Easy to read, fast-paced, engaging. Fairly good beach read, but there wasn't much to the book as a whole.

Aunque conocía la labor como guionista tanto de cómics como televisivo de J. Michael Straczynski, lo cierto es que el primer libro que leí suyo fue Becoming Superman, su autobiografía, que me dejó totalmente noqueada con la crudeza de su relato. Así que si bien es cierto que The Glass Box no es lo primero que leo de él, si es la primera obra de ficción que le leo.


The Glass Box es más bien un thriller que una novela de género propiamente dicho, aunque no sería descabellado enmarcarla en el ámbito de la especulación de futuro cercano. Se trata de una novela que se desarrolla casi en su totalidad en un manicomio, pero partiendo de la premisa de que “ni están todos los que son, ni son todos los que están” que tanto gustaba a mi abuelo cuando hablaba de Los Prados (el hospital psiquiátrico de Jaén).

En un taimado movimiento que busca réditos políticos y sobre todo, sujetos aborregados, el gobierno de Estados Unidos pone en marcha un programa para “reorientar” a los sujetos más destacados en las protestas ciudadanas, tratándolos como enfermos mentales cuya rabia mal encaminada les ha conducido a cometer actos violentos contra el gobierno y las fuerzas del orden. Straczynski nos mostrará el germen del proyecto, centrándose en las vivencias de Riley Diaz como una de las primeras internadas en estos centros reacondicionados, donde todavía conviven los enfermos mentales propiamente dichos y los sujetos que se adhieren (o que los adhieren) a esta política.

El resto, os lo podréis imaginar a poco que hayáis visto o leído alguna obra sobre internamiento en este tipo de centros. Privaciones, drogas, maltrato… todo bajo el edicto del bien superior y de la búsqueda de la panacea que cure a los recalcitrantes. The Glass Box es un libro muy incómodo de leer, en parte por la verosimilitud de lo que expone y en parte porque sabemos que el descenso a los infiernos de la locura no está tan alejado de nosotros como nos gustaría pensar.

Sin embargo, Straczynski no carga demasiado las tintas en el horror del tratamiento, si no más bien en la pasividad de los “funcionarios” encargados de llevarlo a cabo, que prefieren ceñirse a los protocolos vigentes antes que denunciar las injusticias y, sobre todo, en la maldad intrínseca que ejerce el que tiene poder sobre el débil. El elemento distópico de la novela, que existe, se minimiza muchísimo cuando te das cuenta de la plausibilidad de los hechos que narra el escritor.

Un futuro, que no sabemos si es posible, pero que es realmente inquietante.

Riley Diaz is a fighter. When she is picked up and prosecuted for part in an 'illegal' protest, she is given the option of a prison sentence or time spent in an American Renewal Center for re-education. The centers are a relatively new concept, based on the Emergency Detention Act of 1950 which has never been removed. There is little to no oversight to what happens in the Center and the sadistic doctor tasked with rehabilitating the criminals has an inordinate amount of leeway to do as he pleases. And he pleases to do quite a lot.
But Diaz does not bend or break to the doctor's outrageous methods and the other patients in the center slowly come to see Riley worthy of following. She even manages to befriend the loner nicknamed 'Frankenstein'.

Riley has connections on the outside, but for various reasons those connections are waning and if there's any chance of shutting down the questionably legal program from the inside, time is running out.

Author J. Michael Straczynski has written an exciting, powerful, allegorical, dystopian tale.

Riley Diaz is the star of the book here and Straczynski provides the nearly perfect heroine. Tough but at risk, we get behind her as soon as we meet her, and we absolutely get caught up in her story, rooting and cheering when she gives the unkind doctor what's coming to him - even if it results in some (un)expected consequences.

There's page-turning excitement in the conflict between Riley and the doctor and with Riley trying to find a sympathetic ear among the staff. The relationship with Frankenstein is just a little over the top - anyone who knows the story can pretty much anticipate what's going to happen. But Straczynski's writing keeps us going, even if we do know what's going to happen.

