Spiders is an excellent book for those of you with that uneasy feeling that the world we live in is not all that it seems. Wong has shown he was capable of mixing creepypasta-level terror with crude body humor in the previous title (John Dies at The End) and it's sequel does not disappoint one bit.
As a note, I will say definitively that this book is not for everyone, it includes concepts that are on level with those of the wildest "They" conspiracies that any paranoid schizophrenic has ever come up with. Not to mention, the author insists, without a disclaimer ever stating otherwise anywhere in the book, that everything depivted in the book is the truth. Anyone with any trouble separating fact from fiction should not touch this book. Anyone who is not inherently familiar with Internet culture should likewise not touch this book. Anyone who is easily offended by grotesque imagery of dismemberment, mutilation, carnage or male genitalia should not touch this book. On the other hand, well-adjusted intellectuals (with an admittedly lax sense of sophistication) can get a lot of enjoyment out of this book and it's predecessor.
With a lot of focus on the nature of humanity and how social mechanics clash with our primal urges, the author makes obscure connections that paint a bleak and horrifying portrait of the universe and our place in it. Many have described Wong's work as being like "Lovecraft with poop jokes" and they are absolutely correct. In fact, the entire tone of Wong's message is encapsulated in one of Lovecraft's most famous quotes:
"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age."
Some of the themes in Wong's work include the idea that there are entities that view humans on the same level that humans view insects, or even bacteria. That there are forces outside our understanding that are molding the path of mankind for their own diabolical and incomprehensible ends. That our own inability to comprehend our role in the cosmic scale will result in our destruction and that there is absolutely nothing that anyone can do to change that.
For those who have read the first book, all the major survivors from the first book make appearances and don't disappoint. Character interactions are more in-depth thanks to Wong's decision to jump from perspective to perspective in each chapter (familiar to readers of George R.R. Martin's Songs of Fire and Ice series). If you are expecting the same type of stories as the first book, you may be disappointed, or thrilled. The situations are a bit more... frantic and chaotic this time around, which may sound odd, considering the events of the first book. Wong raises the scales in just about every aspect to create a much more epic, apocalyptic tone for the story. The story is split into three parts, with each chapter counting down to some inevitable unpleasant outcome, creating a fast-paced intensity that can drag even a casual reader through the book in one sitting (if they have the stomach for the imagery). The author is also acutely aware of reader-expectations and well-versed in the psychology of pop-culture, evidently drawing from his experiences and research as senior editor of comedy article website, Cracked.com.
In fact, anyone familiar with Wong's internet writing will see many familiar topics in Spiders, some being quite blatant. Personally, as a fan, I found this exciting and refreshing, but I can see others having a difference of opinion there.
As for those who haven't read the first book, you CAN pick up Spiders and read it without having read JDAtE. All of the characters are presented in a way that reintroduces them without ruining every plot point of the first book. In fact, I was impressed to read that except for one or two major spoilers considering characters' fates (this can be expected in any sequel, obviously), all of the major reveals and twists from the first book are left completely unspoiled, with only a couple dialogue hints that would only be caught by someone intimately familiar with the events of the series... like myself.
To conclude, this book was a load of fun... I read it in about six hours over the course of two sittings, mostly because the storytelling uses many tricks to keep you hooked and pulls you right through it. It does a great job of mixing common phobias, social psychology, ideological aspects, inter-dimensional parasitic invasions and crude humor into a social commentary that will cause you to look at the world in a completely new way...
Possibly because you may now know that an alien spider-like creature is living in your brain, controlling your every perception.
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This book killed me, which saved my life.
You might think that’s a contradiction, but let me explain. I was reading this book at work, which is a boring and soul-sucking place where I handle retirement plans for people who have more money than sense. I had nothing in common with anyone there, except for this one woman who was reading the same book as me. It was a bright orange book with paper spiders on it, called This Book is Full of Spiders. It’s a hilarious and horrifying story about two guys who have to deal with a spider invasion that can turn people into zombies.I wanted to give her a nod of recognition, but before I could, some jerk with a burrito sat down next to her and started talking her ear off. She looked like she wanted to escape, but he wouldn’t shut up. Then, something weird happened. Bugs started flying out of his burrito and his mouth. They looked like the spiders from the book. Everyone freaked out and ran away, including the woman. I followed her, hoping to catch up with her and maybe exchange numbers.But then I made a mistake. I turned the page on my Kindle, and the next thing I knew, I was at an abandoned asylum. It was the same asylum from the book, where the two guys were about to kill a bunch of people. I had somehow entered the book. I don’t know how it happened, but it did. And it was scary as hell.I threw my Kindle away and drove off, hoping to get away from the book. But it was too late. The book had already changed my reality. I saw on the news that the massacre had happened, and that the two guys were the same ones from the book. They looked just like the cover. I realized then that the book was not just a book. It was a prophecy. It was a warning. It was a survival guide.And I had thrown it away.I regretted it instantly. I wished I had kept the book. I wished I had read it to the end. Maybe then I would have known what to do. Maybe then I would have been prepared for what was coming.Because the spiders were coming. They were everywhere. They were infecting people and turning them into zombies. They were taking over the world. And I had no idea how to stop them.I tried to find the woman who had been reading the book with me. Maybe she still had it. Maybe she knew something. Maybe she could help me. But I couldn’t find her. I searched everywhere, but she was gone. Maybe she was dead. Maybe she was one of them.I was alone. I was doomed. I was scared.Then I saw it. A bright orange book with paper spiders on it. It was lying on the side of the road, covered in dirt and blood. It was my Kindle. It was the book. It was still on.I picked it up and opened it. It was on the last page. It said:“Congratulations. You have survived the spider apocalypse. You are one of the few remaining humans on Earth. You have proven yourself to be brave, smart, and resourceful. You have followed the book’s instructions and avoided the spiders’ traps. You have killed the spiders’ queen and freed the zombies from her control. You have saved the world. Well done.”I couldn’t believe it. I had done it. I had survived. I had saved the world. How? When? I didn’t remember doing any of that. I didn’t remember anything after throwing the book away.But then I realized. The book had killed me. It had killed my old self, the boring and soul-sucking one who worked at [Undisclosed]. It had replaced me with a new self, the hilarious and heroic one who fought the spiders. It had rewritten my reality. It had saved my life.This Book is Full of Spiders is not just a book. It’s a miracle. It’s a gift. It’s the best book I’ve ever read. And you should read it too. Before it’s too late.
Top reviews from other countries
Victor
Almost as good as "John Dies at the End"
Reviewed in Australia on September 16, 2024
Luisa
You really should touch this book, spiders and all!
Reviewed in Brazil on November 30, 2015
Rancid Monke
Well Written Horror/Comedy...Well Worth Your Money.
Reviewed in Canada on October 23, 2012
