I would like to thank Pan Macmillan and Adrian Tchaikovsky for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story starts familiarly with Tchaikovsky’s trademark zoological background and spiders taking the lead. I always love understanding more about the natural world and how they live. Through his eyes I see each species a lot differently.

The story sets its own pace and has action, magic, and some humour in there too to keep it interesting. It’s not a light-hearted tale by any means, but it doesn’t drag, and avoids becoming too dark. I love a story with a fantasy quest and an unconventional band of characters and here again Tchaikovsky doesn't disappoint. He writes it passionately and uses the adventure to ask questions about right and wrong, loyalty and most importantly light and dark, I prefer to use the term shade as nothing is really black and white..

The writing is clear and easy to follow, and the world feels well thought out and detailed without needing long descriptions. I like how it flips fantasy traditions on its head; instead of simple good versus evil, it asks whether those labels really mean anything at all.
The characters each got a chance to shine and show off their personalities which were very different no matter which side you’re rooting for. I enjoyed the flipping between perspectives of certain characters it added a new layer to the story. And of course let’s not forget the bickering what a great time I had reading through that..

Overall it’s a sharp, fun and engaging book that at first reads like a standard fantasy quest on the surface but ends up being much more. It's well worth reading if you like stories that break the rules a bit and make you think. The ending I especially thought was very sneaky and was pleasantly surprised.
It's safe to say I had great fun reading this and am wondering if there's any subject Mr Tchaikovsky doesn’t excel at? It seems not..

I really struggled to read this book. Partly because of how it was set out on my kindle. I'm pretty sure that's not something you can control though and I understand why it was like that. Secondly because I felt I had read it or something very similar before. I checked Goodreads and it seems it was published in 2016? I haven't got it marked as read on mine though. Because if this similar feeling I felt like I didn't get out of the book what I could have. I knew I would end up thinking the spider Nth wasn't a monster and that it would make me reconsider what it is to be monstrous. I liked the world building but Adrian Tchaikovsky books are always really well written so I was expecting that. Overall though not my favourite. I didn't particularly dislike it but I didn't find anything to make me like it either.

So this is one of Mr T's earlier novels, first published right after Children of Time boosted him into high orbit. And yes, texts stand on their own, The Author is dead and we have killed him, I know, I know, but it's really hard to understand this book except through that lens. Because on the whole, it's just...fine. Not awful, but just tongue-in-cheek fantasy pastiche that's not in the same league as any of the Tyrant Philosophers novels, or even (whisper it), the rather similar Dark Lord Dani books.

The pastiche is pretty obvious from the media res get-go: the human-chauvinist forces of The Light are falling back against the mighty Dark Lord and his subhuman ranks of Darkness, you see, and a motley band of outcasts is about to risk everything to fulfill the prophecy that points the only way to victory. And yes, this is an absolutely threadworn, hackish premise. and Tchaikovsky clearly knows it, the problem is he Just. Won't. Stop. Telling. You. he knows it. Wink wink, nudge nudge, wonder if everything's going to be as simple as it seems by the third act.

And to be fair, he does colour between the lines with many of the little grace notes that illuminate his later works: almost every time Tchaikovsky looks like he's about to "complicate" his premise with a stock grimdark trope — both sides are horrible, the vicious wheel of history can never be broken, all that — the actual reveal comes out a little bit slant and nuanced. It's not as deep as the more affecting sleight-of-hand of say, And Put Away Childish Things, but you can see how he gets there.

Still, the voice isn't quite firm enough, the twists actually surprising enough, the catharsis burning enough to forgive all the meta trickery — readers not familiar with his more recent works (or who haven't really seen fantasy tropes deconstructed before) might justifiably love Spiderlight, but you're better off going straight to the good stuff.

Spiderlight is a clever, dark twist on classic fantasy tropes, with Tchaikovsky’s signature intelligence and originality. While I enjoyed the ride, I personally prefer some of his other books—this one felt a bit more experimental. Still, it’s a sharp, fast-paced read with plenty to admire.

At first I didn't think I'd like this standalone novel from veteran fantasy author Tchaikovsky. There were multiple switches of viewpoint, often poorly signalled, which was confusing, and the characters seemed two-dimensional. But I stuck with it as there were also aspects that were good, and I was glad I did. By about a quarter of the way in things got much better. The viewpoint changes were easier to follow and the characters became deeper and much more interesting, and in the end I hugely enjoyed the book.

