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Marvel Pocket Books Novels
Spider-Man: Drowned in Thunder
J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of the Daily Bugle , has denounced Spider-Man from the beginning, convincing New Yorkers to see him as a criminal and a menace. But when a robot attack on Manhattan injures Peter Parker's students and Jameson blames Spider-Man, their feud takes on a new, personal dimension.
As the embittered webslinger faces further robot attacks, each deadlier than the last, his spider-sense warns that Jameson himself is behind them, possibly colluding with Electro, Alistaire Smythe, or another of Spider-Man's mortal foes. Convinced that his worst critic has become a mortal enemy, Spider-Man declares war on Jameson -- a war the publisher is eager to wage. But in their relentless pursuit of victory, they both risk losing everything that matters to them -- and may both fall victim to the cataclysmic secret behind the robots.
As the embittered webslinger faces further robot attacks, each deadlier than the last, his spider-sense warns that Jameson himself is behind them, possibly colluding with Electro, Alistaire Smythe, or another of Spider-Man's mortal foes. Convinced that his worst critic has become a mortal enemy, Spider-Man declares war on Jameson -- a war the publisher is eager to wage. But in their relentless pursuit of victory, they both risk losing everything that matters to them -- and may both fall victim to the cataclysmic secret behind the robots.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 26, 2007
11 people are currently reading
339 people want to read
About the author
Christopher L. Bennett
66 books219 followersChristopher L. Bennett is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, with a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in History from the University of Cincinnati. A fan of science and science fiction since age five, he has spent the past two decades selling original short fiction to magazines such as Analog Science Fiction and Fact (home of his "Hub" series of comedy adventures), BuzzyMag, and Galaxy's Edge. Since 2003, he has been one of Pocket Books' most prolific and popular authors of Star Trek tie-in fiction, including the epic Next Generation prequel The Buried Age, the Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations series, and the Star Trek: Enterprise -- Rise of the Federation series. He has also written two Marvel Comics novels, X-Men: Watchers on the Walls and Spider-Man: Drowned in Thunder. His original novel Only Superhuman, perhaps the first hard science fiction superhero novel, was voted Library Journal's SF/Fantasy Debut of the Month for October 2012. Other tales in the same universe can be found in Among the Wild Cybers and the upcoming Arachne's Crime, both from eSpec Books. His Hub stories are available in two collections from Mystique Press.
Christopher's homepage, fiction annotations, and blog can be found at christopherlbennett.wordpress.com. His Patreon page with original fiction and reviews is at https://www.patreon.com/christopherlb..., and his Facebook author page is at www.facebook.com/ChristopherLBennettA....
Christopher's homepage, fiction annotations, and blog can be found at christopherlbennett.wordpress.com. His Patreon page with original fiction and reviews is at https://www.patreon.com/christopherlb..., and his Facebook author page is at www.facebook.com/ChristopherLBennettA....
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
June 11, 2020
Peter is plagued by J.J.J. more than ever, not to mention a horde of riotous robots, but luckily has Aunt May and his wife in his corner. Not the greatest plot of all the Spider-Man prose novels, but the characterization is quite good. Ah, the good old days... this one's for FOOM.
November 17, 2015
Ah, Spider-Man, the way I like to remember him. Mr Bennett captures the history of Spidy which is important to me but the best Aunt May written yet. A great JJJ love letter. When I was younger I use to wonder how he could be boss, great backstory.
January 21, 2023
I found Drowned in Thunder while browsing in my local library, and decided to give the book a shot. I am a fan of Spider-Man, but - because Marvel's comics are very difficult to navigate - I am mostly familiar with the character via the three movie adaptions and reboots (the one with Tobey Maguire, the one with Andrew Garfield, and the newest one with Tom Holland). Pretty much the only reason I seriously considered this book is because one of the title pages specifically notes that a reader need not be very familiar with the Spider-Man comics to enjoy the story.
