What Genre Does 'I'M Not The Dealer' Belong To?

'I'm Not the Dealer' is a wild mix of urban fantasy and crime thriller that keeps you on edge. The protagonist's ability to see supernatural deals adds a fresh twist to classic noir elements. Dark alleys, morally gray characters, and high-stakes bargains with demons create this gritty yet mystical atmosphere. The blend of hardboiled detective tropes with occult lore reminds me of 'Dresden Files' but with more focus on criminal underworld dynamics. The way it balances real-world crime drama with fantastical elements makes it stand out in both genres simultaneously. The supernatural aspects aren't just tacked on; they're woven into every heist, interrogation, and betrayal.

This novel defies simple genre labels by merging psychological horror with dark comedy in unexpected ways. At its core, 'I'm Not the Dealer' explores the protagonist's deteriorating mental state as he navigates a world where every object might be a cursed artifact. The horror doesn't come from jump scares but from creeping paranoia - is that antique vase really whispering, or is he losing his mind? The humor emerges through absurd situations, like bargaining with a demon over coffee prices or realizing your new car runs on souls instead of gasoline.

The supernatural marketplace setting allows for brilliant genre-blending. One chapter might read like a tense mob negotiation, the next like an occult detective story, and then suddenly shift into cosmic horror when the true nature of the 'deals' is revealed. The author smartly uses the protagonist's unreliable narration to keep readers guessing whether events are supernatural or psychological. That ambiguity places it firmly in the tradition of works like 'House of Leaves' where reality itself becomes questionable.

What fascinates me most is how the story weaponizes consumer culture against the protagonist. Each chapter introduces new cursed objects with increasingly bizarre rules - a pen that writes with your lifespan, shoes that make you walk toward your greatest fear. These creatively twisted items transform ordinary shopping into existential horror, making the mundane terrifying in ways traditional horror rarely achieves.

From my reading experience, 'I'm Not the Dealer' carves its own niche as a supernatural economic thriller. The entire plot revolves around the black market of magical items, with supply chains, monopolies, and hostile takeovers - except the commodities are things like bottled luck or stolen memories. The protagonist isn't just fighting demons but navigating complex market forces where supernatural power follows capitalist logic. This unique angle combines the tension of financial dramas like 'Billions' with occult fantasy elements.

Unlike traditional fantasy where magic exists outside economic systems, here every spell has a clear cost-benefit analysis. The worldbuilding shows impressive depth in how supernatural economies affect ordinary society - inflation of luck, futures trading in prophecies, even magical insider trading. The genre mashup works because the author thoroughly commits to the premise, exploring how real economic principles would function in a world with tangible supernatural resources. It's 'Wolf of Wall Street' meets 'Supernatural' with sharper social commentary than either.