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khimaera's review
4.0
Let’s start off looking at Justin C. Key’s Spider King with a definition and a look at the heart of the story and then we’ll get back to the creepy mutant spiders bursting out of someone’s body. Paresthesia is a group of sensations like “pins and needles” that also includes formication or “the sensation that resembles that of small insects crawling on or under your skin.” Let that thought make your skin crawl for a moment, but don’t worry if you’re got a fear of spiders because this tale is about more than the body horror the protagonist handles with astonishing levels of courage. This is a tale that blends layers of horror with disarmingly endearing moments that will stay with you long after you have finished it.
The real horror in this story is the range of deep, lasting psychological effects being incarcerated has upon someone’s mental health. I had to go hunt around some and was hard pressed to find many speculative fiction stories that handle these issues nevertheless with the forthrightness and skill Key brings to them. After two years in prison and many more ahead of him, there is no hesitation as Darnell is given an offer of a mysterious injection in exchange for his immediate release. His first week home is fraught not only with the bittersweet reunion with his four-year-old daughter who looks at him like a stranger but being estranged from his wife. Her very touch makes him tense and troubled because in prison someone getting that close to you usually means you’re in for a world of trouble. That’s just the surface of some of the issues Darnell is dealing with before the terrifying spiders come along and make things more difficult.
Yet the spiders also provide an empathetic and charming touch to some of the problems of being out in the real world again. Key plays around with the horror of what it might be like having spiders gestating in your body, bursting forth from it, making their homes under your skin, and becoming something of an extended arachnid family. If you have some degree of arachnophobia then there are probably going to be some delightful, shivery moments that have you wanting to look away or hitting pause on the audiobook. Relish those moments and don’t let it deter you because at its soft, spidery heart this is a story about family, love, and trying to put the pieces of your life back together again.
** Thank you to Serial Box and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased review **
The real horror in this story is the range of deep, lasting psychological effects being incarcerated has upon someone’s mental health. I had to go hunt around some and was hard pressed to find many speculative fiction stories that handle these issues nevertheless with the forthrightness and skill Key brings to them. After two years in prison and many more ahead of him, there is no hesitation as Darnell is given an offer of a mysterious injection in exchange for his immediate release. His first week home is fraught not only with the bittersweet reunion with his four-year-old daughter who looks at him like a stranger but being estranged from his wife. Her very touch makes him tense and troubled because in prison someone getting that close to you usually means you’re in for a world of trouble. That’s just the surface of some of the issues Darnell is dealing with before the terrifying spiders come along and make things more difficult.
Yet the spiders also provide an empathetic and charming touch to some of the problems of being out in the real world again. Key plays around with the horror of what it might be like having spiders gestating in your body, bursting forth from it, making their homes under your skin, and becoming something of an extended arachnid family. If you have some degree of arachnophobia then there are probably going to be some delightful, shivery moments that have you wanting to look away or hitting pause on the audiobook. Relish those moments and don’t let it deter you because at its soft, spidery heart this is a story about family, love, and trying to put the pieces of your life back together again.
** Thank you to Serial Box and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased review **
junefish's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Racism and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Drug use, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Police brutality, and Murder
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