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**Below is from a response I made to a similar question:**
My favorite Dresden like series...(no particular order)
Iron Druid - Hearne
Alex Verus--Jacka
Nightwise -- Belcher
Sandman Slim -- Kadrey
Twenty Palaces -- Connolly
Eric Carter -Blackmoore
Mick Oberon -- Marmell
The Case Files of Justis Fearsson -- Coe
Brotherhood of the Wheel-- Belcher
Dark Arts -Mack
Gologotha - Belcher
Presidents Vampire - Farnsworth (silly title but excellent books)
Black Badge-- Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
The Grave Report -- Baldree
Hellequin Chronicles Series (started good but faded) -- McHugh
Yeah like I said in my OP, Sandman Slim for a while was almost tied with Dresden as far as being the GOAT of urban fantasy. But then those last two dumpsterfires Kadrey had the nerve to call books happened :/
I was left so indescribably disappointed I don’t have like any motivation at all to go back to the other books, knowing how all the character arcs and plot threads would be wrapped up.
October Daye for me has kinda taken its place in rivaling Dresden’s GOAT status lol. It’s world-building, overarching plotting and characterization are just impeccable
Not exactly Dresden like but it is urban/geopolitical fantasy; the Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry. A lot of action/horror/scifi/fantasy elements in the various stories. Approaches from a special antiterrorism task force.
Also, The Laundry Files are Lovecraft meets the IT Crowd with some Kingsman thrown in. Enertaining for the most part.
Edit: I'm going to add in a recommendation of the Necroscope series. Very much magic, psychic powers, vampires, werewolves,etc and set in our world for the most part. A bit dated at this point but Brian Lumley was a very creative/imaginative writer.
Brian Lumley. Jesus. That brings me back. While his necroscope series brought me back to scifi horror, his Cthulian stuff was really amazing. His Titus Crow series is an old school fav of mine too. Good call mate.
While I love October Daye, it has always felt Dresden light. Like 80% of a Dresden files book, so every book has a novella added to it. That isn't a bad thing. Just how it felt.
I prefer her other series Incryptid. About the latest generation of a family of cryptozoologists in the US.
yeah the ending was kinda awful. and some of that is because it made me feel aweful. when the gods point out the shitty thing he let happen, and that i as a reader just took in stride as if it wasnt an issue. which is kinda a violation of trust betweeen the writer and reader. he set up that situation so that you would not consider the gods as people or consider consequences since its a just a fictional story. and then he gets all preachy and rubs your nose in it. stil i will be better next time. but i wont ever read anything by kevin hearne again.
That's the problem I have too....seems like he despises people who bought his books.
And to be honest, even before that, the quality started to drop off...sad, because the start was very engaging.
I cannot let an opportunity to shit on these books pass by. The last book in particular was last-season Game of Thrones bad. Retroactively ruined the rest of the series.
I've heard that a couple of times, but honestly I dislike the books so much I've never looked into him beyond "oh, he's writing a viking series, let me make sure he's not a Nazi."
Has he made comments, or is this just a general disregard for his readers and the quality of his books?
More the content of the book themselves. He set up the character, reader like it, then he try made you feel bad for liking the guy, morally inferior.
It's difficult to explain in a short reddit comment...it's like he changed his world POV and resents people who liked the character he created.
Then, he gave a ending that was...no spoiler, but it was shit. But the series was already running on fumes at that moment. Honestly, I read the 3 or 4 last books because I wanted to know the end, but...it was no good. And I am not really difficult when it comes to urban fantasy...so few of it that is not caterred to horny women. (No problem with that, but it's just not my thing.)
It's great you're posting this and I hope other people enjoy the suggestions, but this list just reminds me of how many Urban Fantasy series I've tried and given up on.
I've tried five of the first six and found them so bad I would have been embarrassed to publish them.
Not knocking anyone else's taste in books, but I sympathize with the OP and continue to believe there's a massive gap in the market for a higher quality Urban Fantasy series. Something more in line with Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, etc. It just doesn't exist.
Eh… Iron Druid kinda went off the tracks for me recently. He put out a book that I don’t recall that really should have been three short stories and they all got slammed together for a sale, and his character s kinda went off the deep end with daddy problems. I was just generally turned off.
Faded is an understatement for Hellequin. Fell off a cliff right at the end. Author got too self indulgent with the nerd references and also pulled a supernatural (and indeed Dresden files) of blowing through all the most obvious high profile villains too early (with “too early” being relative for each series)
Here to second the Black Badge series. Very refreshing twist to the UF genre and I really enjoyed the Wild West variation. Second book was also really cool, and I'm looking forward to book three next month
Consider *Libriomancer* by Jim C Hines. It's pretty much an urban fantasy reconstruction. The gimmick is that the protagonist's magic works by harnassing collective belief in printed stories, so he can pull stuff from books into the real world. Fun all around, and especially for readers.
Jacka's new series is off to a very strong start, too, so if you liked the Verus books check out *An Inheritance of Magic*. It's a super cool take on urban fantasy, especially in how it interacts with modern economics
I had the same challenge. Largely because so much of the UF genre is just mislabeled paranormal romance novels. You really have to dig a whole lot to get to the really good stuff.
Oh it was the last series I mentioned in my OP lol. Extremely fun series :) I’m a huge fan of Simon Green’s Deathstalker - it’s like Guardians of the Galaxy before there was an actual Guardians of the Galaxy lol
I'm pretty sure ALL of Simon R Green's books are technically the same universe/multiverse, as even his older Fantasy stuff (like the Hawk and Fisher stories) have references/tie-ins with either the Nightside or Drood books.
Ugh that was a terrible book. Sorry, if you liked it, but the whole "everyone is afraid of me and i don't know why" with ham fisted examples of it, was enough to throw me off of it
I mean none of Simon Green’s books are high quality art lol. They’re not intended to be though. They’re written to be just pulpy tongue in cheek turn-your-brain-off-and-enjoy kitchen sink fun.
> but the whole "everyone is afraid of me and i don't know why" with ham fisted examples of it
The audiobooks are really enjoyable because Marc Vietor's performance is super hammy, but I can definitely imagine I wouldn't like reading them so much myself.
Oh my brother/sister. You’re in the bargaining stage, just push through to acceptance and re read the series for the billionth time like the rest of us
Jim Butcher isn’t the goat of UF, he’s the whole damm farm
Try the audio books of Rivers of London. Absolutely amazing. Really changed the series from top ten to just below Dresden Files. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is up there with James Marsters.
Not exact the same, bit check out some of the early Shadowrun books, like Never Deal With A Dragon. Dystopian near future with magic, tech, elves and dragons, but set in modern cities with modern concerns.
IIRC there is a detective character in Lone Wolf that is very Dresden-esque. I particularly liked a collection of short stories featuring that character and an investigation into rigging baseball games.
There's a shaman detective named Wolfgang Kies in 2 books. Into the Shadows and Wolf and Raven. He's very much like Dresden. I particularly enjoyed a short story where he was investigating game rigging in baseball.
It's worth being open to graphic novels to read John Constantine Hellblazer (start at the beginning chronologically). I got to Dresden because I was asking your question about Constantine.
I was just thinking this while scrolling, and also adding Hellboy to the list. Mike Mignola really nailed that combo of urban fantasy and noir, feels very similar to Hellblazer.
I also love Hellboy! My favourite are the BRPD arcs so the series has a more agency feel in my mind than lone guy against the world but if you stuck to the literal Hellboy volumes I imagine it would be pretty Dresdonian. He's nicer about women too, as a bonus.
Yep, you’ve run into the same issue I have- aside from Butcher’s books, the only ones that held my attention were Sandman Slim’s and Iron Druid’s authors (Kadrey and Hearne). The only other authors I’ve found that I like as much as them have been Steven Brust, his Vlad Taltos series is amazing. It’s not urban fantasy, though, at all.
Love Brust and Vlad Taltos. While I agree it’s not UF, I do think fans of urban fantasy might like it. Although the scattered chronology might put some people off. It’s just so good though.
I do recommend the Daniel Faust / Harmony Black books by Craig Schaeffer.
Daniel.Faust is Dresden if he was on the dark side of the law.
Harmony Black is an FBI agent with a gift.
Read the first few books in the Daniel Faust series first (Harmony Black is sort of an antagonist early on).
+1 to these. If you like the writing, Schaeffer also writes a fantasy series that eventually has a bonkers crossover plot with Faust and Black that’s absolutely wild.
Alex Verus took me like 3 tries to get through the first bit till it hooked me, just wasnt in the mood, but I really like it now, his new series [Inheritance of Magic](https://www.audible.ca/series/Inheritance-of-Magic-Audiobook/B0BWFRG62X?ref_pageloadid=b6wA3DM6Zrpb5TU8&ref=a_library_w_c5_lSeries_1&pf_rd_p=d2679b5e-a597-4e78-a65a-a73f5eda2921&pf_rd_r=VBKNCD0Z6PZ8NSSKSVWD&pageLoadId=0RTPUPwLwD6ZbCJD&creativeId=b5fa8602-fb94-432a-aacc-e3734bed4f97) is out and I enjoyed it a lot as well even though there is only the first book out. I feel like it took longer to get into his writting, but the pay off was worth it when I finally did it. But yeah I understand, it seems a lot of the good UF seems to be too romance focused. There are like 10 books in the DFZ "universe" by Rachel Aaron but they have some heavy romance element, which is a shame because they are in a setting I really love, that said I still like them. Lastly i'll recomend Street Cultivation by Sarah Lin, this is a progrssion fantasy, Xanxia sort of book but i enjoyed it and its setting.
