Urban fantasy is so pervasive these days that I mentally divide fantasy into urban fantasy and everything else. Like the other subgenres we’ve discussed, its definition is a bit fluid. Wikipedia says it doesn’t matter what time period the story is
Harry Potter Re-read: Chamber of Secrets
I’ve always subconsciously broken the HP series up into two sections – the first three books and the last four books. The first three read like Children’s books with a mystery that is, more or less, wrapped up in the
Subgenre Study: Dark Fantasy
Oh, dark fantasy. Supposedly my husband’s favorite subgenre. But like so many other speculative fiction subgenres, one that is very hard to stick to a definite definition. Dark fantasy, in my own personal opinion, is fantasy that strives to point
Harry Potter Re-read: The Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone
Well, friends, here we are – at the very beginning, where we find ourselves on a quiet street. Where we learn that You Know Who has been destroyed, where we meet a woman who can turn into a cat and a man
Subgenre Study: Science Fantasy
This is a tricky one. For one thing, people can’t even agree whether it’s a subgenre or its own genre. And once you reach some sort of consensus on that, getting people to try and agree on a definition –
Short Story Markets
So, I was talking to my friend Anne (of Sky Shark fame) last week about short stories and anthologies and how I thought I would try a few more, and she said, “Wow, you know way more about this than
Announcing: Harry Potter Re-read
So I have seen Deathly Hallows Part 2 and lo! it was awesome. But, of course, with any great form of entertainment, everyone wants to talk about it, and it comes to pass that you realize that perhaps you don’t
Pottermania
In case you’ve been living under a rock, the final Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2) hits theaters at midnight tomorrow. I (and Landsquid) are suitably excited. (Hey, at least it gets him out of
Subgenre Study: Paranormal
This one’s a bit controversial, friends. While I would put paranormal as a subgenre of fantasy, I’ve started to see publishers and agents list it separate, like it’s its own genre. Paranormal tends to involve things that are not quite
Subgenre Study: Steampunk
Steampunk, like Alternative History (that we talked about last week), is a subgenre that spans science fiction and fantasy but does not truly belong to either. It can often be found mixed with Alternative History as, to quote Wikipedia, “Specifically,
