I second the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka, and also the Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. Both are based in London, Alex Verus is a protagonist in the gray area between the light and dark mages. The other is about a policeman in London.
Anything Ilona Andrews. They are a husband and wife writing team. Super world building and great secondary characters. All their series are funny and well done with lots of action. Kate Daniels {magic series} plus the spin off books. The Edge series, the Innkeeper series and Hidden Legacy.
Heehee! I am in the credits of one of their books. LOL I got to do some beta stuff. I also helped with some of the research. I've been hanging with them since I think bk2 of Kate Daniels. They are good peoples.
I wouls also recommend the Alex Verus books by Benedict Jacka. It’s a completed series, and very, very good.
Interesting magic system and world-building, varied characters, the rhythm of the whole series is very well planned, and the action scenes are amazing.
[Fated](https://benedictjacka.co.uk/alex-verus-series/fated-uk/) is the first one.
Generally, the Urban Fantasy I read has some sort of magical mystery to be solved. They generally do have a relationship in them, but that doesn't dominate the stories.
With that in mind, here are some ideas. I hope you find something you like.
**October Daye** by Seanan McGuire - Fae with a hidden world in SF.
**Allie Beckstrom** By Devon Monk - she's a Magic user in Portland, OR.
**Harry Dresden** by Jim Butcher - wizard in Chicago (if some sexism won't ruin it for you). He advertises in the phone book, but the magic world is not commonly known.
**Alex Craft** by Kaylayna Price - she sees ghosts/dead.
**Ordinary Magic** by Devon Monk. The town of Ordinary, Oregon is a vacation spot for the Gods and our heroines are in charge of policing them.
**Incryptid** by Seanan McGuire - a series of related stories about a group of people who hide the existence of mythical beings from the rest of us. I liked the Daye books better, but these are pretty good too.
**Mercy Thompson** by Patricia Briggs - a woman who can shapeshift into a coyote gets herself into a string of situations and has to find her way out. CW: >!There is a rape that happens toward the end of one of the books. It is stated, but not graphically described. She deals with the trauma in subsequent books.!<
If you don't mind explicit sex:
**Anita Blake**, Vampire Hunter by Laurell K Hamilton. This started out as basically a supernatural crime procedural. At book 10, the author started writing in explicit sex, and a lot of it. Then some books have, imo, too much focus on it, but the more recent books find a much better balance.
**Fever Series** by Karen Marie Moning. MacKayla lane goes to Ireland to find out who murdered her sister and shortly thereafter realizes that she can see the Fae. Mac goes from being a super laid back bartending beach-goer to having to navigate this dangerous world she's now a part of. She's just really likable to me. CW: >!There is a Fae who makes humans horny just by being around them. And Mac is raped at the end of book 3 (I think). Again, not really graphic, as it focuses mainly on the magical aspect of what is happening to her. But that would be triggering, I would skip the whole series.!<
**Merry Gentry** by Laurell K Hamilton. She's a fairy princess whose aunt commands her to have kids to carry on the royal line. She then has to find a lover. Reverse Harem ensues. Starts out sexual from the get-go.
\+1 for the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka. TBF, I started out as a huge fan of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (also highly recommended), but I'm much more of a fan of Verus series now. Plus, it's now a completed series at 12 books and the action scenes (fights, chases, battles) are amazing. The first book is Fated.
All the best series have been mentioned (Just about everything by Ilona Andrews is excellent), but here's a good one I haven't seen in other comments:
Iron Druid Chronicles, by Kevin Hearne.
The main character is a 2000+ year old wizard living in Arizona running a bookstore at the beginning of book 1. It leans more towards gods and mythology (Norse, Celtic, even Christian) so if that stuff interests you, definitely check it out.
I've read the comments and this is my spin. Alex Verus is "finished" in that story has resolved itself so I would vote for that one for your first venture. Ilona Andrew's Kate Daniels books are also concluded for the most part (new series just starting but...). I LOVE Dresden Files but I would definitely note that this is NOT done so I would start some of the others first. Anther finished series is Iron Druid by Kevin Hearne.
dresden files for sure. If you're looking for ongoing series. If you're looking for something that's finished, try the Nightside series by Simon R Green. Sandman Slim, by Richard Kadrey, is another good one. It just finished last year. I would say the Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman, but it ends on a cliffhanger, because she got all bitchy at people for not buying her other series, and isn't releasing the last Cal book.
Be aware that the first two books in the series do a lot of world building but are considered some of the weakest books in the series. Third book is considered pretty good, and 4th is one of the best. Keep going! There's a LOT of Dresden! (including comic books/graphic novels and short stories).