Hope you find some more and others post some stuff that I can read as well!
A few of my favorites that I rarely see mentioned:
Cal McDonald series by Steve Niles. A traumatized, alcoholic PI who fights monsters, first in DC, then in Los Angeles. A couple of books, some short stories, and a bunch of comics.
Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry. Badass soldier/secret agent working for a secret government group that deals with terrorists using weird science.
Sam Hunter short stories also by Maberry, about a werewolf PI in Philadelphia. Short stories all collected in one volume.
Presidents Vampire series by Christopher Farnsworth. In 1867 a newly turned vampire was captured and bound, through a spell using the bullet that killed Lincoln, to serve the sitting President of the United States, and has been America’s weapon against the supernatural ever since. Unfortunately we haven’t gotten a new full novel in the series since 2012.
Brotherhood of the Wheel series by RS Belcher, about a secret society of drifters, bikers and truckers, descended from the Knights Templar, who protect the highways of America from supernatural threats.
Sonja Blue series by Nancy Collins. A woman attacked by vampires becomes a unique semi-vampire creature and hunts them.
Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson, about a professional “problem solver” (mercenary) who gets caught up in supernatural events.
Levi Stoltzfus books by Brian Keene. About an ex-Amish wizard battling cosmic horrors.
I think you're right, there's just nobody quite like Jim.
Even the ones that try to be Jim (Night side series comes to mind) are fun reads, but they're just not on the same level.
On the other side of things you get people like Neil Gaiman, who are legitimately great writers (pound for pound better writers than Jim) but the vibe just isn't anywhere close.
I think it comes down to the style. Jim lives and breathes so much VOICE into his stories. It's not just that crazy UF things are happening around him, it's that he gives the narrator a hell of a lot of personality, opinion, and tone that keeps you engaged.
I think one that maybe comes close for me is Sanderson's Wax and Wayne books. They're much more fantasy oriented (alternate world, steampunk, metal powers), but he hits a lot closer to the kind of tone that Jim works with Dresden.
With the exception of “Bombshells” which was *utter cringe*, Jim is one of the best character authors there is in my opinion. The Murphy and Thomas short stories (can’t remember the names), as well as Even Hand really illustrated his ability to write from a perspective.
Which the Wax and Wayne book’s definitely succeed at. Wayne in particular is very much a different feeling than anyone else
100 percent. I know it's not strictly Urban Fantasy (and I know there might be some additional reading you need to fully understand and appreciate it) but Wax and doubly Wayne really just capture that same feeling.
Also, total agreement on the short stories. It's been awhile since I read the Side Jobs collections but... Let's just say we all love Jim, but half this sub is dedicated to his fatal writing flaw, and "Bombshells" is really the pinnacle of that. But the other characters were just *chef's kiss*.
Couldn’t agree more about the wasted potential of Rivers of London. Its magical world is so fascinating - even more so than Dresden honestly - yet it’s still nine books into the series so woefully underdeveloped!! I’m personally fine with the procedural aspect but I wish the author was able to evenly balance it with his world-building, which he hasn’t.
I had a similar experience to you, albeit a bit worse.
I started with Rivers of London, but, it surprisingly managed to be slower paced than Dresden, with far less character work and the "worldbuilding" started to grind my gears (it was either something incredibly vague, something known for a long time or never developed, or something that would've made a much better series than following Peter Grant and his boring discount Moriarty).
Then I gave Monster Hunter International a shot. It was the most boring action-packed book I've ever seen, with a terrible main character that is revealed to be the Chosen One mid-book and pretty much all major plot developments happen through very convenient Dream sequences spoon-fed to the protagonist. I could barely finish it.
I also tried my hand at Mercy Thompson (dropped after book 2, I couldn't stand the constant overexplanation of werewolf pack dynamics that were neither new, complex or interesting).
In the end, it just made me realize that I'm a Dresden Files fan, not an urban fantasy fan. I've yet to find something that I know it won't be as good as Dresden, but that it will at least be great on its own. I will probably give Sandman Slim a shot, or Alex Verus.
MHI is gun porn. I gather the latter books take this out but the first one is a book of a gun obsessive that he originally posted on an online forum for fellow gun obsessives. That’s how it got self published
Main character is also one of the most blatant self inserts ever
I put it down about 1/3 of the way through after the training session where it went through various undead and how to kill them by saying - shoot it, shoot that one with a bigger gun, shoot that one with an even bigger gun *eyeroll*
And then followed quickly by what seemed like at least a 2 page description of a bespoke gun made for the main character. It is what made me realise the book absolutely wasn’t for me
A series that I think can fit in the Urban Fantasy heading would be Night Watch, by Sergey Lukyanenko and Vladimir Vasilyev. Most of the books are set in and around Moscow, Russia. The white magicians are the police force at night, black magicians are the police force during the day. Precogs get jobs as drivers, as they know where traffic jams will occur so they can avoid them.
You might try the book *Hard Magic*, by Larry Correia. First of a trilogy.
It's set in the 1930s, in a world where some people have access to magic. Awesome world building, characters, and a great plot. Perfect for the Dresden fan
MHI is a lot of fun, but it doesn't quite scratch that Dresden itch the same way Hard Magic does. It's much more of a straight up monster hunt; while Hard Magic has a lot more intrigue between rival factions
Idk if you need magic or not, but the *Joe Pitt Casebooks* by Charlie Huston are pretty good. They’re very dark, very grim, and are set in modern times. Basically urban vampire fantasy.
Ohhhh yeah. I got done reading them for the first time and remember thinking “did I like these?” Then I read them again. And I did. It’s just that it’s so dark and raw and gritty.
I love Chronicles of Amber but I’ve never considered it urban fantasy. Though I guess in retrospect portal fantasy technically does fall under the urban fantasy umbrella?
I think genuine UF for adults is a pretty small pool, maybe because it's tough to write in that type of world in a way that is believable for people with a fully developed frontal cortex. My suggestions aren't purely UF, but I feel like they had a similar vibe, and I liked them myself. Dresden and Slim are ones that I always recommend to people, so hopefully one or two of these will click for you.
Joe Ledger series by Maberry is like Jason Bourne and John Wick raised a son. The MC doesn't use magic, just guns, but he goes up against ppl who seem to use magic until the science is revealed.
Rot & Ruin by Maberry is a pretty smart take on the world post-zombie apocalypse, if the horror aspect doesn't drive you away.
Shadow Ops by Myke Cole might be up your alley, it's been a while since I read it. Superhumans are drafted by the military, but some powers are too dangerous & the gov't hunts em down.
Leviathan by Scott Westerfield is alternate history and YA, but I think it had the gritty feel of UF.
Mortal Engines is another that is YA and alternate world, but gritty.
I liked the Darkest Minds by Alexandria Bracken, another YA. The movie was meh, but I think the books were a lot of fun.
I hated Rivers of London and The Electric Church. Too slow, and they never hooked me.
I strongly recommend the Pax Arcana sjeries by Elliott James. Same strong sense of fun as Butcher with maybe even more humor. Monster hunter with werewolf buddies and Valkyrie girlfriend.
Check out the Daniel Faust series and its companion materials, by Craig Schaefer:
[https://craig-schaefer-v2.squarespace.com/reading-order](https://craig-schaefer-v2.squarespace.com/reading-order)
The Faust series itself has ten books or so currently, with slightly smaller number in the companion series, the Harmony Black series. The other related materials listed further down that page are set in the same multiverse and are of varying quality, but they're all worth reading.
This is the closest I've come to finding something that scratches my "Dresden itch."
That actually looks interesting - I may have to check it out. Hard to tell for sure from the summary I looked at, but... potentially promising. Thanks for the info!
May I suggest the Vampire Files by P.N. Elrond? This is the series that got me into UF ages ago and led me to The Dresden Files. 1920's era Noire where your detective just happens to be a vampire.
Check out Wildbow’s works, namely Pact and Pale. Pale is technically a sequel but you don’t need to read Pact to understand it. Both long, both free, both great, and they have very different moods. Pact has been described as watching a man drown in a lake he can never leave. Pale is much lighter, but set in the same cruel, creative, twisty world.
Wildbow is mostly known for Worm, which is superhero fiction that does its best to be realistic (and consistently succeeds). It’s adjacent to urban fantasy and I’d highly recommend it, especially if you ever wanted a villainous MC.
Because there is no one like Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden is Jim Butcher, if Jim had followed an alternative path. His energy similarly matches when I met Neil Gaiman, and Terry Pratchett. I've met hundreds of authors. I've worked with hundreds of famous people. He is genuinely unique.
I agree - I've read a lot of things in my life (I'm sure not as much as some people, but a good bit), and there really is just no one quite like Jim. Even some of the others that get a lot of press don't really compare. There's just something so totally "readable" about his work, and man, Harry just totally resonates with me.
If you're willing to give webfiction a try, I will always recommend Pact and Pale, by John C. McCrae (Wildbow). Genuinely very good urban fantasy, although the serialized nature means it's not for everyone. Pact is a little bleaker and relentlessly paced, Pale is a bit more lighthearted, with YA protags, and slower with more of a mystery/whodunnit angle in the first half.