As for the book itself, I found that I very much liked it. I liked that I got to see a different version of Peter (one that is not perpetually stuck in high school or college), and that I got to become more familiar with some other staple Spider-Man characters. In particular, I appreciated the scene from J. Jonah Jameson's point of view. In the movies, his character tends to be played as needlessly aggressive (at least, in the trilogy starring Tobey Maguire), so it was good to be in a place to learn more about his perception of Spider-Man. Just those couple of pages gave me cause to rethink a lot of my ingrained dislike of Jameson's character. Also, the story was good, although a bit slow-moving in the beginning.
As for the book itself, I found that I very much liked it. I liked that I got to see a different version of Peter (one that is not perpetually stuck in high school or college), and that I got to become more familiar with some other staple Spider-Man characters. In particular, I appreciated the scene from J. Jonah Jameson's point of view. In the movies, his character tends to be played as needlessly aggressive (at least, in the trilogy starring Tobey Maguire), so it was good to be in a place to learn more about his perception of Spider-Man. Just those couple of pages gave me cause to rethink a lot of my ingrained dislike of Jameson's character. Also, the story was good, although a bit slow-moving in the beginning.
July 5, 2022
After reading three of these Spider-Man novels, I've found that my biggest issue with them is that they can't just be their own story - they have to constantly remind you of Spider-Man's wider world. This was especially prolific in 'Drowned in Thunder' as Bennett is always stopping to tell you about some wacky adventure featuring Venom, or Peter becoming a clone, or him joining the Fantastic Four, or Flash Thompson being put in a coma etc etc. I feel as though it slows the story down and is unnecessary because we all know that Spider-Man has faced many villains in the past, that is just an understood part of reading one of these books.
Other than that little rant though I did really enjoy 'Drowned in Thunder' and I think the storyline is actually my favourite of the three that I have read. There is an interesting conversation to be had from this story about the power of media influence, media literacy and the importance of critical thinking. If I stop trying to turn a Spider-Man story into a deep piece of literature it was still pretty fun - a real mystery, a serious threat, an interesting villain. Mary Jane was an enjoyable character in this book unlike the last one I read, and Aunt May also had a decent role to play. Reading these novels has definitely made me want to finally give comic books a proper try as I'm sure the stories are just as entertaining.
Other than that little rant though I did really enjoy 'Drowned in Thunder' and I think the storyline is actually my favourite of the three that I have read. There is an interesting conversation to be had from this story about the power of media influence, media literacy and the importance of critical thinking. If I stop trying to turn a Spider-Man story into a deep piece of literature it was still pretty fun - a real mystery, a serious threat, an interesting villain. Mary Jane was an enjoyable character in this book unlike the last one I read, and Aunt May also had a decent role to play. Reading these novels has definitely made me want to finally give comic books a proper try as I'm sure the stories are just as entertaining.
May 26, 2015
I've listened to Graphic Audio before so I won't go into details on the production of the title, I will still focus on the book it was based on:
World: New York, nothing special and mainly serves as a background for the story. It could have happened anywhere else and I would not have noticed. However, there was some effort to give the story some background, context and history linking this tale with the long history of Spider-Man so points for that.
Story: Typical superhero story that relied heavily on the main character being mislead due to a super villain trick. I found it entertaining but at the same time very predictable. It's not bad, it's just very average. This is the type of story that would be the norm in 90's comics and it would be considered filler arcs. It's fun but it's unremarkable.
Characters: Not a lot of development here, or more precisely we get the Spider-Man and others that we know from watching and reading comic books, movies and tv shows. Peter is Peter, MJ is MJ, Aunt May is Aunt May...you get the picture. There is a personal arc that Peter goes through but you see it a mile away and it the main plot device so when he acts like the way he does in the book you just know where the development is going. It's nothing bad, just nothing special.
This is my first foray into a Novelization based on a Marvel Comics character and although it was unremarkable it was kind of fun, especially as I was running errands while I was listening to the wonderfully realized Graphic Audio version (they are great).
Onward to the next book!
