What’s Hot?
I was asked this question while in Auckland last week—the perception is that vampires and paranormal urban fantasy may be close to saturation and so the question was: what’s coming up next?
My response was that I think the next wave is already on us and the answer is “steampunk”—but I also entered the caveat that I don’t necessarily think that we’re done with paranormal because there is quite a lot of steampunk out there already that has a strong paranormal dimension: the zombies in Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker, vampires and werewolves in Gail Corriger’s Parasol Protectorate series (Soulless, Bloodless etc) and angels in Cassandra Clare’s new-out Clockwork Angel.
So what do you think? Do you agree that steampunk is the hot new trend? Am I right to detect that paranormal fantasy is morphing into this genre? Do you think paranormal urban fantasy will continue unabated in parallel—or are you “over it” already? Or maybe there’s always a place for a good story well-told in any genre?
To help the discussion along I have a copy of Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Angel to give away to one lucky commenter who posts here today.
I’m embarrassed to say I keep hearing ‘steampunk’ in writing circles and still don’t know what it means.
My understood definition of urban fantasy is a world that looks like our world today, but with paranormal / supernatural things happening. If that’s what you mean when you say urban fantasy, then I suspect that kind of writing is going to stick around – but the paranormal influences will change and morph, perhaps into whatever this ‘steampunk’ is?
Off to my google…
That’ll teach me to comment before googling!
Okay, I don’t know. Maybe urban fantasy and steampunk will combine in a science fiction time travel paranormal historical romance…. or something?
Off to hide my head in writerly shame.
Hi Aimee—there is no shame in not being perfectly au fait with all the subgenre names! But “gaslight fantasy” is another name for steampunk, as in alternate 19th century, dirigibles and mechanical devices rather than electronic or purely magical, but often with some magic thrown in–but not necessarily, ie Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker is seen as scifi by many, whereas Tim Powers’ Anubis Gates or Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Angel are more fantasy.
I enjoy watching True Blood but would never read the books. I avoid anything akin to Twilight like the plague (to my mind its 90210 with vampires and werewolves). I’ve read and enjoyed some streampunk, namely Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, and I enjoyed the Harry Potter novels (almost grudgingly). I like urban fantasy but find I like best those novels I can relate too which seems to be anything set in London (where I worked for 7 years) so there is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, the Kate Griffin novels, Un-Lun-Dun and Kraken by China Miéville.
I think Vampires, Werewolves and the realm of the paranormal will be with us for a long time to come, but the cutting edge of popularity will travel away to some other genre. I don’t think it’ll be steampunk or scifi, robots and technology are too hard to love. Personally I think that the Harry Potter fan base grew up and discovered sex and romance which dovetailed nicely into the vampire romance phenomenon. Anne Rice and a number of other authors will be discovered by those who wish to continue their fascination with the macabre and many readers will move on to more mainstream novels. I don’t know that there is any one series waiting in the wings to take on the Harry Potter and/or Twilight reigns, and I don’t necessarily think that it’ll be anything to do with the fantastical when the next series does come along. Maybe it’ll be a return to adventure or mystery, a new Famous 5 for the current times perhaps?
I’ve always read fantasy and other than flirting with travel non-ficton have been pretty loyal to the genre. I think that the urban fantasy sub-genre popularity is set to crash very soon, it has served a purpose (to my mind) in that many people have been introduced into the world of the fantastical and some will stay, immersing into the wider genre, but I think with the end of Harry Potter and Twilight that the market will contract, readers will move elsewhere as the Next Big Thing appears, what ever that may be.
Thanks for your indepth comment, Brendon–I agree that one can never really predict, but if the steampunk “clanks” and “mad science” comes packaged with other elements, such as Gail Carriger’s “romance”, then that may broaden the appeal. of course, Girl Genius already has it all: adventure, romance and mad science!
But ‘wait and see’ is about all we can really do … 🙂
Hmm interesting topic. I haven’t read much steampunk, and it may well be the next big thing, but the appeal of paranormal urban fantasy is pretty strong. Well, in my opinion, at least! So I don’t see it dying out any time soon.
Paranormal science fiction would be pretty cool 🙂
Toni, I believe there may already be some paranormal sci-fi out there, such as Out of the Dark by David Weber.
I think Urban Fantasy is here to stay. People love to read about strange creatures, magic, etc.. but UF also gives it something familiar by placing it in a setting that is close to the world we live in.
Steampunk on the other hand will be a passing craze as it’s so very specific (although very cool).
I myself am still hoping for a werepig craze 😉
You gotta watch out for those were-pigs! 🙂 (Mind you, there’s the ‘pigoons’ in Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Creyke—they’re fairly scary.)
pigoons?! and they’re scary?
Will have to get that book.
Very scary! Oryx and Creyke is what I would describe as dystopican, near future sci-fi (or “speculative fiction” if one wishes to be a little more rarified.) I think there’s a sequel out now, too.
Hmm, there’s a lot of urban fantasy/paranormal – you can tell the ‘good’ authors from those just jumping on the bandwagon.
With so much vampire/werewolf/magic now, authors need to create new worlds to hold my attention.
The few steampunk novels I’ve read have been blah… to me but it interests a lot of people. I think it’ll be round for a while.
But the zombie romances. I hope they disappear soon!
I think there’s something to be said for it not being the “newness” of the idea, but how well it’s done. Although, just to have a buck each way, too many replicas of the one idea in rapid succession does pall fairly quickly.
Check out this article by Charlie Stross on steampunk:
http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2010/10/the-hard-edge-of-empire.html
I don’t actually agree with much of what he says – but a well-crafted evisceration is always fun to read 🙂
Interesting article! Thanks for pointing it out.
Paranormal stories have been around a long time. I don’t think they are going anywhere (thank goodness). I haven’t read any steampunk yet. I do have a copy of The Iron Duke and waiting to start it. We will probably see more steampunk cause it is fresh, but the shifters and vampires are gonna be around for a while cause everyone loves an alpha .
You’re right, even the traditional story of Tam Lin, which I talked about at Halloween is effectively a paranormal/supernatural tale, so relaly it’s grand tradition which has only just swept into the mainstream. And I think there’s a definite attraction to urban fantasy, thinking that something out there might be happening in your neighbourhood—it puts a little extra gloss on the everyday.