What do you think?
Rate this book
The Melt #1
A Spider Sat Beside Her
Alternative cover edition of ASIN B077J13NT5
A Spider Sat Beside Her is a science fiction “what if” story set in a world drowned after a catastrophic melting of the ice caps.
Lowry Walker takes a graduate position on the new International Space Station, circling far above a world flooded by oceans and social strife. Her dissertation includes gathering Landsat data over Antarctica, now exposed after global warming has melted the ice caps, but her mission is to heal herself after divorcing an abusive husband.
However, the danger is just beginning--a terrorist attack on the space station embroils her into a political nightmare. In a world drowned by rising seas, territorial battles erupt across the globe, with strong governments stealing land from the weak. Canada and America have merged into the United States of Amerada, with a corrupt political ring in control, and who utilize the assault for their own political purposes. And Lowry is the inconvenient witness...
The Melt Trilogy are novels of speculative science fiction, with an eco-fiction emphasis, delving into the relationship of humans to the Earth. A Spider Sat Beside Her, The Sting of the Bee and Listen to the Birds [2019], will complete trilogy, though each are standalone works.
Excerpt:
He began to speak, and Lowry flinched against his breath caressing her cheek. “You see, Lowry, life just isn’t fair. The settlers are moving into the land to the north, just like the European settlers did when this continent was first colonized.”
His voice dropped to a whisper, and the hair rose on the back of Lowry’s neck. “It’s as simple as this: the people of Amerada want that land, and the people will get it.” He smiled down at her with teeth perfect and white. “And there’s not a rat’s-ass thing you or I can do about it. It’s the human way.”
A Spider Sat Beside Her is a science fiction “what if” story set in a world drowned after a catastrophic melting of the ice caps.
Lowry Walker takes a graduate position on the new International Space Station, circling far above a world flooded by oceans and social strife. Her dissertation includes gathering Landsat data over Antarctica, now exposed after global warming has melted the ice caps, but her mission is to heal herself after divorcing an abusive husband.
However, the danger is just beginning--a terrorist attack on the space station embroils her into a political nightmare. In a world drowned by rising seas, territorial battles erupt across the globe, with strong governments stealing land from the weak. Canada and America have merged into the United States of Amerada, with a corrupt political ring in control, and who utilize the assault for their own political purposes. And Lowry is the inconvenient witness...
The Melt Trilogy are novels of speculative science fiction, with an eco-fiction emphasis, delving into the relationship of humans to the Earth. A Spider Sat Beside Her, The Sting of the Bee and Listen to the Birds [2019], will complete trilogy, though each are standalone works.
Excerpt:
He began to speak, and Lowry flinched against his breath caressing her cheek. “You see, Lowry, life just isn’t fair. The settlers are moving into the land to the north, just like the European settlers did when this continent was first colonized.”
His voice dropped to a whisper, and the hair rose on the back of Lowry’s neck. “It’s as simple as this: the people of Amerada want that land, and the people will get it.” He smiled down at her with teeth perfect and white. “And there’s not a rat’s-ass thing you or I can do about it. It’s the human way.”
- GenresScience Fiction
300 pages, ebook
Published July 17, 2017
11 people are currently reading
1247 people want to read
About the author
K.E. Lanning
4 books72 followersK.E. Lanning was born in Houston, Texas and grew up a stone’s throw from NASA’s space program in the small Quaker town of Friendswood, TX, laced with white oyster shell roads and open fields dotted with huge live oaks—riding horses rather than bikes. Lanning is a fan and writer of commercial literary fiction and speculative science fiction, allowing the author to explore society, humanity, and our future.
She’s indie-published a climate fiction trilogy titled, The Melt Trilogy: A Spider Sat Beside Her, The Sting of the Bee and Listen to the Birds, with each novel garnering excellent Kirkus Reviews, and the last novel the recipient of Best New Novels of 2019 from Kirkus Reviews. In addition, she’s published a series of book reviews and author interviews, including authors Claire Vaye Watkins, Kazuo Ishiguro, Hugh Howey, Margaret Atwood, Andy Weir, and Cixin Liu.
Currently she is completing two commercial literary novels: Where the Sky Meets the Earth and its sequel, The Light of the Sun.
