The Shadow Glass
by Josh WinningPublished by: Titan Books on March 22, 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Horror
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
A thrilling race against the clock to save the world from fantasy creatures from a cult 80s film – perfect for fans of Henson Company puppet classics like Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, and The NeverEnding Story.
Jack Corman is failing at life. Jobless, jaded and facing the threat of eviction, he’s also reeling from the death of his father, one-time film director Bob Corman. Back in the eighties, Bob poured his heart and soul into the creation of his 1986 puppet fantasy The Shadow Glass, but the film flopped on release and Bob was never the same again.
In the wake of Bob’s death, Jack returns to his decaying childhood home, where he is confronted with the impossible — the puppet heroes from The Shadow Glass are alive, and they need his help. Tipped into a desperate quest to save the world from the more nefarious of his father’s creations, Jack teams up with an excitable fanboy and a spiky studio exec to navigate the labyrinth of his father’s legacy and ignite a Shadow Glass resurgence that could, finally, do Bob proud.
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- An ’80s cult classic movie vibe.
- All the ’80s nostalgia!
- Fantasy meets horror meets . . . puppets?
- Fighting and action and a quest to save the world.
- Nerd culture! Including a squad of nerds.
Many thanks to Titan Books for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Quotes taken from an unfinished product and may differ from the final version.
The minute I saw this was recommended for fans of Labyrinth, I knew I had to read this book. That movie was my entire childhood. Heck, my daughter has only seen the movie once . . . when she was too young to still remember . . . but she can still do the entire “You Remind Me of the Babe!” song when my mother and I break out in it. Whiiiiich . . . of course never happens because we are entirely competent, functioning adults in normal society. *cough*
Aaaaanywayyyyy . . . this book, yeah? THIS BOOK! Where to even begin?
The Shadow Glass is an ode to ’80s movies. Packed full of nostalgia, nerd culture, fangirl/-boying, high-stakes fights, and plenty of imagination, Winning somehow manages to capture the feel of my favorite classic movies.
The Shadow Glass is definitely going to be a niche book for a certain audience. But if you’re in that audience, you will love this. So how do you know if this book is for you? Take this short survey:
- Do you have fond memories of growing up in the ’80s?
- Are some of your favorite movies filled with puppets and fantasy worlds?
- Have you ever been to or considered going to a con? Or, at the very least, imagined what cosplay you would wear if you ever did go to a con?
- Do you go around saying, “May the fourth be with you?” every May 4th?
- Would you like to meet a badass fox thing? (With a sword, just to be clear . . . not, like, Fox McCloud . . . sorry).
- Do you know who Fox McCloud is?!
If you answered yes to any of the above, congratulations, this book is going to be for you! It is chock full of all sorts of nerdy goodness that pays homage to all the things we loved most about the ’80s. (I say we, even though I definitely wasn’t alive then, but my point still stands, okay?)
Imagine the fantasy world you fantasized over as a child suddenly came to life. Might be a bit confusing, yes? terrifying? Awe-inspiring? Possibly slightly concerning because this is the real world and movies don’t come to life in the real world (because it’s lame), right? Well, now you know how Jack feels in the beginning of this book.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t even like all those nightmares I had as a kid that Jurassic Park was real, because I knew, inevitably, that I was going to be either eaten or squashed by a dinosaur, and as much as I was awed by them, I sure didn’t want the movie to be real. No, this is far from that. Jack grew up with the world of Iri, which was created by his father in his movie The Shadow Glass. In fact, to young Jack’s mind, Iri was real, and there was nothing he would’ve loved more than to visit. That was a long time ago, of course, when life was simpler.
When this book opens, Jack isn’t in a wonderful place just overall. His father has recently died, in circumstances that leave Jack feeling guilty and unfulfilled after a lifetime of arguing with his old man. He’s financially ruined, trying to find a way to struggle on. He doesn’t have a whole lot going on in his life in general. It’s maybe a little understanding to think he might be losing his mind when his father’s puppets suddenly come to life and start stabbing things in front of him. But nah, he hasn’t lost his mind. Yet.
This premise is basically everything I associate with movies I loved during my childhood, and all I can say is thank goodness it’s not Gremlins because I don’t think I could’ve handled that. Despite what Jack may think, this trope is ridiculously fun, which may sound a little weird considering this book is also horror, but hey . . . if you know, you know. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
‘Jack, you’re not unconscious,’ Toby said.
‘seriously, hit me.’
Toby shook his head. ‘I’ve never hit anyone. Jack, stop hitting yourself!’
Zavanna gave Jack a final look and then dismissed him. ‘The manchild is an imbecile.’
Iri sounds like an absolutely bonkers, terrifying, and extremely deadly world. Obviously, I want to visit.
Of course, that’s because I enjoy doing ill-advised, potentially lethal, and absolutely bonkers things. Unfortunately for all you sane humans, in The Shadow Glass, Iri comes to Earth. Yup, in all its brutal, terrifying glory. In fact, the whole premise of the book is that, somehow, the fictional world of Iri is slowly coming to life, and it threatens to destroy both worlds if Jack and his band of nerdy intrepid heroes can’t set things right.
Iri feels like a callback to all the great fantasy worlds dreamed up in the ’80s. It’s beautiful and elaborate while still being spine-chilling. After all, villains are what really make the movie, right? And The Shadow Glass has a doozy of a villain.
