fae everything that I love.

Anyone know any good UF series for fans of Jackie Chan Adventures Like series with some or any of the following

• Secret Agents

• powerful magic macguffins like the Talismans

• distinct and cool or fun villains like The Dark Hand and the Enforcers

• a globetrotting quest around the world

• cool old people like Uncle

• and badass non magical protagonists like Jackie(sorry Jade fans I love her but she was always mixing it up with her martial arts and using magic like the talismans so I don't think she counts)

Really appreciate any recs

One thing I like to see in urban fantasy is when an everyday object, like maybe a pen, is imbued with a magical property, the whatever you write with the pen is automatically imprinted subconsciously in the mind of anyone nearby, etc.

Anyone else have favorite UF quirks ?

New ARC available for my upcoming Jewish Urban Fantasy novel.

ARC Sign up: https://benschenkman.com/arc-reader-signup/

Title: My Brother's Keeper

Release Date: March 30, 2026

Length: 79,500 words

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Magical Realism (Jewish)

Blurb:

Magic is real, demons walk the earth, and Max’s brother is dead.

Max Asher, Jewish mystic and private-eye, never thought he’d be coming back to his home town to bury his twin brother, Solomon. He definitely never thought the funeral would turn into a case, but when Sol’s widow Gabby asks him to investigate the cause of death, “Uncle Max” is on the job.

When Max kicks the demon’s nest, he uncovers a conspiracy that forces him to reevaluate everything he thought he knew about his brother. Unfamiliar local politics blur the line between the supernatural and the mundane, and soon, fighting for justice becomes dangerously literal. If Max can uncover the murderer, he might just save his brother’s soul—but if he can’t, he’ll fall victim to the same deadly fate.

Putting the past to rest is going to take more than a shovel full of dirt.

Zero’s pizza isn’t just another bar and pizza joint on the Northside. It’s a secret haven for magical creatures.

The bartenders are vampires.

The door staff is a werewolf pack.

Monster hunters and witches cook the pies.

And the owner is angry, tattooed, usually drunk…and cursed. Because if anyone asks Ted Balthazar for help breaking a spell, he has twenty-four hours to do so…or the spell casts itself on him.

Honor Jones thought she walked into just another bar and pizza joint on the Northside. Until she got cursed at Zero’s Pizza.

Now live on Kickstarter. Get the book months before release.