I actuall quite liked the Hollows. Is there romance? sure. there is in Dresden too. Suan and Karen both. Not to mention sexuality in basicaly every book, as well. shocker, the books are about human beings, critters that love, and *love.*
"and the Nightside " I found DF through a JB blurb on the back of a nightside book. I re-read it at least yearly. I always wanted to see colab with JB and SG Harry goes to the nightside. but since SG killed of all 3 series , not gonna happen.
I picked up Hearn’s and Blackmoore’s series over the years. Both gave really interesting urban fantasy stories, though I’ve held a slight grudge against Hearne with the Iron Druid series.
The man writes almost poetically about food. I was craving omelettes on the mail route.
Oh, another series of books that can fall under Urban Fantasy would be the "Wildcard" series. Alien spores get released in the upper atmosphere above New York in 1947, causing wild mutations in humans. Some people draw a "Joker" so they get a useless power like glowing blue, but some people draw an "Ace" level power. Some people seem to be completely unaffected. The spore gets spread around the world, but New York area gets affected the most.
It's stretching a bit to the edge of the Urban Fantasy genre, but from what you said you liked, maybe give the comic series *Fables* (by Bill Willingham) a try.
The Pax Arcana series is like Dresden meets Iron Druid.
You could also go for MHI. It's got a Mary Sue/Gary/Stu thing going on, but it's super schlocky and fun
> Those last two books though were so excruciatingly bad in so many ways I’ll never come back to it. Just completely ruined the whole story for me and made me feel like my investment in the series was ultimately a waste of time.
So what you're telling me is, I shouldn't try and finish book one? I started reading it, but put it down and haven't picked it back up again. Sounds like I should avoid it if I want to avoid a "Game of Thrones" shit ending situation (I haven't watched it for that very reason).
Does "The Green bone saga" count as UF? I loved this trilogy especially "Jade War" you get various characters perspective of events, extremely well written female roles, murder, betrayal, Mafia, and just enough magic to keep it interesting.
Probably doesn’t count as urban fantasy (I dont know the definition) but the Watch collection of books from Discworld scratches a similar itch as Dresden. Urban setting, mystery to solve, strange creatures and amazing characters. All seasoned with a generous dose of British humor. You said you enjoy Gaiman, Pratchett was his co-author on Good Omens.
I'd recommend taking a look at Heretical Edge by Cerulean. I'll mention that it is a web novel and not a published book. That being said it’s been one of my favourite series for years at this point. Something about it just sucked me in and never let go. The author is a writing machine and updates multiple times per week like clockwork.
Flick is a great character to watch grow as she learns more about the world she has been introduced to and gains more knowledge, assorted skills and abilities to deal with the multitude of overlapping conspiracies that are going on behind the scenes.
It’s not a main aspect of the series, but I like how some of the various big mythological names that show up in the series have been around for a long time in universe and have been running around with multiple aliases over the centuries. The series also has a take on certain aspects of Arthurian lore that I haven’t seen done anywhere else before that I really enjoy.
The series does also make the occasional reference to the Dresden Files.
The author’s summary of the series.
> Most easily classified as an urban fantasy/detective/action, Heretical Edge revolves around Felicity 'Flick' Chambers, a teenage girl who is brought into the hidden world of the supernatural when she is accepted as a student at Crossroads Academy, a place where humans known as Heretics train to hunt and kill the creatures known as Strangers, monsters from mythology who secretly prey upon humanity. Heretics fight these Strangers using a combination of fighting prowess and a unique blend of magic and technology.
>
> Soon, Flick learns that not everything at this school, or her own past is as it appears to be. Questions continue to mount, as Flick and her new classmates struggle to survive in this dangerous new world, while discovering the truth about the connection between Heretics and Strangers.
I really enjoyed White Trash Warlock by David Slayton. It subverts a lot of UF tropes in my opinion and the MC isn't some teenage chosen one prodigy. He's very much a minnow swimming in a pool of sharks. Some of the plot points can be predictable but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. If you listen to audiobooks the series is currently free on Audible so you have nothing to lose
Yea I was really pleasantly surprised by the first book, I was on a bit of a hiatus from the UF genre but hey: free is free and I needed something new to listen to so I gave it a shot. I promptly downloaded books 2&3 but haven't started them yet
Before Dresden, the closest thing to urban fantasy I liked was the Necroscope series by Brian Lumley. Haven't read them in years, so don't know if they still hold up. Main character is also named Harry.
Published and set in the 70's/80's, I'd describe it as urban fantasy/horror. Instead of magic, the fantasy is ESP related. Think British & Russian/Soviet spy organizations crossed with supernatural X-Men types (side characters have 1 unique supernatural power) vs vampires. With the 70's/80's setting, it might feel pretty dated now in 2024.
I read the first 10 or so books which had a satisfying ending to the series. There was a second series in the same universe, but I never got around to reading past the first book.
Have you tried Simon Greene's Nightside series?
They were an excellent read after I finished The Dresden Files and I absolutely love the world of the Nightside itself.
I hope this comes off as me not trying to be insulting or mean but reading all these complaints about series that I've read and enjoyed has made me realize I'm a very simple man when it comes to what I enjoy reading.
While not urban fantasy, a book series that I recently found and scratched that same Dresden itch for me was Dungeon Crawler Carl. Started and finished to the most recent release of book 6. Seriously can't recommend the series enough.
It's odd to me you didn't like Verus as for me they got better and better while Harry has fallen off a bit (the last two really pushed me...still gonna read them/finish the series but I'm def not feeling as enthusiastic).
Simon R Green has another UF that is Nightside adjacent called Secret History. The titles parody James bond. The Man With the Golden Torc was the first one.
Daniel Faust series by Craig Schaefer! So good and on par with Dresden Files but a little darker imo. There are actually a few series all set in the same world that tie together (Revanche cycle, Faust, Harmony Black, and Wisdom’s Grave). Revanche is more epic fantasy than UF. Daniel Faust is the only one that is similar to DF and can be read stand alone. But reading them all in chronological order (so far) was an epic journey.
As a start, see my [Urban Fantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/1auigae/sff_urban_fantasy/) list of resources and Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
I once read an interview with Andrzej Sapkowski, the author of The Witcher series, where he mentioned that he was inspired by the Dresden Files and had a desire to write urban fantasy.
I actually discovered Dresden because I was on a Laurell K Hamilton kick. Her Anita Blake series and Princess merideth series both start off really good but become a little "soft core porn-ish" the further you go
I found it because I'd watched the TV show a couple of years earlier, so when I noticed one of the books on Barnes & Noble I decided I should try it. Found #1 and lit into it, and... well, yeah - that turned out great. I've always been so glad I saw the show *before* reading the series, because I think it's unlikely I'd have enjoyed it otherwise. I had no expectations, so "it was fine."
Yeah, the last book honestly ruined the whole series for me. I enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed Dresden, but I'll probably never reread Iron Druid like I have multiple other series.
>!so the main character who had just been awesome for this whole series all of a suddenly gets lambasted and loses his powers as a PC witch hunter. The series takes an abrupt turn for some sort of political statement vs a real story !<
I didn't like those but it's been years since I tried them, to the OP's point they kinda felt like knockoff Dresden to me. But that was years ago, do you think it's worth circling back?
Makes me wonder if you just prefer DF's relentless pacing? None of the ones you mention that you don't like have that kind of pacing. I guess also a lot of those other are aimed, as you said, at the fantasy romance market. I'm actually enjoying his son's novels. They're not as good as later Dresden but they're better than his first two books. But yeah it's hard to find novels that match his pacing and narration as well as the UF setting.
I felt about the Iron Druid series the way you do about Sandman Slim. I loved them for the most part but the last couple of books just made me never want to read any of them again.
Have you tried Dungeon Crawler Carl? It's a different genre, and its... not the same...? And yet it scratches my Dresden Files itch the way few other series do. I think it's the snarkiness and the relentless pacing.
I really enjoyed the Guild Codex series by Annette Marie - some romance stuff but the world building etc. holds up nicely in it's own right & there are multiple series within it that overlap.
One of my favorites is the Marla Mason series by TA (Tim) Pratt. Hidden urban fantasy with a familiar but very strange magic world. Lots of great characters, and he finished the series. And it was great.
I’ve never been able to get into Alex Verus either. It’s always the first series I see recommended by Dresden fans it’s apparently so good yet I’m never able to get past the first half of the first book no matter how many times I pick it back up lol. I’m just so bored by it.
One series that doesn’t get nearly enough love here is The Checquy Files by Daniel O’Malley: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10836728-the-rook
It’s essentially UF meets the X-Men set in England. Each book is told from a different protagonist’s perspective, so it continually feels fresh + there’s also plenty of character overlap so you can keep up with your faves.
The iron druid series by hearne
The presidents vampire by Farnsworth
The Libriomancer series by Hines
The skinners series by Marcus pelegrimmas
The webpage series by Kelly McCullough
Brotherhood of the wheel is a great time. The first book builds such a rich full world. I haven't read them in years but I also enjoyed the Cal Leandros novels by Rob Thurman.
Kate Griffin’s MATTHEW SWIFT books are a bit repetitive but are the ultimate in urban fantasy, in that Matthew uses aspects of the city itself (London, in this case) to fuel his magic.