World: New York, nothing special and mainly serves as a background for the story. It could have happened anywhere else and I would not have noticed. However, there was some effort to give the story some background, context and history linking this tale with the long history of Spider-Man so points for that.
Story: Typical superhero story that relied heavily on the main character being mislead due to a super villain trick. I found it entertaining but at the same time very predictable. It's not bad, it's just very average. This is the type of story that would be the norm in 90's comics and it would be considered filler arcs. It's fun but it's unremarkable.
Characters: Not a lot of development here, or more precisely we get the Spider-Man and others that we know from watching and reading comic books, movies and tv shows. Peter is Peter, MJ is MJ, Aunt May is Aunt May...you get the picture. There is a personal arc that Peter goes through but you see it a mile away and it the main plot device so when he acts like the way he does in the book you just know where the development is going. It's nothing bad, just nothing special.
This is my first foray into a Novelization based on a Marvel Comics character and although it was unremarkable it was kind of fun, especially as I was running errands while I was listening to the wonderfully realized Graphic Audio version (they are great).
Onward to the next book!
June 5, 2024
Slightly childish one this time but spiderman was probably the first fictional character I ever felt attached to, so was always going to enjoy this.
The book captured the quintessential themes of most spiderman media and the real life struggles mixed with the superhero ones will always be an interesting parallel. The plot was engaging and the stakes felt threatening especially considering you know nothing much is really going to happen to the main character, the side characters and antagonists felt nuanced and had depth which really moved the story along and kept me interested. Enjoyable nostalgic read.
The book captured the quintessential themes of most spiderman media and the real life struggles mixed with the superhero ones will always be an interesting parallel. The plot was engaging and the stakes felt threatening especially considering you know nothing much is really going to happen to the main character, the side characters and antagonists felt nuanced and had depth which really moved the story along and kept me interested. Enjoyable nostalgic read.
September 12, 2025
Very surprised by this one. Very well-written Spider-Man story that perfectly captures the conflict that Spidey and JJJ have always had on a whole new scale.
April 21, 2020
A história é legal até mas depois de duas semanas você esquece. É meio foda-se.
January 13, 2019
I listened to the Graphic Audio version of this, my first time experiencing a Marvel novel. The sound effects and music really gave a cinematic feel to this story. While the voice acting was engaging, some of it did take some getting use to. Spider-Man's voice sounds like what I'd expect from the character, but when he's just Peter Parker, his voice is not quite what I'd expect. It sounds more confident and authoritative. Not quite as natural of a fit to my ears as the live-action versions or the 2D animated versions. Then again, Jake Johnson's Peter Parker voice in Into the Spider-Verse took some getting used to, and I came to accept it. J. Jonah Jameson also sounds different from what I'm used to, and I can't quite put my finger on which actor his voice reminds me of.
I haven't really had much experience watching or reading about an older, married Peter Parker. So having this set in that period of his life was interesting. He teaches at school, though it feels unrealistic having him ask during a lecture whether any of his students are diabetics, and then having a couple of them raise their hands. I'd think that this would be a touchy thing that some people would be hesitant to reveal, but I digress. I'm especially glad that Aunt May, the voice of reason, is in the loop in regards to her nephew's double-life. Mary Jane is very present and has believable interactions with Peter. They have an intense argument at one point that bothered me a bit, but it makes sense given the full context provided by the end.
J. Jonah Jameson is also provided with a lot of depth. We get to delve into his mind and find out that he doesn't trust Spider-Man because he sees a version of himself who, if he could hide behind a mask, would do whatever he wants. And Peter eventually comes to the realization of what Jameson's reasoning for his distrust reminds him of, which feels very full circle. There's even a moment between them that feels reminiscent of a moment from The Killing Joke. And when JJ's being unreasonable, I love how Robbie Robertson is willing to call him out on his BS. There's also a funny line about how "Journalism" is Jameson's first name. In various adaptations of the Spider-Man comics, I never really got a sense of the general public getting behind Jameson's viewpoint of Spider-Man. But I get a sense of that here, especially during a tragic moment that really impacts Spider-Man.
