Scan barcode
krazykentreader's review
4.0
Whther you're a fan of the game or the character, this book is a definite must-read for all Spidey fans!!
melsage1823's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really really enjoyed this novel and felt like Liss created the perfect love letter to the orginal game.
The only problem is that some of the writing for the female characters weren't top notch and good at all. MJ I get you were trying to develop her so her character development in the game meant something but she came off as a straight up asshole especially when she was telling Peter to get off his ass and do something just after everything fell apart for him. Anika now don't get me started on her. I should have felt for her death but legit the only reason she died was because she was stalking Peter and MJ. Someone having a crush to the point of stalking is not ok, she deserved to have more of a personality than crushing on Peter in order to make her death impactful.
However other than that I thought it was really enjoyable and the Insomniac Spiderverse was brought to life in literature beautifully. Although not all the female characters were written well Maya Lopez had a beautiful arc in the book much better than the one she had in Hawkeye. This book has got me more invested in the character and has made me appreciate it. I really liked the way she knew it was important to team up with Spidey when she found out the truth.
I loved the foreshadowing of what would happen in the first game and how the epilogue was literally the opening of the game. It truly felt like one big love letter to the game. Moments like where Harry leaves for the final time truly creates an impact because you know the twist in the game.
The villians were the absolute best, Kingpin was at an all time high with the perfect portrayal of how threatening he is and how hot headed he is. I also loved how it showed how manipulative he is and that he needs to be locked up. Blood Spider was perfect I was hesitant at how making him a blood murdering bigot could work but it did. I absolutely hated him and considered his character up there with Pacemakers Dad. Not only was he ableist and fatphobic he was also a mysoginstic too. When he made those ableist remarks to Maya I truly felt her anger and rage. The book shows us how insane he's become thanks to Osborne's experiments and like with Martin Lee how he created an immense threat that Peter needed to clean up.
Peter shone in this book as it showed us the beginning of his character arc in the game. Thanks to this book I feel pride knowing he got Kingpin locked up. Peter grows emotionally a lot as a character here and that's absolutely fantastic. I loved to see him overcome his battles and how he dealt with the imposter not to mention he resisted killing Blood Spider which was good.
Great novel I highly recommend for any Insomniac Spidey fan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
poisonenvy's review
4.0
Overall, this was a super fun read which makes me want to pick up the video game again. It was a really easy read which was a refreshing break from the books I'm currently reading, though I thought Spider-Man could be a bit wittier at times.
The scene at the Bar With No Name was delightful in all the best ways.
For something that was supposed to be hard to notice, literally everyone seemed to notice the lines on Blood Spider's suit were close than Spider-Man's. There's really only so many times you can read "The lines are closer together" followed immediately with "this was super difficult thing to notice, fyi" before it gets old.
The scene at the Bar With No Name was delightful in all the best ways.
For something that was supposed to be hard to notice, literally everyone seemed to notice the lines on Blood Spider's suit were close than Spider-Man's. There's really only so many times you can read "The lines are closer together" followed immediately with "this was super difficult thing to notice, fyi" before it gets old.
hayzeeshades's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
crayeras's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
coreycamps's review against another edition
4.0
If you don't know, this book is a prequel for the upcoming PlayStation 4 Title Marvel's Spider-Man.
The writing style in this one was a bit odd, simplistic and straight to the point there is very little flowery language in this book. I came to appreciate it eventually, but it was slightly jarring at first. After I got my brain past the diction, it was a really excellent Spider-Man story at the core. It did everything right as far as I'm concerned. Fisk was written as the ruthless and horribly calculating villain over it all, Norman Osborne was mysteriously aloof and involved in some suspect ways, Echo and Blood Spider were given excellent characterization and humanity in their own right.
However, where this story really shines is in Peter himself. He's pulled between his obligation as Spider-Man and his real life. He has a reputation for being flaky, and it tolls on him to live this double life. His relationships with MJ, Aunt May, new ally Yuri Watanabe, and his Boss (Oi, thank you for that hint Mr. Liss) all struggle and have amazing (get it? amazing?) repercussions on him in both of his lives- and this all comes together in a set-up that makes it really hard not to get excited about the upcoming Spider-Man game.
The writing style in this one was a bit odd, simplistic and straight to the point there is very little flowery language in this book. I came to appreciate it eventually, but it was slightly jarring at first. After I got my brain past the diction, it was a really excellent Spider-Man story at the core. It did everything right as far as I'm concerned. Fisk was written as the ruthless and horribly calculating villain over it all, Norman Osborne was mysteriously aloof and involved in some suspect ways, Echo and Blood Spider were given excellent characterization and humanity in their own right.
However, where this story really shines is in Peter himself. He's pulled between his obligation as Spider-Man and his real life. He has a reputation for being flaky, and it tolls on him to live this double life. His relationships with MJ, Aunt May, new ally Yuri Watanabe, and his Boss (Oi, thank you for that hint Mr. Liss) all struggle and have amazing (get it? amazing?) repercussions on him in both of his lives- and this all comes together in a set-up that makes it really hard not to get excited about the upcoming Spider-Man game.
faiazalam's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lawynne's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Very enjoyable read. Took a while to get into, and the writing felt a bit childish at times, but overall was super fun. Especially with the video game context too
amidatelion's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
blushinurcheeks's review
3.0
3.5 stars
i’m a HUGE fan of the insomniac game so i rather enjoyed this one. it’s cool, gives some cool information and set up about the world of spider-man pre-game. if u also love the insomniac games i find it hard to imagine that u’ll hate this one.
i’m a HUGE fan of the insomniac game so i rather enjoyed this one. it’s cool, gives some cool information and set up about the world of spider-man pre-game. if u also love the insomniac games i find it hard to imagine that u’ll hate this one.