She’s indie-published a climate fiction trilogy titled, The Melt Trilogy: A Spider Sat Beside Her, The Sting of the Bee and Listen to the Birds, with each novel garnering excellent Kirkus Reviews, and the last novel the recipient of Best New Novels of 2019 from Kirkus Reviews. In addition, she’s published a series of book reviews and author interviews, including authors Claire Vaye Watkins, Kazuo Ishiguro, Hugh Howey, Margaret Atwood, Andy Weir, and Cixin Liu.
Currently she is completing two commercial literary novels: Where the Sky Meets the Earth and its sequel, The Light of the Sun.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 19, 2018
I received a copy from the author (thank you, K.E. Lanning) in return for an honest review.
While I'm intrigued enough to pick up the second book in the trilogy, I was a bit underwhelmed by A Spider Sat Beside Her. The premise is intriguing, the plot promising but I found the characters to be somewhat two-dimensional and flat.
I liked Lowry well enough, but she was naive. So much more naive than I'd expect a divorced woman (coming out of an abusive relationship) to be. The handsome man she falls in love with the moment she sees him? Every single thing he says and does is a bright red flag, and Lowry simply ignores it. I wanted to shake her.
The other people in the story are mostly there to fulfil a role in the story, and the author missed the chance to flesh them out properly.
The writing is solid and the pacing good. Personally, I would have wished for a bit more science, but there were no dull moments, and the mystery is gripping.
A few moments surprised me, especially towards the end, and it's obvious the author has a background in science. I'm looking forward to reading the second book. All three books are standalone works, and I am looking forward to reading a different story in this world where the ice caps have melted.
While I'm intrigued enough to pick up the second book in the trilogy, I was a bit underwhelmed by A Spider Sat Beside Her. The premise is intriguing, the plot promising but I found the characters to be somewhat two-dimensional and flat.
I liked Lowry well enough, but she was naive. So much more naive than I'd expect a divorced woman (coming out of an abusive relationship) to be. The handsome man she falls in love with the moment she sees him? Every single thing he says and does is a bright red flag, and Lowry simply ignores it. I wanted to shake her.
The other people in the story are mostly there to fulfil a role in the story, and the author missed the chance to flesh them out properly.
The writing is solid and the pacing good. Personally, I would have wished for a bit more science, but there were no dull moments, and the mystery is gripping.
A few moments surprised me, especially towards the end, and it's obvious the author has a background in science. I'm looking forward to reading the second book. All three books are standalone works, and I am looking forward to reading a different story in this world where the ice caps have melted.
October 13, 2018
An intriguing work of the perhaps no longer new but not yet widely known cli-fi genre (a subset of sci-fi). Lanning develops well the lead character of Lowry Walker, her somewhat estranged (and angry plus manipulative) father, an uncle and the nefarious political villains. She throws in some dishonest politicians and the corrupt intent of--yes, latter-day colonialists against what in Canada are known as First Nation folks, just like what happened in the USA way back when. But then, all is not what it seems in the conflict over who really attempted to sabotage the International Space Station (ISS). Despite her credentials, the author doesn't make this a truly hard sci-fi story so don't be put off by technological talk--it's not much more than most of us are familiar with in today's world. A great book. I've already downloaded the next book in the series, which apparently stands alone along with an upcoming third one.
August 9, 2017
An intriguing plot relevant to our time, science and history is intertwined in a futuristic society. This gripping tale reveals the darker side of political power, and the plot twists and ever changing villains will keep you reading into the night. I particularly appreciated the book’s strong female main character, Lowry Walker. Even though she is young and somewhat naive, Lowry is clever and confident enough to rely on her instincts. I’m glad that this book will be part of a trilogy.
December 26, 2020
I really enjoyed this book and looking forward to the next two in the trilogy.I tend to read action thriller books and found the action combined with the chilling views of the earth's future due to unchecked global warming to be all the thrill and chill I needed! I enjoyed Lowry's journey both professionally and her personal struggles/evolving self awareness after suffering overwhelming loss and grief as a child. Its a fun read!
October 6, 2020
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
Cli-Fi novel about a divorced woman in an abusive relationship going to a space station to measure the ice melting.
A lot of dross with not much real meat, I felt.
Cli-Fi novel about a divorced woman in an abusive relationship going to a space station to measure the ice melting.
A lot of dross with not much real meat, I felt.
