Spider-Man: Carnage in New York

Marvel Berkley/Byron Preiss Productions Prose Novels

by David Michelinie, Dean Wesley Smith, Tim Paige (Narrator)

A vicious serial killer named Cletus Kasady has had his body chemistry altered by an alien creature. Now, Kasady can transform into Carnage, who, along with his lethal living costume, lives for chaos and random acts of senseless, brutal murder! Carnage has been returned to New York in chains, the subject of a daring attempt to reverse the effects of his metamorphosis. When the interference of a deranged scientist causes the experiment to go horribly wrong, Carnage is set loose upon the city once again! Now it's up to Spider-Man to stop his deadliest foe before he unleashes carnage in New York!

Genres: Spider Man, Marvel, Superheroes, Comics, Fiction, Audiobook, Adventure

Audio CD

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Robert]

Easily the most contrived, McGuffin-y plot I've yet encountered with these Marvel novels- scientist on the run from sinister government forces decides the only way to destroy his impossible-to-reproduce-psycho-serum is to throw it into the cage housing an infamous superpowered serial killer the moment he is supposed to be depowered. Unsurprisingly, things don't go well!.- and that's saying a lot!

Still, since it's a Spidey adventure I can't help but find lots of the familiar contrivances endearing, right down to the whole subplot involving poor old Aunt May defaulting on her mortgage. Classic!

Recommended for Spidey-Fans, for sure.

[L. McCoy]

WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE AHEAD, I BRIEFLY TALK ABOUT EMOTIONS AND SHIT...

SUPER FAST REVIEW:
Not terrible but not for me.
So in all fairness I have been feeling very sad and fucked up in general lately... like to the point of frequent uncontrollable crying (there’s a pandemic right now and it’s been fucking with a lot of shit including adding to stress which fucks with my physical health and that adds to stress and... yeah, all kinds of crazy stuff going on there). Figured I should clear that.
Anyways, the author obviously knows the characters well to write decent versions of them and there are some sweet action scenes where Spidey fights Carnage and such.
The writing in general however is a little iffy at best. It’s super predictable and it repeats a lot of various things, both things in the plot and rehashes of things almost any Marvel fan knows.
The narrator of the audio edition I listened to wasn’t great either.
So yeah, I didn’t care for it but maybe I’m not the right person and/or in the right mood for this audiobook.

2/5

[Craig]

This is a good, sense-tingling Spidey adventure. The main plot is Peter's conflict with Carnage (never one of my favorite villains, to be honest), but the secondary story with M.J. and Aunt May is equally compelling. The characters are all well-portrayed, and their voices rang true. There's an attempt to fit this one in a framed continuity that didn't do anything for me, but I enjoyed it as a stand alone. Excelsior!

[James]

Carnage is a result of an alien symbiote joining with serial killer Cletus Kasady, and one of Spider-Man’s deadliest foes. Spidey has defeated Carnage in the past and he has been placed under heavy confinement. New York has been safe. But researchers believe that they can separate the two entities, and bring Carnage to New York for this experimental treatment. Unfortunately, Carnage escapes and begins a deadly rampage. Spider-Man must stop him again… and that is just one problem Peter is facing.

A good Spider-Man story is not only about the villain that Spider-Man is facing, but also about Peter Parker. Pete has everyday problems just like anyone and that makes him believable, likeable, someone you can relate to. The writers understood this and captured the character very well. The pacing was very good, making it a good, quick read.

I liked the story, and look forward to the next book “Goblin’s Revenge”. If you like Spider-Man, superhero stories, or are just looking for a good, quick read, try Carnage in New York.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library)]

A passable story marred by large amounts of filler. Between several pages of illustrations and white space, one chapter that adds nothing to the story, and abysmally large print and wide margins, paying full price for Carnage in New York is a cheat. If you've enjoyed other Spidey novels, and can find it on the cheap, this novel may be worth a shot, but those who are new to the wall-crawler's prose should start out by reading Adam-Troy Castro's Sinister Six trilogy.

[Kaotic]

It was... Meh.

I wanted to like it more because I love Carnage. But the author repeated himself a lot and it felt a lot like he had to meet a word count in an essay so he found multiple ways to say the same thing.

The story was good though and it had some decent action scenes between Spider-Man and Carnage.

