Readers who loved Adrian Tchaikovsky’s deep dive into spider intelligence in Children of Time and his sharp humor in Service Model will find Spiderlight an absolute treat — a fantasy adventure that gleefully spins classic tropes into something far more thoughtful (and eight-legged).

On the surface, this is a familiar quest: a ragtag group of adventurers, a prophecy to fulfill, a Dark Lord to defeat. The Church of Armes fights for the Light, but some members of the party are… let’s say, less devout. It’s all well-worn fantasy territory — until Tchaikovsky starts pulling at the threads.

With razor-sharp satire and a wink toward the late, great Terry Pratchett, Spiderlight unravels the rigid binaries of Light and Dark, hero and villain, human and Other. What does it actually mean to be Human? And is that even the goal? Tchaikovsky uses his signature wit to probe these questions, making for a fantasy tale that’s as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

Originally published in 2016, Spiderlight got a fresh breath of life with its 2024 audiobook, narrated by the author himself. Tchaikovsky’s performance in Service Model set a high bar, and once again, he absolutely delivers. Honestly, it’s infuriating how good he is at everything.

Spiderlight is a must-read (or must-listen) for fans of clever, self-aware fantasy that challenges the genre while celebrating it. Come for the classic quest — stay for the existential spider musings.

I liked this book a lot. I think that some people might go into it expecting a humorous, lighthearted fantasy, but, while it has moments of humor, this is a dark story about the danger of fundamentalist religions. I fully Hated most of the characters for most the book. It may feel heavy-handed, but in our age which continues to have violence caused by religious extremism, I'm okay with that.

Adrian Tchaikovsky is a wonderful narrator, bringing unique voices to all of the characters. His narration absolutely convinced me to pick up more of his books on audio!

Actual Rating 2.5

This is a bit of a tricky one to rate. For the first 40%, I was sure I was going to completely dislike this work. It starts off painfully slow, full of familiar tropes, and the characters felt just as standard/tropey as the rest of the work. But things picked up a bit by the halfway mark, and some interesting philosophical points began to be explored. The exploration of human prejudice was well done. By the end of the work, I’d quite enjoyed where it ended up and how it was resolved.

I do think this is worth the read for the second half and the themes the author bended and explored. There was strong character growth in the second half as well as interesting (and some silly) events. However, the first 60% of the work really was a bit of a struggle to get through and felt largely pointless overall aside from some weak setup for the rest. The characters were difficult to like overall as most of them just blended into the background.

This was an okay fantasy overall that explored some interesting themes by the end, but there was a lot of mediocre to wade through to get there. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Spiderlight is a mix of sword-and-sorcery adventure and deeper commentary on human nature, morality, and the dangers of black-and-white thinking. At first, it feels like a classic DnD-inspired quest, with a mismatched party on a mission to defeat the Dark Lord, But, it quickly becomes something darker and more thought-provoking. Tchaikovsky masterfully explores themes of “us vs. them,” prejudice, and the hypocrisy that often comes with self-righteousness.

The standout here is the spider character, Nth. Tchaikovsky has a way of making non-human perspectives feel both alien and deeply relatable, and Nth’s journey is as heartbreaking as it is fascinating. While some of the other characters felt less compelling, the spider's arc carried much of the emotional weight. The audiobook, narrated by Tchaikovsky himself, adds an extra layer of engagement. His narration is solid, especially given the variety of voices required, though the frequent POV changes might have been easier to track in print. Overall, Spiderlight is a unique and enjoyable fantasy that combines sharp humor, biting social commentary, and an unforgettable spider protagonist.

WHAT did I just read?!?! Spiderlight is a wonderfully creepy and bizarre grimdark-lite fantasy. I kept expecting it to turn into a romance, and while I would have loved that too, I like how it was just this weird, dark book all the way through.

It's a great length! Not long, though some details could have been fleshed out more for better coherence. The cast of characters is BRILLIANT, and I LOVED reading their twisting dynamic throughout the story.

There is violence, language, and s3xual content.

The narration is excellent!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an e-arc to listen and review voluntarily and honestly.

Spiderlight is a fantastic read that cleverly subverts classic fantasy tropes or pushes them to their logical extremes. The story follows a band of adventurers—a priest, mage, knight, ranger, and rogue—on their quest to defeat the dark lord Darvezian. At first, the plot feels like a typical Dungeons & Dragons-style quest, but Tchaikovsky shifts focus to the characters' histories, motivations, and convictions as their journey unfolds.

