The Web

by Richard Lewis

The Killer Spiders March Again

Genres: Horror

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 12, 1981

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sequel to Spiders by Richard Lewis follows the same script, albeit with new characters, about 6 years after the first spider invasion. We learned there about the spiders which emerged from some cold war bioengineering deal that mutated into huge, flesh-eating monsters that travelled in massive swarms that almost depopulated England. The spiders here are a little different; no longer just the flesh eating types, but ones with a venum that induces violent, homicidal madness!

The formula of the novel follows in the footsteps of Herbert's The Rats, where each initial chapter introduces some poor bloke or whatever for a bit before they meet their ghastly end via spider attack. Weaving through this spider mayhem is our main protagonist John, whose work is something like a science reporter for a local radio station. Lewis employs judicious foreshadowing in The Web, but rather needlessly so, as of course the sequel to Spiders is gonna have a nasty spider outbreak.

Situated within the entire 'animal attack' mania/trope of the 70s and early 8o's, I would rate Lewis as rather midling; he did contribute several novels of this type and the ones I have read have been entertaining, but nothing mind blowing by any means. If spiders creep you out, you might really enjoy this one, and it does have some rather good spider foo scenes. 3 man-eating spiders!

[Brian G Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great sequel to a great book (Spiders). Some great deaths in this book, some shocking. I loved it. I like where he took the story. Looking forward to his other insectile horror books.

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The spiders are back", he said hoarsely. "God help us."

[Ross Jeffery · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read and also one which you needn’t have read Spiders to appreciate - for those wondering if you needed to have read the first book.

There are some massive plot holes in this, and one which I was considering through the last third of the book which didn’t get answered until near the end, the only issue with this is that throughout reading I was like ‘but what about…’ and then with a throw away paragraph he answered it, but I feel the not knowing went on far too long.

I hate spiders and this book was like exposure therapy to me, each time I read it I kept thinking the ghastly things were crawling over my feet.

Enjoyable - creature feature!

[Sean Frost · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining and fast-paced follow-up to Spiders. New spider abilities, new challenges, new protagonist, and a slew of new victims. 60% horrible death by volume.

[Scott Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great sequel to Spiders

I personally hate spiders so this made it all the more creepy for me

[Vincent Darkhelm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Took me months to read this short novel. It really is that bad.

[Jörg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a classics kind of girl these days but my teenage years were spent scaring myself half to death with horror fiction. Here are two horrific blasts from my past and a brief rundown of what happens in these gruesome stories:

Spiders by Richard Lewis 1978:
The story is set in Kent, England. Dan Mason brutally kills a spider that has bitten him. He later pays the price when his farmhouse is invaded by a whole army of them. His son a scientist helps the police investigate this and other mysterious and gruesome killings happening in the area.

The Web by Richard Lewis 1981:
Six years have passed and the spiders rise again. This time, if you manage not to get eaten by the spiders and just bitten, you will turn into a murdering psychopath instead.

If you are scared of spiders then I don't recommend either of these books as they are pretty horrifying and graphic. I used to have a tarantula so I am not scared of spiders but I am pretty certain I would be scared if I woke up one night and the carpet was a black mass of flesh eating arachnids and I their next meal. Do be warned as the book doesn't hold back. Just the cover of these books is enough to make you run for the hills.

Richard Lewis (real name Alan Radnor) wrote other horror novels around that era such as Parasite. A virus breaks out that is spread by snails.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Richard Lewis' first book Spiders, which would make a brilliant cheesy horror film. This is a follow-up title which tries to expand a bit more on the first book. Without giving away to much, I wasn't massively impressed as there are too many characters initially and, also the characters from the original make a cameo, but it was not as I expected. Overall an exciting and gory read like the first, but doesn't quite have the originality of the first.