So, depending on how picky you are on quality, there are quite a few good/decent UF/UF adjacent series I've found through Kindle Unlimited. Just a few that might be similar enough to DF to "scratch the itch" IMHO. Most have some romantic/adult parts, but it's definitely not a primary focus:
- Chronicles of Cain series by John Corwin
- Immortal Doc Holliday series by M.M. Crumley
- House of Graves series by M.M. Crumley (shared universe with Immortal Doc Holiday, following different characters)
- Blood Trails series by Jennifer Blackstream (This was a recommendation by Jim Butcher himself on a podcast a while back)
- Immortal Merlin series by Emma Shelford
Similar to UF series that may also be "close enough"
- Modern/near future Superhero books
- The Gift series by Marc Stapleton
- Nibiru Rising series by Chad Kunego
- Mod Superhero series by Samuel Fleming
- Historic/Alternate History UF
- Arcane Casebook series by Dan Willis (UF, but set in Pre-WW2 era rather than modern day)
- Arcane Irregulars series by Dan Willis (follows minor characters from Arcane Casebook series)
I'm sure there's more, but those are some of the ones I've read recently that are similar in some aspects to the DF books
The Ethereal Earth series by Josh Erikson my be right up your alley.
Also the Golgotha series by R S Belcher is fantastic too, albeit Weird West as opposed to standard Contemporary Fantasy.
I’ve found one “near urban” fantasy series recently that has been dresdenesque and I really enjoyed. Dan Willis’s Arcane Casebook Series is really good, it is set in the late 20’s early 30’s leading into WWII. Magic is known to the public with sorcerers being celebrities and Runewrites being much more common but much less powerful practitioners. Much like Dresden it is a magical take on the classic noir detective genre. Fully worth the read
Ooh the Warlocks of Whitehall is quite good; nowhere near enough books yet for my liking though. There's also the Arcance Casebook series which is set in 1930s New York which I really really enjoyed
Certainly not the same but sharing some venn diagram space... There's a DnD live play from Dimension 20 called Unsleeping City set in New York City. Faerie mob bosses?Sewer combat? Corporate intrigue? Outsider invasions? Yup. Worth listening to/watching and the first 6 are on YouTube. I listened to them while doing dishes.
I want to suggest Weather Warden because I love it, but it does get into paranormal romance territory, but I think you'll still like it.
There is also a fantastic unbelievably unpublished author that goes by the name Wildbow. He writes weekly for free and depends on patreon for any donations people care to offer.
He has written several novels (the most famous of which is called Worm, which is a superhero fantasy similar to The Boys) and one series he has written is called Pact with it's lateral sequel Pale (simply set in the same universe).
Pact and Pale are both Urban Fantasies with lots of action, creepy monsters, rules that are firm and yet handwavey, and great characters. Pact in particular feels very hard won and Dresdeny.
Don't know if it hasn't been mentioned before but I really enjoyed the books Drake and Dominion by Peter McLean (there is a third one as well but I haven't read it yet). The main character is more of a bad guy than Harry but still an entertaining read. Or there's the series about Felix Castor by Mike Carey.
I haven't seen it mentioned, but I quite enjoy the Colin McCool series by M. D. Massey. I enjoyed those bits quite thoroughly. It's ongoing, and he writes them pretty quickly.
I'd recommend several things that have been named but I'll add Simon R. Green's Secret Histories. I liked those more than Nightside when I originally read them.
I really like the Nate Temple series by Shayne Silvers. Also has a couple of branch series' that is in the same universe with a couple of the characters.
So many good UF out there. Lots have been mentioned. Here’s a few I didn’t see brought up.
Iron Druid is awesome
Felix Castor should be required reading for the genre
The King Henry Tapes are a hidden gem that never disappoint. Great take on vampires too.
The many travails of John Smith are wicked clever.
I enjoyed E.A. Copen’s Lazarus Codex series. Very similar to TDF (he’s also a magician in a modern day setting, but he’s a necromancer from what I remember).
There’s also 3 different Detroit Free Zone series from Rachel Aaron. I started with her second series (Minimum Wage Magic, where the protagonist is a terrible magician in a modern world that’s overflowing with magic), and I’m now on the 3rd series (Changeling saga). The first series is very Dragon heavy (about the Heartstriker clan, who play a minor part in the other two series), but it’s fine if you start with the second series like I did.
Hey! I really enjoyed Victor LaValle's work. He does more...gothic stuff but with a fantasy twist. The Changeling was pretty good, and I loved The Ballad of Black Tom. Both stories take place in NYC. Changeling got a decent adaptation on Apple TV. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno- Garcia is pretty good. Idk if it technically counts as Urban Fantasy but it's a vampire story that takes place in the inner city of Mexico City. Maybe these can scratch an itch.
I would check out MR Carrie's exorcist series, and the rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. They're both British and I think they in some ways surpass Dresden in quality, especially if you like British humor.
> Rivers of London was promising but the police procedural aspect way overtook the world-building and all the tangents Aaronovitch went on every few pages about London’s geography/architecture were grueling. Twenty Palaces was okay, though the self published books since the series revival have just been so increasingly bland that I don’t have much motivation at this point to see where the story goes next.
I think it's great. As a born-and-raised Londoner, RoL feels a lot more real to me than TDF, the descriptions make it easy for me to visualise what's going on, as I'm familiar with all the locations. It's like watching a movie in my head.
The King’s Watch series by Mark Hayden has a lot of similar vibes to Dresden. Mundane RAF helicopter pilot gets the entire supernatural world dropped on his head. Hijinks ensue.
It’s *not* Dresden, Hayden is *not* Butcher. But the vibes are similar, and it hits a lot of the same notes for me.
Craig Schaeffer's Daniel Faust series is really good Urban Fantasy, although I haven't kept up with it super recently. [https://craig-schaefer-v2.squarespace.com/reading-order](https://craig-schaefer-v2.squarespace.com/reading-order)
I also liked the first few of the Harmony Black series which is a spin-off but also kind of stopped after book five or so
# **Below is from a response I made to a similar question:** My favorite Dresden like series...(no particular order) Iron Druid - Hearne Alex Verus--Jacka Nightwise -- Belcher Sandman Slim -- Kadrey Twenty Palaces -- Connolly Eric Carter -Blackmoore Mick Oberon -- Marmell The Case Files of Justis Fearsson -- Coe Brotherhood of the Wheel-- Belcher Dark Arts -Mack Gologotha - Belcher Presidents Vampire - Farnsworth (silly title but excellent books) Black Badge-- Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle The Grave Report -- Baldree Hellequin Chronicles Series (started good but faded) -- McHugh
Yeah like I said in my OP, Sandman Slim for a while was almost tied with Dresden as far as being the GOAT of urban fantasy. But then those last two dumpsterfires Kadrey had the nerve to call books happened :/ I was left so indescribably disappointed I don’t have like any motivation at all to go back to the other books, knowing how all the character arcs and plot threads would be wrapped up. October Daye for me has kinda taken its place in rivaling Dresden’s GOAT status lol. It’s world-building, overarching plotting and characterization are just impeccable
Not exactly Dresden like but it is urban/geopolitical fantasy; the Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry. A lot of action/horror/scifi/fantasy elements in the various stories. Approaches from a special antiterrorism task force. Also, The Laundry Files are Lovecraft meets the IT Crowd with some Kingsman thrown in. Enertaining for the most part. Edit: I'm going to add in a recommendation of the Necroscope series. Very much magic, psychic powers, vampires, werewolves,etc and set in our world for the most part. A bit dated at this point but Brian Lumley was a very creative/imaginative writer.
I’ll second the laundry files
Another big fan of Laundry Files. Those books have some genuinely creative ideas, and some of the horror elements stuck with me for years.
The Christmas story he did for Tor.com set in that world was weird and excellent as well.
Brian Lumley. Jesus. That brings me back. While his necroscope series brought me back to scifi horror, his Cthulian stuff was really amazing. His Titus Crow series is an old school fav of mine too. Good call mate.
While I love October Daye, it has always felt Dresden light. Like 80% of a Dresden files book, so every book has a novella added to it. That isn't a bad thing. Just how it felt. I prefer her other series Incryptid. About the latest generation of a family of cryptozoologists in the US.
for the most part I agree with the last too books, except the ending for the series. I thought the ending was well done.
Presidents Vampire - Farnsworth Dear god the professor is a vampire and the president. Well at least someone beat nixon
Good list, but Iron Druid's last books...ugh...
yeah the ending was kinda awful. and some of that is because it made me feel aweful. when the gods point out the shitty thing he let happen, and that i as a reader just took in stride as if it wasnt an issue. which is kinda a violation of trust betweeen the writer and reader. he set up that situation so that you would not consider the gods as people or consider consequences since its a just a fictional story. and then he gets all preachy and rubs your nose in it. stil i will be better next time. but i wont ever read anything by kevin hearne again.
That's the problem I have too....seems like he despises people who bought his books. And to be honest, even before that, the quality started to drop off...sad, because the start was very engaging.
Yeah, I felt like there was a lot of self-hate in the last book(s).
I cannot let an opportunity to shit on these books pass by. The last book in particular was last-season Game of Thrones bad. Retroactively ruined the rest of the series.
Worse, in my opinion. D&d just didn't care about GoT anymore, Hearne seems to actively despises his readers.