The group faces profound philosophical and moral dilemmas as their actions grow more ethically complex. Are their deeds inherently good simply because they are the "heroes"? Do the creatures they slay—some disturbingly humanlike—deserve their fate merely due to their association with evil? The story starts with humor and lightheartedness but gradually adopts a darker, more serious tone. The ending strikes a satisfying balance: it’s both realistic within the world’s rules and emotionally fulfilling.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Tchaikovsky himself, and it was a standout experience. His pacing was perfect—one of the few audiobooks where I didn’t feel the need to speed it up—and his distinct voice work for each character added depth and clarity to the dialogue. My only minor complaint was the occasional fluctuation in volume, requiring quick adjustments.

Overall, Spiderlight is a must-read, even for those who don’t usually gravitate toward fantasy. Tchaikovsky doesn’t rely on standard tropes; instead, he offers a thoughtful exploration of human nature and morality within a rich fantasy setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Basically a sword and sorcery adventure, felt ripped from the 80s quest fantasy or a DnD campaign (would not at all be surprised if this idea started as a DnD campaign). Was short and enjoyable, but nothing to make it one of Tchaikovsky's best, especially in regards to characters, which were all pretty bland besides one.

And that one is where the book shines. What separates this book and makes it worth reading is the otherness that Tchaikovsky is so good at writing, taking a spider character and filling them with such interesting concepts (while feeling different from the spiders in Children of Time, and the spider kinden of Apt).

Also Tchaikovsky narrates the new audiobook and does a really good job. This book requires more voices than the other books of his he has narrated, and he does a good variety without being over the top about it.

This book was so well written, but also way to close and hits to hard given what is happening in the world today. The story really shows how even the heroes can be a bad guy, and I really loved the themes of consent and racism discussed.

While a re-release, someone still needs to stop Adrian Tchaikovsky, just for a year or two. "Spiderlight" continues his self appointed mission to make me care about spiders.

"The path to victory will only be seen through a spider's eyes" this piece of prophecy ruined an 8 legged horror's life. The Dark Lord waits stop his tower, doing evil, plotting and the like, to marshal the forces of Darkness against the Light. A chosen of Armes, God of Light, and her band follow the prophecies and garner some ingredients from rather large spiders. But needing a guide their wizard alters one, now not a spider and not a man he is assaulted by the humanity of things.

Narrated by Adrian Tchaikovsky, rather fond of a particular voice met near the end.

Reasons to read:
-Just because you are the "Light" side doesn't mean you are always the good guys
-Hey that's not going to haunt my arachnophobic dreams at all
-Rogues that have more kindness and empathy than the heroes
-Well that's a kick in the teeth

Cons:
-Stop making me empathic to spiders! He keeps doing it!

Received as an ARC from Netgalley:

This was the audio read by the author.

I LOVE this book, one of the few books I've read with TRULY 3 dimensional characters, with every character having heaps of realism. The back and forth of the characters as they justify their actions and then become fully aware that they have holes in their understanding felt incredibly true to life. So much of our lives are dictated not by logic but by emotion.

The plot and the idea of the book is really interesting. The point of view and the expansion of a normally villainous fantasy character isn't new per say, with hints of RA Salvatore's Drizzt series, the execution is where the book thrives. The point of view of a Spider is incredibly well thought out and feels real.

Where this book goes floored me. Don't want to spoil, just to say that it was unexpected.

It felt particularly encouraging to read today, in a day where the world looks the darkest, a book where hope still thrives, and the value of empathy is reinforced was really needed.

I love running across new ( new to me) books by authors who I am actively seeking out lately and Adrian Tchaikovsky is certainly one of those authors.

This is a high fantasy adventure which play out like a dungeon crawl and I love it. As an active D&D player, I enjoyed the character dynamics and the way the author weaves in tension with species differences creating an "us" vs "Them" mindset in many. However, there are some characters which are not on board with this dynamic and as readers we are constantly questioning if the "good" characters are actually good and if the "evil" characters are inherently evil due to their nature.

Questing stories will always be a favorite trope of mine as we are usually provided a misfit band of adventures, sometimes touted as heroes which s questioned along the way. And the end goal often seems fairly straightforward and just, but you never know until the end if they are truly fighting for the right side.

The narrator is the author and I thought he did a fantastic job. I love when they do that. I feel as though they are able to articulate what they envision a bit more than a narrator who did not write it. This is not to say other narrators do not do a good job, but I do feel Mr. Tchaikovsky did a phenomenal job and I hope to find more of his narrations in the future.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I adored this book!  It was first published in 2016 and the audiobook is being released in the U.S. today.  The blurb does not get into the delightfulness that is this novel.

