Book Review: Bad Glass

I've read my fair share of "horror" stories, and honestly most of them haven't exactly left me cowering under the sheets or giving me nightmares. Are they creepy? Well, yeah, they're kind of designed to be. But a book that leaves a lasting impression on the reader even once you've put it down for the night or placed it back on the shelf is something you don't come across very often. Don't get me wrong, I love H.P. Lovecraft, he's utterly amazing and can send shivers up your spine better than any other writer I know. Bad Glass, however, brings something entirely different to the table.

Written by Richard E. Gropp, Bad Glass takes you into modern day Spokane, Washington. A young and aspiring photographer named Dean hopes to make his big break by photographing the goings on in the city. But what he plans to photograph has been the talk of nightmares to the world outside this city. For months, Spokane has been quarantined by the military, all communications have been practically shut down, and the city is now a dangerous place. What exactly is happening here, no one is really certain, all they know is it is terrifying. Hundreds still linger within its borders, but they struggle every day. Within a day of sneaking past the military barricade, Dean finds his mind unraveling under the influence the city has over its inhabitants. People disappear without any warning, there are living people merged with the buildings, buildings appear in the mist then vanish within the hour, and strange animals wander the streets. Dean's misguided dreams soon leave him at the mercy of the strange happenings of Spokane while he and his new friends attempt to survive in a city determined to destroy them.

Sound apocalyptic enough for you? It gets even better. I can safely say that no other work of fiction I've ever read has left me feeling the way I did after finishing it. During one of the final acts of the book, something occurs to a character that made me feel physically sick even as I read it. Most chapters I read left me shaking and unhinged for a while once I put it back down and went back to work. When a friend of mine asked me what made it so terrifying, I couldn't even tell him what exactly it was, only that it would give Silent Hill a hell of a run for its money. Even Silent Hill couldn't give me nightmares, and I vividly remember a nightmare steeped in the monsters and twisted happenings of Bad Glass. Now that it's done, this is going to be one of the books that will stick with me for a long time and that I will continue to recommend to my fellow horror lovers. Do you dare to read it yourself? Take a look and see...