Tag Archives: urban fantasy

Guest Post: Mystery Cults and the Secret World of the Occult in Urban Fantasy by Laurence Raphael Brothers

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Casey Blair

The premise of magic-done-only-in-secret is not exactly an original conceit, and indeed it has become so familiar over not just years but generations of fantasy literature that it is hardly something to be questioned when it appears. It’s a convenient explanation for how magic can possibly exist in our familiar and ostensibly non-magical world.

Still, the idea of a very widely-kept secret to which thousands of people are privy may seem rather implausible. Surely someone would let the information slip? But as it happens, there are quite a few historical examples of widely-held secrets that were kept so well we aren’t sure what the truth of them was anymore.
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Guest Post: Roxanne Bland on Living in the Underground

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Cat Rambo

“This is the weirdest book I’ve ever read.” That’s what one woman wrote in her pre-release review of my paranormal urban fantasy/romance/science fiction hybrid The Underground. What a fabulous compliment! I wasn’t going for weird when I wrote the story … Continue reading →

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WIP: The Wizard of West Seattle

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Cat

This will be going out to Patreon supporters towards the end of the month. It’s urban fantasy, set here in West Seattle.

Being the apprentice for one of West Seattle’s main wizards – probably the main wizard, many thought – was not at all what Albert thought it should be. He’d been installed in the position two weeks ago and so far, all May Hua had asked him to do was walk her dogs, two elderly but still energetic Shih Tzus, three times each day. The rest of the time he studied in the workshop, but it was a self-appointed path and it made him itch, knowing that he could have moved so much faster if she’d been willing to guide him along it.

He said this – not for the first time – to Penny as they walked along. Penny was the housekeeper for Hua’s household, but like Albert, she was frequently at loose ends and so accompanied him on many of the walks. At first he’d been worried she was attracted to him, but it became clear soon that she was bored and he was a fresh novelty. “It’s been a while since May took an apprentice,” she said. She was appreciative of Albert’s presence, particularly since he praised her cooking vociferously. He’d learned a few things since his first, disastrous stint as an apprentice.
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The Easter Bunny Must Die, Part 20

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Cat

If you’re starting from the beginning, I suggest going here. This is Chapter Ten. Next week, I’ll be releasing chapters on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, in order to try that schedule and see how well it works with my writing … Continue reading →

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The Easter Bunny Must Die, Part 19

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Cat

“Think about it. Would you want to admit that your entire existence might be based on the brain cells of a primitive creature?” He gave me a wry smile. “Because, face it, that’s how most of them think of you humans. Little better than talking monkeys.” The liquid in the glass trembled as he set it down ago. He smiled at the bartender as he spoke, but there was something about his tone that set my spine on edge at the words. “Is that what you’d want to be? The dream of a talking monkey?” Continue reading →

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The Easter Bunny Must Die, Part 18

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Cat

When Emma Amme is fired from her job as a monster hunter at the Bureau of Supernatural Relations and Investigations, she ends up working for the Holiday Consortium, a mysterious group headed by Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny. Her new job hunting down corporate gods is hard enough — but when she discovers there’s a traitor in the Consortium’s midst, it grows downright dangerous.

THE EASTER BUNNY MUST DIE! is an urban fantasy novel being published in installments by speculative fiction writer Cat Rambo. This installment ends Chapter Eight. Continue reading →

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Urban Fantasy: Well, Sort Of

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Cat

I’ve been reading Oz and Beyond: The Fantasy World of L. Frank Baum, by Michael D. Riley, which is about Baum’s life and the worlds that he created. It’s a folklore that feels very American, and yet it’s a mythology that few have drawn on: John Kessel’s The Baum Plan for Financial Independence and Tad Williams’s Otherland (which has some delightfully demented riffs on Oz) are two that occur to me. I’d love to see more using it for sure. Continue reading →

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Urban Fantasy #1: Laurell K. Hamilton

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Cat

You can argue about where it all started (or even what it is) but I’d rather take the tack of looking at the authors that shaped the genre. Let’s begin, accordingly, with Laurell K. Hamilton, who started so much with her heroine, Anita Blake. Necromancer and private investigator, Blake kicks ass and takes names, at least early on in the series, which begins with Guilty Pleasures. (did Hamilton know the direction she’d go in from the first? The title seems to hint in that direction.) In the early books, Anita is tough as nails and prone to smartassery. She’s got two love interests: Richard the werewolf and Jean-Claude the vampire and, unlike a lot of romances, you don’t know what will end up happening. It’s great stuff. Continue reading →

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