September 26, 2017
Thank you NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Lowry Walker takes a graduate position on the new International Space Station. Her project involves gathering Landsat data over Antarctica. One day, while working on her project, the ISS becomes the target of a terrorist attack... and Lowry is the only witness. Unfortunately for Lowry, she is drawn into a political nightmare with the corrupt government of Amerada (the merged USA and Canada).
I was really excited to read this book. I love a good thriller, and my background is in environmental science (bonus, I used Landsat data in my master's thesis). So, it sounded like something right up my alley. Sadly, I did not love this novel.
I liked Lowry, but she seemed more naive than she should have been based on her past. She made some decisions that didn't seem likely from a strong, smart woman. Maybe it was supposed to show she had weaknesses, especially since she's coming off a recent divorce.
I was interested in the science, but that wasn't really a main point in the book. I was a little confused on what happened with the melting ice caps and population migration. The political climate of Amerada seemed toxic, but it also wasn't explained very well.
I did enjoy some parts of the novel, but I had a hard time getting into this one. It took me much longer to finish than books normally take me. Partly because I haven't been reading as much lately, but also because it didn't hold my interest. Maybe too much was going on, or character development was poor, but by the end of the book I was confused and thinking I must have missed something.
Synopsis: Lowry Walker takes a graduate position on the new International Space Station. Her project involves gathering Landsat data over Antarctica. One day, while working on her project, the ISS becomes the target of a terrorist attack... and Lowry is the only witness. Unfortunately for Lowry, she is drawn into a political nightmare with the corrupt government of Amerada (the merged USA and Canada).
I was really excited to read this book. I love a good thriller, and my background is in environmental science (bonus, I used Landsat data in my master's thesis). So, it sounded like something right up my alley. Sadly, I did not love this novel.
I liked Lowry, but she seemed more naive than she should have been based on her past. She made some decisions that didn't seem likely from a strong, smart woman. Maybe it was supposed to show she had weaknesses, especially since she's coming off a recent divorce.
I was interested in the science, but that wasn't really a main point in the book. I was a little confused on what happened with the melting ice caps and population migration. The political climate of Amerada seemed toxic, but it also wasn't explained very well.
I did enjoy some parts of the novel, but I had a hard time getting into this one. It took me much longer to finish than books normally take me. Partly because I haven't been reading as much lately, but also because it didn't hold my interest. Maybe too much was going on, or character development was poor, but by the end of the book I was confused and thinking I must have missed something.
January 4, 2018
I received a free copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
2.5 stars
Set in the year 2098, the main character Lowry Walker takes a position on the International Space Station to collect data on Antarctica after having been exposed due to global warming causing the Melt. The allegory for the story in a plausible "what it" imagining is clear; however, I do think that the book suffers from trying to tackle too much and not having a clear vision.
I was hooked on the book with the first pages: the writing is strong and the way the story initially unfolds piqued my interest. Unfortunately for me the strong start was short lived, and once I got to Lowry's time on the space station I was bored with the main character's adaptation to life on the ISS. Much of the plot and character interactions seems to revolve around relationships with men, or the lack thereof, and it falls a bit flat. There are also random flashbacks to the past which are probably there for character development but served no real purpose but to disengage me from the story. After the first 15% or so of the book when the main plot point occurs it did become interesting again, but the switching between character viewpoints and at times abruptly switching to the past was jarring and difficult to follow and didn't do much justice to the story.
This book had so much promise, but its argument/thesis is lost in the minutiae. I was sucked in early on but lost interest quickly. Some of the initial flashbacks to the Melt were very heavy handed and reads strongly of anti-global warming. The book suffers from not knowing its main objective or plot point as it is at times all over the place.
As a personal pet peeve, it is Colombia... not Columbia. And the book vacillates between the two spellings interchangeably.
2.5 stars
Set in the year 2098, the main character Lowry Walker takes a position on the International Space Station to collect data on Antarctica after having been exposed due to global warming causing the Melt. The allegory for the story in a plausible "what it" imagining is clear; however, I do think that the book suffers from trying to tackle too much and not having a clear vision.
