Magic, and Snarky With It: British Urban Fantasy

Urban fantasy is a huge subgenre that can be hard to whittle down. However, there does seem to be a sub-subgenre, that of English writers writing English characters with a distinctly humorous touch. Most of the time, these writers focus on London as the center of the universe (and it was, for a few hundred years), but they occasionally branch out. If you feel the need for a little escapism (and right now, who doesn't), feel free to tuck into these fantasies.

Daniel Polansky's A City Dreaming is the latest entry in this genre. M arrives in New York City after some nastiness in France. In chapters that are often more like interconnected stories, M rights paranormal wrongs (the excessive profusion of coffee bars in his neighborhood, for example), threads the needle between the Red Queen of Brooklyn and the White Queen of Manhattan, and saves the city. While yes, NYC is in the colonies, M is a British character and Polansky's humor is distinctly British as well. In many ways a satire of urban fantasy, this is a New York I would love to linger in and the leisurely pace adds to that.

On the other end of the pacing spectrum, Simon R. Green's Nightside series is good, macabre fun. John Taylor, accompanied by his girlfriend Suzy Shooter, dispenses justice and saves the Nightside (a companion city to London where you can get anything your secret heart desires, reasonably priced and slightly shopworn) from various threats including his mother, Lilith (yup, that Lilith).  With characters like Deadboy and Walker, Voice of the Authorities, and places like the Street of the Gods and Shadowfall, you know you're in for a witty, rollicking treat.

In A Darker Shade of Magic, Victoria Schwab paints a picture of not one or two Londons, but four. Kell is a Traveler, which means he can flit between universes and uses this talent to carry messages between royals of the different Londons. He also surreptitiously uses his power to smuggle artifacts unknown in the various worlds, setting himself up for serious trouble with the authorities. After landing in Grey London (no magic, pretty much our world), Kell is robbed, saved, and compelled to use his power by Delilah Bard, a guttersnipe with goals. However, dark forces are afoot, and Delilah and Kell are going to have to save all the worlds, provided they stay alive long enough to do it. This is an excellent first entry in a new series, with plenty of world building and a strong female character to join the male protagonist.

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the 2011 One Book, One Chicago selection, Neverwhere. Neil Gaiman's fantasy takes place in London Below, where nebbish Richard Mayhew accompanies a young woman named Door on a quest to learn why her family has been targeted for assassination. London Below is populated by those who have fallen through the cracks as well as critters most people would be very glad not to know existed, like the Great Beast of London.  Both character-driven and intricately plotted (a nice trick Gaiman manages with ease), this is full of Gaiman's trademark philosophizing and humor.

Got other good urban fantasies of the British Isles? Tell us about them in the comments section.