In addition to the writing, the storyline is is captivating in large part because it rings so true. The Internal Security Act of 1950, 64 Stat. 987 (Public Law 81-831), AKA the Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950 is an actual law, giving the President "the authority to apprehend and detain each person as to whom there is a reasonable ground to believe that such person probably will engage in, or probably will conspire with others to engage in, acts of espionage or sabotage." Given the atmosphere in current politics, it's not much of a stretch to see something very much like this happening. Science fiction? One could see this as a call to action.

Looking for a good book? The Glass Box by J. Michael Straczynski is an exciting, quick read of a tomorrow that is maybe a little too close to today for comfort.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This was kind of interesting - I came to this with interest from comics, and maybe I was wrong to anticipate more of that feel.

I very much hoped that my love of Straczynski's writing would carry from the screen to the page, but much to my disappointment, it did not.

I have long been a fan of JMS and I found this an absorbing story of the individual against the state, which reflects recent political developments and extrapolates a future dystopian situation where only those brave enough to protest will preserve the human rights of everyone.
I really liked the main character Riley, who opts to stay in a mental correctional facility rather than going to jail. It seems a reasonable deal, only it turns out far more sinister, with emotional manipulation and coercive techniques being used to persuade her and her fellow ‘political inmates’ that they were led astray, and all they need to do is to report on those who have influenced them to behave in such an anti-social behaviour (that is, taking to the streets to protest). But it was Riley’s parents who taught her to stand up for herself, and she takes on the system at her own personal risk, finding help in unexpected places she manages to block a subversion of democracy.
Well written and thought-provoking, a modern One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest with a twist, it has sad bits but an overall hopeful message that making a stand for true ethics, and belief systems, can make a difference. I think it is an interesting story for young students trying to navigate current politics and deciding how to use their democratic rights.. Thank you to the publishers for an advance digital copy of this book to read.

The Glass Box portraits a dystopian future where the American government starts to control its citizens to a greater extent.

Riley Diaz is arrested for protesting. She is given the choice for prison or admittance in a psychiatric facility. Riley chooses to be admitted into the psychiatric facility.

The facility runs a new program for the Department of Homeland Security American Renewal Centers (ARCs). The government lets people believe this program is focused on the rehabilitation of the people that are being admitted.

Riley meets a lot of different patients during her stay.
She soon learns that being admitted into this psychiatric facility comes with challenges. She is confronted with forced therapy sessions, forced medication treatments and solitary confinement. She has to deal with manipulative doctors and staff that has their own agenda. During her stay in the facility Riley endures these punishments, and refuses to submit to the manipulation. Riley starts to realise that there is more to the ARC program, then the people have led to believe.


Will she be able to survive this facility re-gain her freedom?


The author created a believable story, with realistic characters and had a great plot. However, I missed some deeper layer to Riley's personality and the overall story. The patient known as Frankenstein was an interesting addition to the story. The book was engaging and enjoyable read.

Riley is arrested after being present at a protest, something which is sweeping the nation after the American government starts to try and control its citizens more and more. She can choose between a prison sentence or being committed to a psychiatric facility for treatment by the government in hopes of”rehabilitation”. She meets many different patients and an archnemesis in the man who is her doctor.

This is my first book from this author and I just wanted a little bit more! I wanted more of a full picture of the dystopian world the author created as I didn’t feel like it was fully described. I liked Riley and the cast of characters, I thought “Frankenstein” was quite interesting. However, I just found it a bit anticlimatic. Still entertaining in parts, just didn’t totally hit home for me.

The Glass Box
The Glass Box by J. Michael Straczynski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Glass Box is a timely dystopian SF look at authoritarianism and its modern abuses. Namely, American political prisoners who get locked away in legal but thoroughly icky mental health hospitals.

In this case, it's the way for certain government agencies to put away dissenters and protesters on the streets, by giving the ones locked up an option to have the "lesser" punishment in a voluntary intake center, but after they're there, as the MC Riley soon learns, just about any kind of abuse can follow.

