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Rating: 
Summary: Very bad entomology
Review: Colin Wilson's Spider World : Volume 1, The Tower
I am an entomologist/zoologist and a life long fan of science fiction. It is rare to find a combination of good sci-fi and good biology, and I am still looking. Even with differences in entomology between England and the U.S., and the sci-fi factor, and possible editing errors, there are still far too many mistakes. I was very disappointed in the mistakes made that could only have been accomplished by lack of research. At one point in the story, one giant insect (the pit monster which flung stones up at our heros) was obviously an immature antlion, was later called a dragonfly (p.44) and was later called a beetle (p.53)! That would be like calling a bat a tiger, then later calling it a duck-billed platypus. It is insulting to the reader to think they are not smart enough, nor educated enough to know the difference. I could list numerous errors just as bad, but I have made my point.
With that said, I read the whole book and enjoyed it, despite my opening rant. Mr. Wilson has an excellent imagination. What truly kept my interest was the social stratifications between humans, spiders, beetles etc...Also, the sinister hint that the radioactive asteroid may not have been an accident, as well as Niall's growing psychic abilities has me buying the next book of the series.
If the entomology had been more accurate, I would have given this book a higher rating.
Rating:
Summary: Very bad entomology
Review: Colin Wilson's Spider World : Volume 1, The TowerI am an entomologist/zoologist and a life long fan of science fiction. It is rare to find a combination of good sci-fi and good biology, and I am still looking. Even with differences in entomology between England and the U.S., and the sci-fi factor, and possible editing errors, there are still far too many mistakes. I was very disappointed in the mistakes made that could only have been accomplished by lack of research. At one point in the story, one giant insect (the pit monster which flung stones up at our heros) was obviously an immature antlion, was later called a dragonfly (p.44) and was later called a beetle (p.53)! That would be like calling a bat a tiger, then later calling it a duck-billed platypus. It is insulting to the reader to think they are not smart enough, nor educated enough to know the difference. I could list numerous errors just as bad, but I have made my point. With that said, I read the whole book and enjoyed it, despite my opening rant. Mr. Wilson has an excellent imagination. What truly kept my interest was the social stratifications between humans, spiders, beetles etc...Also, the sinister hint that the radioactive asteroid may not have been an accident, as well as Niall's growing psychic abilities has me buying the next book of the series. If the entomology had been more accurate, I would have given this book a higher rating.
Rating:
Summary: Very bad entomology
Review: Colin Wilson's Spider World : Volume 1, The Tower I am an entomologist/zoologist and a life long fan of science fiction. It is rare to find a combination of good sci-fi and good biology, and I am still looking. Even with differences in entomology between England and the U.S., and the sci-fi factor, and possible editing errors, there are still far too many mistakes. I was very disappointed in the mistakes made that could only have been accomplished by lack of research. At one point in the story, one giant insect (the pit monster which flung stones up at our heros) was obviously an immature antlion, was later called a dragonfly (p.44) and was later called a beetle (p.53)! That would be like calling a bat a tiger, then later calling it a duck-billed platypus. It is insulting to the reader to think they are not smart enough, nor educated enough to know the difference. I could list numerous errors just as bad, but I have made my point. With that said, I read the whole book and enjoyed it, despite my opening rant. Mr. Wilson has an excellent imagination. What truly kept my interest was the social stratifications between humans, spiders, beetles etc...Also, the sinister hint that the radioactive asteroid may not have been an accident, as well as Niall's growing psychic abilities has me buying the next book of the series. If the entomology had been more accurate, I would have given this book a higher rating.
Rating: 
Summary: Captivating story telling at its finest.
Review: The Tower is the first of four volumes in the Spider World series. This visionary work chronicals events after a radioactive comet turns the world of man upside down. Spiders, and insects of all variety are now the masters in size -- leaving humans in the ackward position of not being somewhere closer to the bottom of the food chain. Colin Wilson is thoughtful, erudite, and a damn good story teller. This first installment follows the life of Niall from his birth through capture by spiders, escape, interrupted revolt, and eventually... let's say we leave that to your reading, and in case you are wondering the butler did not do it. The book has an excellent blend of story-telling, character development, action, budding love, and even a balloon chase. I especially enjoyed the vivid descriptions of Niall's life in the desert. Good science fiction starts with an outrageous premise followed by self-consistant, even logical, progression of events. In this case, Colin Wilson begins with the presumption of monstrous spiders ruling the earth after the passage of a radioactive comet. From this all follows. In fact, if not for this science fiction premise the book could easily be a combination of adventure, biographical history and nature writing. But it is science fiction and the unnatural situation servers nicely to highlight the development of Niall through the events which follow. A fine example of good story telling by a thoughtful and educated writer. There's enough to feed many aspects of the reader -- and perhaps leave him or her with more than a few thoughtful questions as well.
Rating:
Summary: A classic
Review: This is a brilliantly-executed adventure on par with the finest fantasy writing of the twentieth century. There is a richness of vision and an underlying philosophy in this work that complement its readability and make it fiction of the highest order. It's a profound page-turner. The first in a series, followed by Spider World: The Delta, Spider World: The Magician, and Spider World: Shadowland.
Rating:
Summary: A classic
Review: This is a brilliantly-executed adventure on par with the finest fantasy writing of the twentieth century. There is a richness of vision and an underlying philosophy in this work that complement its readability and make it fiction of the highest order. It's a profound page-turner. The first in a series, followed by Spider World: The Delta, Spider World: The Magician, and Spider World: Shadowland.
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