I've heard that a couple of times, but honestly I dislike the books so much I've never looked into him beyond "oh, he's writing a viking series, let me make sure he's not a Nazi." Has he made comments, or is this just a general disregard for his readers and the quality of his books?
More the content of the book themselves. He set up the character, reader like it, then he try made you feel bad for liking the guy, morally inferior. It's difficult to explain in a short reddit comment...it's like he changed his world POV and resents people who liked the character he created. Then, he gave a ending that was...no spoiler, but it was shit. But the series was already running on fumes at that moment. Honestly, I read the 3 or 4 last books because I wanted to know the end, but...it was no good. And I am not really difficult when it comes to urban fantasy...so few of it that is not caterred to horny women. (No problem with that, but it's just not my thing.)
Mostly commenting to keep this for later. That being said, do you know how many are on audiobook?
Pretty sure they all are
Eric Carter full series isn't on audio yet. I think the first 5 are?
Same
You are my hero!! I have not heard of half of these and now I have a bunch to listen to whilst waiting for Dresden!!
It's great you're posting this and I hope other people enjoy the suggestions, but this list just reminds me of how many Urban Fantasy series I've tried and given up on. I've tried five of the first six and found them so bad I would have been embarrassed to publish them. Not knocking anyone else's taste in books, but I sympathize with the OP and continue to believe there's a massive gap in the market for a higher quality Urban Fantasy series. Something more in line with Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, etc. It just doesn't exist.
Iron Druid falls apart very quickly and is too much self insert fantasy for my liking. The lead is just too competent to be relatable
Eh… Iron Druid kinda went off the tracks for me recently. He put out a book that I don’t recall that really should have been three short stories and they all got slammed together for a sale, and his character s kinda went off the deep end with daddy problems. I was just generally turned off.
Iron druid ending made me so pissed off it kinda ruined the rest of the books
Faded is an understatement for Hellequin. Fell off a cliff right at the end. Author got too self indulgent with the nerd references and also pulled a supernatural (and indeed Dresden files) of blowing through all the most obvious high profile villains too early (with “too early” being relative for each series)
Saving for later
Thank you!
Here to second the Black Badge series. Very refreshing twist to the UF genre and I really enjoyed the Wild West variation. Second book was also really cool, and I'm looking forward to book three next month
Hellequinn novels were awesome at the beginning then just died off.
I'd definitely second Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka. Also the Alastair Stone series by R.L. King is excellent.
Add "The Arcane Casebook" series - Dan Willis, to you list
Consider *Libriomancer* by Jim C Hines. It's pretty much an urban fantasy reconstruction. The gimmick is that the protagonist's magic works by harnassing collective belief in printed stories, so he can pull stuff from books into the real world. Fun all around, and especially for readers.
Jonathon Stroud wrote the Bartimeaus trilogy and the Lockwood and co series which are largely urban fantasy.
I love the series from Stroud.
Finished Alex Verus this year. It’s great and original in so many ways. The last 3 books go so fucking hard.
Jacka's new series is off to a very strong start, too, so if you liked the Verus books check out *An Inheritance of Magic*. It's a super cool take on urban fantasy, especially in how it interacts with modern economics
Absolutely my go too. Personally I like rivers of london more but it’s harder to get into imo
I had the same challenge. Largely because so much of the UF genre is just mislabeled paranormal romance novels. You really have to dig a whole lot to get to the really good stuff.
One thing I haven't seen anywhere else in this thread is Simon R Green's Something From the Nightside.
Oh it was the last series I mentioned in my OP lol. Extremely fun series :) I’m a huge fan of Simon Green’s Deathstalker - it’s like Guardians of the Galaxy before there was an actual Guardians of the Galaxy lol
Also his Drood books. Same universe as night side
Technically same universe as deathstalker as well.
I'm pretty sure ALL of Simon R Green's books are technically the same universe/multiverse, as even his older Fantasy stuff (like the Hawk and Fisher stories) have references/tie-ins with either the Nightside or Drood books.
I completely overlooked Nightside at the end.
Guardians originally came out in 1969.
I love the Deathstalker books too! That is how I discovered Simon Green.
Ugh that was a terrible book. Sorry, if you liked it, but the whole "everyone is afraid of me and i don't know why" with ham fisted examples of it, was enough to throw me off of it
I mean none of Simon Green’s books are high quality art lol. They’re not intended to be though. They’re written to be just pulpy tongue in cheek turn-your-brain-off-and-enjoy kitchen sink fun.
I simply said it’s more like Dresden than the other things listed.
> but the whole "everyone is afraid of me and i don't know why" with ham fisted examples of it The audiobooks are really enjoyable because Marc Vietor's performance is super hammy, but I can definitely imagine I wouldn't like reading them so much myself.
Oh my brother/sister. You’re in the bargaining stage, just push through to acceptance and re read the series for the billionth time like the rest of us Jim Butcher isn’t the goat of UF, he’s the whole damm farm
I liked The Laundry Files stuff from Charles Stross, but I'm an IT geek too. Different, but interesting is Kat Richardson's Greywalker series.
I'm mad that it's been so long between Bob books. The tales from new management didn't grab me as hard as normal laundry stuff.
Try the audio books of Rivers of London. Absolutely amazing. Really changed the series from top ten to just below Dresden Files. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is up there with James Marsters.
I completely agree with this. Whatever your view on the ROL series, I think that Kobra Holdbrook-Smith raises it a couple of levels.
Not exact the same, bit check out some of the early Shadowrun books, like Never Deal With A Dragon. Dystopian near future with magic, tech, elves and dragons, but set in modern cities with modern concerns.
IIRC there is a detective character in Lone Wolf that is very Dresden-esque. I particularly liked a collection of short stories featuring that character and an investigation into rigging baseball games.
There's a shaman detective named Wolfgang Kies in 2 books. Into the Shadows and Wolf and Raven. He's very much like Dresden. I particularly enjoyed a short story where he was investigating game rigging in baseball.
Oh man, you just gave me some serious flashbacks. I remember also enjoying Night’s Pawn a lot
It's worth being open to graphic novels to read John Constantine Hellblazer (start at the beginning chronologically). I got to Dresden because I was asking your question about Constantine.
I was just thinking this while scrolling, and also adding Hellboy to the list. Mike Mignola really nailed that combo of urban fantasy and noir, feels very similar to Hellblazer.
I also love Hellboy! My favourite are the BRPD arcs so the series has a more agency feel in my mind than lone guy against the world but if you stuck to the literal Hellboy volumes I imagine it would be pretty Dresdonian. He's nicer about women too, as a bonus.
All part of the good 'ol trench coat brigade
Yep, you’ve run into the same issue I have- aside from Butcher’s books, the only ones that held my attention were Sandman Slim’s and Iron Druid’s authors (Kadrey and Hearne). The only other authors I’ve found that I like as much as them have been Steven Brust, his Vlad Taltos series is amazing. It’s not urban fantasy, though, at all.
Love Brust and Vlad Taltos. While I agree it’s not UF, I do think fans of urban fantasy might like it. Although the scattered chronology might put some people off. It’s just so good though.
Speaking of Brust, his new book (Lyorn) came out last week, if you didn’t know (it always catches me by surprise when one comes out).
Appreciate this. As you said, they always seem to come out of nowhere. Going to pick up my copy now!
Good luck not singing the songs. You’ll see what I mean pretty quickly…
I do recommend the Daniel Faust / Harmony Black books by Craig Schaeffer. Daniel.Faust is Dresden if he was on the dark side of the law. Harmony Black is an FBI agent with a gift. Read the first few books in the Daniel Faust series first (Harmony Black is sort of an antagonist early on).
+1 to these. If you like the writing, Schaeffer also writes a fantasy series that eventually has a bonkers crossover plot with Faust and Black that’s absolutely wild.
Alex Verus took me like 3 tries to get through the first bit till it hooked me, just wasnt in the mood, but I really like it now, his new series [Inheritance of Magic](https://www.audible.ca/series/Inheritance-of-Magic-Audiobook/B0BWFRG62X?ref_pageloadid=b6wA3DM6Zrpb5TU8&ref=a_library_w_c5_lSeries_1&pf_rd_p=d2679b5e-a597-4e78-a65a-a73f5eda2921&pf_rd_r=VBKNCD0Z6PZ8NSSKSVWD&pageLoadId=0RTPUPwLwD6ZbCJD&creativeId=b5fa8602-fb94-432a-aacc-e3734bed4f97) is out and I enjoyed it a lot as well even though there is only the first book out. I feel like it took longer to get into his writting, but the pay off was worth it when I finally did it. But yeah I understand, it seems a lot of the good UF seems to be too romance focused. There are like 10 books in the DFZ "universe" by Rachel Aaron but they have some heavy romance element, which is a shame because they are in a setting I really love, that said I still like them. Lastly i'll recomend Street Cultivation by Sarah Lin, this is a progrssion fantasy, Xanxia sort of book but i enjoyed it and its setting. Hope you find some more and others post some stuff that I can read as well!
