Just What Is Rural Fantasy?

In a perfect world there would be one quick and easy definition for Rural Fantasy. Something that anyone could hear it and know exactly what it meant. But if that was the case, I wouldn't be seeing all the debate on the topic that I see. So here is my attempt to define it a bit.

First, it is usually part of the Urban Fantasy subgenre. A lot of folks get hung up on that, saying 'how can Rural be Urban?' And that comes from folks assuming that the Urban in Urban Fantasy is referencing cities. In fact, it is meant to mean fantasy that takes place in a world where modern Urbanization has occurred. Think about it. If all it took was a city with fantasy elements, then The Lies of Locke Lamora would be Urban Fantasy. But no one makes that case. And the reason why, is that though the city in Lies is large and prominent, it does not feature in a world where modern style Urbanization has occurred.

So when you look at a book like the Jubal County Saga by yours truly, it is certainly rural, but besides hitting a lot of the conventions of UF, it takes place in the modern world. It is the inverse of more traditional Urban Fantasy. While most takes place in cities that have benefited from Urbanization, Rural Fantasy takes place in the places that have frequently suffered from it. The places people are moving from, not moving to.

Urban Fantasy has always had many blurred lines with other genres. This is also the case with Rural Fantasy, though it's often a different set of lines. Rural Fantasy more often has ties with Horror, especially Folk Horror. They are often one and the same in fact. There are also a number of Contemporary Fantasy novels that count as RF, and vice versa. There are also frequently more of a use of Cryptids, as well as a stronger reliance generally on traditional folklore, especially that of the local area the tale is set in. Some of the major traits of UF are proportionally much less prevalent here as well, such as having less of your traditional monsters such as Werewolves and Vampires.

So hopefully that helps clear things up a little bit! If not, as always feel free to reach out and send me your questions or thoughts!