Customer Reviews

Hydrophidian (Spider Garden Book Two)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You can read Hydrophidian (and its predecessor Spider Garden) as addressing a fundamental question in science fiction: what will people do with their time if they don't have to work and all is possible? 'Have technologically enhanced sex-magik and play elaborate dominance games' seems like an unusally honest answer to me. Or you can just enjoy the deliciously stylized, Japanese shunga woodcut-influenced art and masterful storytelling.

S&M and fetish aspects certain to please everyone. If this book does nothing for you sexually, get the series at least for the interesting concepts, art and stories. The series of books this is part of is the crowning piece of my erotica and graphic images colloection. Everyone I have shown the books to wants a copy - this book you must see to believe - WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENTS CERTAIN TO PLEASE EVEN THE MORE ODD SEXUAL TASTES

Hydrophidian continues in the same far future setting in Manning's first novella - Spider Garden. In this novella, we meet the serpentine sisters Lichurna and Squamata, who play with rubber encased naiads in a drowned cathedral. Squamata transforms Lichurna's free willed concubine into a leather bound slave. And Shaalis's slave Okami is the subject of a raid by her former master, Verio.

Once again, the settings and the characters are original and beautifully rendered. This book has something to appeal to almost everyone - elaborate latex/leather costumes, bondage, bestiality, and pan/bisexuality. This book is inventive and exciting.

Marvelous use of the ink in a solid and sharp style. Story wise, its unique disturbing and sensual trip into the mithos of manning's world of sadosexual - fantasy.

The graphics are absolutely stunning, lush and highly erotic...but, as I went on to read the storyline I felt it cheapened the otherwise stimulating experience for me (read:incestuous sisters - mother w/sons kinda deal). Yes, I know it is based on fantasy and whatnot but maybe I've read one too many stories intended for adults that are looking repetitive which is why I'm pretty fed up with artists reaching for that sort of angle to make something ''darker & more taboo''. I know that depravity is the name of the game when it comes to some if not most of S&M fiction and some readers may dig that sort of thing but as we politely say on this side of the woods, YKINMK.

I LOVE the artwork of Michael Manning. The art is what sets this apart from most things you will come across when looking for deliciously crafted visuals. The storyline is the only reason why I rated this lower.