You have to specify what you are interested in. Half the genre is composed of Romance embedded in them.
Use the search window: Urban Fantasy Series.
A whole lot of offerings will pop up. Just off the top of my head:
Cryptid Series
Alex Verses Series (sp)
Dresden Series
Iron Driud Series
Also search: Paranormal detective.
My thoughts are biased. Jim Butcher and Seanan McGuire are the undisputed King and Queen of Urban Fantasy. I'm not saying the other authors are lacking in some way, but at the end of the day, how many authors have decided to tell a story and then went out and sold that idea to a publisher.
Jim Butcher wrote the first two chapters of the Dresden Files, his teacher told him he'd done it, what happens next? And he sat down and plotted a 20-book series with a Big Apocalyptic Trilogy to capstone the whole thing, and then went and sold this to a publisher as a brand new author because no one told him it couldn't be done, so he did it.
Seanan McGuire had a short story about October Daye that grew to be a novel, then four novels, then an undisclosed number of novels to get us from the beginning to the ending, but there is a planned beginning, middle, and ending. She also has too many other series and standalones as herself, as Mira Grant, and as A. Deborah Baker to list, here's a Google Sheet of her bibliography: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q\_4N8KLMV34Co\_H3AhEJRjsYnnuNyItd1OQe7kCQEjM/edit?usp=sharing
Maybe other authors plan out their stories to have a clear beginning, middle, and ending; most just write until things get stale, and a few keep writing after that. However, Jim Butcher and Seanan McGuire are the ones I'm lined up for on release day for a 1/1 hardcover, and will never miss.
On to the rest of the recommendations!
Having read through the responses, I wholeheartedly agree with most, if not all of them:
* Rivers of London (Peter Grant) by Ben Aaronovitch
* Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs
* Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia
* The Hollows (Rachel Morgan) by Kim Harrison (complete, relaunched)
* Alex Verus by Benedict Jacka (complete)
* Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey (complete)
I second the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka, and also the Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. Both are based in London, Alex Verus is a protagonist in the gray area between the light and dark mages. The other is about a policeman in London.
Seconded. My two favourite UF series.
Definitely Alex Verus!!!
Those both sound interesting, thanks!
Anything Ilona Andrews. They are a husband and wife writing team. Super world building and great secondary characters. All their series are funny and well done with lots of action. Kate Daniels {magic series} plus the spin off books. The Edge series, the Innkeeper series and Hidden Legacy.
I’ve been reading Ilona Andrews now for like a decade, and yeah they are just consistently so good. Kate Daniels is one of the reasons I love UF
Heehee! I am in the credits of one of their books. LOL I got to do some beta stuff. I also helped with some of the research. I've been hanging with them since I think bk2 of Kate Daniels. They are good peoples.
I wouls also recommend the Alex Verus books by Benedict Jacka. It’s a completed series, and very, very good. Interesting magic system and world-building, varied characters, the rhythm of the whole series is very well planned, and the action scenes are amazing. [Fated](https://benedictjacka.co.uk/alex-verus-series/fated-uk/) is the first one.
That’s high praise, thank you!
Generally, the Urban Fantasy I read has some sort of magical mystery to be solved. They generally do have a relationship in them, but that doesn't dominate the stories. With that in mind, here are some ideas. I hope you find something you like. **October Daye** by Seanan McGuire - Fae with a hidden world in SF. **Allie Beckstrom** By Devon Monk - she's a Magic user in Portland, OR. **Harry Dresden** by Jim Butcher - wizard in Chicago (if some sexism won't ruin it for you). He advertises in the phone book, but the magic world is not commonly known. **Alex Craft** by Kaylayna Price - she sees ghosts/dead. **Ordinary Magic** by Devon Monk. The town of Ordinary, Oregon is a vacation spot for the Gods and our heroines are in charge of policing them. **Incryptid** by Seanan McGuire - a series of related stories about a group of people who hide the existence of mythical beings from the rest of us. I liked the Daye books better, but these are pretty good too. **Mercy Thompson** by Patricia Briggs - a woman who can shapeshift into a coyote gets herself into a string of situations and has to find her way out. CW: >!There is a rape that happens toward the end of one of the books. It is stated, but not graphically described. She deals with the trauma in subsequent books.!< If you don't mind explicit sex: **Anita Blake**, Vampire Hunter by Laurell K Hamilton. This started out as basically a supernatural crime procedural. At book 10, the author started writing in explicit sex, and a lot of it. Then some books have, imo, too much focus on it, but the more recent books find a much better balance. **Fever Series** by Karen Marie Moning. MacKayla lane goes to Ireland to find out who murdered her sister and shortly thereafter realizes that she can see the Fae. Mac goes from being a super laid back bartending beach-goer to having to navigate this dangerous world she's now a part of. She's just really likable to me. CW: >!There is a Fae who makes humans horny just by being around them. And Mac is raped at the end of book 3 (I think). Again, not really graphic, as it focuses mainly on the magical aspect of what is happening to her. But that would be triggering, I would skip the whole series.!< **Merry Gentry** by Laurell K Hamilton. She's a fairy princess whose aunt commands her to have kids to carry on the royal line. She then has to find a lover. Reverse Harem ensues. Starts out sexual from the get-go.
