Welcome to our curated list of 25 authors who masterfully craft tales in the vibrant and often perilous genre of Urban Fantasy. Urban Fantasy typically sets its magical, mythological, or supernatural elements against a contemporary, real-world urban backdrop.
Unlike high fantasy, the magic here often lurks just beneath the surface of ordinary life, with protagonists navigating both mundane realities and the hidden fantastical.
This list focuses on authors known for their contributions to adult urban fantasy, offering a gateway into worlds where detectives consult with wizards, werewolves run mechanic shops, and ancient gods walk modern streets.
Prepare to discover authors who bring the extraordinary into our everyday settings.
Often hailed as a progenitor of urban fantasy, Charles de Lint masterfully weaves folklore into contemporary settings. His novel “Moonheart” centers on Tamson House, an enigmatic Ottawa mansion that serves as a portal to ancient, mystical realms.
When Sara Kendell discovers a curious artifact, she's drawn into a hidden world steeped in Celtic mythology and potent magic, where the lines between past and present blur within the living walls of the house itself.
This immersive story forces her to confront dangers stemming from both the human and fae worlds, establishing a benchmark for magic hidden within our own reality.
Emma Bull's seminal “War for the Oaks” is a cornerstone of the urban fantasy genre. The novel plunges rock musician Eddi McCandry into an ancient conflict between rival faerie courts, transforming Minneapolis into their battleground.
Eddi's ordinary life is irrevocably altered when a trickster faerie, a phouka, enlists her in their war. The narrative compellingly fuses the raw energy of the 80s music scene with the capricious and dangerous world of the Fae.
Bull explores themes of loyalty, identity, and artistic creation amidst profound supernatural upheaval in a real-world setting.
Ben Aaronovitch introduces Police Constable Peter Grant in “Rivers of London” (published as “Midnight Riot” in the US). When Peter discovers he can speak to ghosts, he's recruited into a little-known branch of the Metropolitan Police that deals with magic and the supernatural.
Aaronovitch masterfully combines a sharp police procedural with a richly imagined magical London, as Peter learns the ropes from the enigmatic Inspector Nightingale.
He tackles everything from vengeful river goddesses to rogue fae, grounding the fantastical with meticulous detail and dry wit.
Jim Butcher’s “The Dresden Files” series, beginning with “Storm Front,” stars Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only openly practicing professional wizard.
In a city teeming with hidden supernatural dangers largely unseen by the mundane populace, Harry operates as a private investigator and consultant for the police.
“Storm Front” sees him investigate a brutal double murder linked to dark magic, pitting him against formidable foes from the city's magical undercurrents.
Butcher masterfully blends hardboiled detective fiction with intricate magic systems and a wisecracking protagonist whose resilience and integrity shine through the gritty urban chaos.
Laurell K. Hamilton's “Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter” series launches with “Guilty Pleasures,” set in a St. Louis where the supernatural is known. Anita Blake is a formidable animator (one who raises the dead) and a licensed vampire executioner.
When vampires start dying under mysterious circumstances, Anita is reluctantly drawn into the intricate politics and dangers of the undead underworld, encountering powerful figures like Jean-Claude.
Hamilton's early series entries are characterized by dark suspense, complex moral dilemmas, and a tough-as-nails heroine navigating a world teeming with preternatural beings.
Patricia Briggs's highly popular “Mercy Thompson” series begins with “Moon Called.” Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson is a skilled Volkswagen mechanic living in Washington's Tri-Cities who also happens to be a "walker"—a Native American coyote shapeshifter.
Her relatively quiet life amidst werewolves, vampires, and fae is disrupted when a desperate young werewolf seeks her help, embroiling her in dangerous pack politics and ancient magical threats.
Briggs excels at creating a compelling, down-to-earth protagonist whose unique abilities and strong sense of loyalty draw her into high-stakes supernatural conflicts within her community.
Kim Harrison's “The Hollows” series kicks off with “Dead Witch Walking,” introducing Rachel Morgan, a witch and former runner for the Inderland Security service in Cincinnati. After a plague altered humanity's relationship with the supernatural, they came out of hiding.
When Rachel strikes out on her own as an independent bounty hunter, she finds herself a target. Alongside her vampire roommate Ivy and pixie business partner Jenks, Rachel navigates a dangerous urban landscape.
The series features intricate magical systems, interspecies politics, and constant threats, showcasing Rachel's resourcefulness and a unique blend of action and humor.
The husband-and-wife writing team Ilona Andrews launches their acclaimed “Kate Daniels” series with “Magic Bites.”
Set in a post-Shift Atlanta where magic and technology vie for dominance in unpredictable waves, Kate Daniels is a mercenary with a hidden lineage and a talent for trouble.
