Fantasy, Noir, & Thriller—oh my!
As promised, here’s a few examples of cross-genre speculative fiction—novels that have found the sweet spot of honoring genre tropes while finding creative ways to mix things up.
Fonda Lee’s Jade City was nominated for a “Best Novel” Nebula, and won the World Fantasy award in 2018. The sequel, Jade War, was released in 2019.
Fonda Lee’s world-building is a treat to read. In her own words, she’s created her fantasy world to be a “modern era Asian mafia epic fantasy magic martial arts family saga.” The fantasy tropes are there, but she’s added a delicious mixture of her other interests: gangster movies and martial arts. The book is a fun epic to read, and Fonda’s weaving of uncommon elements into a fantasy series is almost a case study in effective cross-genre writing.
Noir—or is it?
Jim Jackson has published two books (so far) in his King Wong series: Kiss of the Cockroach Queen (2018) and Bones by Breakfast (2019).
Jim’s protagonist, King Wong, is written in the tradition of pulp detective novels. (The cover art probably gave that away.) But he also throws in a few savvy twists which make his stories original and creative.
King Wong is not only a hard-boiled detective, but he’s also able to see and consult with an assortment of supernatual creatures (good and bad) from Chinese mythology. So, in Jim’s cross-genre ventures, we have a pulp/noir detective story set in Kowloon (Hong Kong), with a generous helping of Chinese culture, mythology, and supernatural creepiness.
Thriller—kinda
Jonas Saul has written (at last count) twenty-three novels in his Sarah Roberts series. I was fortunate to snag a paperback copy of The Future is Written, which is a compilation of the first three books.
His protagonist, Sarah Roberts, has been described as a “psychic vigilante” and a female version of Jason Bourne.
Jonas’ books are in the thriller category—but not your typical thriller. Sarah Roberts’ character possesses a unique spin: her ability to communicate with her murdered sister, who is vital to Sarah’s ability to unravel mysteries. You might be tempted to call these books supernatural thrillers. But Jonas also weaves in elements of crime drama (criminal investigation, political intrigue and suspense), although the series isn’t a typical detective/police thriller, either. It’s the kind of gem that results when a good writer tries something fresh.
There’s a lot of emphasis in certain writing circles (mostly marketing-related) to “claim your genre.” In other words: settle on a genre, learn the tropes, and stick close to the tried-and-true.
And as the saying goes: They’re not wrong.*
*(but with disclaimer)
Disclaimer:
I agree that it’s important to know what readers expect when they choose a certain genre to read. At the same time, I think there’s ample evidence that mixing elements from other genres can make our stories stronger, not weaker. I’d suggest the key elements to writing a cross-genre page-turner would include:
- Don’t mix disparate genres in a silly, slap-dash manner, just to say you’ve done it.
- The best stories are always character-driven, not gimmick-driven. If you’re including cross-genre elements, make sure they bring your character(s) to richly textured, three-dimensional life.
- Decide which genre best fits your writing, so you have an idea where to place it when you publish. Make sure you (generally) honor the tropes—even if just in passing—and then indulge your creative whims to come up with a fresh take.
The Tracker Trilogy was not too difficult for me to nail down, genre-wise. It’s dystopian—except I paced it like a thriller, so it’s not typical. The same goes for a new novel, Darkwood, which will be published in spring 2021. It’s an urban fantasy with a strong climate change motif, yet doesn’t qualify as “cli-fi.” Clearly, I’m prone to writing cross-genre speculative fiction.
But as Fonda, Jim, and Jonas have demonstrated, I’m in good company.
One thought on “Fantasy, Noir, & Thriller—oh my!”
Yes, some intriguing genre-blending is happening in the book world. Yay – we don’t have to stay confined to a rigid set of “rules” any more. Sci-fi romance and Alien romances are a big thing right now. Hmmm – back when the Bible was written, the Nephilim, the sons of God, fell in love with earth women. So not a new idea.The paranormal is almost normal. It’s an exciting time to be a writer.