Customer Reviews

The Spinner

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

 

 

On a near-future Earth, an illegal transdimensional drilling machine called the Rumson Bore is prospecting for energy sources when it accidentally digs up a very alien creature named Mordak. Angry at being awakened from his hibernation, Mordak crosses over to Earth to exact revenge on his tormenters, then becomes trapped there. The world that he emerges into is so troubled that his presence is barely noticed at first. People are just too busy with their own problems. But as Mordak begins to spin his web and place people in it, the city, the country, and eventually the world begin to notice. However, no one can agree on what to do or who should do it, and the city is left to its own resources. This place is filled with misfits, the discarded sick and elderly, the disabled, the mentally ill, human predators, cannibals, mutants, cowards and traitors. Parts of the story are told from the point of view of Mordak, who aside from his anger is not totally a monster, and has other concerns such as being the father of a new generation of Spinners.

The only reason that I gave this story 4 stars instead of 5 is that it can be hard to follow, jumps around a lot and, because of the confused state of many of the city inhabitants, it can be hard to tell what is real and what they are imagining. But the story itself is a very good one, with the city's only hope being a group of people who were discarded by society, and have created their own haven in hidden caves beneath the city. They rescue some of the helpless, and exact punishment on a human predator that can only be called poetic justice. They fight back against Mordak, who does not expect his prey to ever be smarter than he is. Usually, it is not. I found the ending to be very satisfying... Justice is served.

I picked this book up in 1980 my decision based solely on the cover art. I thought the alien design was original and scary and I liked the idea of a spider like alien that trapped people in a a web. I was only 10 at the time and what I got was a monster on the loose story unlike any that I had read or seen in the past.
The characters were realistically portrayed and quirky, dealing with an alien menace and day to day problems like relationships and relatives with mental disorders. Whole chapters would be devoted to certain characters and their trials with the alien just making a cameo appearance.
Eventually as the situation worsens the story focuses on the alien threat and the human response to it.
Liked it then and now even more so because it still hold up and stands alone in its field.