Literally the Best Reviews: Glass Town

Glass Town -- Steven Savile

St. Martin’s Press

352 Pages

Once in awhile, I pick up a book that is very well hyped on the cover, and the synopsis seems to be a book that I would love. After I start reading it, I realize that the book is not only going to live up to the hype, it’s going to surpass it. Glass Town by Steven Savile definitely fits into that category. It was an astounding read right from the first page. Considering he has written for Doctor Who, Torchwood, and Stargate I was excited about what this offering could provide.

I love it when an author will take an obscure piece of history and build their own mythos around it. That is exactly what Steven Savile did with this novel. His piece of history? He took Alfred Hitchcock’s lost debut film, Number 13, and built a whole novel around why it was lost. Bordering on a mix of historical fiction, magic and science, Savile builds a great adventure story through which his main character, Joshua Raines must navigate.

The story begins in 1924 when two brothers fall in love with the same woman, Eleanor. That woman, the film, and one of the brothers disappeared along with the film. It was a mystery that haunted London for nearly a century. One of the brothers was the great grandfather of Joshua. He left behind a long letter for his descendants to keep up the search behind the mystery of Eleanor’s disappearance. This brings about an obsession for Joshua to finally get the truth behind all the stories.

Joshua is sent on adventure across London that delves deep into the magical and the esoteric. There is definitely a touch of Doctor Who in this book. It’s like there is a whole, half-hidden world existing alongside the world as most of us know it. Savile weaves this tale in the gray areas where these two worlds come together, all under the noses of the everyday people like you and I.

Steven Savile wrote a fun book to read with Glass Town. The reader will enjoy trying to figure out where the story is headed, although they may have most of it figured out early. Notice I said most. Of course, there is a little twist at the end that keeps hope alive. In that end, when you reach the last page, you may even chuckle with the ingenuity of the main character, Josh.

Savile’s book moves very quickly, like the television shows for which he writes. He grabs the reader’s attention right from the beginning and doesn’t let go. The pace of his narrative will keep you turning the pages. There’s almost a disappointment at the end of the book in that you’re sad to leave the world that he has constructed.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who was looking for a nice, engaging book to read. It’s fun and easy. At the end, you will be asking for more pages. Glass Town will send you on adventure with Josh, and leave you questioning the reality that you think you know. While Savile’s book are definitely more into the realm of fantasy than I generally like, this was a book that makes me want to find more of his works.

Craig Bacon wishes he had a T.A.R.D.I.S. Don’t ask why. He just does.