The darkness of this tale is very much in line with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or the movie Girl, Interrupted. But it's serious to point out that this is a fully modern take on the same subject and it's not hard to see that it could easily be taken this far with us, right now. When certain people need to get rid of protesters, then it all becomes an opportunity to follow N. Korea or China with re-education programs -- be it under other names.

It feels like a surprising twist of a tale to come from J. Michael Straczynski, but upon a little reflection, it's just about perfect.

Great tale, fun and harrowing to read.

Less Sci-fi, more Dystopian. Or I suppose Poli-Sci-Fi. Could also be considered a horror novel, as it terrified me.

After the past few years in the US where people have been arguing if protesting is really peaceful and what constitutes unjust brutality, I can say that I didn't need this new nagging worst-case scenario in my brain. While Riley's inner monologue is argumentative but ultimately can-do (I pictured her as a grown-up Louise Belcher), mine is anxious. And now I won't be able to sleep without worrying if we're descending into chaos. Thanks!
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Written in a screenplay kind of way, which makes sense considering the author's credentials listed at the beginning. Could be a little messy when reading, but not too bad. Some of the dialogue also felt long, which again may have been appropriate for the screen where people have to explain themselves, but it felt like a lot for a book where more nuance could've taken place.

Note: Some formatting issues and typos that I hope are being fixed in final edits and review. For example, the part where Kaminski is talking and simultaneously Riley is "hearing" the explanation C texted her. I didn't realize what was happening at first bc it was formatted like regular text. Maybe italicize? IDK. It was definitely a scene written for the screen, not so much the page.

This is a harrowing look into our near future if we do not value our protesting voices in this polarized climate with seriousness and empathy. It is as well as a humane look at the wounds we carry psychologically. There were moments when I thought these two plot threads didn't give each other room to be fully realized but I found this to be overall an important book with true emotion.

I am delighted to start my reviews for 2024 with the work of someone whose creative skills I have long admired: I have often mentioned Babylon 5 as my favorite SF series, one I have watched and re-watched many times, always finding something new and deep in its multi-faceted story and wonderfully drawn characters. So it comes as a given that I’m also a huge fan of the works of B5’s creator, J. Michael Stracksynski (a.k.a. JMS). His name can be found on many TV and movie scripts and his books also showcase his brilliant writing - I already reviewed both his autobiography Becoming Superman and the mainstream novel Together We Will Go, so when I learned of his new book, The Glass Box, I just knew that I would read and enjoy it. The discovery that the story was a dystopian SF one only added to my curiosity about it.

The background for The Glass Box is a near-future America, one where many of the most basic civil liberties have been abolished: Riley Diaz is only one of the many activists protesting against this constant curtailing of freedoms, the latest being the prohibition of gatherings of more than ten people. Caught and detained in the course of one such protest rally, she is given a choice: a prison sentence or six months of mandatory counseling in one of the newfangled American Renewal Centers - or ARCs - where she is expected to correct her rebellious tendencies. Convinced that she has better chances of escaping the Center than she would a prison, Riley accepts and is sent to ARC nr. 14, a psychiatric hospital where one of the wings is being converted to the uses of the Homeland Security-sponsored ARC program.

Once there Riley is soon faced with the harsh reality of actual brainwashing effected through psychological tampering and forced drug therapy, enhanced by effective torture measures like sleep- and food deprivation. Her constant defiance is met by the supervising physician’s blend of zeal and innate cruelty on one side and by the other ARC inmates’ initial distrust, since Riley’s behavior threatens their attempts at the conformity that will get them out of there - that is, until something happens that opens their eyes and their minds…

The Glass Box is a fairly short book, and I literally inhaled it in a couple of days because of my pressing need to see how the story would pan out, since there was no certainty about any of the possible outcomes. It presented both a frightening possibility and the compelling exploration of a legitimate and concrete concern, running with it through the lens of the question “what if…?”, which is exactly the role of Science Fiction in modern literature. At some point in the story there is a mention of the 1950 Emergency Detention Act as the inspiring decree from which the whole concept of the ARCs is developed: of course I went online to learn more and discovered that it’s a very real legislation that authorized the federal government to summarily detain any person suspected of espionage or sabotage or "whom there is reasonable ground to believe [will]... probably engage in... acts of espionage or sabotage" (I took the quote from HERE). Anyone familiar with Orwell’s 1984 or Dick’s Minority Report would be able to see the horrifying possibilities of abuse of such latitude of interpretation in the absence of a controlling mechanism, and that’s exactly what happens in this novel.

