DoPo said:
Erm...yes and no. There are some common themes running across the urban fantasy genre, so while it's really easy to get something that fits the definition, it may also not feel like it's part of the larger whole. I'm guessing OP is after the "secretive supernatural world coexisting with the real one" trope which would be really different than just "character X has telekinesis" for example.
I very much hear most of what you are saying, and I consider the breakdown apt and one I am going to use in the future. I am however missing something, as when I attempted to apply the standard in my own head I failed miserably.
I reached in my head for an example of a character with telekinesis that was not Urban Fantasy. My head instantly went to Door to December. Then after swallowing the bile that rose up in my throat my brain retreated to one of my most beloved childhood novels, Watchers. I know neither is Urban fantasy, but I couldn't tell you why exactly, as they fit the standard I offered, and yours as well, as all the paranormal stuff is super secret. I would also bet good money that Mouse is inspired by Einstein. In part at least.
Vampire Courts and such are also cliche across every genre they inhabit. I mean, Blade isn't urban Fantasy.
Perhaps it is about tone as well? If the lead dresses in all black, has a lot of angst, and does not offer the sort of one liners you see in B action classics like They Live it is just paranormal. That applies fantastically to the kind I like, Andrews, Butcher, and the Lady who's name I can never remember, despite the fact that she gave us Rachel Mariana Morgan. Books where the protagonist is often a goober.
It however doesn't apply to Hamilton's side of the fence.
Hey! Perhaps it is all about the people/monster dichotomy? Urban fantasy, almost universally, concedes that it is possible for the death of a monster to be tragic. A "Monster" can be heroic or villainous, it depends on what kind of person they are, key word being person. In horror, they are abominations to be cleaned. The only good monster is a dead monster.
Does that sound right? My error was that I was focusing on secrecy, when Urban Fantasy focuses upon coexistence? Perhaps that is why so much is borrowed from Interview With a Vampire. It cast the monsters as sympathetic creatures, and is an early example of popular fiction that did so. At least from the perspective of the current generation of writers.
Might also explain why it resonates with members of dismissed sub cultures. If I am now on the right track, thank you kindly for the insight I just enjoyed. If I am not, you still get a thank you, you just also get an apology for the wall of obtuse projection.