Dystopian fiction is one of those genres that felt a lot different a decade or more ago. The worlds where an openly cruel and corrupt government were standing upon the backs of the oppressed, where bold-faced lies were being used to keep them in power, where the marginalised were treated as less than human, all felt a bit too fake. There was a sense that the real world would never get that way. But in 2024 I doubt there are many that would argue that we're not close to being in a dystopia ourselves, and those that do are probably the ones benefitting from it. As such, The Glass Box can sometimes be an unpleasant read thanks to how real it can feel.

The Glass Box takes readers to a dark world where the government is an oppressive force, and we see this through the eyes of Riley Diaz, a young woman who has been raised by her parents to question authority, and to hold the government to account when they do something wrong. The main problem is that this is a world where even legal, peaceful protest can be incredibly dangerous, where simply speaking out can land you with an arrest. It's at one of these protests that Riley is arrested, and taken to one of the moany American Renewal Centres, where people that the government considers either undesirable or agitators are put through a forced re-education.

However, Riley wasn't just arrested by chance. She wanted to be taken to one of the Centres so that she could find out what happens inside in order to try and reveal the truth to the world. The biggest flaw in her plan, she has no idea how she's going to get back out. Thus begins Riley's life in the Centre, where the powers that be set out to turn her from an agitator into a peaceful, productive member of society who will never again question her government.

The Glass Box is a book that's a hard read at times. It's frighteningly real and eerily reflective of where things are in our modern day to the point where it makes larger parts of the book get under your skin. A lot of the things that Riley believes in the book are very reasonable things, yet her government is against them in the worst possible way, where violence is a tool they'll be more than happy to deploy. I don't know if Straczynski was looking to current events for ideas when he was writing the book, or if things just lines up by chance, but some of the events felt so relevant and familiar that a quick Google search could find similar that has happened in real life.

The book is gripping because of this, and I started to really connect with Riley and wanted things to go well for her. Because of that it ended up being a book that I struggled to put down, and I was pushed on to read more, to find out what horrors were coming next and if it would break her spirit and resolve. It's a book that not everyone is going to have an easy time reading because of this, and I couldn't blame some people for wanting to put it down at points, but I think it's also an important read that has a lot of relevant and needed messages within it.

The Glass Box is a thought-provoking read, one that will have you considering your own views, and how strongly you yourself might stick to your own convictions and morals when faced with frightening, almost dangerous choices.

I discovered J. Michael Straczynski via Babylon 5 which I still love to this day. I continued to like and find is work through various comic books he has written and was excited to read an original prose novel, I hadn’t to date, by him. I can say that The Glass Box did not disappoint.

Now I am not American, I am however, vocal about British politics and wary of how several countries are currently on a knife edge of who will gain or stay in control of power. In The Glass Box Straczynski has given us a glimpse into a possible near, dystopian future where people who cause trouble, or rather who do not remain quiet to injustices and issues that need fixes are seen as ‘insane’ or in need of help. For Riley is comes in the from of the American Renewal Center. The plan is to re-educate her and any other dissidents.

The Glass Box excels on several levels the first being the characters and namely Riley Diaz who holds to a moral code imparted by her mother and her own moral compass. The second is tied to this but also the writing at capturing a bleak but perhaps very real future where those in charge take ultimate control of personal freedom and liberty. While this is dystopian there are echoes of the fights and attacks on rights that are happening right now to us. This not only makes The Glass Box all the more believable but frighteningly realistic.

If you are someone who enjoys books exploring what if scenarios, where the ideals of moral and personal freedom stop or become compromised or perhaps you just want a good dystopian story this is for you.

The book is thought provoking and it gives a dystopian vibe. What started as protest that brings Riley’s Rebellion side soon begin to turn into dystopian reality as the dreadful truth unveils, secrets hauls off and the insight into human psyche shocked me.

Riley Diaz is half Irish and half cuban. She has a strong political opinion and for expressing that and attending a protest, she has been sent to American Renewal Center and there she is receiving a psychiatric treatment. While it’s all messed up, the political scheme and new legislation seems to be a deceiving web to eradicate people who are against them or powerful political people are determined to not loose access of the power they have been granted.

The author has not only portrayed the reality but also unveiled the truth behind the minds of psychologists. Riley is courageous and someone who genuinely cares about them. Riley follow moral values set by her mother. The author has given the glimpse of nightmarish future if political people will take the full control. Love how the author wrapped it up.

Many thanks to the Publisher, Author, and Netgalley.