About Us

Strange Charm was created to showcase the best speculative fiction by female authors.

There are a large number of women writing excellent sci-fi and fantasy, from giants of the genre like Ursula K. Le Guin and Mercedes Lackey, to up-and-coming authors whose names you may not (yet) recognise. Yet walk into any book shop, and the speculative fiction shelves are predominantly masculine. This can often be even more true of the high profile, glossy hardbacks and the promotional tables. Only fourteen of NPR’s Top 100 Sci Fi & Fantasy Books are by women.

We wanted to create a space to highlight our favourite women writers, as well as challenging ourselves to read a broader and more diverse range of titles.

Every quarter, Strange Charm will feature books selected from a different theme or sub-genre, as well as reviews of recent and forthcoming releases. New reviews will be published on Mondays and Thursdays, interspersed with occasional author interviews and other features.

Tweets from @strangecharmbks.

Rachel and Joanna

Your Reviewers

Joanna is a lifelong reader and book nerd and has 11 bookcases to store all her books! Her favourite speculative fiction genres are feminist science fiction and historical fantasy, and she has a weak spot for a fairytale or myth retelling. She also enjoys the challenge of finding Science Fiction and Fantasy books in other parts of the bookshop.

Rachel doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t read fantasy, growing up on Redwall and The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, and she’s been making up worlds for almost as long. She likes fast-paced plots, greyscale morality, and characters who remain believable when they find themselves in situations that are anything but. She’s always searching for her next favourite author.

You can follow us on twitter @joanna_m and @rachelcotterill.