I'd say that many readers think of a modern 'real-world' setting full of vampires, werewolves, wizards and fey when you say 'Urban Fantasy' to them.
And I believe that the idea of Urban Fantasy was to put a more modern spin on the tropes of Epic Fantasy in order to create an alternative to that genre.
But I can see why, on paper, the city setting is what defines 'Urban Fantasy'. It's all there in the name!
Inneresting. Can't say I ever got that feeling from it. For me UF goes back to the source material and brings back a set of ideas mostly untouched by Epic Fantasy's conventions. But I could be wrong. Any pointers as to why you believe that?
And many Urban Fantasy series depict the city as almost a character in itself.
The Dresden Files would not be the same without Chicago.
...
Truly great Urban Fantasy captures the magic, the soul, of the city itself. Or the writer's interpretation of it at least.
That must make historical Urban Fantasy more difficult to write in some ways. You can't draw on your own experiences of living in Ancient Rome, Renaissance Florence or Istanbul back in the time when it was called Constantinople. You're readers can't either. So you have to draw more on the myths about that city as well as its history to find something for people to relate to.
To the best of my knowledge, Butcher has never lived in Chicago and what he knows of the city is
research and visits. And I'm going to guess a lot of his readers have never lived there either (although obviously we have our own examples of modern urban life). As such I am dubious about whether this factor of specific personal experience is the big difference.
Certainly it is possible to use the city as a character in historical fiction - Lindsay Davies' Falco books set in ancient Rome are a fantastic example. And while that's partly the result of fantastic research, I think its also partly down to drawing on the universality of cities. Have you been poor in a city? Congratulations, you've probably had a landlord who you thought deserved the most vicious punishment your moral code permits - just like Falco.
Anyway. Point A - VE Schwaab
A Darker Shade of Magic. Can't believe I failed to mention it until now. Its set in Regency era London and a set of parallel universe Londons, which provide the 'hidden magic' motif that so often marks UF. Also there's a thief which is further proof of my new belief that crime is a nigh-universal ingredient in 'historical' Urban Fantasy.
Point B - Just thought I'd look at wiki for a definition...
"
Urban fantasy is a
subgenre of
fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting, because it seems that stories with said setting are distinct enough to warrrant their own sub-subgenre. Urban fantasy exists on one side of a spectrum,[
citation needed] opposite
high fantasy, which is set in an entirely fictitious world. Many urban fantasies are set in
contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods. The prerequisite is that they must be primarily set in a city."
"
Urban fantasy describes a work that is set primarily in the real world and contains aspects of fantasy. These matters may involve the arrivals of alien races, the discovery of earthbound mythological creatures, coexistence between humans and paranormal beings, conflicts between humans and malicious paranormals, and subsequent changes to city management.
[3][4]
Although stories may be set in
contemporary times, this characteristic is not necessary for the fiction to be considered urban fantasy,
[1] as works of the genre may also take place in futuristic and historical settings, real or imagined.
[3] Author
Marie Brennan has set urban fantasy in
Elizabethan London, while author
Charles de Lint has featured the genre in the fictional city of Newford."
So... its very set on the idea that Urban Fantasy is about the use of real world locations but then goes on to admit one of the founding fathers of the genre didn't use a real world location. Good work there!
Also, they say its mainly about the city, but
here they include American Gods, which is about as urban as a Monster Truck Demolition Derby. In fact, if you look at that list, you might be tempted to say Urban Fantasy is fantasy set in the modern age and that historical urban fantasy is a contradiction in terms...
Point C - While writing this, I just remembered Daniel Polansky's
Straight Razor Cure. Fantasy-Noir, can't quite place the era but definitely not modern and very much city based. But does the city have its own character? Debatable.
). I'd always thought that Urban Fantasy meant a story set in the real world rather than necessarily being set in a city (I think that's also called First World fantasy?) and I also thought Urban Fantasy meant set in contemporary times (anything set far enough in the past being historical fantasy?). But Wikipedia's entry suggests differently. There's also a nice long list of UF authors, including some historical ones:
