I was thinking about janni’s post yesterday, and wanted to expand on the idea a bit. There are very different takes on setting up a urban fantasy world, and the choice of how the supernatural interacts with the world you create is a big one, esp if you’re writing a series. Some writers give it a lot of consideration some never even a second thought.
I see the differing approaches as a continuum -- on one end, we have a set up like Tim Pratt’s Marla Mason books, or Ilona Andrews, where there is an entire structure and world set up around the supernatural, using real world settings, but also invented places and cities – it’s an entirely different society than the one we know, and the supernatural is a fact of life and a huge influence of every aspect of society and life.
Then we have books where the supernatural is recognized as a normal part of society, but for most people it doesn’t dominate their life. People tend to be more interested whether particular supernatural entities will pay their bills than they are concerned about the supernatural aspects. Mark Del Franco’s books are a good example of this.
A little further down, we get worlds where the supernatural exists, but is mostly unknown or disbelieved by the average citizen, as in the Harry Dresden books – lots of people know he’s a wizard, lots know his the real deal, but his society at large mostly ignores or denies such things.
And finally at, at the other end, books that are set almost entirely in the “real” world, where the supernatural is almost completely unknown to the average citizen, and the effect it has on such things as politics and government is either non existent or negligible. That’s the world my own books are set in.
Of course, most books don’t fit neatly into some slot on the scale – as should be. But often, the more integrated the supernatural is into the society of the book, the higher the stakes in the plot will be. Success or failure will affect not only the mc, but society at large -- even leading to apocalyptic results.. At the other end, it’s more about who killed whom, and how, and why. It’s all about the mc, and friends, and everyday life and problems – even with a supernatural twist.
So it’s not a bad idea to carefully consider which type of uf world you want to write about before plunging in – the choice has consequences. Me, I have a preference in writing, but not in reading. I like them all.
I see the differing approaches as a continuum -- on one end, we have a set up like Tim Pratt’s Marla Mason books, or Ilona Andrews, where there is an entire structure and world set up around the supernatural, using real world settings, but also invented places and cities – it’s an entirely different society than the one we know, and the supernatural is a fact of life and a huge influence of every aspect of society and life.
Then we have books where the supernatural is recognized as a normal part of society, but for most people it doesn’t dominate their life. People tend to be more interested whether particular supernatural entities will pay their bills than they are concerned about the supernatural aspects. Mark Del Franco’s books are a good example of this.
A little further down, we get worlds where the supernatural exists, but is mostly unknown or disbelieved by the average citizen, as in the Harry Dresden books – lots of people know he’s a wizard, lots know his the real deal, but his society at large mostly ignores or denies such things.
And finally at, at the other end, books that are set almost entirely in the “real” world, where the supernatural is almost completely unknown to the average citizen, and the effect it has on such things as politics and government is either non existent or negligible. That’s the world my own books are set in.
Of course, most books don’t fit neatly into some slot on the scale – as should be. But often, the more integrated the supernatural is into the society of the book, the higher the stakes in the plot will be. Success or failure will affect not only the mc, but society at large -- even leading to apocalyptic results.. At the other end, it’s more about who killed whom, and how, and why. It’s all about the mc, and friends, and everyday life and problems – even with a supernatural twist.
So it’s not a bad idea to carefully consider which type of uf world you want to write about before plunging in – the choice has consequences. Me, I have a preference in writing, but not in reading. I like them all.
Profile
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif)
fangs_fur_fey- Fangs, Fur, & Fey
Designed by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
chasethestars
chasethestars
Comments
As a reader, I have a pretty strong preference for worlds where the supernatural is an influence on every day life.
Edited at 2008-08-16 08:56 pm (UTC)
But maybe I'll do a post on it soon.
But I do think that the expectation many readers have for a series is that each book should up the ante in some fashion. It's a temptation difficult to resist, but if you give in, eventually you're going to end up jumping the shark.
But often, the more integrated the supernatural is into the society of the book, the higher the stakes in the plot will be. Success or failure will affect not only the mc, but society at large -- even leading to apocalyptic results.
I might argue that the stakes can be pretty high whether or not the supernatural elements are integrated within the "real" world as a whole. If the supernatural world effects society and society (at large) doesn't know it, the "higher stakes" plot may be known to the reader, but not necessarily the characters. However, if the supernatural world has no effect or affect upon the "real" world and its citizens, then, yes, the overall grand impact is lessened. I guess I'm thinking 'old school' with Steven R. Boyett's blended-world on one end and Libba Bray's fantasy-world-through-Gemma Doyle on the other...?
But "impact" can be just as gripping even if it's only the perspective-shift of one person.
I'm just saying that in one type of book, the failure of the mc can literally mean a complete change in the society at large. The Vamps control everything, now.
Another type is more like classic PI noir. If the mc fails, the killer goes free, or the mc himself (or herself) may die. But the world goes on unchanged.
I enjoy reading all kinds, but it bugs me when the supernatural is completely integrated into society and yet the world is much the same as we know it. Everything--the government, the economy, pop culture, etc.--would be either slightly or completely different, depending on how long the integration has occurred.
Though, in a contradictory way, I'm far too interested in supernatural-based legislation.
Another point that I like when *writing* the third type of stories---responsibility. If you're one of five or so people who know about the Supernatural and the Big Coming Crisis, you tend to feel more obligated to *do* something about it than if everyone knows. Just like those weird psyche studies where people will ignore someone in pain/trouble for incredibly long periods of time if there's other people around, but they'll take action if they're the only one there. It's an interesting motivational thing, I think---if they're one of The Few, they feel oligation to Save The Day. If everyone knows about it, there's usually more extenuating circumstances, like a failure of the people supposed to be in charge of helping, or a difference of opinions with them.
Just a slightly rambling observation...