Regardless of whether you're happy with how the villainous plot against Spider-Man is explained, I think that this was a really good character study of Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson. It may not be a perfect story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and am glad that I bought it.
I haven't really had much experience watching or reading about an older, married Peter Parker. So having this set in that period of his life was interesting. He teaches at school, though it feels unrealistic having him ask during a lecture whether any of his students are diabetics, and then having a couple of them raise their hands. I'd think that this would be a touchy thing that some people would be hesitant to reveal, but I digress. I'm especially glad that Aunt May, the voice of reason, is in the loop in regards to her nephew's double-life. Mary Jane is very present and has believable interactions with Peter. They have an intense argument at one point that bothered me a bit, but it makes sense given the full context provided by the end.
J. Jonah Jameson is also provided with a lot of depth. We get to delve into his mind and find out that he doesn't trust Spider-Man because he sees a version of himself who, if he could hide behind a mask, would do whatever he wants. And Peter eventually comes to the realization of what Jameson's reasoning for his distrust reminds him of, which feels very full circle. There's even a moment between them that feels reminiscent of a moment from The Killing Joke. And when JJ's being unreasonable, I love how Robbie Robertson is willing to call him out on his BS. There's also a funny line about how "Journalism" is Jameson's first name. In various adaptations of the Spider-Man comics, I never really got a sense of the general public getting behind Jameson's viewpoint of Spider-Man. But I get a sense of that here, especially during a tragic moment that really impacts Spider-Man.
Regardless of whether you're happy with how the villainous plot against Spider-Man is explained, I think that this was a really good character study of Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson. It may not be a perfect story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and am glad that I bought it.
December 19, 2022
So, I decided to give this Spiderman tale 3 stars. Its not that it wasnt a good read. It was interesting. But Spidey is my favorite super hero & this was not the best hero book I've read recently.
Now dont get me wrong. This story had some action. There's all the web-slinging and witty remarks we expect from Spidey. There's J. J. J. and all of his wild accusations. There's different villains discussed & lots of cool comic history moments as well.
So what was it that made me give 3 stars then? I guess it was how the Peter Parker moments blended with the Spidey moments to lead to his big lesson at the end.
I feel as though this book gave Peter a lesson he has already learned in the past. Maybe this was a refresher for his memory or perhaps, Peter never really learned this lesson and my imagination has created the reality of this for him in some other adventure. 1 story can have many lessons taught in different ways. Its really about how each person takes the information in and what they gather from it. I may have gathered this from a Peter show or comic in the past and decided that he gleaned the knowledge at the same time. In all actuality, it may not have registered to him back then.
Anyway, this one is about knowing when to follow your instincts. Or in this case, your Spidey Senses.
Now dont get me wrong. This story had some action. There's all the web-slinging and witty remarks we expect from Spidey. There's J. J. J. and all of his wild accusations. There's different villains discussed & lots of cool comic history moments as well.
So what was it that made me give 3 stars then? I guess it was how the Peter Parker moments blended with the Spidey moments to lead to his big lesson at the end.
I feel as though this book gave Peter a lesson he has already learned in the past. Maybe this was a refresher for his memory or perhaps, Peter never really learned this lesson and my imagination has created the reality of this for him in some other adventure. 1 story can have many lessons taught in different ways. Its really about how each person takes the information in and what they gather from it. I may have gathered this from a Peter show or comic in the past and decided that he gleaned the knowledge at the same time. In all actuality, it may not have registered to him back then.
Anyway, this one is about knowing when to follow your instincts. Or in this case, your Spidey Senses.
May 4, 2021
A história é interessante e até dá para brincar de detetive, tentando ir no raciocínio do Aranha para criar aquele clima de "será que é isso ou outra coisa?". O escritor fez um bom trabalho, com uma boa escrita no geral, de fácil acesso, sem grandes desejos de ir além de um romance de ficção científica/fantástica básico.
