About Locus Magazine

Locus Magazine, covering the science fiction and fantasy field since 1968, is a monthly 8 1/2 x 11” magazine often with a bright red border. Locus publishes news of the Science Fiction publishing field with extensive reviews and listings of new science fiction books and magazines.

The magazine is published from Oakland, California. It was co-founded, published, and edited by Charles N. Brown until his death in 2009; the current editor-in-chief is Liza Groen Trombi.

This website has information about subscribing to the magazine and purchasing back issues, cumulative indexes to book reviews and interviews, and posts limited samples from each issue, including the Table of Contents, excerpts from the interviews, and listings of Bestsellers and New & Notable Books. Occasional columns (currently those by Cory Doctorow) and book reviews are also posted on the site. Most magazine content is available only in the print issues.

Locus Magazine publishes:

  • News about the science fiction, fantasy, and horror publishing field — stories about publishers, awards, and conferences — including The Data File, People & Publishing (rights sold, books sold, books resold, books delivered, publishing news, promotions; people news and photos about vacations, weddings, and births), and Obituaries
  • Interviews with well-known and up-and-coming writers (and sometimes editors and artists), usually 2 per issue
  • Reviews of new and forthcoming books, usually 20-25 per issue, by notable SF critics including Gary K. Wolfe, Faren Miller, Russell Letson, Paul Witcover, Adrienne Martini, and Carolyn Cushman, plus short fiction reviews by Gardner Dozois and Rich Horton.
  • Reports from around the world about the SF scenes in various countries
  • Listings of US and UK books and magazines published (monthly), bestsellers (monthly), and forthcoming books (every 3 months)
  • Convention Reports, with lots of photos
  • Annual year-in-review coverage, with extensive recommended reading lists and the annual Locus Poll and Survey
  • Letters and Classified ads

What They Say…

LOCUS is the only periodical I read from cover to cover. It is also the only magazine which makes me drop everything when it arrives…
–Arthur C. Clarke
I told my students…You have to subscribe to LOCUS!

–Connie Willis
Anyone whose interest in SF extends beyond reading it to wanting to read about it should be aware of LOCUS.

–The New York Times
LOCUS manages to be broad and deep at the same time. I appreciate the continuous contact with worldwide science fiction, the many viewpoints in the reviews, the lively and intelligent writing.

–Orson Scott Card
The sheer miracle of the production and survival of LOCUS in a field like ours never ceases to amaze me. It’s essential reading in this house, and the closest thing we have to an international newszine.

–Terry Pratchett
LOCUS is now an intrinsic part of everything that science fiction is and does, a primary resource for innumerable enterprises, and a continuing source of information and entertainment.

–Michael Swanwick
Without LOCUS we would be groping around in the dark. But LOCUS is there, shining light into all the dark corners.

–Robert A. Heinlein