Charming by Jade Linwood

(Rebellion, 2023)

Reviewed by Dev Agarwal

Charming declares its raison d’etre on its opening page. Author Jade Linwood offers her book, “To all those princesses who realised that they could rescue themselves.”

With that dedication in mind, Linwood takes on the task of re-fashioning well-known (and arguably well-worn) fairy tales that most of us grew up with. Fairy tales have been adapted to visual pantomime, which over time, has re-worked the source material to conform to audience expectations of slapstick, in-jokes and innuendo. The enduring popularity of both fairy tales and pantomime reflects their ongoing appeal, and neither forms should be condemned when measured on their own merits. They are designed with humour and family entertainment in mind. However, the issue for twenty-first century fantasy readers is whether there is anything new that a writer can do with these ingredients.

Continue reading…

Review from BSFA Review 24 - Download your copy here.