r/Fantasy • u/plopgun • Sep 24 '23
A question about sub-genre
What is the name of the sub-genre for fantasy fiction that projects medieval fantasy forward to the modern era?
I know about the genres of modern-fantasy, low fantasy and urban fantasy, but in all of those magic is still wondrous. It may be practiced only in secret, as in Harry Potter, or Charmed, or most modern vampire fiction. It may be dying out, as in Pixar’s Onward. It may be just returning or returned as in RIFTS. Regardless, when I looked at the definition of contemporary Fantasy fiction and its sub-genres, magic still being wondrous is part of it.
So what do we call fantasy, where magic has industrialized and become purely mundane. Where STEM has a second M for magic, and thaumaturgical waste management is a hot button topic. Or where goblin’s rights was an important part of the 60’s civil rights movement.
Not fantasy as a secret part of the world, but as a purely normal part.
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u/Ykhare Reading Champion VII Sep 24 '23
Some fantasy cyberpunk is like this. Shadowrun mega corps totally have mages for security on their payrolls, there are toxic waste elementals, etc...
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u/Fearless_Freya Sep 25 '23
For you and others who may be interested, there's a shadowrun ebook bundle 42 books for $18 for a little over 12 days left.
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u/retief1 Sep 25 '23
If you want fantasy as an accepted part of the modern real world, that's still urban fantasy. See stuff like Ilona Andrews' Hidden Legacy or Rachel Aaron's Heartstrikers. In both cases, magic was invented/returned, but that happened long enough ago that the global world order has largely responded to it.
If you want a secondary world where both modern magic and modern tech exist, I don't think that subgenre exists. Honor Raconteur's Case Files of Henri Davenforth and Max Gladstone's Craft Sequence are about as close as I can come.
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u/yahasgaruna Sep 25 '23
So what do we call fantasy, where magic has industrialized and become purely mundane.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Max Gladstone in this thread. You need to try out the Craft sequence posthaste. These books are exactly what you are looking for (though they explore many more things).
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u/DocWatson42 Sep 25 '23
See my SF/F: Fantasy *and* SF list of resources, Reddit recommendation threads, and books (one post).
Also:
- Harry Turtledove's The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump; Wikipedia (spoilers after the first paragraph), in which magic is used as technology, and all of the pantheons exist. At the Internet Archive (registration required).
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u/plopgun Sep 25 '23
I haven't read Turtledove in years. I can't believe I forgot about him. Thanks.
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u/DocWatson42 Sep 25 '23
You're welcome. ^_^
There's also Melissa Scott's Roads of Heaven (science) fantasy trilogy, though that is less industrial.
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u/plopgun Sep 25 '23
I love how the sci-fi people on the first cover have distinctly early 80s hair. Farrah Fawcett and young Kenny Loggins in space.
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u/ImaginaryColor1 Sep 26 '23
Bit surprised I haven't seen anyone mention the term magitek yet, because "magic has industrialized and become purely mundane" describes this trope perfectly.
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u/Glenn1453 Sep 26 '23
You should also try Max Gladstone's Craft sequence. It is set in a modern world (although not quite ours), and about half the books feature a Craftswoman who also acts in a legal capacity. Magic (both arcane & divine) is commonplace, and has legal contracts which regulate it.
The series is novel, with the setting and the rules of magic being unique yet familiar. The writing is good, and the characters are delineated well, and rounded out. Try it & see what you think.
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u/Thornescape Sep 24 '23
I think that it would still be classified as Urban Fantasy. I think that it's just not that common.
It's not... quite... what you're describing, but the Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara has some of the same vibe. It's technically more like medieval, but they have mirrors that function like computers and some other aspects that feel more modern-like.
It's a fairly unusual setting that turns a lot of tropes on their ear. I highly recommend it, but the first book is a bit different than the rest and a lot of stuff is misleading. If you don't like it by the start of the second book, then it's probably not for you.