O que não curti muito, mas isso aí não tem como remediar, é o forte peso do pensamento pós-moderno e de outras influências, típicas da mente americana (ou ocidental) atual. Mas isso é mais por uma questão religiosa e filosófica pessoal. O autor acaba trazendo visões de senso comum, tentando politizar o enredo e praticamente trata a natureza humana como Rousseau, o que não é nada agradável ao meu juízo.
O leitor médio, ocidental, não ligado à filosofia, secularizado, vai gostar bastante da obra, acredito. Eu tive mais problemas, porque esse tipo de leitura não é tão comum assim a mim, fazia tempos que não pegava romances comuns para ler, digo, romances contemporâneos.
O que não curti muito, mas isso aí não tem como remediar, é o forte peso do pensamento pós-moderno e de outras influências, típicas da mente americana (ou ocidental) atual. Mas isso é mais por uma questão religiosa e filosófica pessoal. O autor acaba trazendo visões de senso comum, tentando politizar o enredo e praticamente trata a natureza humana como Rousseau, o que não é nada agradável ao meu juízo.
O leitor médio, ocidental, não ligado à filosofia, secularizado, vai gostar bastante da obra, acredito. Eu tive mais problemas, porque esse tipo de leitura não é tão comum assim a mim, fazia tempos que não pegava romances comuns para ler, digo, romances contemporâneos.
June 20, 2018
Eh, a história tem momentos divertidos e dignos de Homem-Aranha, mas no geral é um livrozinho bem medíocre. Li a versão ebook do Kindle de graça (incluso na assinatura lá do Kindle Unlimited), e diria que comprar esse livro é um desperdício, a não ser que seja em um sebo com preço bem convidativo.
No mais, serve para distrair, ler sem prestar muita atenção, tipo antes de dormir. O linguajar do livro permite isso e não exige muitas elucubrações para enxergar as cenas, é bem direto ao ponto. O enredo é ágil como uma história do Homem-Aranha tem de ser, mas a história deixa muito a desejar. O desenvolvimento dos personagens é em geral bem precário, o vilão final é um troço idiota e a solução dos problemas não é nem um pouco criativa.
No mais, serve para distrair, ler sem prestar muita atenção, tipo antes de dormir. O linguajar do livro permite isso e não exige muitas elucubrações para enxergar as cenas, é bem direto ao ponto. O enredo é ágil como uma história do Homem-Aranha tem de ser, mas a história deixa muito a desejar. O desenvolvimento dos personagens é em geral bem precário, o vilão final é um troço idiota e a solução dos problemas não é nem um pouco criativa.
July 24, 2021
Fun easy read centering on an original Spider-Man story, it was a tad cheesy and overwritten at times. I thought the solution to the mystery was rather info dump-y. Actually there were a lot of info-dumps about Spider-Man’s history and characters’ backstories that appear in the book. Necessary I suppose if you’re not up to speed on a lot of the wall-crawler’s exploits but it tended to drag the book down, especially during the ending with the classic “villain monologues his entire plan and how he’s done it” moment. But the author clearly knows and loves the characters he’s working with, and is true to them and gives them heart, even for Jameson and Electro, so in the end you can overlook some of these issues.
June 23, 2018
Did this one audio style. Theater for the mind as it were. I found a bunch of the marvel and DC characters in audio book format and have been working my way through them.
Like the others i have listened to so far it is all right. Nothing out of this world but fun none the less.
This one is the same old good vs evil, evil kicks butt for a bit and then good triumphs.
What else could it be. The story itself is original and when you let yourself go to the world of super heroes it is believable almost.
I wouldn't classify this one as movie ready but hey, if you are a Spidey fan, give it a go.
Like the others i have listened to so far it is all right. Nothing out of this world but fun none the less.
This one is the same old good vs evil, evil kicks butt for a bit and then good triumphs.
What else could it be. The story itself is original and when you let yourself go to the world of super heroes it is believable almost.
I wouldn't classify this one as movie ready but hey, if you are a Spidey fan, give it a go.
