Spider-Man: Drowned in Thunder

This is the first Spider-Man novel I've read, and though I wish I'd read the other novels that preceded it, I found the story fun and action-packed.

And not just in novel form, either; Christopher L. Bennett's DROWNED IN THUNDER is better even than most stories told in the comicbooks lately. The fight scenes are great, the humor is great, and the characterization is spot on. Best of all, it's so continuity-rich you'd swear Mark Gruenwald wrote it from beyond the grave. There's references to things like Aunt May hitting Spidey with a vase and MJ trying to hit him with a pillow (from a little BACK-UP story in an ANNUAL!). And even better, there's references to the previous novels, not just "Down These Mean Streets" by Keith R.A. DeCandido and "The Darkest Hours" by Jim Butcher, but even the novels from the previous series, including the ones by Diane Duane and Adam-Troy Castro. And a direct quote from the 1960's Batman movie. And even a nickname for JJJ that's taken from the 90's animated series! Pick it up, you will not regret it.