There is a battle between the Dark and the Light that has been going on for centuries beyond count.  A prophecy has arisen that a champion will defeat the Dark Lord Darvezian with the help of the hidden path of spiders.

The book is set up as a traditional Quest.  There is the cleric, the magician, the thief, the knight, and the archer.  But this quest isn't like the others.  For one thing, the party doesn't seem to get along and all of them have their secrets.  They are weary, battle-scarred, and on the last leg of their journey.  They need the spiders.  And this is where the book really rocks.

The party of the Light needs a spider guide to help them find and survive the path.  Enter Nth.  He is a spider assigned to help the humans.  To communicate, he is transformed into a humanesque shape.  His forced inclusion into the party and his interactions with the others (and how they affect each other) was so well done.  The points of view do change but Nth remained the favorite.  It is heart wrenching and funny at turns.

The tone of the story feels like an old fairytale but the inclusion of the alien spider viewpoint, the humorous aspects, and the insights into human character make this something special.  I was especially delighted with the turn the plot took when it is time to fight the Dark Lord Darvezian.  I cannot really say more about the plot due to massive spoilers but I loved the blend of the traditional quest and how the author then avoids/plays with clichés.

Basically I highly recommend this novel and also the author's narration.  Like all of the author's works, it is thought-provoking and fascinating.  I will continue to read his stories.  Arrrr!

Playing with an idea common to epic fantasy: warriors of the Light must vanquish a Lord of the Dark, author Adrian Tchaikovsky kicks that overused trope over to look at its less salubrious underside, such as the misuse of power, bigotry, and who has value in society.

A party arrives in a forest because a prophecy says they must gather travel the spider’s path to the lair of the Dark Lord, who in this case is terrible and nasty and must be deposed. They’re there to collect a spider’s tooth, and find a way to find a secret path to the Lord’s lair.

The party is made up of:
-Dion, a priest of Armes, who has Right on her side, and is full of tiresome virtue and rightness
-Penthos, a man who may be a powerful magician, but can’t read the social temperature of a room
-Cyrene, an terrific archer who battles male prejudice constantly
-Harathes, a pompous prick, I mean priest, of the Church
-Lief, a thief, who is a lot smarter and unexpectedly kinder than the others.

They manage to convince the mother of a brood of spiders to give them what they need, including one of her sons, whom Penthos transforms into a sort of man. The others are repulsed by Nth, as 1) he’s a spider, who is naturally on the side of the Dark, and 2) he does not fully resemble a human, with his too long limbs, greyish skin and multiple eyes. Nth has his mother’s imparted knowledge of a secret path to Lord Darvesian’s castle, and though the party needs his knowledge, Nth is mistreated, feared and misunderstood as everyone knows spiders are bad.

The party stumbles its way on their journey, while Nth gradually gains control over his body, learns to speak with the others, finds a friend in Lief, while quietly contradicting their beliefs about their cherished beliefs by his very existence and behaviour.

Tchaikovsky also points out the inherent unearned superiority and imperialistic attitudes and bigotry baked into these fantasy archetypes and religions; the humans abuse everyone they designate as not human, or monster, and feel they have every right to invade, take from and kill them.

Tchaikovsky holds a mirror to our perception of what a hero is, and it looks pretty ugly, as it takes much of the novel for the party to treat Nth as something more than a piece of garbage. What good is virtue or virtuous thought if one’s behaviour leads to abuse, exclusion and violence?

I love reading this author’s work, and this novel is no exception. I actually listened to this book, and have nothing but compliments for the author’s narration. The voices of each character is unique, and my favourite was Nth’s. The transformed spider’s confusion, pain, and gradual acceptance of his terrible situation is wonderfully conveyed, while Penthos’ voice was my second favourite. I liked the way Tchaikovsky communicated Lief’s sly humour, and Cyrene’s quiet anguish during her difficult conversation with Dion. I definitely recommend the audiobook to experience this entertaining book.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC Audiobook.

I was delighted to get the opportunity to listen to Spiderlight as Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time has been on my reading list for a while, but knowing the length of that series I haven't had the time to dive into it. Spiderlight is a standalone Fantasy tale from Tchaikovsky and I really enjoyed the depth of character's and world building that was accomplished in just one book. This is a great for people like me who like fantasy stories but don't always have the time to commit to large multi-book sci-fi & fantasy series. I enjoyed the humorous parts of the book, and the dialogue between character's was well written. The characters were diverse and intricate without the story becoming convoluted. Do not think that this book is all sunshine and rainbows though, as there is some very serious exploration of humanity and morality. Tchaikovsky narrating his own book was fantastic to listen to.

