2013 Book 2: The Darkest Hours
Book 02: The Darkest Hours by Jim Butcher, isbn 9781416510680, softcover, 307 pages, Pocket Star Books, $7.99
The Premise: (from the back cover): Peter Parker's life has hit a peaceful stretch. No evildoers have tried to flatten him in weeks, his marriage to Mary Jane is stronger than ever, and he's enjoying his job as a high school science teacher. Life is good. Naturally, that doesn't last. When Peter learns that his old enemy the Rhino is on a rampage in Times Square, he suits up as Spider-Man to stop the destructive villain in his tracks. But he's unexpectedly foiled in his attempts by the Black Cat, a former ally and old flame. The Cat informs Peter that the Rhino is just a distraction -- the real threat comes from a group of Ancients, members of the same race as the being called Morlun, who Spidey defeated in battle years earlier. The Ancients are now looking to exact revenge -- and hope to steal Spider-Man's life force in the process. To defeat such powerful beings, Spider-Man is going to need all the help he can get, especially from the Black Cat. But what will Mary Jane Parker have to say about that? Peter isn't sure which is worse -- the Ancients trying to drain his life force, or the wrath of a jealous wife...
My Rating: 5 stars
My Thoughts: I really should have read this book years ago. But then again, in 2006 I wasn't really paying attention to Spider-Man in the comics and had no real idea who Jim Butcher was. I'm still not back to reading Spidey comics (except for about a year's worth post-"Brand New Day" thanks to friend Eric Bauman's generosity) but I certainly know who Jim Butcher is.
There's a lot of similarity between the way Butcher writes Peter Parker and the way he writes his own Harry Dresden -- not surprising considering Peter, when written correctly, is that great mix of introspective insecurity and extroverted bravado that Butcher writes so well. Both characters share a penchant for defending the underdog, being chivalrous to a fault, and delivering snarky pop-culture references mid-fight to throw the enemy off their game. But I think what Butcher does equally as well is make sure supporting characters (secondary, tertiary and smaller) are characters rather than caricatures. Anyone can write a Spidey novel and give us a strong, sexy Mary Jane, a doting Aunt May and perhaps even a flirty-to-a-fault Black Cat. Butcher takes the time to show that Mary Jane is very much like her husband when it comes to insecurity and bravado, that Aunt May is more intuitive and sensible than decades of writers have given her credit for, and that Felicia Hardy is more than just a reformed cat-burglar. But he also takes time to develop a personality for the Rhino that I don't ever remember seeing displayed in the comics, and when he trots out Doctor Strange and Wong for extended cameos they have distinctive personalities.
Butcher also makes Peter Parker's personal life as important as the super-hero portion of the book, something lots of super-hero novels get wrong. The work and home life dramas (getting assigned to coach the basketball team; Mary Jane needing to get her driver's license to commute to an acting gig in NJ) don't feel like scenes an author shoved in because xx amount of paragraphs have to feature the hero out of costume. The personal scenes progress Peter's story an counter-balance the action. Each side of Peter's life feeds into the other. As it should be.
Of course the fight scenes are balls-to-the-wall craziness. Butcher is one of my favorite writers of more-than-human battles. I can visually every move, and he manages to do that without describing every move in minute detail.
If you're a Butcher fan at all, and even if you're not a comic book fan in general or a Spider-Man fan in particular, I have to highly recommend this.
The Premise: (from the back cover): Peter Parker's life has hit a peaceful stretch. No evildoers have tried to flatten him in weeks, his marriage to Mary Jane is stronger than ever, and he's enjoying his job as a high school science teacher. Life is good. Naturally, that doesn't last. When Peter learns that his old enemy the Rhino is on a rampage in Times Square, he suits up as Spider-Man to stop the destructive villain in his tracks. But he's unexpectedly foiled in his attempts by the Black Cat, a former ally and old flame. The Cat informs Peter that the Rhino is just a distraction -- the real threat comes from a group of Ancients, members of the same race as the being called Morlun, who Spidey defeated in battle years earlier. The Ancients are now looking to exact revenge -- and hope to steal Spider-Man's life force in the process. To defeat such powerful beings, Spider-Man is going to need all the help he can get, especially from the Black Cat. But what will Mary Jane Parker have to say about that? Peter isn't sure which is worse -- the Ancients trying to drain his life force, or the wrath of a jealous wife...
My Rating: 5 stars
My Thoughts: I really should have read this book years ago. But then again, in 2006 I wasn't really paying attention to Spider-Man in the comics and had no real idea who Jim Butcher was. I'm still not back to reading Spidey comics (except for about a year's worth post-"Brand New Day" thanks to friend Eric Bauman's generosity) but I certainly know who Jim Butcher is.
There's a lot of similarity between the way Butcher writes Peter Parker and the way he writes his own Harry Dresden -- not surprising considering Peter, when written correctly, is that great mix of introspective insecurity and extroverted bravado that Butcher writes so well. Both characters share a penchant for defending the underdog, being chivalrous to a fault, and delivering snarky pop-culture references mid-fight to throw the enemy off their game. But I think what Butcher does equally as well is make sure supporting characters (secondary, tertiary and smaller) are characters rather than caricatures. Anyone can write a Spidey novel and give us a strong, sexy Mary Jane, a doting Aunt May and perhaps even a flirty-to-a-fault Black Cat. Butcher takes the time to show that Mary Jane is very much like her husband when it comes to insecurity and bravado, that Aunt May is more intuitive and sensible than decades of writers have given her credit for, and that Felicia Hardy is more than just a reformed cat-burglar. But he also takes time to develop a personality for the Rhino that I don't ever remember seeing displayed in the comics, and when he trots out Doctor Strange and Wong for extended cameos they have distinctive personalities.
Butcher also makes Peter Parker's personal life as important as the super-hero portion of the book, something lots of super-hero novels get wrong. The work and home life dramas (getting assigned to coach the basketball team; Mary Jane needing to get her driver's license to commute to an acting gig in NJ) don't feel like scenes an author shoved in because xx amount of paragraphs have to feature the hero out of costume. The personal scenes progress Peter's story an counter-balance the action. Each side of Peter's life feeds into the other. As it should be.
Of course the fight scenes are balls-to-the-wall craziness. Butcher is one of my favorite writers of more-than-human battles. I can visually every move, and he manages to do that without describing every move in minute detail.
If you're a Butcher fan at all, and even if you're not a comic book fan in general or a Spider-Man fan in particular, I have to highly recommend this.