Typical Elements: vampires, fairies, werewolves, angels, demons, witches, zombies, ghosts, psychics, love triangles, supernatural love interest, sex, female protagonist.Įxamples : Twilight, The Scorpio Races, Vampire Academy, Shiver, Angelfall, Fallen, Warm Bodies, Halfway to the Grave
It is usually, but not always, a romance between a supernatural being and a human. This is often seen as a blend of the fantasy and Gothic/Horror genres.Ī paranormal romance is a paranormal novel or film where romance is a key focus of the plot. set in the real world) in which supernatural creatures or talents exist and are a key focus of the story. ^ BACK TO TOP ^ Paranormal / Paranormal RomanceĪ paranormal novel or film is a low fantasy (i.e. police, lawyers), contemporary slang, colloquial language, pop culture references.Įxamples: Storm Front, War for the Oaks, City of Bones, Angelfall, Neverwhere, Moon Called Typical Elements: cities, secret supernatural underworld, hidden passageways, modern weaponry, interference from human institutions (e.g. Many urban fantasies are also paranormal fantasies or paranormal romances. Thus an urban fantasy is generally understood to be a low fantasy set in a real-world, modern, urban society (or something closely resembling one). While it generally describes a fantasy set in an urban environment or society, it has also become synonymous with contemporary fantasy – a fantasy set in the present day real world. U rban fantasy can be tricky to define as it has been used in many different ways, often interchangeably with other fantasy sub-genre terms such as low fantasy and paranormal fantasy. ^ BACK TO TOP ^ Urban Fantasy / Contemporary Fantasy
Typical Elements: Magical portals, magical objects, evil kings or queens, problematic family relationships in the real world, time discrepancy between the two worlds.Įxamples: The Chronicles of Narnia, Stardust, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, The Subtle Knife, The Neverending Story, Mythago Wood, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, The Autumn Castle, A Darker Shade of Magic They are usually swept up in the problems and politics of the fantasy world and become important to the course of history there, then return to the real world greatly changed by their experience. Typical Elements: supernatural creatures, hidden magical spaces, real-world mythological influences, characters discovering the existence of supernatural forces.Įxamples: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Neverwhere, Shiver, Storm Front, Artemis Fowl, War for the Oaks, City of Bones, TwilightĪ fantasy where characters travel from the real world into a fictional fantasy world, often through a portal or gateway. Characters often discover secret magical forces or supernatural creatures within their supposedly normal surrounds.
Typical Elements: lengthy journeys, dragons, magicians, assassins, legendary swords, royalty, medieval societies, battles, a hero or heroine of humble origins, exotic names, a map on the inside cover.Įxamples: The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Final Empire, Assassin’s Apprentice, The Lies of Locke Lamora, The Ill-Made Mute, The Name of the Wind, A Game of Thrones, The Fifth Season, The Emperor’s Blades, Six of Crows, TiganaĪ fantasy that takes place in the real world, or something very like the real world, and includes magical or supernatural elements (“low” does not mean this is a lesser or poorer form of fantasy!). Some people use the term epic fantasy to specifically refer to more lengthy or large-scale high fantasies, however many (myself included) use the terms epic and high interchangeably. The stories are often lengthy and epic, involving multiple characters and large-scale quests where the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of the heroes. Perhaps the most traditional sub-genre, high fantasy or epic fantasy takes place in an entirely fictional fantasy world. The “typical elements” I list are ones commonly found in books of that sub-genre, but they are not always present. If you would like a definition of the fantasy genre as a whole, see: What is Fantasy Fiction? High Fantasy / Epic Fantasy Some of the below sub-genres overlap significantly, and the books given as examples may fit into multiple sub-genres, even if they are not listed in more than one.
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