Presented For Your Consideration: Our List Of The Top Ten Best Urban Fantasy Authors
Who are the best active writers in the urban fantasy genre? There are many possible contenders, and much like any top ten list, the merits of including some authors can be disputed, as well as any omissions. But these are the authors that we consider to be indispensable in the genre, and in our opinion, these are the top ten best urban fantasy authors who have contributed significant works to the canon and are still active today.
Neil Gaiman
We must begin with Neil Gaiman, a giant in the field. Gaiman has made his mark through both literature and comic books, and his prose is always a delight. Gaiman is the rare talent who can infuse humor with danger and find mystery and magic in the mundane. His Sandman series is the stuff of legend, and his novels Neverwhere, Good Omens, and others are worldwide bestsellers.
Ilona Andrews
A New York Times bestselling author, Ilona Andrews is a creator of gems in the urban fantasy genre. Her novels are about struggles for power, people with magical abilities that are still somehow tragically vulnerable, and romance that is fresh and never cloying. Her Kinsman Universe and Hidden Legacy series are standouts.
Jim Butcher
Best known for The Dresden Files, Jim Butcher was strongly influenced in his early life by such fantasy works as The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Over the past couple of decades, he has risen to prominence through his Cinder Spire series, and his name has regularly appeared on the New York Times bestseller list.
Patricia Briggs
Author of the wildly popular Mercy Thompson series, Patricia Briggs knows how to write engaging urban fantasy that tantalizes and captivates. She has been nominated for such honors as the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy, and her Sianim series wins over new acolytes every year.
Kelley Armstrong
A consistent New York Times bestselling author in her own right, Kelley Armstrong is possibly the best-known Canadian writer of urban fantasy. She has published over thirty novels, and her Women of the Otherworld series features strong, fully-realized female protagonists.
Kim Harrison
Kim Harrison is the nom de plume of American author Dawn Cook, known for her smash hit Hollows series. Though she has earned a prominent spot on the top ten list of best urban fantasy authors, she has also successfully written in the young adult and accelerated-science genres.
Kevin Hearne
Kevin Hearne is the author of the Seven Kennings trilogy, The Iron Druid Chronicles, and many others. An Arizona native, he has enjoyed a long relationship with Del Rey publishers. His novel Tricked allowed him to crack the New York Times bestseller list for the first time.
Anne Bishop
Anne Bishop successfully navigates the line between urban fantasy and dark fantasy. She took home the Crawford Award in 2000, and all three of her Black Jewels trilogy were bestsellers. She has been nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy, and also a Locus Award for Best First Novel.
Jennifer Estep
Jennifer Estep publishes novels for the Pocket Books line. She is best known for urban fantasy but also writes in the paranormal romance genre. Her Elemental Assassin series and her Mythos Academy books are her most well-known contributions. She was recently nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Paranormal Fantasy novel.
Kat Richardson
Rounding out the list is Kat Richardson, best known for her nine Greywalker novels. Harper Blaine, the heroine of the series, is one of the most well known and recognizable characters to emerge from the urban fantasy genre in the past decade. Richardson has a keen grasp of how to incorporate horror into her fantasy, and her novels contain many chilling passages.
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What do you think? Are these the ten best urban fantasy authors, or did we leave anyone out? As always, feedback is welcome. Let the discussion commence.