Josh Winning‘s hotly-anticipated debut novel, THE SHADOW GLASS is out in two weeks! Due to be published by Titan Books in the UK and North America, here’s the synopsis…

Jack Corman is failing at life.

Jobless, jaded and on the “wrong” side of thirty, he’s facing the threat of eviction from his London flat while reeling from the sudden 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, a film Jack loved as a child, idolising its fox-like hero Dune.

But The Shadow Glass flopped on release, deemed too scary for kids and too weird for adults, and Bob became a laughing stock, losing himself to booze and self-pity. Now, the film represents everything Jack hated about his father, and he lives with the fear that he’ll end up a failure just like him.

In the wake of Bob’s death, Jack returns to his decaying home, a place creaking with movie memorabilia and painful memories. Then, during a freak thunderstorm, the puppets in the attic start talking. Tipped into a desperate real-world quest to save London from the more nefarious of his father’s creations, Jack teams up with excitable fanboy Toby and spiky studio executive Amelia to navigate the labyrinth of his father’s legacy while conjuring the hero within –– and igniting a Shadow Glass resurgence that could, finally, do his father proud.

Want to give the novel a try? Check out this excerpt, over on io9.

Here are just a few of the great early reviews the novel has received so far…

‘There’s a stirring sense of adventure, excitement, and terror running throughout… a treat for fans of the movies that inspired it.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘THE SHADOW GLASS could easily stand alongside Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal and The NeverEnding Story.’ — Clay McLeod Chapman, author of The Remaking

‘The fantasy adventure my 80s-loving heart needed! Loaded with unforgettable characters, a thrilling quest, and the best 80s pop culture references, I loved every moment.’ — Kat Ellis, author of Harrow Lake

‘You don’t have to be a child of the ’80s to appreciate THE SHADOW GLASS. There’s enough magic within these pages to dress you in leg warmers and take you there. Nostalgic, heartfelt, and bristling with humor. An absolute corker!’ — Rio Youers

‘THE SHADOW GLASS is like the old children’s movies it worships: sometimes dark, but never heartless; gritty yet soulbaring. It embraces its referents as a whole: their beauty with their ugliness, the healing power of nostalgia with its potential to poison the present. But it never goes cynical, never loses faith. It stands proud with a VHS copy of its favorite movie held aloft, daring you to say it’s not the greatest film ever.’ — Edgar Cantero

‘Wonderful. A bold and heartfelt adventure from another world, another time — and our own.’ — Max Gladstone

‘Thrilling suspense and action… will satisfy anyone who has ever fallen in love with a story.’ — Foreword Reviews (Starred Review)