Spider King

by Justin C. Key

To earn his freedom, an incarcerated Black man agrees to an experimental procedure that makes him a breeding ground for mutant spiders.

ebook

Published February 15, 2021

Reviews

[Jordan Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mass incarceration. The targeting of the Black community by America’s prison-industrial complex. The cycle of recidivism.

There’s a reason that recidivism stats are tragically, unforgivably high in the U.S. and it’s not “criminal tendency”. All evidence points to the rate of recidivism being directly linked to the barriers previously-incarcerated people face when trying to reenter society - finding housing, finding a job, getting access to health care, reconnecting to estranged friends and family. Many of these barriers are imposed by a government that deems previously-incarcerated people as less-than, not worthy of basic human rights, and not eligible for public services or even the right to vote.

Now take that cycle of recidivism, add insidious scientific experiments on unwilling participants, an extra large dose of body horror, and flesh-bursting arachnids, and you’ve got Spider King. I just recently came across author Justin C. Key, and after reading his short stories One Hand in the Coffin and The Perfection of Theresa Watkins, was compelled to get a Serial Box subscription and read Spider King. I’m incredibly glad that I did.

Justin C. Key, a licensed psychiatrist, lets his experience and views on mental health and incarceration shine through in his work to wonderful effect. Spider King intricately wove a tale of the horrors faced by Black men attempting to reenter society after incarceration, and the physical and mental manifestations that incarceration has on people even after release. It also had plenty of spiders of a varied array of colors, sizes, and dispositions - arachnophobes beware. I love a good “the evil isn’t gone yet” ending and this delivered in spades.

I’d strongly, strongly recommend this to anyone seeking out new Black horror authors, any lovers of Cronenbergian body horror, and anyone who ever saw that spider slowly creeping in the shadows and wondered if they could maybe be its friend.

5/5, or in this case, 8/8 🕷

[Khimaera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s start off looking at Justin C. Key’s Spider King with a definition and a look at the heart of the story and then we’ll get back to the creepy mutant spiders bursting out of someone’s body. Paresthesia is a group of sensations like “pins and needles” that also includes formication or “the sensation that resembles that of small insects crawling on or under your skin.” Let that thought make your skin crawl for a moment, but don’t worry if you’re got a fear of spiders because this tale is about more than the body horror the protagonist handles with astonishing levels of courage. This is a tale that blends layers of horror with disarmingly endearing moments that will stay with you long after you have finished it.

The real horror in this story is the range of deep, lasting psychological effects being incarcerated has upon someone’s mental health. I had to go hunt around some and was hard pressed to find many speculative fiction stories that handle these issues nevertheless with the forthrightness and skill Key brings to them. After two years in prison and many more ahead of him, there is no hesitation as Darnell is given an offer of a mysterious injection in exchange for his immediate release. His first week home is fraught not only with the bittersweet reunion with his four-year-old daughter who looks at him like a stranger but being estranged from his wife. Her very touch makes him tense and troubled because in prison someone getting that close to you usually means you’re in for a world of trouble. That’s just the surface of some of the issues Darnell is dealing with before the terrifying spiders come along and make things more difficult.

Yet the spiders also provide an empathetic and charming touch to some of the problems of being out in the real world again. Key plays around with the horror of what it might be like having spiders gestating in your body, bursting forth from it, making their homes under your skin, and becoming something of an extended arachnid family. If you have some degree of arachnophobia then there are probably going to be some delightful, shivery moments that have you wanting to look away or hitting pause on the audiobook. Relish those moments and don’t let it deter you because at its soft, spidery heart this is a story about family, love, and trying to put the pieces of your life back together again.

** Thank you to Serial Box and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased review **

[Bethie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating story this turned out to be. I really enjoyed it from beginning to end. We get right into the meat of the story when it starts, so to speak, which is that Darnell has a long prison sentence ahead of him and he is offered a reprieve to go home if he participates in a study with an experimental drug. Of course, he says yes so he can get home to his wife and child, and that's when his life takes a turn. I really enjoyed how this story was told. It wasn't overly grotesque but there was enough description to make my skin crawl. I thought having him deal with becoming a part of society again but also navigating the strange things happening to his body was brilliant. My only critique was that it ended and I wanted more. It's a quick read but more than worth my time.

[Lgerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had this as an audio book / podcast - it was a decent listening piece, although the insect controlling thing was really reminding me of Worm.
People who are sensitive to pictures of self-mutilation or body horror should stay away, this is pretty graphic.

[NayDoubleU · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually quite enjoyed this, and not just from the spider lover perspective. I will say I would love more information, like a part 2. I don't know but I need more and my very own Portia would be nice

[Rachel Gasseling · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars
A really good story, I really enjoyed the different themes throughout. I just don’t think this was very much up my alley. Still I like what the overall message was.