What if the characters from your favourite 80s fantasy film came to life, and started running riot around the city?

This book is one of those stories that was an idea waiting to happen - that is, as soon as I saw it I thought "what a brilliant idea, how come this doesn't exist already as a bestseller, Netflix series and merchandising tie-in?" And maybe it will some day! Anyone who ever loved films like Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal and The Neverending Story will absolutely adore this story.

Jack Corman had been estranged from his father for years - after the flop of his 1980s film The Shadow Glass, Bob Corman had become withdrawn, eccentric, alcoholic, pushing his son away. Years later, The Shadow Glass is a cult hit with an active fandom, but Bob dies alone. In the aftermath of his death, Jack goes to Bob's house only to discover the puppets from The Shadow Glass have come to life - and some are every bit as deadly as they were in the movie...

Evoking the majesty, warmth and humour of the fantastic films that made the eighties such an iconic decade, The Shadow Glass by Josh Winning is a love-affair to a much-cherished era, that nods knowingly to its over-the-top daftness while simultaneously paying homage to what many consider the greatest single era in cinema.

Josh’s love for 1980s fantasy culture - especially The Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, Dark Crystal and Masters of the Universe - shines resplendently from each and every page: it’s simply a delight from start to finish. Superb.

If you have a nostalgic soft spot for 1980s fantasy films (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?) then this is the book for you. Trust me.

Thir book really filled me with nostalgia. I love Jim Henson's The Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, and reading this really resonated and shone similarities to these. I found myself enjoying this, however found myself a bit frustrated at some of the character's decisions. Overall a nostalgic and mystical read.

In this VERY non traditional story of found family, The Shadow Glass manages to take you on an action-packed adventure ride reminiscent of Fraggle Rock and The Neverending Story. For children of the 80s, or people who love fantasy, this book is full of twists and turns and compelling characters that are funny, clever, and surprising. I loved the heart wrenching story of family and self discovery, but also the rag-tag crew of found family. A fabulous adventure ride you won't want to put down.

This book has my whole nerdy, 80's loving heart. I did not want it to end. I actually did a, John Bender hand in the air when I read the last line. Anyone reading this, you owe it to yourself to buy this book. An absolute five star winner.

Thank you Josh for writing the definition of a book to get lost in. Loved every minute! I'm hoping beyond hope Iri has more coming!

If you're a D&D and fantasy‑film nerd like me, you're sure to love this book. I first read it when it was published, and I found myself flipping the pages every single second. Ever since that first read, I've gone back to it more than five times, and I’ve never gotten enough of it. The characters are realistic, nuanced, and relatable, and the story blends 1980s fantasy (think The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Willow, and that whole era of dark fantasy), Stephen King, and D&D. I’m not entirely sure why it reminds me of D&D, but I play a lot, and I even built a campaign based on the Shadow Glass world - it translated beautifully. Even if you're not a fantasy fan, I think you'll still enjoy it. And if you don’t, that’s okay too.

Taking inspiration from The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and The Neverending Story, The Shadow Glass plays out like an action packed movie jammed with special effects and puppetry, and I Loved It! I fell in love with the characters, I hated the villains and I cried at the ending, what more can a reader ask for! P.S. I want my own Lub please!!!!

A great story inspired by films from the 80s, all my favourite films actually. It's a proper quest story which keeps your interest all the way through, with characters you grow to love and an emotional father/son side story running alongside. There's also fun and puppet characters you just fall in love with.

The Shadow Glass is exactly what you expect, a trip to a time where those Puppet movies and shows that we Gen Xers grew up on lived and thrived. For those younger, pick this book up and see what you have been missing.

Habe das Buch aufgrund der Rezensionen erworben. Auch wenn ich die Referenzierten Serien kenne, wollte bei mir ein 80er Jahre Feeling nie aufkommen. Da das Buch aber grundsätzlich gut geschrieben ist, und mich nicht "durchgequält" habe, auf 4 aufgerundet.

Ich lege als Leser am sehr viel Wert auf die Dargestellten Charaktäre. Und der Hauptdarsteller fängt leider sehr unsympathisch an und bessert sich zu spät, als das ich das Buch wirklich richtig genießen konnte.

The Shadow Glass is unique and very different from anything else I’ve read, it’s a bit dark but exciting and very 80’s nostalgic. When I saw that this was described as a love letter to 80’s fantasy films such as The Labyrinth and The Never Ending Story, I was all in on this story. Growing up during that era myself, seeing stories like those being inspiration for something, wasn’t something I ever expected to see. While Ernest Cline has focused on the 80’s himself, with Ready Player One, he was more on the video/arcade game part of the 80’s. So I loved that Winning decided to write a story that used more nostalgia from my childhood to tell something fun and different. It made me go back and watch all of those movies that got named dropped in the novel, and showed just how much I missed being a kid.

With so many name drops of classic 80’s movies, I know the author was a huge fan of that time. The comparison I came up with while reading this was that it was more of a Labyrinth meets Gremlins, and I’ll explain. Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Never Ending Story and most 80’s fantasy films are stories that transport the reader to a different world, while The Shadow Glass does the opposite, and transports the fantastical elements, to the real world. Movies like Gremlins, Critters and even The Puppet Master are better examples of this, and even fits a little more with the seriousness of the bad puppets.

“What is a hero but a normal person overcoming their own failings to defeat the demons of their soul?’”

With a story that is about a race against time to save the world of Iri from destruction, I thought this was very entertaining, it was serious and heart-rending when it needed to be, but it made me giggle on several occasions with how the characters reacted with one another, especially people seeing the puppets alive. I liked Jack’s character, at first he’s not a very good person and you just really dislike him, but this story is ultimately about his redemption, and Winning does a fantastic job of surrounding him with a great support cast like Amelia, Toby, Zavanna and Brol, that makes it worth the time to see how he redeems himself to being a likable person.

If there was one issue I had, it was with the narration, a good narrator can make a good story better, and a bad one can make a good story, worse. I like Colin Mace, I really do, he’s a good reader of words, it’s crisp and clear, but his voice lacks personality because he has a very monotonous voice. This is no disrespect, but I like my narrators to be involved with the story itself, and Mace just doesn’t really do that, he reads what’s there and that’s it. It reminds me more of a narration from a docuseries, where the narrator is not supposed to show emotion or personality. Every once in a while, you get a glimpse of something good, but that’s only if the author has something in bold or it’s something in all caps. Anyone that decides to read this, I suggest doing it without audio, it’ll make for a better experience.

This book is awesome. I can’t say I enough how I hunt for books like this!

I was not born in the 80s but grew up watching all the classics and was scared of the Dark Crystal. This book takes all those cool elements and wraps it into an awesome story. My dad also introduced me to all those films and a large part of this book is about a father son relationship. Great read filled with action and wholesomeness!