Have You Read This? Review of Jonathan Maberry's Glimpse

There are some books that I read and I’m left feeling satisfied, like the story had followed and wound down to its natural, organic conclusion. Even with stories that don’t have a neatly tied-together ending, I appreciate the author giving me an ending to chew over, to work out in my head, and even speculate how it actually ended. There are also books that don’t seem to progress organically, moving through their individual points more like a trip through the fun house where the car you’re riding in the dark may take a hard right or plummet a story or two without you realizing. That is the case of Jonathan Maberry’s novel Glimpse, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Particularly when you consider the subject matter.

The novel follows a recovering junkie named Rain who is losing huge swatches of time from her day and seeing mysterious figures in a pair of cracked eyeglasses. This, of course, leads Rain to question her sanity as well as her ability to stay sober. Things get worse for Rain when she sees a child she gave up years ago and realizes he’s in danger, meaning Rain must not only risk her own sanity and sobriety but the life of her child whose connection to her only grows throughout the book.

The book has a lot of concepts and ideas that may not mesh as well as others but work together to create a surreal world existing behind the real one. Here is where a shadowy villain named Doctor Nine searches for victims and to continue taking from Rain, piece by piece. The idea of another world beneath the mundane one is a well-used trope in fantastic and horror fiction, hearkening all the way back to Alice in Wonderland, but the world of the Fire Zone, which makes Times Square look like a somber historical district, is well-painted by Maberry’s description. There are characters that do their part to move the narrative along, but also are deserving of their own tales due to their rich backstories.

Throw in time travel and alternate realities and this glut of concepts and ideas makes the narrative feel rushed at times, but it also leaves me looking forward to a sequel, if only to find out how it all comes together. Does Doctor Nine find another victim? Are there other worlds beyond the Fire Zone? Will the glasses show up in another piece of fiction? Hopefully, this isn’t the last we see of the ideas introduced in this universe.