Riley is a wonderful character indeed: brash and reckless at times, she is gifted with an unwavering determination not to be molded into the acceptable shape required by the program and she pays a heavy personal price for her constant refusal to bend, or to break - at some point she claims that saying “no” is the only weapon at her disposal, the only way she has to maintain whatever control the situation allows her. And she needs all that stubbornness to resist, because the process is a subtle and insidious one: at first, the inmates are required to admit to something apparently trivial, which is in reality the way to lead them to wider and deeper revelations whose avalanche effect can then proceed inexorably. I was often reminded of a particular episode of Babylon5 (Intersections in Real Time) in which the character is being psychologically manipulated into admitting that he acted under alien influence: in the same way, the ARC inmates are encouraged to acknowledge that their rebellious acts are the result of outside manipulation and that only in disavowing it will they be “cured” of their “disease”.

The Glass Box was at the same time a thrilling read and a frightening one, given that the borders between fiction and reality are quite thin when one stops to think about it. As I expected, given my familiarity with the author, the story is carried by a set of believable, diverse and complex characters that make it easy for the reader to connect with them - or to passionately hate them, as was the case for a very particular one. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

In the future the government puts dissidents in American Renewal Centers (ARC) under the authority of a new defense act. Riley was arrested for protesting and put in the ARC, which is basically a psychiatric facility led by a manipulative doctor with an agenda.

I loved Together We Will Go a whole bunch so I jumped at the chance to read an ARC of this book (thanks, NetGalley!). Boy was I right. What a read! Tinges of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest mixed with hints of Edward Abbey's The Monkey Wrench Gang, laid against the backdrop of our contemporaneous clomp towards fascism. Wow. Just wow.

All the stars for this one!

"Once you open the book on these people, you don't stop, you don't turn back, you keep going until you win. Doesn't matter how long it takes. That's what united our family across the years back in Ireland. You stood on the same corner as your father and mother, which was the same corner where their parents and their parents' parents stood, demonstrating for the same things: decency and fair dealing and humanity. It took four hundred years of families, united in hope, to push the English out of Ireland. That's twice the life of this country, spent in a single struggle. A lot of us fell in the process, but in the end we won.

You stay and you wear them down until the job is done, until there's peace, until the bully boys learn that using force against people doesn't work anymore, because it requires fear on the other side. The fear is always bigger than the actual threat. Once you stop being afraid, the threat falls apart."

The Glass Box by J. Michael Straczynski is a very highly recommended science fiction dystopian that feels closer to the future than you'd like to believe is possible in America.

Riley Diaz is arrested for protesting a new law that encroaches on our rights and is subsequently incarcerated under that same new defense act which limits the freedom of assembly. She is given the choice of prison or admittance in one of the new Department of Homeland Security American Renewal Centers (ARCs) for mandatory reeducation. The program is located in a psychiatric facility and Riley soon learns that it is not going to be as easy as she thought to escape from the facility. It also becomes clear that the ARC program is more insidious than people were led to believe and includes forced therapy, involuntary medication, solitary confinement, restricted rations, and more punishments. Riley takes a stand, endures the punishments, and refuses to submit to the manipulation.

The writing is outstanding in this fast-paced, compelling science fiction novel which is riveting from beginning to end. It is ultimately about the choices you make and the courage and determination required to stand firm on your principles while refusing to back down even when under duress. It also skirts close to reality and could portend a near future dystopian world.

Riley is wonderfully realized and realistic character. Her ability to think for herself and stand up for herself in an unjust system, even to her own detriment, is an admirable quality in a protagonist. It also makes her character likeable and trustworthy. She doesn't buckle under peer pressure or administrative sanctions. The relationship she forges with the patient known only as Frankenstein is a touching and important element in the novel.