It was a good book, it could have been a lot better tho.

[SheR Smith]

I first read this book forever ago and back then I absolutely loved it and was captivated by the story. Here it is almost ten years later since then and I'm curious as to whether or not it will still have that same impact. I intend to purchase the book, reread it, and then offer a new review!

[MerryMeerkat]

Star Rating Art:  4 Stars

Star Rating Story: 5 Stars

 

Self purchase for Kindle.

 

First Impression:  Fantastic, great story.

 

Like the first volume, I’m loving how the Vampires are really freaking scary, not like twilight. Don’t get me wrong, I actually liked Twilight, they were good reads. But Vampires, really, really ought to be scary, have fangs, wings, claws etc.

 

Scott Snyder is a very good good author.  Though I must admit I was a bit confused as to what was going on but eventually I got it. I liked volume 2 better than volume 1 because volume 1 had parts with Stephen King and I’m not a fan of Stephen King.

 

Warnings: Very violent, dark

Recommendations: Anyone who likes Vampires.

"

[Gilbert Stack]

I first read this novel back in 1995 and enjoyed it enough to read it again when I came across It in audiobook format. Micheline and Smith give good Spiderman. The book has a very fast tempo with Spiderman’s life causing difficulties for Peter Parker as he tries to stop the serial killer, Carnage, from causing the deaths of thousands of New Yorkers. While this is happening, Aunt May desperately needs Peter’s help to save her house, putting Peter once again in the position of having to disappoint those he loves in order to save lives as Spiderman. It’s a great little story that would have made a fine comic.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[Jay Sandlin]

While the character elements of Peter and MJ living as a couple in Queens and working to make ends meet and balance a superhero life were strong, it was otherwise a largely paint-by-numbers experience with little substance and a lame attempt at a twist ending.

[Christiana Rendon]

One of the best Spiderman books I have read in a long time it introduced carnage as a villain that has been a problem before. So he isn't anyone new to Spiderman but it still explains it in a way to the reader as if we have never heard of him before which I love.

[Logan]

I have no idea how this book has a high rating…it’s assssss.

Weak characters, weak story - nothing is good here besides the occasional Spider-Man quip.

Aunt May’s side story of losing her home and MJ being useless and bitchy as ever is true to the original characters. Jonah Jameson did not have any spotlight in this story and Carnage is such a 2D villain in the book.

MJ was especially a bitch when she SOLD HER WEDDING RING to pay off Aunt May’s mortgage for the month. Might make me sound sour because it does sound sweet, but SHE SOLD A RING THAT WAS GIVEN TO HER! SHE LOST BASICALLY NOTHING AND SHE FEELS LIKE A HERO?!?!?!?!?

The idea with the serum in the vile that can turn people mad seemed to be a good idea with some possible outcomes that could be cool,

but Carnage wanted to put it in soups for the homeless…

wtf…

Corny ass 1940’s comic writing.

Not only that but the scientist who created it throws it into a radioactive cage with a VERY powerful supervillain…

WTF

I’ve looked up other novels/comics this author has written and it seems like those have high ratings. I sure hope those aren’t fake like the ones for this book because I will never read this again.

(I already bought two other novels from this author so ig I’ll read them :/ )

[Andrew]

The plot is definitely convoluted and to get going a lot of weird things have to occur buuuuut the core message of the story really let this one shine.

Should Carnage be activating Spidey sense? No but who really cares. The core of this is classic Spidey complete with an ongoing personal issue with a ticking clock. This really highlighted why the marriage was such a good dynamic shift as MJ does as much as Spider-Man to solve core plot issues.

I read this and I'm not entirely sure if the audio version cuts this book down slightly. I saw a few comments saying that they felt Carnage was toned down for the story, whilst in the book I read he brutally murders an entire party worth of people in a truly gruesome fashion...so audio listeners beware you may be missing the best part.

Carnage is spooky, Spidey is quippy, and I'm a happy webhead.

[Daniel Zielke]

Spider-Man: Carnage in New York is a fun, quick read that plays out like a prose version of a Spider-Man comic. The characters are not particularly deep, but are recognizable as their comic book counterparts. The highlight of the book are the ways that characters are described when we are looking at them from another character’s point of view. Carnage is menacing in the comics, but he is all the more horrifying when you are looking at him through the eyes of a normal person on the streets of New York. Overall a fun and quick read for someone looking for a bit more focused time in Spider-Man’s web. As a note, this book can at times be graphic with the descriptions of violence, so it is probably not for less mature readers.