I didn't expect to get drawn into this adventure quest by Tchaikovsky, but he certainly has a way with imagination. The unequally yoked team that sets out to destroy a dark presence in the world to preserve the light was thoroughly engrossing and entertaining. I always find myself intrigued by fantasy narratives that play with established themes and characterisations like who is the hero and who the monster. This is done brilliantly here. The pacing kept me engaged and the dialogue helped me gain certain perspectives when it came to each member of the team. I love when it is through interaction between characters and conversations that I can truly get a feel for the world and personalities of those on the page.

Adrian Tchaikovsky is just SO GOOD.

“You set up a system of ‘us’ and ‘them’ and you wonder why it didn’t make people nice?”

This book tricked me, but in a very good way. You see, after the first few pages of Spiderlight I expected Dungeons and Dragons. After all, we have a questing party in the search of the Dark Lord that already came equipped with a mage, a cleric, a thief, a fighter and an archer, with the language that at first screams “sword and sorcery”. I was expecting a clever and probably sarcastic deconstruction of fantasy tropes, but what I got was something else, something deeper and darker and quietly angrier as the lighthearted(-ish) humor is slowly replaced with scary seriousness, and smiles and giggles slowly disappear.

Because damn, it went dark pretty quickly. Not fantasy-dark but human-dark. The petty awfulness that comes from “Us vs. Them” divide, that smug self-righteousness and superiority from belonging to the “right side”, the intolerance and despising of the “other”, the desire to elevate yourself by subjugating someone in your power. And even those who themselves experience the pain of prejudice by others can turn around and take it out on someone who’s in turn weaker and with even less power - that classic “kicking the puppy” example.

“It was just one more ready and convenient way to find them sufficiently alien as to be below her consideration.”

There’s quite a danger in someone feeling that they are on the “right” side, because with that comes the easy justification of superiority and the right to subjugate and exterminate those in the “wrong”.

“It was her task that had resulted in Nth being subjugated like this, he knew, and he was entirely certain that, when he had done what she needed him to do, she would have him destroyed. Despite the relative balance of power between them, she seemed to view him as some threat that must be wiped out the moment expedience allowed her to do so.”

Tchaikovsky shines at making you empathize with non-humans. Here he returns to spiders, but before you start feeling that deja-vu of Children of Time he introduces a different flavor of otherness and a whole other degree of relatability. And the result is all the feelings that you cannot escape - empathy and anger and heartbreak intertwining and weighing on you throughout the story and making it actually hurt. There was a particular scene in the book close to the end where I had to stop and take a few deep breaths just to help *me* get through the sheer impact of what was on page without wanting to punch the wall.

“That they had made him into this form, and were now sufficiently chagrined over it that they wished to hide him introduced him to another new word. ‘Hypocrite’.”

Do not dismiss this story after a few pages as just playing with familiar fantasy tropes, as I almost did, because their eventual deconstruction here is done in a way that can really resonate if you let it. There are dark depths here, and a ray of hope which really feels unsettlingly ambiguous once you think about it. By now I really learned to trust Mr. T to get everything right.

And also it’s a damn good story.

The audiobook narrated by Adrian Tchaikovsky himself cemented the 5 stars. There is nothing that man can’t do, and yet again he also proved himself a superb audiobook narrator. And the book is just as wonderful the second time around.

5 stars.

“It had been that moment in Ening’s Garth, in the tavern there, when she had been drunk and angry, and it had spoken for itself. She had looked into that scrambled visage, those eyes, those teeth, and found that, in her mind, it had made the curious transition from abomination to simple monster.”

————

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Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It started out kind of like a typical questing party, following a prophecy to be able to defeat the dark lord. You have your warrior, wizard, priestess, thief, and archer, all seeming like your typical character. But then, thrown into the mix is a spider turned mostly human by Penthos (the wizard with lots of power but quick socially awkward) and things get muddled pretty fast. I really liked Nth. Both when he was fully a spider and as he traversed with the group to guide them to the dark lord. There are funny bits (mostly with Nth and his strength and spider ways in a human body) but then it does get quite serious with the various members of the group and how they feel and deal with Nth as well as Nth's struggle to reconcile his spider self and newly made human side and how he will never be fully one thing or another again. I will admit I yelled at some of the characters (mostly Dion and Harathes and especially when they traveled to Armes' city where all the other clergy dwell) for their unwillingness to see things as more than black and white. So, yeah, there is prejudice and hate mixed in with the humor (I love how Nth takes care of the doomsayers that cross paths with!)