When her guardian is murdered, Kate’s investigation plunges her into the city's perilous supernatural underbelly, forcing her to confront powerful factions and deadly magical threats.
The series is celebrated for its intricate world-building, fast-paced action, and Kate's sharp wit and resilience against overwhelming odds.
Charlaine Harris's “Sookie Stackhouse” series (also known as The Southern Vampire Mysteries) begins with “Dead Until Dark.”
In the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse navigates a world where vampires have recently "come out of the coffin" thanks to the invention of synthetic blood.
Her life changes when she meets vampire Bill Compton, drawing her into a realm of supernatural intrigue, danger, and romance that permeates her small-town existence.
Harris infuses her urban fantasy with Southern charm, mystery, and a unique cast of characters, exploring the societal impact of integrating the paranormal.
Seanan McGuire’s prolific urban fantasy contributions include the “October Daye” series, starting with “Rosemary and Rue.” October "Toby" Daye is a changeling knight errant—half-human, half-fae—working as a private investigator in San Francisco.
After a curse forced her to live as a fish for fourteen years, Toby is reluctantly drawn back into the treacherous politics and mysteries of the Fae kingdoms when a countess is murdered.
McGuire intricately weaves folklore, detective work, and complex character relationships into a richly detailed fae-infused urban landscape.
Kevin Hearne's “The Iron Druid Chronicles” begin with “Hounded,” introducing Atticus O’Sullivan, the last of the Druids, living incognito in modern-day Arizona. At over two millennia old, Atticus runs an occult bookshop and tries to keep a low profile.
His possession of a legendary sword, Fragarach, attracts the unwanted attention of an ancient Celtic god, disrupting his carefully constructed peace.
Hearne’s series is known for its humor, fast-paced mythological adventures, a delightful talking Irish wolfhound named Oberon, and the collision of ancient deities with contemporary American life.
Faith Hunter's “Jane Yellowrock” series starts with “Skinwalker.” Jane is a Skinwalker of Cherokee descent, able to shapeshift into any creature whose form she can absorb, and a vampire hunter for hire.
Set primarily in New Orleans, the first novel sees Jane contracted to hunt a rogue vampire, a task that forces her to confront the dangerous politics of the vampire world.
She must also delve into the mysteries of her own unique nature. Hunter delivers a gritty, action-packed narrative with a complex heroine grappling with her identity and immense power in a city steeped in supernatural intrigue.
Benedict Jacka's “Alex Verus” series, beginning with “Fated,” is set in a magical shadow of London. Alex Verus is a diviner, a mage whose power lies in seeing probable futures rather than wielding elemental force.
He runs a magic emporium and tries to stay neutral in the complex politics of the Light and Dark mage factions. However, his unique abilities make him a target.
In “Fated,” he's coerced into helping retrieve a powerful artifact, forcing him to navigate deadly choices where every path seems to lead to disaster. Jacka’s series is noted for its strategic magical encounters and a protagonist who relies on wits over raw power.
Richard Kadrey’s “Sandman Slim” series kicks off with the titular novel, “Sandman Slim.” It introduces James Stark, a man who literally comes back from Hell to avenge his murdered girlfriend in a version of Los Angeles teeming with supernatural activity.
This L.A. becomes a playground for angels, demons, and Stark's brutal brand of justice, where he navigates the complex power structures of both Heaven and Hell.
Kadrey's writing is unflinchingly dark, violent, and laced with a sardonic wit, offering a gritty take on urban fantasy where the supernatural is as treacherous as the city streets.
Carrie Vaughn’s “Kitty Norville” series begins with “Kitty and the Midnight Hour.” Kitty is a late-night radio DJ in Denver who also happens to be a werewolf, navigating the complexities of her dual life.
Her world takes a dramatic turn when she starts a call-in show for the supernatural, inadvertently outing werewolves, vampires, and other hidden beings to the public.
Vaughn explores the social and political ramifications of a world where the paranormal becomes public knowledge, all through Kitty's relatable and evolving perspective.
Neil Gaiman's iconic “Neverwhere” transports readers from the familiar streets of London to the shadowy, perilous realm of London Below—a hidden city existing in the cracks of the metropolis, populated by those who have fallen through.
Richard Mayhew, an unassuming businessman, finds his ordinary life erased after a simple act of kindness towards a mysterious girl named Door, plunging him into this otherworld.
Gaiman masterfully crafts a labyrinthine underworld filled with allegorical characters, forgotten histories, and insidious dangers, as Richard embarks on a quest to reclaim his life.
Kat Richardson's “Greywalker” series begins with the novel “Greywalker,” introducing Harper Blaine, a Seattle-based private investigator. After a brutal attack leaves her clinically dead for two minutes, Harper awakens as a “Greywalker.”
This new state allows her to navigate the strange, liminal plane between our world and the paranormal, seeing ghosts, vampires, and other supernatural entities.