[Jonathan]

Set in Peter Parker's college years and early married life, this book details the adventures of Spider-man battling the escaped Carnage, the symbiotic alien which attaches itself to humans to act out evil deeds.

Peter, alter ego Spider-man, is thrust into saving the city after Carnage targets a charity event being thrown by his employer, the Daily Bugle. His personal life becomes a struggle when the attack makes him late for a bank appointment with aunt May, who had previously asked Peter to co-sign a mortgage to keep her home.

Will Spider-man stop Carnage and save aunt May's home? We all know the answer, but it is fun to see how he does it. This book isn't compelling or original, but it is the perfect mental escape. The superhero needs to stop the bad guy and uphold personal accountability. What could be more could you ask for in these types of stories?

If you're a comic book superhero fan, then you'll want to read this. If you're looking for a casual read, I'd suggest skipping it. Since this is most likely a prose adaptation of a serialized comic story, the origins and motivations of the characters are not clearly stated. The writer is assuming you already are familiar with these characters and takes you on his one-off adventure that is seemingly in the middle of a larger story.

[Zach Genhart]

Solid little superhero adventure. Nothing amazing but a good, short read.

One thing that stuck out to me is there's a side plot involving The Daily Bugle holding a benefit for the homeless that most people see through as something that is clearly just about giving J Jonah Jameson good publicity. It's also an event held just to make rich people feel like good people even though they aren't actually doing anything to actually solve the problem. In other words WoW i MiSs BaCk WhEn SuPeRhErO sToRiEs WeReN't WoKe (lol) (lmao)

[Kristy Carey]

This felt like a very old story of Spider-Man. For such a short piece he mentioned Spidey sense more than I thought physically possible. I don’t ever remember aunt Mae disliking Spider-Man. And MJ was just a useless female who couldn’t really do anything. Granted she wasn’t a damsel in distress, but all she really did was flail around not knowing how to be useful until she figured out some thing that was only useful because she was a girl.

The whole story left a bad taste in my mouth.

[Quentin Wallace]

A fast paced, action packed novel. I thought the whole Carnage escape thing was a little silly, but I suppose it worked. The story never dragged, and it was what I'd call an easy read, in a good way. If you are a fan of Spiderman and/or Carnage, this is worth a read. The illustrations were a nice touch as well, even if they did give away some of the events early!

[Kieran Westphal]

This is exactly what you would expect a mass market paperback comic book story to be like. It's like the ur-superhero fiction novel adaptation. Breezy and enjoyable enough to pass the time, doesn't do anything even remotely new or interesting with its characters.

I'd go 2.5 stars if I could

[Derrick]

Carnage is one of those villains that is almost too awful to enjoy reading/listening about. I'm not into such evil and spider man villains aren't usually as evil as Carnage. If you enjoy Carnage though, this is another one of his novels.

[Eric Evans]

Really enjoyed this. Im not well versed in my marvel comics being a DC guy as a child. So this Carnage story was great.

[DJ]

This was an okay Spidey tale.

[Alexander Keith]

I really love seeing different peoples takes on the same characters! David Michelinie and Dean Wesley Smith did a great job with Peter and with MJ. Just a fun story with lots on the line. Great read!

[Matt Kratz]

A good, exciting Spidey story that I recommend for superhero and Marvel comics fans.

[Ekenedilichukwu Ikegwuani]

a decent, short novel. moves really fast and is pretty entertaining

[Z. Jeffries]

Pretty slow, not too much action. It felt like a drawn out plot from a two issue arc.

[Major]

A thrilling novel where Spider-Man faces off against the villain Carnage, who arms himself with a deadly new weapon to threaten New York City.

[Kristian]

It was super short, but that helped it. Also went quite bloody at parts, which I did not expect. But for a comic novel? Its not the best, its not the worst. Its a solid story.

[Megan]

I found it kinda boring. The Carnage POV sections were definitely the best parts.

[Chris Roberto]

Short, to the point, and classic Spidey. I just wish it were much longer. More MJ and cameos would be a plus.