The Glass Box is an excellent choice for readers who enjoy dystopian science fiction with a timely narrative and memorable characters.

Disclosure: My complimentary review copy was courtesy of Blackstone Publishing via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

I really wanted to love this book. The premise was great. It had to be great. It had to. But unfortunately, it felt like something was lacking. As I kept reading, it felt like the writing was stiff, the characters flat, and the story – which could have been one of the best out there, given the way it was going and unfolding – felt forced. Unfortunately, me and this book, we just didn’t click.

Been reading a #NetGalley ARC of #TheGlassBox by @straczynski. I wasn't able to finish it (it was hitting a bit too close to home; take care of your mental health needs!) but what I read was full of interesting and compelling characters, as viewed from a newcomer's POV.

Spare you the spoilers, but it expands on some themes that will be familiar to fans of #Babylon5, regarding abuse of power, the stigma of mental health struggles, and how you can resist when you're just one single person boxed in by the system.

The Glass Box by J. Michael Straczynski is dystopian fiction that closely mirrors the systematic oppression imposed on the public by ruling authorities and how society can pay heed to a lonely voice, get inspired, and protest against these attempts. The book is an engaging read that is difficult to put down and has a great plot and a powerful protagonist, though I would wish it to be something more deeper in its storytelling.

I will read/watch anything J. Michael Straczynski writes. Together We Will Go was good, so I was happy to see he had another novel coming out, and I had to snag it on Netgalley.

As a warning: things are going to get political in this review. But things got political in the book that the review is about. Things never went explicitly in line with one party or another, and Riley herself says that she’d protest either side if what they were doing was wrong, but let’s be real – we all know who the authoritarian government in this book is standing in for. If you don’t like the politics in this review, take it as a sign that this book will not be for you and move on.

The basic premise – protesters being jailed and sent to “American Renewal Centers” for re-education to make them fall in line – seems terrifyingly plausible in the immediate context of the 2020 protests and the Trump administration’s response. This book would have felt more relevant then - here and now, in 2023, it seems less possible, but I think it’s important to cast our minds back to that time period and remember that at that time, things once considered "too far” were happening with frightening regularity – and to realize just how easily those fractious times could return.

As usual, the author’s greatest strength is in creating vivid, relatable, interesting characters. I loved Riley and her unbreakable spirit, and the fascinating cast of side characters who populated the mental hospital. The book was fast-paced, for all that it takes place mostly in a mental institution, and it kept my interest all the way through. Solid four stars.

Representation: POC characters (including main character)

CW: suicide, sexual harassment and assault, abuse of power, gaslighting, psychological torture, food restriction as torture

Be afraid. Be very afraid. And then take action! The Glass Box from J. Michael Straczynski feels more like a docudrama in book form than simple fiction. This story came to life for me in the early moments as Riley Diaz strapped on her kneepads, slid a helmet over her head, pulled up her neck mask, and slapped the faceplate into place to leave for a protest in Seattle.

Still a teenager, she is keenly aware of who she is and what she wants. We are whiplashed into her world, where the normal is at once reminiscent of 1930s Europe with Hitler and Mussolini spewing hateful rhetoric and inciting violence, and today's economic uncertainty, ethnic nationalism, and leanings toward authoritarianism in the United States.

Riley is ready to take on the bad actors with confidence and is always thinking at least two steps ahead of those who are hell-bent on furthering an agenda that will diminish democracy and take the country back at least a century. She shows compassion and empathy for those she is housed with during this experience, who are facing the wrath of people who have bought into behavior and actions that will certainly have dire outcomes for those least likely to be able to protect their rights. Oh, to have the courage and self-direction of Riley Diaz; doing so can mean saving the world from reliving a period in time that is best left buried in history.

Straczynski has proven that he has an uncanny sense of the world. In this parallel universe as he drops us inside The Glass Box, we have only a nanosecond to get on board and hang on for dear life, or be smushed like an insect on the windshield. We have the power to make a difference, if only we are willing to make this a priority.