Her new perception draws her into a shadowy realm, forcing her to use her investigative skills to solve supernatural mysteries and understand her new, dangerous reality.
Mike Carey (also writing as M.R. Carey) offers a gritty urban fantasy experience with his Felix Castor series, starting with “The Devil You Know.”
Felix "Fix" Castor is a freelance exorcist in a London where the dead are restless and ghosts are a common, and often dangerous, problem.
With a noir sensibility and a cynical wit, Castor navigates a world filled with vengeful spirits, cunning demons, and morally ambiguous clients.
He often finds himself in over his head as he confronts the city's spectral inhabitants. Carey's depiction of supernatural London is both bleak and compelling.
Simon R. Green invites readers into the shadowy, perpetual twilight of “Something from the Nightside,” the first in his Nightside series. John Taylor is a private investigator with a talent for finding lost things, a skill he often uses in the Nightside.
The Nightside is a secret, square-mile heart of London where it's always 3 A.M., anything is possible, and usually terrifying. This hidden domain exists alongside the normal city.
Green populates this dark urban landscape with a menagerie of bizarre creatures, fallen angels, and entities from beyond, all wrapped in a distinctive noir style and dark humor.
Devon Monk’s “Allie Beckstrom” series begins with “Magic to the Bone.” Allison "Allie" Beckstrom is a Hound who uses her unique and costly magic to find lost items and people in a magically-charged Portland, Oregon.
Allie must literally "ground" magic through her own body, paying a steep physical price for every spell she casts, which adds a visceral cost to her abilities.
Monk crafts a world where magic has tangible consequences, and Allie's gritty determination to use her powers for good, despite the personal toll, drives this compelling urban fantasy series.
Darynda Jones's “First Grave on the Right” introduces Charlotte "Charley" Davidson, a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper in Albuquerque. Charley can see and communicate with the dead, a talent that helps her solve crimes.
Her unique abilities also attract dangerous supernatural entities and entangle her in celestial affairs, including a complicated relationship with the son of Satan.
Jones masterfully blends laugh-out-loud humor, poignant moments, steamy romance, and thrilling paranormal mysteries, creating a uniquely engaging urban fantasy series with an unforgettable protagonist.
Chloe Neill's “Chicagoland Vampires” series begins with “Some Girls Bite.” Merit, a literature graduate student, is violently turned into a vampire and inducted into Chicago's prestigious Cadogan House.
Thrust into a new undead existence, Merit must quickly learn to navigate vampire society, master her new abilities as a Sentinel, and protect her House.
She contends with inter-house politics and threats from rogue supernaturals. Neill combines a strong, intelligent heroine with engaging world-building and a fast-paced plot, offering a fresh perspective on vampire lore within a bustling urban setting.
Nalini Singh's “Guild Hunter” series, starting with “Angels’ Blood,” presents a world ruled by powerful, ancient Archangels and their legions of angels and vampires. Elena Deveraux is a mortal Guild Hunter, born with the ability to track vampires.
Her unique skills catch the attention of the formidable Archangel Raphael, who hires her for an unprecedented task: to hunt a fallen archangel, an assignment fraught with peril.
Singh masterfully blends dark urban fantasy with elements of paranormal romance, creating a high-stakes narrative with a complex power dynamic and a richly imagined supernatural hierarchy.
Kelley Armstrong’s “Women of the Otherworld” series launches with “Bitten,” introducing Elena Michaels, the world's only female werewolf. Elena has tried to escape her Pack and build a normal human life in Toronto.
She's reluctantly drawn back to Stonehaven, her Pack's ancestral home in upstate New York, to help deal with a murderous mutt uprising threatening their existence.
Armstrong delivers a compelling narrative exploring themes of identity, belonging, and the struggle between instinct and civilization, all centered on a strong, complex heroine navigating the brutal realities of werewolf existence within a contemporary world.
Jim C. Hines's “Libriomancer,” the first in his “Magic Ex Libris” series, introduces Isaac Vainio. Isaac is a member of Die Zwelf Portenære, an organization founded by Johannes Gutenberg that polices the magical practice of libriomancy—drawing objects and abilities from books.
Set in a world where literary magic is real and dangerous, Isaac must use his powers to combat threats emerging from the pages of fiction itself, often with unexpected and chaotic results.
Hines delivers a clever and inventive urban fantasy that celebrates the power of stories, blending action, humor, and unique magical concepts connected to the very act of reading.
These authors represent a diverse range of voices and styles within the Urban Fantasy genre, each offering unique worlds where the familiar and the fantastical collide.
Whether you're a long-time fan or new to the genre, we hope this list provides a great starting point for your next adventure into cities filled with magic, mystery, and unforgettable characters. Happy reading!