Gary's Reviews > Spiderlight

Spiderlight is a very entertaining novel that utilizes all the calcified tropes of the epic fantasy genre - warriors of the Light are on a quest to stop the forces of Darkness! - to weave a clever little meta-fable about identity and free will. The plot finds Dion - "The Chosen One" - and her by the book band of adventurers (thief, warrior, mage, etc.) taking a Spider called Nth hostage to force him to guide them to the fortress of "The Dark One". Despite being the "heroes" of the story, their treatment of Nth is despicable, and calls in to question the sense of entitlement and privilege inherent in their old-fashioned concept of virtuousness.
I always enjoy Tchaikovsky's wicked sense of humor, and his instincts for character detail and story pacing are exemplary. I think his most enchanting virtue, though, is the sort of clear-eyed wisdom that he castes over the proceedings; a rather quaint approach in this cynical age. Tchaikovsky has a knack for empathizing with a variety of perspectives while maintaining a guiding set of moral and ethical principles.