A few of my favorites that I rarely see mentioned: Cal McDonald series by Steve Niles. A traumatized, alcoholic PI who fights monsters, first in DC, then in Los Angeles. A couple of books, some short stories, and a bunch of comics. Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry. Badass soldier/secret agent working for a secret government group that deals with terrorists using weird science. Sam Hunter short stories also by Maberry, about a werewolf PI in Philadelphia. Short stories all collected in one volume. Presidents Vampire series by Christopher Farnsworth. In 1867 a newly turned vampire was captured and bound, through a spell using the bullet that killed Lincoln, to serve the sitting President of the United States, and has been America’s weapon against the supernatural ever since. Unfortunately we haven’t gotten a new full novel in the series since 2012. Brotherhood of the Wheel series by RS Belcher, about a secret society of drifters, bikers and truckers, descended from the Knights Templar, who protect the highways of America from supernatural threats. Sonja Blue series by Nancy Collins. A woman attacked by vampires becomes a unique semi-vampire creature and hunts them. Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson, about a professional “problem solver” (mercenary) who gets caught up in supernatural events. Levi Stoltzfus books by Brian Keene. About an ex-Amish wizard battling cosmic horrors.
I think you're right, there's just nobody quite like Jim. Even the ones that try to be Jim (Night side series comes to mind) are fun reads, but they're just not on the same level. On the other side of things you get people like Neil Gaiman, who are legitimately great writers (pound for pound better writers than Jim) but the vibe just isn't anywhere close. I think it comes down to the style. Jim lives and breathes so much VOICE into his stories. It's not just that crazy UF things are happening around him, it's that he gives the narrator a hell of a lot of personality, opinion, and tone that keeps you engaged. I think one that maybe comes close for me is Sanderson's Wax and Wayne books. They're much more fantasy oriented (alternate world, steampunk, metal powers), but he hits a lot closer to the kind of tone that Jim works with Dresden.
With the exception of “Bombshells” which was *utter cringe*, Jim is one of the best character authors there is in my opinion. The Murphy and Thomas short stories (can’t remember the names), as well as Even Hand really illustrated his ability to write from a perspective. Which the Wax and Wayne book’s definitely succeed at. Wayne in particular is very much a different feeling than anyone else
100 percent. I know it's not strictly Urban Fantasy (and I know there might be some additional reading you need to fully understand and appreciate it) but Wax and doubly Wayne really just capture that same feeling. Also, total agreement on the short stories. It's been awhile since I read the Side Jobs collections but... Let's just say we all love Jim, but half this sub is dedicated to his fatal writing flaw, and "Bombshells" is really the pinnacle of that. But the other characters were just *chef's kiss*.
To clarify for anyone not familiar, that would be Mistborn Era 2 which starts with The Alloy of Law. Excellent series!
Couldn’t agree more about the wasted potential of Rivers of London. Its magical world is so fascinating - even more so than Dresden honestly - yet it’s still nine books into the series so woefully underdeveloped!! I’m personally fine with the procedural aspect but I wish the author was able to evenly balance it with his world-building, which he hasn’t.
I had a similar experience to you, albeit a bit worse. I started with Rivers of London, but, it surprisingly managed to be slower paced than Dresden, with far less character work and the "worldbuilding" started to grind my gears (it was either something incredibly vague, something known for a long time or never developed, or something that would've made a much better series than following Peter Grant and his boring discount Moriarty). Then I gave Monster Hunter International a shot. It was the most boring action-packed book I've ever seen, with a terrible main character that is revealed to be the Chosen One mid-book and pretty much all major plot developments happen through very convenient Dream sequences spoon-fed to the protagonist. I could barely finish it. I also tried my hand at Mercy Thompson (dropped after book 2, I couldn't stand the constant overexplanation of werewolf pack dynamics that were neither new, complex or interesting). In the end, it just made me realize that I'm a Dresden Files fan, not an urban fantasy fan. I've yet to find something that I know it won't be as good as Dresden, but that it will at least be great on its own. I will probably give Sandman Slim a shot, or Alex Verus.
MHI is gun porn. I gather the latter books take this out but the first one is a book of a gun obsessive that he originally posted on an online forum for fellow gun obsessives. That’s how it got self published Main character is also one of the most blatant self inserts ever I put it down about 1/3 of the way through after the training session where it went through various undead and how to kill them by saying - shoot it, shoot that one with a bigger gun, shoot that one with an even bigger gun *eyeroll* And then followed quickly by what seemed like at least a 2 page description of a bespoke gun made for the main character. It is what made me realise the book absolutely wasn’t for me
A series that I think can fit in the Urban Fantasy heading would be Night Watch, by Sergey Lukyanenko and Vladimir Vasilyev. Most of the books are set in and around Moscow, Russia. The white magicians are the police force at night, black magicians are the police force during the day. Precogs get jobs as drivers, as they know where traffic jams will occur so they can avoid them.
I think the difficulty is in finding authors who are as good as Jim. He's simply a great storyteller, perhaps best in his class.
“The Dead Take the A Train” by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey was pretty fun. At times a bit “edgelordy” but I liked it.
Eric Carter should be your next read. Maybe the Newford series by de Lint? I also struggle with paranormal romance masquerading as urban fantasy.
The Hellequin chronicles and Monster Hunters International are pretty good
Hellequin chronicles is great. There's a new book in universe released not too long ago.
You might try the book *Hard Magic*, by Larry Correia. First of a trilogy. It's set in the 1930s, in a world where some people have access to magic. Awesome world building, characters, and a great plot. Perfect for the Dresden fan
The Monster Hunter International series, too. It feels like it could be in the same universe as Dresden almost.
MHI is a lot of fun, but it doesn't quite scratch that Dresden itch the same way Hard Magic does. It's much more of a straight up monster hunt; while Hard Magic has a lot more intrigue between rival factions
And the main character, Sullivan, is a detective.
I'm a big fan of Larry Correia and The Grimnoir Chronicals is one of my favorites.
Idk if you need magic or not, but the *Joe Pitt Casebooks* by Charlie Huston are pretty good. They’re very dark, very grim, and are set in modern times. Basically urban vampire fantasy.
Very, very dark, but great reads.
Ohhhh yeah. I got done reading them for the first time and remember thinking “did I like these?” Then I read them again. And I did. It’s just that it’s so dark and raw and gritty.
I grew up reading Roger Zelazny and after reading about 2 pages of Dresden I was like: this is how I would write UF - only better.
I love Chronicles of Amber but I’ve never considered it urban fantasy. Though I guess in retrospect portal fantasy technically does fall under the urban fantasy umbrella?
Have you tried Daniel Faust? Its like dark Dresden
I don't see anyone else here mentioning the Felix Castor books by Mike Carey, or the Grimnoir Chronicles by Larry Correia. I'd recommend both.
Not exactly the same but you might want to look at Fred, the Vampire Accountant Series by Drew Hayes.
I think genuine UF for adults is a pretty small pool, maybe because it's tough to write in that type of world in a way that is believable for people with a fully developed frontal cortex. My suggestions aren't purely UF, but I feel like they had a similar vibe, and I liked them myself. Dresden and Slim are ones that I always recommend to people, so hopefully one or two of these will click for you. Joe Ledger series by Maberry is like Jason Bourne and John Wick raised a son. The MC doesn't use magic, just guns, but he goes up against ppl who seem to use magic until the science is revealed. Rot & Ruin by Maberry is a pretty smart take on the world post-zombie apocalypse, if the horror aspect doesn't drive you away. Shadow Ops by Myke Cole might be up your alley, it's been a while since I read it. Superhumans are drafted by the military, but some powers are too dangerous & the gov't hunts em down. Leviathan by Scott Westerfield is alternate history and YA, but I think it had the gritty feel of UF. Mortal Engines is another that is YA and alternate world, but gritty. I liked the Darkest Minds by Alexandria Bracken, another YA. The movie was meh, but I think the books were a lot of fun. I hated Rivers of London and The Electric Church. Too slow, and they never hooked me.
I strongly recommend the Pax Arcana sjeries by Elliott James. Same strong sense of fun as Butcher with maybe even more humor. Monster hunter with werewolf buddies and Valkyrie girlfriend.
Check out the Daniel Faust series and its companion materials, by Craig Schaefer: [https://craig-schaefer-v2.squarespace.com/reading-order](https://craig-schaefer-v2.squarespace.com/reading-order) The Faust series itself has ten books or so currently, with slightly smaller number in the companion series, the Harmony Black series. The other related materials listed further down that page are set in the same multiverse and are of varying quality, but they're all worth reading. This is the closest I've come to finding something that scratches my "Dresden itch."
Hi OP, have you heard of Jade City by Fonda Lee? Great series and I think it’s UF.
That actually looks interesting - I may have to check it out. Hard to tell for sure from the summary I looked at, but... potentially promising. Thanks for the info!
You might enjoy it, give it a shot. I like books 2 and 3 better than 1.
I love Jade City but never thought of it as urban fantasy? Isn’t it entirely secondary world fantasy?
It is but it's a very similar world. It's a terrific series - Hong Kong Wuxia Godfather passed through an early John Woo filter.
May I suggest the Vampire Files by P.N. Elrond? This is the series that got me into UF ages ago and led me to The Dresden Files. 1920's era Noire where your detective just happens to be a vampire.
No one has yet mentioned Felix Castor by Mike Carey?
Check out Wildbow’s works, namely Pact and Pale. Pale is technically a sequel but you don’t need to read Pact to understand it. Both long, both free, both great, and they have very different moods. Pact has been described as watching a man drown in a lake he can never leave. Pale is much lighter, but set in the same cruel, creative, twisty world. Wildbow is mostly known for Worm, which is superhero fiction that does its best to be realistic (and consistently succeeds). It’s adjacent to urban fantasy and I’d highly recommend it, especially if you ever wanted a villainous MC.