The story starts in a forest ruled by that beloved trope of fantasy writers - giant spiders. A bunch of questors on the side of the Light (with a capital L of course) are attacking the arachnids. Amongst the eight legged defenders is Nth (pronounced 'enth'), whose viewpoint we get first as he rushes to defend his mother. By the end of the chapter, the heroes have their weapon - a spider's tooth - and have blackmailed the spider queen into offering one of her children - Nth - as a guide. To disguise his true form, the magician in their company (naturally there is one) transforms Nth into a hideous near-human. The unlikely band set off across the land with the aim of defeating the Dark Lord Darvezian, encountering various perils and adventures along the way as you would expect, but also being forced to question what they think they know about 'Light' and 'Dark'.

The story unashamedly uses plenty of familiar fantasy tropes, but at its heart it is a lot cleverer and more subversive than I at first imagined, and I did not expect the ending at all. Nth is - surprisingly perhaps - a very sympathetic and likeable character, who retains a spider-like quality whilst also being relatable. As time goes on, I also became fond of most of the other questors, even the bombastic but socially inept wizard Penthos. I really loved the roguish thief Lief. The plot developed in a way I didn't foresee - despite the essential elements being familiar from every classic fantasy, the way they are delivered and the development of the characters and their thinking take it in different directions.

Tchaikovsky describes brilliantly how it might feel to be a spider, and then to be a spider in a human body and with human thoughts. The 'spidery' sections are really evocative - shudderingly so if you have degree of arachnophobia - but his depiction is not unsympathetic or designed to shock. From the very beginning as a reader you question why these creatures are 'Dark' when they are not essentially evil, simply animals obeying their nature and trying to survive and live their lives. And that is really the theme of the book, but you aren't bludgeoned with it - by the time the point is being made explicitly in the text, the reader has already had all those thoughts themselves. It's a good example of 'show don't tell'.

If you enjoy fantasy adventures, and want one that makes you think and is original without losing the classic tropes that we all love, this is a very good choice. If like me you aren't sure at the start, do stick with it, as the rest of it is well worth it.

Ever been in one of those doomed D&D adventures, where the fate of the world is in your hands, but you are not sure you are going to survive until the end? This is what Spiderlight felt like to me, which is just about perfect.

The prophercy was a tricky one, how to beat the Dark Lord that was threatening th good people of the land. The Church of Armes has finally brought forward a champion that has figured it out. Now with a group of adventurers ready to bave the dangers ahead, they head into the dark forrest to reach the spider queen. The Spiderway goes through her, but that means going through an army of spiders first.

I loved this book. The characters are brilliantly flawed, no one there for a good reason, not even the good guys. The twists and turns you do not see coming, and I love that. It is a book of epic fantasy that will keep you on your toes, as you watch the adventurers question their own morals the whole way through.

Typical Tchaikovsky, just making everything look amazing and easy.

Not actually a new novel, the indicia indicates that this was originally serialised back in 2013. Knowing that, it’s easy to spot in the shape of the book, which feels like a novelisation of several D&D sessions (albeit ones put together by a DM with a fondness for the philosophical conundrum alongside the stealing and the stabbing and the setting things on fire). It’s a quick and simple read, with a lot of good gags and with enough going on under the surface to raise questions around personhood and free will. Nothing groundbreaking, but a good diversion for a few hour

Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a sharp, subversive fantasy that plays with classic tropes while delivering a fast-paced, surprisingly thoughtful adventure. With a band of mismatched heroes, a reluctant spider-turned-human companion, and a quest that spirals into unexpected moral territory, the story is both witty and unsettling.

Tchaikovsky’s writing balances humor, darkness, and philosophical depth without slowing the pace. The character dynamics shine, especially as the lines between good and evil blur. Spiderlight is clever, compact, and memorable—a solid 4-star read that entertains while challenging the genre’s conventions.

Can Tchaikovsky do no wrong? I fell in love with his sci-fi books; I never read fantasy, but I like his writing so much that I thought I'd give it a go. I'm so glad I did.

Spiderlight does an amazing job of appearing as a fun fantasy adventure, only to come crashing down on you with a strong moral message. Have I been rooting for the right person? Am I aware of my own limitations?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

The beauty of Spiderlight is that the author effortlessly gets you to root for the Dark-spider-transformed-into-a-human, rather than the humans which are on the side of Light but treat him like dirt and rush into battle against 'enemies' who haven't even done anything vaguely intimidating. To start with it feels like it's poking fun at the Good vs Evil fantasy trope in a satirical sort of way but it turns more serious and ends up as a fantasy story that dives deeply but gradually into themes like morality, hypocrisy, bias and righteousness.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from Tor and NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.