Review

Spiderlight is a gripping epic fantasy tale that follows a group of misfits as they embark on an epic quest to defeat the dark lord Darvezian. To do this, they must first seek help from the Spider Queen. The Spider Queen grants their wish, but sends along one of her children to accompany them. The group knows this quest will be a dangerous one, and those loyal to Darvezian will do anything to stop them.

This was such a wild ride of a book. It was fast-paced, entertaining, and I did not want to put it down. I have read several Adrian Tchaikovsky books in the past, but they have mainly been science fiction, so I was really excited to finally dive into some of his fantasy. I was expecting a ragtag group embarking on an adventure, but I absolutely was not expecting their spider turned into a human companion. This felt like such a unique and engaging idea, and it was executed perfectly.

The characters in this story are really excellent, but Nth is particularly fascinating. He’s attempting to adjust to life in a human body, he’s forced to do as he’s told by the other members of the group, and he’s faced with distrust and revulsion from most of the group. Tchaikovsky does a marvellous job exploring what it means to be different. The book has plenty of humorous moments and a few that are pretty heartbreaking. If you’re looking for an epic fantasy quest story with a bit of a twist, Spiderlight should definitely be on your reading list.