After his estranged father’s death, Jack Corman returns to his childhood home with a key to the attic. Inside lay an army puppets from his father’s cult classic 80’s movie, The Shadow Glass. Desperate to leave behind the memories of the alcohol-fueled abuse he suffered and pay back some of his debts, Jack arranges to sell the main protagonist puppet and move on with his life. That is, until a wild storm brings the puppets to life! Their fictional world Iri is on the brink of collapse, and they need to find the original Shadow Glass prop if they wish to go back home and stop the evil lizard queen from taking over Earth! Will Jack be able to return to his childlike wonder and reconcile with his feelings about the film– and all it represents– to figure out where his father hid the Shadow Glass? Author Josh Winning manages to bring to life the zany charm of classic “Jim Henson”-esque puppet films we all wished were real as children in an adult-oriented, nostalgia-packed way. If you enjoyed (real) 80’s films like Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, or The NeverEnding Story, this book is for you.
A few weeks ago, I watched Labyrinth for the first time. I’m not sure how that one slipped through the cracks in my childhood, but I’m glad I got to see it eventually. Although definitely silly for an adult in some ways, the creativity of it and masterful puppet-work shone through. I found myself wondering what younger-me would have thought had someone plopped the tape in VHS player for me a couple decades prior.
Shortly after, when browsing books with Alex, I stumbled upon The Shadow Glass. Realizing from the back cover that it was a story about a fictional movie spoofing off what I had last watched, I felt like the “what the hell, sure” meme and got it. Maybe it’d be as cheesy as it sounded, maybe it’d be good, but either way, I found it at the perfect time to be able to enjoy and understand it. Plus, it was clear right away that Bob Corman was a Jim Henson parody, and I was curious to see how they portrayed him (spoiler: from what I heard, Jim didn’t always prioritize his family enough, so Bob may have been a semi-close representation?*).
The story itself was delightful and bold. The battle sequences were well-paced, not too long, and had just the right amount of detail. I appreciated Winning’s ability to include real-life consequences– people can die, emotions aren’t immediately given band-aid solutions, and trust is something seen with time. The world building was also fantastic. It was funny to have to remind myself, similar to Evelyn Hugo, that the movie is not real. I actually want to know more about the kettu and the other creatures on their planet! You best believe video essays and lore iceburgs would be in my headphones at 1.5x speed while I work like every day if it were.
I also found the interludes between chapters with various media to be a really fun way to slowly give exposition, as well as set up for later reveals. Even if a chapter was a little slower, the break to read an interview transcript or the back side of a soundtrack CD set list kept things moving. Additionally, while I know the author wrote this with actual film industry experience in mind, it also felt like a big metaphor. Looking past the fantasy aspects, this book gives a great depiction of dealing with childhood trauma after an adult parent passes. Not to mention, it’s also a great reminder that allowing yourself to indulge in your childlike wonder is not childish in itself.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and hope you do, too!
Happy reading,
-Beppa
*Don’t sue me lol