![So I'm a Spider, So What?, Vol. 1 (light novel) (So I'm a Spider, So What? (light novel)) by [Baba, Okina]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51keyGksJjL._SY346_.jpg)
The other world genre is really exploding these days with the sub genre of being reborn in one. I’ve read a few of these, with some of my favorites being the Tanya the evil stories and Felicia’s second life. So I’m a spider, so what? (Siasow) is an interesting take, but even it isn’t alone in these genre. There have already been books about being reborn as a slime and other monstrous tales from indie authors and light novels alike. If you wish to dive into this pool, know it runs deep. Still, Okina Baba manages to carve a spot out of this crowded space with a fun romp through an otherworldly labyrinth.
When first picking this book up you might be expecting light hearted humor and a quick and easy read. This expectation is remarkable since the book was originally written in Japanese and humor and style would need to cross the language and culture barrier, but it does so fantastically. There are some cultural sticking points, but for the most part there is nothing about this book that should give you any difficulty, or jokes that seem to fall flat. For the most part it felt like watching an anime (and in fact is being adapted as one). Okina’s easy style and a masterful translation results in a book that could have been written in the US and you might not know the difference.
But, you say, spiders are ick, how could this possibly be fun to read. That is an excellent question and Okina does take a direct approach, going for the cute style rather than spending much time on the gross aspects of being a spider. Half of the book occurs in the human world, with a lot of time spent digesting the difference between this world and the one the characters came from, which is a rough approximation of our own. World building takes a shockingly large amount of time, even though politically and culturally you aren’t left with much. The actual world feels empty, but it is supposed to feel empty. The author was emulating something on purpose as part of the plot and she succeeds in doing so. I will not explain further as that might spoil something, but if you want to find out you’ll have to read it for yourself.
Another similarity this book had which is enjoyable is to the Is it Wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon series. Both this book and that one take the role playing game aspects and incorporate it directly into the world. Which series does it better could probably span several pages of reddit arguments, so probably best to leave that alone, but it was still fun to see in this book. Geek culture takes center stage the entire time and lovingly pokes fun at itself. Since you’re reading a review for a light novel, you probably have seen a bit about geek culture yourself, so this should feel right at home.
Culturally the book stands up pretty well, though it clearly occurs from a Japanese point of view, there are a few things that might seem a little off. For one, the notion that a boy who becomes a girl in a fantasy world is still a boy, despite having grown up as a girl. Were this told from an American author it might seem like a political statement, but here it seemed to be more an attempt at humor. Additionally, though this is a fantasy world, the notion of gender differences, despite the role playing game aspect, still play a role. Of course this could be on purpose too given the book is deliberately trying to make a play at fantasy worlds we have come up with which are typically kind of sexist. If the author was English speaking, I might of written to ask.
In the end this book is one of my favorites and the second book is already on pre-order. The genre is getting crowded, but apparently that doesn’t prevent true gems from coming to the surface. If you’re on the fence then you should pick this book up and if you’ve read my review (You have to be to see this right?) then you need to pick this book up. You won’t regret your time spend in Okina’s fantastic world.
- File Size: 18379 KB
- Print Length: 224 pages
- Publisher: Yen On (November 21, 2017)
- Publication Date: November 21, 2017
- Language: English
- ASIN: B0723G97LX
- Text-to-Speech:
Enabled
- Word Wise: Enabled
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,216 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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