Bad Glass

August 6, 2012
Spokane, Wash., is under military lockdown, evacuated and quarantined for reasons kept mysterious. Dean Walker sneaks into the city, determined to document the phenomena in what he hopes will be stunning photographs that will earn him fame while revealing the truth to the outside world. Instead, he immediately lands in trouble and finds shelter with a small group of holdouts struggling to regain their normal lives—not easy to do as the city crumbles around them, people disappear in an instant, impossible creatures roam the streets, time goes freaky, and bodies fuse with solid objects. Gropp’s promising debut is taut SF-tinged horror told primarily in vivid descriptions of Dean’s photos. Lots of theories are tossed around about the source of the problem, but there are no concrete answers, and there’s little examination of the anomalies themselves; readers will have to be content with well-drawn psychological portraits of realistically flawed people trapped in a rapidly degenerating terrifying mess. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel & Goderich Literary.

Starred review from September 15, 2012

The military are evacuating Spokane, WA, and no one knows why. But the Internet shows video clips of impossible creatures and images that seem to violate the laws of physics. When photographer Dean Walker sneaks into the nearly abandoned city, hoping to find the "perfect shot," he discovers a hidden society of people who refuse to abandon their homes. Accepted into a group of young people led by an enigmatic and troubled woman named Taylor, Dean begins to question the actions of the military and attempts to uncover the truth behind mysterious events that grow stranger daily. With its well-drawn and utterly believable characters, Gropp's award-winning debut, which demonstrates a keen artistic sensibility and a deft ability to create an atmosphere of both danger and beauty, is reminiscent of Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves as well as Samuel Delany's novels about individuals caught up in inexplicable events. VERDICT Anyone who enjoys thoughtful fantasies will find much to celebrate here. [Gropp was the grand prize winner of Del Rey's Suvudu Writing Contest.--Ed.]

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