Operation Genres, Part San

Subgenre 1: Contemporary Western/Neo-Western

Okay, I found a few western fiction websites, Western Writers of America and Western Authors that seemed pretty good. Both were anxious to assert that westerns were still relevant to today's readers, and contemporary westerns are considered one of the bridges between more traditional westerns and today's popular culture (western romance and steampunk westerns being other examples). Although there is a feeling of nostalgia for these traditional westerns, most of the excitement and buzz centers around newer interpretations of the western, as in the subgenres mentioned above. I had known about Western Writers of America, since they host the list for the Spur Awards, but a simple Google search found me the second site.

I think of this genre as the post-post-modern western, where traditional themes and genre conventions are torn up and turned inside out, creating a much more uncertain, usually bleaker and harsher landscape. Often more violent, with no clear good or bad guys, these contemporary westerns make you question the characters and yourself, which is one of the things that makes these books so compelling.

Authors: Cormac McCarthy, Annie Proulx, James Carlos Blake

Genrebenders: Stephen King's Dark Tower series blends a lot of old-western themes and tropes with the fantasy of parallel universes and crazy technology. And Trigun, the manga series, is totally a spacey, kooky, occasionally apocalyptic, dark alien western fest (NB: although Cowboy Bebop is my favorite, it started out as a TV series, not manga).


Subgenre 2: Christian Urban Fiction

Website: http://christianfiction.blogspot.com/ and a few articles found with a Google search. Urban Christian Fiction seems to be a fairly straightforward blend of Urban Fiction and Christian Fiction.  Characters still have tough lives and even tougher choices in these predominantly African American novels that have a gritty street life setting, but religious and biblical themes play an overt role in the characters' motivations and actions.  Fans are excited about this relatively new genre and proactively search out new authors.  Small presses and self-publishing are big in this growing genre.

Authors: E.N. Joy, Vanessa Davis Griggs, Vanessa Miller

Genrebenders: In such a new genre it can be difficult to find blends with other genres, but there at least seems to be a spectrum of books within the genre, with some based more on church life and some more on the violence of street life. There are also a subcategory of books that take traditional biblical stories and place them in an urban setting.

Subgenre 3: Inspriational Romance

This is probably the only corner of romance that I haven't managed to read anything in, so I thought it might be fun to cover it here. http://www.inspirationalromancewriters.com/index.cfm There seems to be a bunch of different flavors of Inspirational romance, including Amish, historical, and (surprise) Scifi. Just like with the Christian Urban Fic, it's the thread of faith-based motives and plot devices that infuse these works and differentiate them from other genre fiction. This genre has gained a lot of traction in recent years, and fans are enjoying the growing number of titles.  As with many other romance subgenres, series play a significant role. Btw, just because a book is considered a part of this genre doesn't mean that it doesn't contain controversial themes or racy sex scenes.

Authors: Wanda E Brunstetter, Janette Oke, Olivia Newport

Genrebenders: A lot of books contain religious themes, but here are a few titles that are a little different.  The Departed by Kathryn Mackel is a sort of scifi spiritual thriller.  Also Winter is Past by Rutn Axtell Morren, which is a historical that deals with multiple faiths and some political intrigue.