There’s just so much to love about Iri, from the name (pronounced “eerie”), to the cute little lub creature (which I definitely want one). The real show-stealers, though, are the kettu: fox-like creatures who are witty and handy with swords. They’re everything that was every great about ’80s fantasy.
He almost laughed. ‘Because you’re a ray of sunshine.’
‘A kettu warrior learns to channel her emotion. Yours erupts with the childish fury of a starving lub.’
‘Says the kettu who nearly brained me twice.’
‘Perhaps you deserved it.’
‘Perhaps you’re not as enlightened as you think you are. Only stubborn.’
Since I’ve already sort of touched on the subject already, I’ll just come out and say it: The Shadow Glass is chock full of nostalgia. Winning’s writing manages to capture to entire vibe of an ’80s film.
From the moment I started reading this book to when I finished the final page, I felt like I was watching an ’80s film unfolding. Winning manages to elicit all the same emotions, nostalgia, and reaction of the ’80s films I grew up loving.
The influence of ’80s television and movies on this book is obvious: the feel of the world of Iri, the puppets, the fandoms, the quest, the stakes. That’s not to say that The Shadow Glass is a rehash of other works, because it’s not. It’s an entirely unique book all on its own, which somehow manages to achieve the same feel of work we already know and love.
This book is a little scary, a lot of adventure, a bit of sorrow, and a lot of banter. The characters are witty and snappy, even in the midst of a tense scene. The story is heartfelt, too. It captures the sense of wonder and wholehearted admiration that many of us experienced for these fantasy realms (like Iri) that felt so real in our youth that we sometimes (like Jack) seem to have grown out of. At the very heart of this story is Jack’s quest to rediscover the magic of his youth and to learn to forgive his father, who made many mistakes but also made two of the most amazing things: Jack and Iri.
‘Try to the left of the door. No, the right! The right!’
Light exploded around them. Jack turned to see Zavanna at the switch.
‘I wonder how you accomplish anything in this world,’ she said.
‘With great difficulty, I imagine,’ Brol commented, and they shared a knowing look before scanning their surroundings in awe.
The squad of heroes in this book is gloriously geeky (really, just a bunch of fangirls/fanboys of all ages) and I absolutely love them. Nerds can be heroes, too, y’all!
You might be thinking, “But Sammie, how nerdy can these characters really be?” Well, let me tell you. They have a club that meets to discuss movies like The Shadow Glass and play roleplaying games. There’s even a scene that takes place at a con. When I say these are nerds, I mean it. Though I don’t mean it as a bad thing, of course. I love it!
Part of this squad comes pre-formed, as friends of a young man named Toby who is an ultimate fan of Iri and happens to stumble across Jack and recognize who he is. To be honest, who wouldn’t want to be friends with Toby? He’s upbeat, even in the worst times, utterly adorable, and awe-struck at everything that’s happening around them. He’s a character that’s way too easy to love. Best of all, though, is the diversity of this squad, which also includes Toby’s boyfriend, Huw, and an older woman named Nell, plus two women, Anya and Sumi.
The squad in this book isn’t just humans, either. Because Iri, remember?! There’s the loveable lub, which I have no idea what it’s supposed to look like because I’m impressively bad at remembering descriptions, but I’ve been picturing it as a cross between a baby Ewok and a Porg. Then there’s, of course, the Kittu: Zavanna and Brol. They’re honorable and loyal and wicked with a blade, and they’re exactly what heroes are supposed to be. Except for infallible, which is what makes them such great characters.
Toby screwed up his face. ‘That sounds disgusting.’
‘It is, and magnificent.’
About Josh Winning
Josh Winning is a nostalgia nut, book/film lover and author of The Shadow Glass, which is perfect for fans of Henson Company puppet classics Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, and The NeverEnding Story.
He is senior film writer at Radio Times, contributing editor at Total Film magazine, writer at SFX and Den of Geek, and the co-host of movie podcast Torn Stubs. He has been on set with Kermit the Frog (and Miss Piggy), devoured breakfast with zombies on The Walking Dead, and sat on the Iron Throne on the Dublin set of Game of Thrones.
Josh lives in London with his cat Penny and dreams of one day convincing Sigourney Weaver to yell “Goddammit!” at him.
Similar Books You Might Also Enjoy:
This one has interested me, but the horror aspect worries me. I remember 80’s media, and how freaking scary some of the material “for children” was. IS. Even still, as an adult. So while I’m curious about this one, I’m not sure I’d be able to handle it…
Nicole+@+BookWyrm+Knits recently posted…#PondathonII ~ Tea Time Companion Quest
Like Gremlins?! I swear, that gave me nightmares, probably because I was so young and the gremlins were *so cute* . . . until they weren’t. xD I was super suspicious of cute things LOL.
The horror aspect of this wasn’t heavily done. Most is just atmospheric. The big thing is that there was some gore, and I know you don’t like that. From what I can remember, it was mostly mild gore? More along the lines of “there are dead bodies, but we’re not going to tell you about all the blood,” with occasional more graphic scenes (like the main character’s finger is bitten off by a monster right at the beginning of the book). So while I don’t think it’s scary, I think it more be more graphic than you potentially want.
Great review, this book sounds fun!