I’m going to interrupt today’s regularly scheduled Steampunk post to speak of something I hope you find interesting.
Right now I’m working on a non-Steampunk story (*gasp* Oh, the blasphemy!) I’ve been classifying it as Urban Fantasy.
But the other day I realized that I was wrong.
It’s not Urban Fantasy, but Elfpunk.
Yes, Elfpunk is a real genre, not something I made up while bored.
Elfpunk takes Elves and the other creatures of Faerie and throws them into a contemporary story. These stories are often dark and gritty and may feature rock bands, car racing, or motorcycles.
How is this different from Urban Fantasy?
Elfpunk dosen’t have Werewolves and Vampires thrown into the mix. But there might be dragons…
There are also no made-up creatures. Sorry. That would pop it back into Urban Fantasy.
The biggest difference between Urban Fantasy and Elfpunk is that Elfpunk only uses Faerie creatures. But they don’t have to be of the Celtic persuasion, they can be Norse, Japanese, Slavic…the options are endless. The creatures stay as close to the original mythos as possible and any differences are explained as part of the world building. That means when writing Elfpunk you have to do your research thoroughly. (Though you should be doing your reserach anyway.)
But how is Elfpunk different from books with Faeries in it?
Ah, that’s where the “punk” comes into play. There are some very good, accurate, and well researched stories out there using Faeries that aren’t Elfpunk. Elfpunk isn’t always full-on dystopian like cyberpunk, but there’s often themes of rebellion, of fighting against society and challenging social norms. These stories can get dark and gritty.
The term “Elfpunk” got popular in the 1980s and 1990’s when there were some great “rock and roll elf” stories on the market. One of my favorites is Gael Baudino’s Gossamer Axe
Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks is also “Classic Elfpunk.”
I adored Mercedes Lackey’s Elfpunk books, including the SERRAted Edge and the Bedlam’s Bard series never knowing they were Elfpunk (or even UF, they were just really fun to read.)
Holly Black’s Tithe is a more modern example of Elfpunk. Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely could also be considered Elfpunk.
Elfpunk doesn’t necessarily have to even be in this world. Because cutthroat world of elves and other Faerie creatures Michael Swanwick created so closely mirrors our own, and it’s rather dark and gritty themes and concepts The Iron Dragon’s Daughter could also be Elfpunk. (I am so glad they’re reprinting this.)
So there you go, that’s Elfpunk. Let’s just say I’m having a very good time with this WIP…
STEAMED! 
Oh, wow. I just learned my books are elfpunk! I was calling them urban fantasy–who knew? Great post! Since I also have merpeople, I wonder if there’s an elf-mer-punk genre??
Hi Suzanne, mermaids fall under the “Elfpunk” genre if you’re using the traditional lore (like Merrows, Lorelei, Finfolk, etc.) Even “mermaids” have their own mythos. I think you can pull it off. 🙂
I haven’t heard the Elfpunk classification before…even though I’ve read several of the books you mentioned. Gossamer Axe is one of my favorite stories.
Although, I never got into the Bedlam Bards books. I preferred Mercedes Lackey’s straight fantasy with the Bardic Voices (Lark and the Wren, The Robin and the Kestrel, etc.), the Elemental Masters, and Valdemar series.
I think the Elfpunk classification was sort of eclipsed by Urban Fantasy, since all Elfpunk is Urban Fantasy, but not all UF is Elfpunk.
I really loved the Lark & The Wren, and those books as well. I wish she would have written more, lol. I could never really get into Valdemar. I did like the elemental masters books. I think a lot of those could be considered “gaslamp fantasy” don’t you think?
I’ve read Tithe…need to check out the Gossamer Axe and serrated edge…An odd series that almost fits into your list is the QUANTUM GRAVITY Books by Justina Robson: Rock n’ Roll Elves – check; mechanization and rebellion – check; no vamps or weres, but there are “other” creatures…
ooh, I’ll have to check that one out. Thanks!
Wild! I hadn’t heard of Elfpunk before- but I used to love the Mercedes Lacky books (a bit heavy on the runaway preaching issues- but still fun). But I absolutely love the category name! Elfpunk!
Write faster Suzanne- we need your book out there!
Dang- wonder if this could be a new trend? I’d love to see more of them!
Marie, I think we should start it!
Thanks for your post. I had never heard the term “elf punk” before but every single book you mentioned is wonderful. I read them back when they were sort of the forerunner of Urban Fantasy.
Have you read “Finder” by Emma Bull, it is part of the shared world “Borderlands” series? Most are OOP but you can find them in used book stores and libraries. I think they fit the “Elfpunk” model as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Finder-Novel-Borderlands-Emma-Bull/dp/0765347776/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279629424&sr=8-1
Rebecca W.
I’ve read one of the borderlands books, but not hers. Thanks for the suggestion.
And there’s Esri Rose’s romantic-suspense with elves. Very fun!
http://elvesamongus.com/
Now those sound fun. Thanks!
[…] Here are two blog posts that came my way that I’d like to share. The first is from Suzanne Lazear over at Steamed. She writes about the niche genre Elfpunk. I never realized there was a separate genre for books that focus solely on the elf world. She gives a good list of authors who fall in this category. I have to admit I’ve never read or even heard of some of them. I look forward to checking them out. Click on the link to find out “What is Elfpunk?” […]