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Confession: I Hate Vampires and Werewolves

I’ve always considered myself an epic fantasy girl. Give me a hero, an evil nemesis and an impossible quest and I’m in my element. I devour books by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson and Robin Hobb as if they were slabs of chocolate. The guilt-free kind.

So it came as a bit of a surprise that I prefer writing urban fantasy. I don’t generally read a lot in this genre (am I allowed to say that out loud?), because I don’t particularly care for vampires or werewolves. Is it just me, or are the majority of urban fantasy novels overrun by these two supernatural creatures? I don’t know if it’s the result of living in a post-Twilight era, but I have yet to find a series that does not have a brooding immortal with overlong canines in it.

Since when has deathly pale with a thirst for blood been sexy? And don’t even get me started on hairy beasts that mark the furniture. Imagine all the vacuuming. No thanks!

I promise you that my Mythical Menagerie series (first installment coming soon – sign up to be notified here), which takes place in a world where creatures from myth and folklore live among us, will never have a vampire or a werewolf in it. Unicorns, yes. Dragons, definitely. Lesser-known creatures from Far Eastern, African, and Native American traditions, most probably.

Werewolf vs Vampire | © Dragoart

There’s a whole world rich in lore out there. I think it’s time we looked a little further than the confines of the traditional denizens of the urban fantasy sphere and be more creative with our choices of characters.

Can you suggest a good urban fantasy series without any werewolves or vampires in it? What other supernatural creature has become a cliché of the genre too? What are your favourite mythological creatures?

2 comments / Add your comment below

  1. Personally I like Vampires and Werewolves but I do agree to some extent with you. We have enough vampire and werewolf stories to last us a lifetime. For me when it comes to Urban Fantasy (the ones I read) they always involve demons somehow. I feel demons is a lazy way to create powerful villains without having a decent backstory. And there is always some hidden dark accompanying elements that can easily make a good person turn evil when the person has one bad experience, loss of a loved one for example. For some reason when a story has magic in it, even if it is urban fantasy, then demons are quick to follow. Where has all the creativity gone? What is your opinion on demons?

    1. Honestly, I haven’t come across demons as much as vampires and werewolves, so I’d much prefer one of those instead, just for the novelty of it. But I have to agree with you, if the demon is the ultimate bad guy it’s lazy storytelling imho. Writing a good bad guy is pretty darn difficult, and I think that’s one of the marks of a good storyteller.

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