by Rachel Seigel --- A couple of weeks ago, a PubCrawl reader asked us if we could better define the difference between magical realism and urban fantasy, both of which are sub-genres of fantasy. The two genres, though often confused, are actually quite different. In an urban fantasy novel, the setting is usually an urban city such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc... The fantasy creatures live in the city and interact with the population, while their true identities remain unknown to the general population of the city. At some point in the narrative, their true identities are revealed to the main character, who is unexpectedly drawn into paranormal struggles. In YA Urban Fantasy, in addition to dealing with stakes as big as the fate of the world, there are also coming-of-age themes and a teen voice. While some people classify
Urban Fantasy vs Magical Realism
Urban Fantasy vs Magical Realism
Urban Fantasy vs Magical Realism
by Rachel Seigel --- A couple of weeks ago, a PubCrawl reader asked us if we could better define the difference between magical realism and urban fantasy, both of which are sub-genres of fantasy. The two genres, though often confused, are actually quite different. In an urban fantasy novel, the setting is usually an urban city such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc... The fantasy creatures live in the city and interact with the population, while their true identities remain unknown to the general population of the city. At some point in the narrative, their true identities are revealed to the main character, who is unexpectedly drawn into paranormal struggles. In YA Urban Fantasy, in addition to dealing with stakes as big as the fate of the world, there are also coming-of-age themes and a teen voice. While some people classify