Shelf Care: Urban Fantasy

Welcome to Shelf Care, where I review three books related by a theme.  These aren't necessarily the latest releases, but are hopefully books you can't believe you missed.This column's theme:  Urban Fantasy – magic in a modern setting.Given the popularity of urban fantasy, I was rather surprised to discover that it’s been about two years since my last review of books in the genre, because this stuff is just everywhere. One of the reasons for its popularity is that adding magical elements to a contemporary setting gives authors a lot of flexibility. Readers are already somewhat familiar with the non-magical setting, which allows the author to focus on other aspects of the story. Part of the appeal of the genre are those settings where the author has figured out how, exactly, to add magic without everybody knowing about it. Let’s face it, if it really were possible to curse people, it would never stop raining toads – which makes for a great short story, but not a novel. So to get a bit more in depth with the possibilities of modern magic, consider any of the following.So if you likeA dash of pop cultureIrish MythologyNarratives on the lighter sideThe writings of Roger ZelaznyYou might likeHounded, by Kevin HearneOverview2000 year old druid Atticus’ peaceful life in Tempe Arizona gets upended when a Gaelic diety finds him through decidedly modern methods and comes calling to reclaim a sword Atticus absconded with a few millennia ago.Sample passage

But when I set up my identity and my place of business, I did not realize how easy it would be for someone else to find me by doing a public-records search on the Internet. The idea that any of the Old Ones would even try it never occurred to me—I thought they’d try to scry me or use other methods of divination, but never the Internet.  A supposedly twenty-one-year-old O’Sullivan who owned an occult bookstore and sold extremely rare books he had no business knowing about was enough information for the Fae to find me, though.On a Friday three weeks before Samhain, they jumped me in front of my shop when I walked outside to take a lunch break. A sword swished below my knees without so much as a ―Have at thee! and the arm swinging it pulled its owner off balance when I jumped over it. I crunched a quick left elbow into his face as he tried to recover, and that was one faery down, four to go.Thank the Gods Below for paranoia. I classified it as a survival skill rather than a neurotic condition; it was a keen knife’s edge, sharpened for centuries against the grindstone of People Who Want to Kill Me. It was what made me wear an amulet of cold iron around my neck, and cloak my shop not only with iron bars, but also with magical wards designed to keep out the Fae and other undesirables. It was what made me train in unarmed combat and test my speed against vampires, and what had saved me countless times from thugs like these.

TakeawayHounded has the feel of a lighter-in-tone Roger Zelazny novel.  It’s a first-person narrative from a character that’s lived longer and has powers beyond everyone he usually encounters, yet has a lot of historical baggage to sort out as things start up. The pop culture references are spaced out enough that it more retains the feel of someone old trying to hide in the current century, rather than taking the tone of an overt wink and nod from the author.  The writing was solid, the pacing was good and the content was interesting enough to keep me turning pages.  Hounded does have a solid ending, but it’s the first in the Iron Druid series, so if you enjoy it, there’s plenty more where that came from.Or if you likeJoe Landsdale’s Hap and Leonard seriesA PG-13 take on the movie Pete’s DragonA new angle on urban fantasyBooks that mix in a little comedy with their actionYou might likeHighfire, by Eoin ColferOverviewVern Highfire is the last of the dragons, trying to stay out of the way of humans by hiding out in a swamp (with satellite TV and liquor deliveries, of course), until a local teenager brings his problems with a corrupt deputy to Highfire’s doorstep.Sample passage

If this was indeed the boy’s regular crib, then Vern could simply spirit him away and that would be an end to it. He would still need to keep an eye open in the swamp, see if the explosions would draw a torch-wielding mob or the modern equivalent.  Even your basic hillbilly had a set of night-vision goggles in the trunk to go with their constitutional semiautomatic weapon.Was a time only a talented and determined bunch of humans could take down a dragon. Now any fool with the right load can do it.Dragons have the best night vision on earth, and so Vern could easily see that this boy was his boy.Vern noticed an orange butane tank on the deck. Looked like it came off the Titanic, old as it was, paint flaked down to the metal and a foot of rubber hose poking out the top.Like a fuse, thought Vern.More than likely the tank was empty years since, but if that was where a local fire officer figured the epicenter to be, then that was it, case closed.Perhaps a fire was cleaner than abduction.No trace evidence to analyze.No search party on the river.Collateral damage, maybe. But Vern’s entire species had been collateral damage as far as he was concerned.Vern drew breath to let fly, but it seemed like this kid Squib was blessed by the gods or some such voodoo because at that moment an ambulance surged into view over the verge maybe half a mile down the shoreline, siren shrieking and dome light flashing. Goddamn siren was so loud Vern couldn’t even hear the engine.He hated unfinished business, but that ambulance was bringing more eyeballs than he cared to be looking his way, and the sun was making real strides now against the shadows.Time to be away, Highfire, he told himself when the ambulance screamed down Squib’s lane.“Later, Squib,” he said and launched himself backwards into the river.Better to swim home.

TakeawayEoin Colfer is probably best known for his Artemis Fowl novels, but in Highfire he’s targeting a high school audience with this somewhat gritty tale of a poor kid trying to get by, a deputy that wants to be a criminal kingpin, and a dragon that enjoys his solitude, even if it does mean that he’s been alone for so long the local alligators are starting to look good. The plot has a good balance of character development, action and the odd comedic elements that lighten the mood without making the whole thing goofy. If you’re looking for urban fantasy with a bit of the southern gothic, true crime feel of Joe Landsdale’s Hap and Leonard books, Highfire is definitely worth reading.So if you likeCharacters in over their headRealistically portrayed gay protagonistsMagicians who have limitsYou might likeWhite Trash Warlock, by David R. SlaytonOverviewAdam Binder’s childhood in rural Oklahoma was complicated by him having to navigate being both a gay man and being afflicted with magical sight.  His fraught family relationships are put to the test when his estranged brother needs help with something that is afflicting Adam’s sister-in-law.Sample passage

The game went too quickly. Adam had expected to lose, but at least he got a closer look at the charm.The cue held just enough magic to shift Tanner’s luck, building up a little charge as they played and altering his shots when it mattered most.It was a subtle piece of magic, hard to spot, but that was Adam’s specialty. It didn’t hurt that the cue’s magic was similar to his own.He didn’t cast much light, have much power, on the magical spectrum. Living under the radar, the things trying to hide there were obvious to him.It needled him that he couldn’t tell what kind of creature the bone had come from. Nothing immortal though, nothing too powerful. That would have brought down the Guardians. They were most concerned with their own.“You got me,” Adam said, reaching for his wallet. Forty dollars was steep, and money was tight. Between the gas and beer, this little trip to the state’s south end was adding up.“Keep it,” Tanner said. He glanced at the clock, then back at Adam. He looked hopeful. A tingle moved over Adam’s skin. “Another game?”Adam looked Tanner over. He hadn’t come here for pool. But maybe he could tease a little more about the cue from Tanner.“I’ll just embarrass myself,” Adam said. “Want to take a walk?”“Sure,” Tanner said. Smiling, he unscrewed the cue.Adam couldn’t help smiling back. He hadn’t expected this. He’d come for the cue, following a lead from a trucker who’d lost hard to Tanner a few weeks ago. Adam felt that little catch in his throat that popped up whenever he got interested in a guy.He couldn’t help smiling. He didn’t think Tanner had a gang ready to jump him in the parking lot, but he checked over his shoulder as they left the bar. Just in case.

TakeawayThis is book one of the Adam Binder novels, and while it does end with a number of plot threads resolved, a few more are left open, so that may be why the last half of the book is a little uneven (or it may just be First Novel Problems – the learning curve in writing a novel makes it unfair to expect that anyone’s first book is going to be their best). That said, Slayton has created an interesting, engaging fantasy world where the main character’s sexuality helps define the character, and isn’t a token gimmick thrown in to try to make the character stand out in a field that has largely (although less so than it’s ever been these days) been dominated by straight protagonists.Adam comes from poverty and has a few minor magics which he is acutely aware of when he’s thrust in to a situation that is way over his head and has to find a way to come out of it alive.  Saying more gets too much in to spoiler territory, but if you’re looking for a different take on urban fantasy, give White Trash Warlock a read.So, what else should have been on this list. Leave your comments below or on the Sweatpants & Coffee Facebook page, and stay tuned for my next column.