I was hooked on the book with the first pages: the writing is strong and the way the story initially unfolds piqued my interest. Unfortunately for me the strong start was short lived, and once I got to Lowry's time on the space station I was bored with the main character's adaptation to life on the ISS. Much of the plot and character interactions seems to revolve around relationships with men, or the lack thereof, and it falls a bit flat. There are also random flashbacks to the past which are probably there for character development but served no real purpose but to disengage me from the story. After the first 15% or so of the book when the main plot point occurs it did become interesting again, but the switching between character viewpoints and at times abruptly switching to the past was jarring and difficult to follow and didn't do much justice to the story.
This book had so much promise, but its argument/thesis is lost in the minutiae. I was sucked in early on but lost interest quickly. Some of the initial flashbacks to the Melt were very heavy handed and reads strongly of anti-global warming. The book suffers from not knowing its main objective or plot point as it is at times all over the place.
As a personal pet peeve, it is Colombia... not Columbia. And the book vacillates between the two spellings interchangeably.
July 10, 2017
Thank you netgally for the ARC!
I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately it was absolutely awful. I feel like I've wasted time after reading it, especially since this book is right up my alley.
The book goes through a few POV's, but mostly it is from our protagonist Lowry. She doesn't really develop until 70% into the book, we are told vague things of her past and her failed marriage, but nothing to really bond you to her. She is superficial, falling for the first attractive man to speak to her despite the hell she went through in her marriage and then divorce. Her 'friends' on the space station are static characters who have a single trait to define them, like Zoë being disabled, or Sevy who is addicted to technology. Those are literally their only traits. Oh and the handsome man Lowry falls for? He's just about as bad as her ex.
When the characters weren't gripping me, I thought maybe the science could, but we don't even get that. There are vague examples like "Huh, there used to be a Florida!" or "Rising sea levels means that people on the coasts are out of homes!" Anyone with simple knowledge of what Global warming can do knows this. I'm not even sure why this is considered speculative fiction because it is so bland, unoriginal, and predictable. Even the antagonists are flat, I just can't believe I was able to finish this book. Save your time, read some Kim Stanley Robinson if you want interesting speculative fiction based on Global warming.
I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately it was absolutely awful. I feel like I've wasted time after reading it, especially since this book is right up my alley.
The book goes through a few POV's, but mostly it is from our protagonist Lowry. She doesn't really develop until 70% into the book, we are told vague things of her past and her failed marriage, but nothing to really bond you to her. She is superficial, falling for the first attractive man to speak to her despite the hell she went through in her marriage and then divorce. Her 'friends' on the space station are static characters who have a single trait to define them, like Zoë being disabled, or Sevy who is addicted to technology. Those are literally their only traits. Oh and the handsome man Lowry falls for? He's just about as bad as her ex.
When the characters weren't gripping me, I thought maybe the science could, but we don't even get that. There are vague examples like "Huh, there used to be a Florida!" or "Rising sea levels means that people on the coasts are out of homes!" Anyone with simple knowledge of what Global warming can do knows this. I'm not even sure why this is considered speculative fiction because it is so bland, unoriginal, and predictable. Even the antagonists are flat, I just can't believe I was able to finish this book. Save your time, read some Kim Stanley Robinson if you want interesting speculative fiction based on Global warming.
June 23, 2017
Lanning has woven a mixture of a futuristic world and fables of old to create a world of collapse, greed, and power. Lowry, the protaganist, serves as a likable honest heroine, yet doomed due to the world around her. There are several other fully-fleshed characters in the political drama. The story is well written and comes to a remarkable end, leaving the reader wondering about the world in which we now exist. My three star rating is based on the addition of characters that serve no purpose to the story and the wordiness of the book to develop the author's political agenda.
July 26, 2017
With a huge shelf of ice just broken off from Antarctica in our real lives, K.E. Lanning's new speculative fiction A SPIDER SAT BESIDE HER couldn't be more timely. Lanning is a regular contributor to OMNI whose view of what could very well be our future is stunning -- right up there with DUNE but a lot closer to Earth. Get it. Read it. You'll see what I mean.
September 2, 2017
Author KE Lanning draws on her knowledge of science and her writing ability to offer a story that is truly stellar. Like Julie Czerneda, there is a scientific mind at work here. Most notably, Lanning uses the book to comment on our current state of affairs. I look forward to the rest of the series.
June 28, 2017
Lanning has crafted a superb ‘what if’ story set in a drowned, post-Melt world, as a young scientist navigates her way through a web of political corruption. Beautifully developed characters, tangled in an engaging plot—with an ending not to be missed!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews