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Urban fantasy is a subset of contemporary fantasy, consisting of magical novels and stories set in contemporary, real-world, urban settings--as opposed to 'traditional' fantasy set in wholly imaginary landscapes, even ones containing imaginary cities, or having most of their action take place in them. Urban fantasy may also refer to more modern versions of 'traditional' fantasy worlds. The modern urban fantasy protagonist faces extraordinary circumstances as plots unfold in either open (where magic or paranormal events are commonly accepted to exist) or closed (where magical powers or creatures are concealed) worlds. Contemporary fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, also known as modern-day fantasy, or indigenous fantasy. ... For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ...

Although history of modern urban fantasy can be traced as far back as the 1920s, (particularly in the field of children's fiction), it was in the 1980s that the term became widely used among adult fantasy writers and readers--and that the form grew in popularity to become a sub-genre of its own. One might even look earlier than the 1920s as Saki's "Sredni Vashtar" certainly meets all pre-requisites for being Urban Fantasy! At its very best Urban Fantasy challenges the reader to choose between either the supernatural or a commonplace experientially derived explanation of events and always nags to accept the former. Pioneers of this genre were: Basic Characteristics There is some debate as to what constitutes childrens literature. ...

• Charles de Lint (author of Moonheart and the Newford series)
• Emma Bull (War for the Oaks)
• John Crowley (Little, Big)
• Megan Lindholm a.k.a. Robin Hobb (Wizard of the Pigeons)
• Jonathan Carroll (The Land of Laughs)
• Matt Ruff (Fool on the Hill)
• Terri Windling (in her role as editor of the Ace Books fantasy line and as creator of the Borderlands series).
• William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist)

Subsequent authors to enter the field and expand its territory include: Charles de Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a Canadian fantasy author and Celtic folk musician. ... Moonheart is an urban fantasy novel by Charles de Lint. ... Newford is a fictional North American city, the setting in many of Charles de Lints works of urban fantasy. ... Emma Bull (born 3rd January 1954) is a science fiction and fantasy author whose best-known novel is War for the Oaks, one of the pioneering works of urban fantasy. ... A fantasy novel by Emma Bull, War for the Oaks (1987) is the story of Eddi McCandry, a rock musician who finds herself unwillingly pulled into the supernatural faerie conflict between good and evil. ... John Crowley (born December 1, 1942 in Presque Isle, Maine) is an American author of fantasy, science fiction and mainstream fiction. ... Little, Big: or, The Fairies Parliament is a modern fantasy novel by John Crowley, published in 1981. ... Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden (born 1952) is a fantasy author who has written several books using the pseudonym Megan Lindholm. ... At the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005 Robin Hobb is the pen name of Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden (born 1952 in California). ... Wizard of the Pigeons is a 1985 urban fantasy book set in Seattle, Washington by Megan Lindholm. ... Jonathan Samuel Carroll (b. ... Matt Ruff is an author who graduated from Cornell University. ... Fool on the Hill (ISBN 0-8021-3535-8) is a 1988 comic fantasy novel by Matt Ruff, set at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. ... Terri Windling is an influential fantasy editor, artist, essayist, and author of the novel The Wood Wife (1996), winner of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for best novel. ... Borderland is a series of urban fantasy novels and stories created for teenage readers by Terri Windling. ... William Peter Blatty (born January 7, 1928) is an American writer. ... The Exorcist is a horror novel written by William Peter Blatty first published in 1971. ...

Kelley Armstrong Kelley Armstrong is a Canadian fantasy author. ... Keri Arthur is a writer of fantasy, horror fiction, and romance novels from Melbourne, Australia. ... Author Leslie Esdaile Banks Leslie Esdaile Banks (born December 11) is an African American. ... For the South African football (soccer) coach, see Clive Barker (soccer). ... Hammered by Elizabeth Bear. ... Holly Black (born 1971) is the New York Times bestselling author of The Spiderwick Chronicles series of childrens fantasy books (illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi), Valiant : A Modern Tale of Faerie, and Tithe : A Modern Faerie Tale. ... Francesca Lia Block (born January 3, 1962 in Los Angeles, California) is the author of many highly original young adult books, most famously the Weetzie Bat series. ... Richard Bowes is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. ... Patricia Briggs (b. ... Jim Butcher is a New York Times Best Selling author[1][2] most known for his contemporary fantasy book series The Dresden Files. ... Rachel Caine is a pen name of Roxanne Longstreet Conrad, an American writer of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, suspense, and horror novels. ... Mike Carey is the writer of the Eisner Award nominated Lucifer and Hellblazer, comic book titles published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics. ... Cassandra Clare is the pseudonym of the author of the YA trilogy, The Mortal Instruments. ... Elaine Cunningham (born August 12, 1957) is an American fantasy and science-fiction author, especially known for her almost poetic literary style and her contributions to the Forgotten Realms campaign world, including the realms of Evermeet, Halruaa, Ruathym and Waterdeep. ... Sylvia June Day is a best-selling American writer. ... Lori L. Foster is a best-selling U.S.American writer of over fifty romance novels as Lori Foster. ... Neil Richard Gaiman (IPA: ) (born November 10, 1960[2]) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. ... Yasmine Galenorn is a pagan author, mystery and paranormal romance/dark fantasy novelist. ... The Gardella Vampire Chronicles is a series of romantic, historical fantasy novels by Colleen Gleason about a family of vampire hunters who have lived throughout the ages, hunting the undead. ... Laura Anne Gilman is an author // Works Buffyverse Visitors (Buffy novel) (1999) (with Josepha Sherman) Deep Water (Buffy novel) (2000) (with Josepha Sherman) Series Retrievers 1. ... For other uses, see Simon Green (disambiguation). ... Laurell Kaye Hamilton (born February 19, 1963) is an American supernatural erotica writer. ... Charlaine Harris (born November 25, 1951 in Tunica, Mississippi) is a New York Times bestselling author who has been writing mysteries for over twenty years. ... Kim Harrison is an American author best known for her Rachel Morgan urban fantasy series set in an alternate history where a worldwide pandemic caused by genetically modified tomatoes led to the death of a large portion of the worlds human population. ... Mark Helprin (born on June 28, 1947) is an award-winning American novelist, journalist, and conservative commentator, best known for his novel Winter’s Tale and his writing for The New Yorker. ... Barb Hendee is a fantasy author. ... Nina Kiriki Hoffman (born 1955) is an American fantasy writer. ... Nalo Hopkinson (born December 20, 1960) is a Jamaica writer and editor living in Canada. ... Tanya Huff Tanya Sue Huff is a Canadian fantasy author born in 1957 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. ... Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan (born May 26, 1964 in Skerries, Dublin, Ireland) is the author of many science fiction and dark fantasy works, including six novels, many comic books, more than one hundred published short stories, novellas, and vignettes, and numerous scientific papers. ... Mercedes Lackey (born June 24, 1950) (also known as Misty Lackey) is a prolific American author of fantasy novels. ... China Tom Miéville (born September 6, 1972, Norwich) is a British fantastic fiction writer. ... Kat Richardson is an American author best known for her Greywalker urban fantasy series. ... Wm. ... Wen Spencer (born 1963) is an American Science fiction and fantasy writer whose books center around characters with unusual abilities, and which might be regarded as original variations on the standard vampire and werewolf themes. ... Carrie Vaughn is an American author who writes the fantasy Kitty Norville series. ... Kit Whitfield is an English novelist. ...

Film

Though the term itself is only beginning to become established within film theory, many films can be said to follow the conventions of urban fantasy. Film theory debates the essence of the cinema and provides conceptual frameworks for analyzing, among other things, the film image, narrative structure, the function of film artists, the relationship of film to reality, and the film spectators position in the cinematic experience. ...

Films and television programs that have been called works of urban fantasy include:

• The Crow
• Urchin
• Big Trouble in Little China
• Beauty and the Beast
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Angel
• Supernatural
• Neverwhere
• Dresden Files
• Blood Ties
• Moonlight