SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I am looking for books that are in the same vein as the movie Van Helsing, which have as many of the following elements as possible:
1) an immortal/undying hero, a member of a group of such people, doomed to live (a strong sense of curse, with a hint of magic)
2) a strong intimate relationship between the male and female leads that is neither romantic nor sexual in nature
3) lack of memory on the hero's part
4) new and/or unusual monsters
5) new and/or unusual psychic powers
6) set in a more modern (urban?) environment.
7) an adventure with a sense of melancholy

In the interest of full disclosure, I am an author and I have a manuscript like this, but it's hard to see how I could be promoting a book that isn't published yet. Anyway, in order to do anything with it I need to reference similar books, and I don't know of any, other than Van Helsing, which isn't a book but a movie. I haven't read the novelization so I don't know if it has the same qualities at all. (Most of the novelizations I've read fail miserably at catching the emotional tone of the movies they represent.)

Having written all this I reminded myself of Nathan Brazil from the Well World series by Jack Chalker, but that's scifi, not the sort of dark urban supernatural I'm hoping for.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

The Madness Season by C.S. Friedman, though this is also a sci fi novel, so probably not what you're looking for.

Teanka wrote: "The Madness Season by C.S. Friedman, though this is also a sci fi novel, so probably not what you're looking for."

Good call, I love that book. It's my favorite of hers. I'll put it on the list but you're right, the SF angle masks some of the attributes I'd like to see more of. It's easier to get a sense of age, and therefore loneliness, when the character's life can be put into a known historical context, or something similar to it.

So long as "lack of memory" doesn't mean "amnesia." At this point that's such an overused trope it makes my teeth hurt. I immediately put any book back on the shelf that starts that way.

But I suppose an immortal who can't recall every specific instance of his long life would be fine.

You will have wayyyyy more luck in manga and probably comics as well.

In terms of books, have you tried Monster Hunter International It's basically what if all the survivors of B-list horror movies got together and formed a team of Monster Hunters, it's basically a high action thriller crossed with supernatural. Instead of the sudo detective + magic + supernatural most Urban fantasy is.

2 of the books in the series the main character is an "immortal" book 3(Alpha) and 5(Nemesis) to be precise. Thinking about it you could probably read both of them stand alone even though they will have big spoilers for the other books.

Trike wrote: "So long as "lack of memory" doesn't mean "amnesia." At this point that's such an overused trope it makes my teeth hurt. I immediately put any book back on the shelf that starts that way."

Amnesia is OK as long as there's a reason for it. Nathan Brazil is 40 billion years old, for example. But I'm more concerned with how the character reacts to the gaps in his memory, and how the amnesia plays into the plot. Van Helsing doesn't focus on them but some answers are always at the back of his mind, and some answers are given. Nor is his amnesia total, just his beginnings. In my MS the memories are lost piecemeal, with other memories received in their place, so the characters are sometimes unsure of which memories are genuinely theirs.

Aaron wrote: "In terms of books, have you tried Monster Hunter International It's basically what if all the survivors of B-list horror movies got together and formed a team of Monster Hunters, it's basically a high action thriller crossed with supernatural. Instead of the pseudo detective + magic + supernatural most Urban fantasy is..."

I have never read that book, so I will take steps to correct that. Thank you. Someone mentioned Vampire Hunter D as well, but I have no idea what that's about.

Marc wrote: "Trike wrote: "So long as "lack of memory" doesn't mean "amnesia." At this point that's such an overused trope it makes my teeth hurt. I immediately put any book back on the shelf that starts that w..."

Vampire Hunter D is a manga/anime it's okay 3/5 to it's credit it's generally universally liked. I would rather suggest Hellsing Ultimate it's unrelated to the Van Hellsing movies just another thing based off the same mythos. The main character is Alucard's apperentice (Alucard is Dracula spelled backwards woahhh, I blame castlevania).

Doesn't meet all your criteria but you should read LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. It's a graphic novel. Avoid the movie like plague.

Brenda wrote: "Doesn't meet all your criteria but you should read LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. It's a graphic novel. Avoid the movie like plague."

Already saw the movie. Meh.

Brenda wrote: "Doesn't meet all your criteria but you should read LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. It's a graphic novel. Avoid the movie like plague."

I hav to say the fates have been kind to me tonight! I went to the library, ordered the 5 Monster Hunter books on Interlibrary loan, found volume 1 of the League, and was on my way out when I tripped over Half-Resurrection Blues. It was calling to me! And I found a collection of short stories by Daniel José Older as well, called Salsa Nocturna: Stories, so I have a bit of reading to do. I see no references to an agent or anything, though. Love to know who would be interested in a manuscript like mine.

Anne Rice's early Vampire novels and some of the early Mayfair Witch books have at least 4 or 5 of your checkpoints. They're hit and miss throughout the series- in many of the novels there isn't 'one' male and 'female' lead and 'romance' generally means something different to immortal beings than it does to us. They are 'romantic' in language and plot structure, but the characters aren't necessarily romantically involved with each other.