City of Heroes: The Web of Arachnos

As I read the reviews for this product, my heart sank a little. I am, myself, a fan of the CoH/CoV games. So, like I said, I expected very little from the book as a result except for a backstory to add to my enjoyment of the game. However, after receiving the book, and beginning to read, I was immediately captured by the writing style of the author. His descriptive wording and appropriate word use were the first items to catch my attention. However, after a chapter, the story was riveting. As I said, I had read the previous reviews on this, and if I may say, perhaps some of them are overly critical. Keep in mind, for example, that the book is centered on two specific characters, those of Stefan Richter (Lord Recluse) and Marcus Cole (Statesman), and so therefore, mentions of the exploits of any other heroes prior to their appearance in the novel would be unwarranted. And, it would not seem illogical for someone with great powers to be eaither a) unaware of the vastness of them, or b) in an era when the world was just over the first industrial revolutions of America, afraid to show any level of supernatural ability, since the demonstration of such would instill fear in a great many people (including the politcial regimes of the day). Also, as to Recluse's metal spider legs, since he is a technocrat and obviously a fan of the scientific, it is not unthinkable that such a person would either a) augment natural appendages which grew as a result of his transformation, to be fitted with metal, or to b) have created that metallic set of appendages. Finally, though the characters might seem predictable, and "lightweight", the fact is that the author is playing on what we should expect. The great war hero, power hungry villain, megalomaniac Nemesis, plucky reporter, etc...are all the types of people we can relate with. Their characters are well fleshed out in the novel, and overall, it is a great read!

It's nice to finally have some good background written on City of Heroes. And by one of the best game-related fantasy author, no less. I raced through this book with delight. I hope you will enjoy it.

It is very hard to write a compelling book placed in a world the writer themself did not invent. Just see any of the various Magic: the Gathering novels for a good example of what happens when a writer fails to carry off a convincing story. The Web of Arachnos, on the other hand, weaves a compelling adventure about two inseperable friends who wind up dire enemies. The deterioration of their relationship and the creation of both a superhero and a supervillain is told with compassionate insight into what drives people to choose lifestyles and priorities most of us would label as "evil". An excellent study of human nature set in the universe of a popular online game. What more could a modern reader ask for?

The Web Of Arachnos fills a lot of details in on the history of Paragon City, and those who inhabit it. We meet Statesman, the iconic character of CoH, and his ex-friend, Stefan, now known as Lord Recluse. The action stutters in a couple of places, and the switch of the bonvivant Marcus Cole into the heroic Statesmen is not as well done as I was like, but it still was a great read. Recommended