Besides Nth, I enjoyed the bits with Lief (reformed thief, mostly) because of how he treated Nth and the other party members going through crises of their own (like Cyrene dealing with how people treat female warriors in thinking they are easy). And Penthos who sometimes lives in a world different from everyone else in terms of what might be right or wrong just because it is possible to do with magic.

The ending had a twist I have seen before but it worked well and I liked it, despite how it was a bit sad. I do really like Nth's part in it cause he deserved it for all that he went through on the journey to the dark lord's lands.

This was an interesting world to visit and I did enjoy it. The author did a good job in writing it and in narrating the audiobook.

Not all writers have the skill to narrate their audiobooks, but Adrian Tchaikovsky has it in spades. This went beyond a mere reading that I had expected to a fantastic performance including different voices for dialogue of the characters. If it didn't take the author, whose writing I very much enjoy, away from his writing, I would love to hear him perform more of the audiobook narrations.
As far as the story itself, Spiderlight was an interesting adventure with a bit of drama and dry humor to light the way. A group of oddball characters decides that they are the group that an old prophesy foretold would defeat the Dark Lord, and they set off to do just that. First stop, get what they need from the Spider Queen, then on to a perilous journey with occasional farcical laughs for our band of offbeat champions until they arrive to their prophesized meeting...or did they? This story was a fun read right through the enjoyable and very fitting end. For anyone who enjoys a bit of sarcasm in their fantasy or is ready for a break from the very serious epic fantasies, just follow the spiders to this entertaining novella or better yet, the audiobook where the author will keep you entertained while you drive, exercise, or do chores.
I received advanced access to this audiobook thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Adrian Tchaikovsky is an incredibly versatile writer. For those who were introduced to him through his more serious, highly philosophical or scientific, works "Spiderlight" might be a bit jarring. For someone who has happily devoured a range of his books at this point it was a joy to read a story with the quirky levity that usually only comes in spurts in those heavier works. Read as rerelease now as an audiobook, this could be perfect timing as there is a surge in popularity of LitRPG which this is similar.

Yet what seems as a casual classic fantasy quest unfolds to have a much more poignant core. The exploration of humanity through an alien entity's eyes isn't a new concept, nor the corruption of men. However, there is something about the timing and the gray-area look at institutions as well as the way it calls out positive and negative actions and attitudes, placing them all in perspective, seems increasingly prevalent in today's society where there is so much othering, abuse of power, and misconceptions of history due to victors and propaganda.

It also has this sneaky way of slipping in issues and unconventional characters and topics. There is one character who defies the usual 'party romance' subplot actively calling out what it would be like to be a woman in a masculine hetero-normative space. The struggles they face to be seen for what they are and not what they're made of is an honest struggle for many of any gender in different circumstances. What really hit me, though, was the many questions this rises about consent when there is a character bound to obey commands.

There's also an undercurrent of self actualization. For the most part it's not massive life epiphanies. It's gradual and really only came to me on reflection. Though the conversations and conflicts of out transformed companion and how he now fits in no one world could also be a less veiled way of addressing those of multiple cultures.

While it deals with all these serious matters, it is undeniably strongly comedic. Each party member has a quirky in their own way personality. It brings for a lot of color into this rag tag adventure.

In the end, Spiderlight might not be mind-blowing-world-shattering but its a whole sack of fun stitched up with heart.

(3.5 Stars)

Normally I really like it when the author reads the audiobook... With that being said, I think the narration was just "okay". I think he did the male voices really good, and gave some of the more major characters their own unique accents, cadence, and tone. For the female voices, I think he was lacking a little. He does have a deep voice so it was probably difficult to perform female voices. He didn't do a bad job, it just wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. If there was something that could be improved, it would be to make sure vocal volume a little more even, some parts were spoken very softly.

As far as the book, I thought the concept was great, the character development was excellent, and the visualization of the world was well done. This was a fantasy adventure, or quest. The story was good, and I found myself thinking of several sub-plots I'd like to see expanded on. However, for me, I thought the ending was anti-climactic. Well, the "idea" of the ending was really good, but actual ending just felt a little flat. I can't say much more without giving away key story elements.

This author is really good, and has several books that I rate very highly. I would read more if this were a series, and I will definitely read more by this author.