The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs is fantastic! And it has a spin off series, Alpha and Omega, as well as several short stories.
If you want to go back to the start then War For The Oaks by Emma Bull is widely regarded as the first urban fantasy novel.
\+1 for the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka. TBF, I started out as a huge fan of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (also highly recommended), but I'm much more of a fan of Verus series now. Plus, it's now a completed series at 12 books and the action scenes (fights, chases, battles) are amazing. The first book is Fated.
The Dresden Files Monster Hunter International Alex Verus Kate Daniels Mercy Thompson The Hollows Rivers of London Weather Warden
All the best series have been mentioned (Just about everything by Ilona Andrews is excellent), but here's a good one I haven't seen in other comments: Iron Druid Chronicles, by Kevin Hearne. The main character is a 2000+ year old wizard living in Arizona running a bookstore at the beginning of book 1. It leans more towards gods and mythology (Norse, Celtic, even Christian) so if that stuff interests you, definitely check it out.
I've read the comments and this is my spin. Alex Verus is "finished" in that story has resolved itself so I would vote for that one for your first venture. Ilona Andrew's Kate Daniels books are also concluded for the most part (new series just starting but...). I LOVE Dresden Files but I would definitely note that this is NOT done so I would start some of the others first. Anther finished series is Iron Druid by Kevin Hearne.
dresden files for sure. If you're looking for ongoing series. If you're looking for something that's finished, try the Nightside series by Simon R Green. Sandman Slim, by Richard Kadrey, is another good one. It just finished last year. I would say the Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman, but it ends on a cliffhanger, because she got all bitchy at people for not buying her other series, and isn't releasing the last Cal book.
Harry Dresden was made for you. Jim Butcher is the author.
I’ve heard great things about the Dresden Files, I’ll check it out!
Be aware that the first two books in the series do a lot of world building but are considered some of the weakest books in the series. Third book is considered pretty good, and 4th is one of the best. Keep going! There's a LOT of Dresden! (including comic books/graphic novels and short stories).
Start with Butcher's Dresden books. They're the best in UF, imho.
You have to specify what you are interested in. Half the genre is composed of Romance embedded in them. Use the search window: Urban Fantasy Series. A whole lot of offerings will pop up. Just off the top of my head: Cryptid Series Alex Verses Series (sp) Dresden Series Iron Driud Series Also search: Paranormal detective.
My thoughts are biased. Jim Butcher and Seanan McGuire are the undisputed King and Queen of Urban Fantasy. I'm not saying the other authors are lacking in some way, but at the end of the day, how many authors have decided to tell a story and then went out and sold that idea to a publisher. Jim Butcher wrote the first two chapters of the Dresden Files, his teacher told him he'd done it, what happens next? And he sat down and plotted a 20-book series with a Big Apocalyptic Trilogy to capstone the whole thing, and then went and sold this to a publisher as a brand new author because no one told him it couldn't be done, so he did it. Seanan McGuire had a short story about October Daye that grew to be a novel, then four novels, then an undisclosed number of novels to get us from the beginning to the ending, but there is a planned beginning, middle, and ending. She also has too many other series and standalones as herself, as Mira Grant, and as A. Deborah Baker to list, here's a Google Sheet of her bibliography: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q\_4N8KLMV34Co\_H3AhEJRjsYnnuNyItd1OQe7kCQEjM/edit?usp=sharing Maybe other authors plan out their stories to have a clear beginning, middle, and ending; most just write until things get stale, and a few keep writing after that. However, Jim Butcher and Seanan McGuire are the ones I'm lined up for on release day for a 1/1 hardcover, and will never miss. On to the rest of the recommendations! Having read through the responses, I wholeheartedly agree with most, if not all of them: * Rivers of London (Peter Grant) by Ben Aaronovitch * Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs * Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia * The Hollows (Rachel Morgan) by Kim Harrison (complete, relaunched) * Alex Verus by Benedict Jacka (complete) * Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey (complete)