A Reconstructive Deconstruction — A Fantasy Book Review of Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Art by Tyler Jacobson

As I read Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky, I found my perspective on “what it actually was about” constantly shifting (while the quality remained stellar throughout). At first glance, it seems like a fairly straightforward fantasy adventure, but as the perspective rapidly shifts to the point of view of a giant spider, it instantly becomes clear that this is no generic, Dungeons and Dragons-style adventure.

But my expectations were already there.

This book was published in the golden age of grimdark, and it certainly isn’t marketed as a classic, heroic fantasy epic. Beyond knowing a bit about the author and the book itself, I expecting my expectations to be somewhat subverted as the story went. What I did not expect, however, was for them to be subverted again (and then again. And again).

I will eventually veer into spoiler territory to explain this, but before we head that way, I want to hammer home that this book is multifaceted. It might not be a classic fantasy romp, but nor is it a dour deconstruction of the genre it hails from. I really struggle with deconstructive stories that have little more of a message than: good things are actually bad. This does not fall into that category of storytelling, and for that, it was a breath of fresh air.

However, all that being said, this book is definitely not squeaky clean either. The characters are selfish, bitter, sexist, arrogant, and sometimes cruel… but also human. The world is filled with dark forests, corrupt religions, and a very skewed vision of darkness vs. light. But what really works for Spiderlight is that Tchaikovsky never makes these things one-dimensional.

Reading this book was a journey. As I mentioned previously, my perspective on it — thematically — changed multiple times. This will be spoiler light here. You can read this section without any major plot points being spoiled, but if you want to experience the rollercoaster, skip to later!

This book starts out as a group of “heroes” travel through a forest en route to defeat a forest to defeat a dark lord. They all bicker and snap at each other, which is an interesting choice. Then, after they capture a spider and force him to become human, I suspected that the book would shift towards these characters being straight up villains. However, Tchaikovsky doesn’t seem to fall into that trap.

I kept waiting for the ball to drop. I kept waiting for Tchaikovsky to tell me who to root for. But none of that ever came. All of these characters have their quirks and are not particularly likable, but neither are they straight up evil. Some of the most heinous characters do truly good things, and even the most altruistic of the bunch is capable of incredible selfishness and cruelty. Just like humans.

I won’t spoil the ending here, but the climax was absolutely incredible. Once again, Tchaikovsky doesn’t fall trap to deconstructive subversions. He consistently has tricks up his sleeve, and he plays them at just the right moment.

I loved reading this book with such numerous expectations, and with an ending as satisfying as this one, every single one was worth it.

A notable standout was the character of Nth — a spider-turned-human (kinda). This aspect of the story was what initially sold me. The “heroes” capture a spider and force him to be human (against his will) in order to guide them to the evil dark lord. It is creative, and so messed up. Nth has been imbued with sentience… but is that a good thing? Did he even desire that? What is his place in the world if he is neither fully human and no longer a spider? There are nuances to this character that truly blew my mind. I love Nth. He is unnerving and heartbreaking.

In terms of the actual writing of this book, Tchaikovsky is amazing. The prose is deep and beautifully blunt. He has phenomenal dialogue, and also… his names were SO good. Fantasy names are not as easy to create as one might think. I loved the names of each location, and every character. This was a highlight for me.

Overall, I cannot recommend Spiderlight enough. Tchaikovsky constructs, deconstructs, and then reconstructs an amazing fantasy story with phenomenal themes, smart prose, and nuanced characters. This book was a journey, and one that you return from with an entirely new perspective as one the you began with.

-H.