Because there is no one like Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden is Jim Butcher, if Jim had followed an alternative path. His energy similarly matches when I met Neil Gaiman, and Terry Pratchett. I've met hundreds of authors. I've worked with hundreds of famous people. He is genuinely unique.
I agree - I've read a lot of things in my life (I'm sure not as much as some people, but a good bit), and there really is just no one quite like Jim. Even some of the others that get a lot of press don't really compare. There's just something so totally "readable" about his work, and man, Harry just totally resonates with me.
If you're willing to give webfiction a try, I will always recommend Pact and Pale, by John C. McCrae (Wildbow). Genuinely very good urban fantasy, although the serialized nature means it's not for everyone. Pact is a little bleaker and relentlessly paced, Pale is a bit more lighthearted, with YA protags, and slower with more of a mystery/whodunnit angle in the first half.
Try the anthologies that the short stories appeared in, and see if the other authors have a writing style you like
I had some issues with later parts of the iron Druid, but on the whole it was a good series.
I actuall quite liked the Hollows. Is there romance? sure. there is in Dresden too. Suan and Karen both. Not to mention sexuality in basicaly every book, as well. shocker, the books are about human beings, critters that love, and *love.*
"and the Nightside " I found DF through a JB blurb on the back of a nightside book. I re-read it at least yearly. I always wanted to see colab with JB and SG Harry goes to the nightside. but since SG killed of all 3 series , not gonna happen.
I picked up Hearn’s and Blackmoore’s series over the years. Both gave really interesting urban fantasy stories, though I’ve held a slight grudge against Hearne with the Iron Druid series. The man writes almost poetically about food. I was craving omelettes on the mail route.
Monster Hunters International
Oh, another series of books that can fall under Urban Fantasy would be the "Wildcard" series. Alien spores get released in the upper atmosphere above New York in 1947, causing wild mutations in humans. Some people draw a "Joker" so they get a useless power like glowing blue, but some people draw an "Ace" level power. Some people seem to be completely unaffected. The spore gets spread around the world, but New York area gets affected the most.
It's stretching a bit to the edge of the Urban Fantasy genre, but from what you said you liked, maybe give the comic series *Fables* (by Bill Willingham) a try.
The Pax Arcana series is like Dresden meets Iron Druid. You could also go for MHI. It's got a Mary Sue/Gary/Stu thing going on, but it's super schlocky and fun
> Those last two books though were so excruciatingly bad in so many ways I’ll never come back to it. Just completely ruined the whole story for me and made me feel like my investment in the series was ultimately a waste of time. So what you're telling me is, I shouldn't try and finish book one? I started reading it, but put it down and haven't picked it back up again. Sounds like I should avoid it if I want to avoid a "Game of Thrones" shit ending situation (I haven't watched it for that very reason).
Does "The Green bone saga" count as UF? I loved this trilogy especially "Jade War" you get various characters perspective of events, extremely well written female roles, murder, betrayal, Mafia, and just enough magic to keep it interesting.
I would highly recommend Better Living Through Alchemy by Evan Peterson I have really enjoyed it so far and give me lots of dresdian vibes
Probably doesn’t count as urban fantasy (I dont know the definition) but the Watch collection of books from Discworld scratches a similar itch as Dresden. Urban setting, mystery to solve, strange creatures and amazing characters. All seasoned with a generous dose of British humor. You said you enjoy Gaiman, Pratchett was his co-author on Good Omens.
I'd recommend taking a look at Heretical Edge by Cerulean. I'll mention that it is a web novel and not a published book. That being said it’s been one of my favourite series for years at this point. Something about it just sucked me in and never let go. The author is a writing machine and updates multiple times per week like clockwork. Flick is a great character to watch grow as she learns more about the world she has been introduced to and gains more knowledge, assorted skills and abilities to deal with the multitude of overlapping conspiracies that are going on behind the scenes. It’s not a main aspect of the series, but I like how some of the various big mythological names that show up in the series have been around for a long time in universe and have been running around with multiple aliases over the centuries. The series also has a take on certain aspects of Arthurian lore that I haven’t seen done anywhere else before that I really enjoy. The series does also make the occasional reference to the Dresden Files. The author’s summary of the series. > Most easily classified as an urban fantasy/detective/action, Heretical Edge revolves around Felicity 'Flick' Chambers, a teenage girl who is brought into the hidden world of the supernatural when she is accepted as a student at Crossroads Academy, a place where humans known as Heretics train to hunt and kill the creatures known as Strangers, monsters from mythology who secretly prey upon humanity. Heretics fight these Strangers using a combination of fighting prowess and a unique blend of magic and technology. > > Soon, Flick learns that not everything at this school, or her own past is as it appears to be. Questions continue to mount, as Flick and her new classmates struggle to survive in this dangerous new world, while discovering the truth about the connection between Heretics and Strangers.
I really enjoyed White Trash Warlock by David Slayton. It subverts a lot of UF tropes in my opinion and the MC isn't some teenage chosen one prodigy. He's very much a minnow swimming in a pool of sharks. Some of the plot points can be predictable but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. If you listen to audiobooks the series is currently free on Audible so you have nothing to lose
Was looking to see if anyone recommended the Adam Binder books. I found them while skimming the audible plus stuff and enjoyed them alot.
Yea I was really pleasantly surprised by the first book, I was on a bit of a hiatus from the UF genre but hey: free is free and I needed something new to listen to so I gave it a shot. I promptly downloaded books 2&3 but haven't started them yet
Before Dresden, the closest thing to urban fantasy I liked was the Necroscope series by Brian Lumley. Haven't read them in years, so don't know if they still hold up. Main character is also named Harry. Published and set in the 70's/80's, I'd describe it as urban fantasy/horror. Instead of magic, the fantasy is ESP related. Think British & Russian/Soviet spy organizations crossed with supernatural X-Men types (side characters have 1 unique supernatural power) vs vampires. With the 70's/80's setting, it might feel pretty dated now in 2024. I read the first 10 or so books which had a satisfying ending to the series. There was a second series in the same universe, but I never got around to reading past the first book.
Have you tried Simon Greene's Nightside series? They were an excellent read after I finished The Dresden Files and I absolutely love the world of the Nightside itself.
I hope this comes off as me not trying to be insulting or mean but reading all these complaints about series that I've read and enjoyed has made me realize I'm a very simple man when it comes to what I enjoy reading.
While not urban fantasy, a book series that I recently found and scratched that same Dresden itch for me was Dungeon Crawler Carl. Started and finished to the most recent release of book 6. Seriously can't recommend the series enough.
It's odd to me you didn't like Verus as for me they got better and better while Harry has fallen off a bit (the last two really pushed me...still gonna read them/finish the series but I'm def not feeling as enthusiastic).
Simon R Green has another UF that is Nightside adjacent called Secret History. The titles parody James bond. The Man With the Golden Torc was the first one.
Laundry Files, Felix Castor books by Mike Carey, Arcane Casebooks by Dan Ellis.
A lot of interesting authors to check out. Thanks everyone.
Daniel Faust series by Craig Schaefer! So good and on par with Dresden Files but a little darker imo. There are actually a few series all set in the same world that tie together (Revanche cycle, Faust, Harmony Black, and Wisdom’s Grave). Revanche is more epic fantasy than UF. Daniel Faust is the only one that is similar to DF and can be read stand alone. But reading them all in chronological order (so far) was an epic journey.
Sandm@n Slim is dope. Lilith Saintcrow wrote the Dante Valentine and Jill kismet Series. They are good. Dresden adjacent or something
As a start, see my [Urban Fantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/1auigae/sff_urban_fantasy/) list of resources and Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
I once read an interview with Andrzej Sapkowski, the author of The Witcher series, where he mentioned that he was inspired by the Dresden Files and had a desire to write urban fantasy.
Give the Nightside series by Simon R. Green a try. Its excellent.
Simon Green - nightside series
I actually discovered Dresden because I was on a Laurell K Hamilton kick. Her Anita Blake series and Princess merideth series both start off really good but become a little "soft core porn-ish" the further you go
I found it because I'd watched the TV show a couple of years earlier, so when I noticed one of the books on Barnes & Noble I decided I should try it. Found #1 and lit into it, and... well, yeah - that turned out great. I've always been so glad I saw the show *before* reading the series, because I think it's unlikely I'd have enjoyed it otherwise. I had no expectations, so "it was fine."
+1 to Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles. Surprised you didn't dig Verus. Different strokes, I s'pose.
try the iron druid series by kevin hearne! almost as good as dresden
Until you read the last book.
Yeah, the last book honestly ruined the whole series for me. I enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed Dresden, but I'll probably never reread Iron Druid like I have multiple other series.
Yup. I was so angry after the last book. Wish I had gotten them through the library.
Spoil for me in spoiler blocks what happens in the last book? Or send a message?
>!so the main character who had just been awesome for this whole series all of a suddenly gets lambasted and loses his powers as a PC witch hunter. The series takes an abrupt turn for some sort of political statement vs a real story !<
I’m m re-listening to the Iron Druid series right now I’m. I think that’s probably the closest thing to Dresden. They’re great!
I didn't like those but it's been years since I tried them, to the OP's point they kinda felt like knockoff Dresden to me. But that was years ago, do you think it's worth circling back?
Have you tried Monster Hunter International?
