“Speculative Fiction” is a wide umbrella term that includes many sub-genres, including horror, science-fiction and fantasy. Urban fantasy is a sub-genre that evolved from fantasy. Up until the 1990’s, bookstores didn’t really know where to put these books – they weren’t horror, and they certainly weren’t fantasy. With the growing popularity of authors such as Laurell K. Hamilton and Kim Harrison, the genre soon got its own section in the bookstore. A section that rivalled the more traditional fantasy. Despite some overlapping similarities, urban fantasy and fantasy offer readers two completely different experiences. Let’s take a very quick look at the similarities and differences. Both genres tend to have the…