January 19, 2022
That Battlestar Galactica joke made me laugh.
I listened to the Graphic Audio version. I really liked it, especially just when the characters we’re talking out their problems. I almost wanted to skip through the fight scenes.
Married Spider-Man is my favorite Spider-Man, he’s always confronted on how to make his marriage better. He’s always missing something and trying to find it. That’s so refreshing in a genre where many of the characters are pursuing relationships, it’s fun to see Spidey try to make one work.
Also, I love this version of JJJ.
I listened to the Graphic Audio version. I really liked it, especially just when the characters we’re talking out their problems. I almost wanted to skip through the fight scenes.
Married Spider-Man is my favorite Spider-Man, he’s always confronted on how to make his marriage better. He’s always missing something and trying to find it. That’s so refreshing in a genre where many of the characters are pursuing relationships, it’s fun to see Spidey try to make one work.
Also, I love this version of JJJ.
June 13, 2017
As far as Spider-Man stories go, this was sub-par, in my estimates. I was never really engaged in the story, and I finished it with almost the only reason being that I started it. In the pantheon of Spidey villains, the Tinkerer is not a compelling one. The interaction between Spider-Man and JJJ is the reason that I gave the story what I did, in that I enjoyed the classic rivalry and the motivations between the two of them.
December 15, 2022
Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson are at odds with one another. Imagine that? Both think the other one has finally flipped off the deep end and went full-on villain. The main villains throughout the book are a bunch of robots. Not the most interesting of villains. Plus, Spider-Man acts kind of dumb and out of character in parts of the book. Still, this is OK if you like super-hero prose novels.
April 18, 2019
Lots of great Spider-Man character here. I always like the era of Peter Parker being married to Mary Jane, it adds that growth of the character that I miss in the comics currently. Also really fun Jameson here, it’s a good story that hits all the classic notes of Spider-Man.
May 13, 2020
A really fun read filled with drama. All the characters are well written and have good and unstable motivations for their actions. The story was very engaging and there's a fun and creative mystery on who the criminal mastermind is.
June 14, 2020
This story is about how Correlation =/= Causation and the scientifically minded Spider-Man gets so caught up in his battle with Jameson, he forgets this fact. Excellent story. I really like the relationship Peter has with Mary Jane and his aunt.
May 16, 2023
This was an amazing book to read. The
Descriptions of the fights kept me glued. The story starts with Spider-Man as an adult and him as a science teacher. The story feels like watching a Spider-Man film. I would definitely recommend this to any Spider-Man fan. This is a great causal read.
Descriptions of the fights kept me glued. The story starts with Spider-Man as an adult and him as a science teacher. The story feels like watching a Spider-Man film. I would definitely recommend this to any Spider-Man fan. This is a great causal read.
May 11, 2024
Pretty mediocre. I enjoyed the Spidey vs JJ dynamic in this one. It helped explore the ethics of Spider-Man and the unintended consequences of his actions. The robot bad guys were kind of lame, but I understand the fear behind them. Maybe stick to the comics and leave this one on the shelf.
December 21, 2025
graphic audio ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
this was extremely well done and a very entertaining story
my only complaint is that it was way too short 5 hours too short a story. wish they could have done a much longer one
this was extremely well done and a very entertaining story
my only complaint is that it was way too short 5 hours too short a story. wish they could have done a much longer one
August 22, 2017
I was really into the web (had to do this ) and how the character, Peter, starts to see things around with a different point of view, how far he goes along the hero path to protect his loved ones.
October 1, 2017
Solid Spider-Man book. If you like the adventures of Peter Parker it's a fun read.
March 15, 2019
The story was awesome and there is much more deep relationship given here between peter and jameson.
October 29, 2019
Very good Spider-Man tale. Just great with the characters. The new Spider-Man attitude is great.
February 1, 2023
3.7. Overall great book. You see a more aggressive side of Spider-Man in this book. Not your usually quip loose Peter/Spider-man. I would label pretty much as a mystery book. Great book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews