Mean Streets and Urban Fantasy

Continuing my quest to keep up with Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, I discovered Mean Streets in the library a couple of months ago. This collection introduced me to 3 other authors writing in the genre called variously "urban fantasy" or paranormal or occult fiction. Mean Streets was a fun but failed as an introduction to the genre because it lacked any text other than the 4 novellas themselves and the briefest of author bios. If publishers are going to issue collections like this, I wish they'd use the model of Steampunk (http://alms-jact.blogspot.com/2009/06/steampunk-sub-genre-i-didnt-know-had.html) . I want an explanation of the history of the genre, its literary antecedents, and some explanation of why these particular authors were included. As it is Mean Streets comes across as book produced because the publisher happened to have 4 items, too long to include in a short story compilation but not long enough to publish as standalones.

The book contains "The warrior" by Jim Butcher, "The difference a day makes" by Simon R. Green, "The third death of the little clay dog" by Kat Richardson and "Noah's orphans" by Thomas E. Sniegoski. I enjoyed the first 3 immensely but was left cold by "Noah's orphans." Twelve years of Catholic schooling gave me some grasp of the concept of angels so when they became hot some years back, I got turned off -- too anthropomorphical, rather silly and frilly-looking.

Since finishing Mean Streets, I've read 2 more novels by Green and continue to find Nightside a wonderful invention and the protagonist, John Taylor, a near-perfect noir P.I. I'd love to see this series used as the basis for a television program. Since Mr. Green lives in England, I figure there's always the possibility that the BBC or Granada or another British television producer will try to bring it to the screen. Kat Richardson's Greywalker series makes a solid contribution to the female P.I. tradition and I enjoyed the second novel in the series as well as her contribution to Mean Streets. Sadly the library doesn't have the first; perhaps one of these days I'll stumble across a copy at a bookstore. I did read the first book in the angel as P.I. series by Mr. Sniegoski, a prolific y.a. and fantasy writer, but it didn't convince me to change my mind about angels, even if it was set in Boston, a city I'm familiar with from visits growing up and time spent with friends attending college there.

Musings on the Dresden Files in print and on tv

Turn Coat is the latest full-length novel in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series. I just finished reading it a couple of days ago and, once again, I'm impressed. When I started reading the series back in January, it took a bit of effort to read the first few books. I kept going because of an email message on A&A List pointing out that a later novel included an unusual archives (we like to keep track of fictional archives and archivists on the list.)

At that point, I needed the lure of this archives to keep me going while waiting for the arrival of the library dvd of the SciFi Network's Dresden Files. And, I'd found out about the program only because NBC cancelled Lipstick Jungle and I wanted to see more work by Paul Blackthorne, the actor who played Shane Healy , ne'er-do-well husband of movie mogul Wendy Healy (Brooke Shields).

To make a long story short, I'd managed to read most of the books by the time the library finally reached my name. By then I had pictures in my head of what Harry Dresden looked liked, not to mention Murphy, Mister and Mouse, Bob, Harry's office, his apartment, and his favorite bar. I've the added advantage of having visited many of the actual Chicago locations Jim Butcher works into his books so I know what they look like. Needless to say, the tv series disappointed. Paul Blackthorne's a good actor but he was a different Harry. Toronto is a lovely city but it is definitely not Chicago; the lamp posts and street signs are different to begin with. Was a single adversary faced down in a major cultural attraction? And why do a show about a wizard who fights with (or cooperates with) pixies, fairies, vampires, werewolves, etc. without a special effects budget to show the same?

Back to the books, though -- as a longtime reader of mystery and science fiction book series, I know it's very tough to keep developing the characters and inventing fresh plots while still working within the constraints of the series. To borrow a line - -the entries in the Dresden Files just keep getting better all the time. So, thanks to Christine for telling me about Ivy the Archives and thanks to NBC for cancelling another tv program, but most of all, thanks to Jim Butcher for inventing and sharing Harry Dresden and his world.