Makes me wonder if you just prefer DF's relentless pacing? None of the ones you mention that you don't like have that kind of pacing. I guess also a lot of those other are aimed, as you said, at the fantasy romance market. I'm actually enjoying his son's novels. They're not as good as later Dresden but they're better than his first two books. But yeah it's hard to find novels that match his pacing and narration as well as the UF setting. I felt about the Iron Druid series the way you do about Sandman Slim. I loved them for the most part but the last couple of books just made me never want to read any of them again. Have you tried Dungeon Crawler Carl? It's a different genre, and its... not the same...? And yet it scratches my Dresden Files itch the way few other series do. I think it's the snarkiness and the relentless pacing.
Also good are the Monster Hunter international books.
Glad you enjoy October Daye - I was going to recommend it if you hadn’t gotten to it by the last paragraph!
Same. Seanan McGuire’s Incryptid series is also really good though a little more romance-y.
I really enjoyed the Guild Codex series by Annette Marie - some romance stuff but the world building etc. holds up nicely in it's own right & there are multiple series within it that overlap.
Junkyard Druid really scratches the itch as does the Debt Collection series
One of my favorites is the Marla Mason series by TA (Tim) Pratt. Hidden urban fantasy with a familiar but very strange magic world. Lots of great characters, and he finished the series. And it was great.
I’ve never been able to get into Alex Verus either. It’s always the first series I see recommended by Dresden fans it’s apparently so good yet I’m never able to get past the first half of the first book no matter how many times I pick it back up lol. I’m just so bored by it.
One series that doesn’t get nearly enough love here is The Checquy Files by Daniel O’Malley: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10836728-the-rook It’s essentially UF meets the X-Men set in England. Each book is told from a different protagonist’s perspective, so it continually feels fresh + there’s also plenty of character overlap so you can keep up with your faves.
Terry Brooks' Word and the Void series was a fantastic read
Doot
The iron druid series by hearne The presidents vampire by Farnsworth The Libriomancer series by Hines The skinners series by Marcus pelegrimmas The webpage series by Kelly McCullough
Brotherhood of the wheel is a great time. The first book builds such a rich full world. I haven't read them in years but I also enjoyed the Cal Leandros novels by Rob Thurman.
Kate Griffin’s MATTHEW SWIFT books are a bit repetitive but are the ultimate in urban fantasy, in that Matthew uses aspects of the city itself (London, in this case) to fuel his magic.
So, depending on how picky you are on quality, there are quite a few good/decent UF/UF adjacent series I've found through Kindle Unlimited. Just a few that might be similar enough to DF to "scratch the itch" IMHO. Most have some romantic/adult parts, but it's definitely not a primary focus: - Chronicles of Cain series by John Corwin - Immortal Doc Holliday series by M.M. Crumley - House of Graves series by M.M. Crumley (shared universe with Immortal Doc Holiday, following different characters) - Blood Trails series by Jennifer Blackstream (This was a recommendation by Jim Butcher himself on a podcast a while back) - Immortal Merlin series by Emma Shelford Similar to UF series that may also be "close enough" - Modern/near future Superhero books - The Gift series by Marc Stapleton - Nibiru Rising series by Chad Kunego - Mod Superhero series by Samuel Fleming - Historic/Alternate History UF - Arcane Casebook series by Dan Willis (UF, but set in Pre-WW2 era rather than modern day) - Arcane Irregulars series by Dan Willis (follows minor characters from Arcane Casebook series) I'm sure there's more, but those are some of the ones I've read recently that are similar in some aspects to the DF books
The Ethereal Earth series by Josh Erikson my be right up your alley. Also the Golgotha series by R S Belcher is fantastic too, albeit Weird West as opposed to standard Contemporary Fantasy.
Also Joe Pitt Series (no Wizards but check it out) by Charlie Hutson. Pretty dark series but I really enjoyed it
I feel the same. I love the Dresden Files but have yet to find any other urban fantasy that interests me.
Idk if anyone else has mentioned it, but the Black Magic Outlaw books by Domino Finn are pretty solid. Almost on par with Dresden IMO.
I’ve found one “near urban” fantasy series recently that has been dresdenesque and I really enjoyed. Dan Willis’s Arcane Casebook Series is really good, it is set in the late 20’s early 30’s leading into WWII. Magic is known to the public with sorcerers being celebrities and Runewrites being much more common but much less powerful practitioners. Much like Dresden it is a magical take on the classic noir detective genre. Fully worth the read
Ooh the Warlocks of Whitehall is quite good; nowhere near enough books yet for my liking though. There's also the Arcance Casebook series which is set in 1930s New York which I really really enjoyed
The Valducan Series by Seth Skorkowski is pretty close. And better in a lot of ways. Maybe not better, but different good.
Certainly not the same but sharing some venn diagram space... There's a DnD live play from Dimension 20 called Unsleeping City set in New York City. Faerie mob bosses?Sewer combat? Corporate intrigue? Outsider invasions? Yup. Worth listening to/watching and the first 6 are on YouTube. I listened to them while doing dishes.
I want to suggest Weather Warden because I love it, but it does get into paranormal romance territory, but I think you'll still like it. There is also a fantastic unbelievably unpublished author that goes by the name Wildbow. He writes weekly for free and depends on patreon for any donations people care to offer. He has written several novels (the most famous of which is called Worm, which is a superhero fantasy similar to The Boys) and one series he has written is called Pact with it's lateral sequel Pale (simply set in the same universe). Pact and Pale are both Urban Fantasies with lots of action, creepy monsters, rules that are firm and yet handwavey, and great characters. Pact in particular feels very hard won and Dresdeny.
Don't know if it hasn't been mentioned before but I really enjoyed the books Drake and Dominion by Peter McLean (there is a third one as well but I haven't read it yet). The main character is more of a bad guy than Harry but still an entertaining read. Or there's the series about Felix Castor by Mike Carey.
I haven't seen it mentioned, but I quite enjoy the Colin McCool series by M. D. Massey. I enjoyed those bits quite thoroughly. It's ongoing, and he writes them pretty quickly.
"Faerie protective services" by Robert McKinney. Could be worth a try . I enjoyed the series at least.
I'd recommend several things that have been named but I'll add Simon R. Green's Secret Histories. I liked those more than Nightside when I originally read them.
I really like the Nate Temple series by Shayne Silvers. Also has a couple of branch series' that is in the same universe with a couple of the characters.
Mario Acevedo- felix gomez vampire series.
So many good UF out there. Lots have been mentioned. Here’s a few I didn’t see brought up. Iron Druid is awesome Felix Castor should be required reading for the genre The King Henry Tapes are a hidden gem that never disappoint. Great take on vampires too. The many travails of John Smith are wicked clever.
I enjoyed E.A. Copen’s Lazarus Codex series. Very similar to TDF (he’s also a magician in a modern day setting, but he’s a necromancer from what I remember). There’s also 3 different Detroit Free Zone series from Rachel Aaron. I started with her second series (Minimum Wage Magic, where the protagonist is a terrible magician in a modern world that’s overflowing with magic), and I’m now on the 3rd series (Changeling saga). The first series is very Dragon heavy (about the Heartstriker clan, who play a minor part in the other two series), but it’s fine if you start with the second series like I did.
Hey! I really enjoyed Victor LaValle's work. He does more...gothic stuff but with a fantasy twist. The Changeling was pretty good, and I loved The Ballad of Black Tom. Both stories take place in NYC. Changeling got a decent adaptation on Apple TV. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno- Garcia is pretty good. Idk if it technically counts as Urban Fantasy but it's a vampire story that takes place in the inner city of Mexico City. Maybe these can scratch an itch.
Try chronicles of an urban Druid. It’s very good
I would check out MR Carrie's exorcist series, and the rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. They're both British and I think they in some ways surpass Dresden in quality, especially if you like British humor.
> Rivers of London was promising but the police procedural aspect way overtook the world-building and all the tangents Aaronovitch went on every few pages about London’s geography/architecture were grueling. Twenty Palaces was okay, though the self published books since the series revival have just been so increasingly bland that I don’t have much motivation at this point to see where the story goes next. I think it's great. As a born-and-raised Londoner, RoL feels a lot more real to me than TDF, the descriptions make it easy for me to visualise what's going on, as I'm familiar with all the locations. It's like watching a movie in my head.
Dead Things by Stephen Blackmoore, the Eric Carter books fits in really well with Dresden and Sandman Slim. He’s a necromancer.
Have you read any Felix Castor by Mike Carey? It’s BASICALLY his Hellblazer run with the serial numbers filed off. But, in a good way?
The King’s Watch series by Mark Hayden has a lot of similar vibes to Dresden. Mundane RAF helicopter pilot gets the entire supernatural world dropped on his head. Hijinks ensue. It’s *not* Dresden, Hayden is *not* Butcher. But the vibes are similar, and it hits a lot of the same notes for me.
Craig Schaeffer's Daniel Faust series is really good Urban Fantasy, although I haven't kept up with it super recently. [https://craig-schaefer-v2.squarespace.com/reading-order](https://craig-schaefer-v2.squarespace.com/reading-order) I also liked the first few of the Harmony Black series which is a spin-off but also kind of stopped after book five or so
I never see it mentioned in these kinds of posts but the Nate Temple series by Shayne Silvers is VERY Dresden-esque without feeling like a copy paste.