Mythic Fiction and Contemporary Urban Fantasy

     Last blog post, I talked about the fantasy genre and the appeal of fantasy to viewers. I namely spoke of my own experiences and the escapism that can be found in these creative books. Mythic Fiction and Contemporary Urban Fantasy are subgenres of fantasy that make escapism much easier(this might explain why it is so popular with the young adult fiction demographic). This type of fantasy introduces fantastical elements into the "normal" life of a character. This allows the reader to clearly imagine that something very much like that could happen to themselves. It creates a more immersive story for the reader.

     Personally, one of my favorite examples of this genre(besides Harry Potter), is the Percy Jackson series. I started these books in the 5th grade, and waited for a new book to come out every year since. I loved the constant adventure and humor that could be found, but most importantly, I enjoyed thinking about the world as if it was not only plausible, but real. Rick Riordan managed to make Greek myths contemporary and relevant to the Untied States. When I went to New York City on a field trip in the 6th grade, I looked about the Empire State Building imagining that it was the entrance to Olympus.

     As mentioned before, this type of fantasy can be found in the most popular young adult books. Off of the top of my head I can bring up four extremely successful series that make use of contemporary urban fantasy (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Twilight,and Mortal Instruments). I thought it would be a fun exercise to explore this trend. So, I went to the website of the Young Adult Library Service (http://www.ala.org/yalsa/2015-best-fiction-young-adults), and looked up the best young adult fiction books for this year. Here are some that I found right away.

The Accidental Highwayman. By Ben Tripp. Tor, $17.99 (9780765335494). After being mistaken for his master, the notorious highwayman Whistling Jack, Kit Bristol and his horse Midnight are thrown into a world of magic they thought only existed in fairy tales.

Evil Librarian. By Michelle Knudsen. Candlewick, $16.99 (9780763660383). Think librarians are a yawn? Then you haven’t met Mr. Gabriel, the new librarian at Cynthia’s school. He’s not dull; he’s a demon!

Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future. By A. S. King. Little, Brown, $18.00 (9780316222723). Beware of drinking liquefied bats! Glory O’Brien does and suddenly finds she can see the past and future of everyone she encounters. Everyone except herself. What does her future hold?