| | |  | Books | Home » » Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | Peter Parker's life has hit a peaceful stretch. No evildoers have tried to flatten him in weeks, his marriage to Mary Jane is stronger than ever, and he's enjoying his job as a high school science teacher. Life is good. Naturally, that doesn't last. When Peter learns that his old enemy the Rhino is on a rampage in Times Square, he suits up as Spider-Man to stop the destructive villain in his tracks. But he's unexpectedly foiled in his attempts by the Black Cat, a former ally and old flame. The Cat informs Peter that the Rhino is just a distraction -- the real threat comes from a group of Ancients, members of the same race as the being called Morlun, who Spidey defeated in battle years earlier. The Ancients are now looking to exact revenge -- and hope to steal Spider-Man's life force in the process. To defeat such powerful beings, Spider-Man is going to need all the help he can get, especially from the Black Cat. But what will Mary Jane Parker have to say about that? Peter isn't sure which is worse -- the Ancients trying to drain his life force, or the wrath of a jealous wife.... | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Jim Butcher | | Mass Market Paperback:
| 320 pages | | Publisher:
| Pocket Star | | Publication Date:
| June 27, 2006 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1416510680 | | Product Length:
| 6.72 inches | | Product Width:
| 4.04 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.86 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.35 pounds | | Package Length:
| 6.7 inches | | Package Width:
| 4.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.0 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.35 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 20 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 20 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 found the following review helpful:
 A Wicked WebJul 12, 2006
By Mel Odom
A few years ago, Spider-Man fought an incredible being who called himself Morlun, who was supposed to be an Ancient and a drinker of souls. More to the point, Morlun feasted on the souls of people who chose animals as their "spirit totem." He wanted Spider-Man because of his connection to the spider spirit. Spider-Man defeated Morlun with help, but now the rest of the Ancients, a sister and two brothers, are out for revenge. And maybe a midnight snack. After being assigned a temporary basketball coaching job with a troublesome star athlete, Peter Parker (Spider-Man) arrives home to find more trouble: his wife MJ has taken on an acting job but now has to drive to get there. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a driver's license (what native New Yorker does?) and just failed the tests. Peter tells her he'll help her, then jumps into patrol as Spider-Man. He immediately gets jumped by Felcity Hardy, an old girlfriend who goes by the name The Black Cat. Black Cat tells Spider-Man that he's being lured to his doom by the Rhino on a rampage. But, being a hero, Peter has no choice but to go -- and nearly gets feasted on. Together, Spider-Man and the Black Cat have to figure out how to defeat the trio of Ancients without losing their lives in the process.
Jim Butcher is the best-selling author of the Dresden Files, featuring wizard-for-hire Harry Dresden. A television show is being filmed now. He's also the author of the Codex Alera fantasy series.
Butcher hits some really nice licks with this book, capturing the humbleness and golly-gee of Peter Parker in his first-person narrative. Throwing the Black Cat into the mix with Peter and his wife MJ was an especially nice touch, a romp down memory lane for old-time comics fans. The Rhino, always one of Spider-Man's more simple yet complex villains, is played brilliantly in the book. There's even a couple cameos with Dr. Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme (as well as an astonishing reveal about Wong, Dr. Strange's majordomo). The pacing is frenetic, filled with the trademark quips as well as lots of dialogue among the characters, and surprising twists and turns of the plot that keep a reader moving along. Although these are comic book characters, they come across as surprisingly human on Butcher's pages.
THE DARKEST HOURS is a solid Spider-Man novel, a great adventure read, and the very thing a comic geek or someone interested in Spider-Man through the movie venue needs to pack along to the beach. Harry Dresden fans will probably also enjoy this sideline jaunt Butcher takes through the Marvel Comics Universe.
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
 Definitely gets Spider-ManAug 24, 2006
By Mark Muncy
"lycaeon@lycaeon.com"
Some of these Spider-Man novels fall a little flat. This one "gets it." Spidey is smart, and witty. It even has a whole sub-plot involving his students at school. There's a guest shot by Dr. Strange, some comments about him being a team-up junkie, the ex-girlfriend alone with the wife, and all the fun of a typical Spidey mega-event. All this and the author makes Rhino interesting, too.
I couldn't put it down. After devouring it, I headed over and checked out the author's Dresden books and I am currently enjoying them as well.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
A Great Read!Nov 04, 2006
By Aaron Felker
Bought this book because I'm a huge Spidey fan. I wasn't disappointed. The book was fantastic! Jim Butcher really captures Spidey's character. The plot is fast moving, and there's lots of action, but there's also many good Peter-MJ moments. What can I say? This books just plain fun to read.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Fast-paced, funny, fun, and human.Jul 28, 2006
By M. Swierczek
"keeper_of_the_wolf"
A few years back, Spiderman nearly died in a two day fight with Morlun, an ancient supernatural predator. When his old foe the Rhino appears and starts tearing up the city, Spiderman arrives only to discover that Rhino was just a lure for three of Morlun's kind to trap him.
In typical Spiderman fashion, our hero is struggling to take care of his job, his marriage, his Aunt, and the people of New York - all while cracking jokes. Empty of dull moments and surprisingly full of three dimensional characters, this is a book even people who have only seen the movies will enjoy.
I have read other works by Jim Butcher, and I definitely rank his books as the most enjoyable fantasy novels available. This book just reinforces that impression.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
If you like Butcher's other books, you'll like this one, too!Sep 29, 2006
By Esther Schindler
Jim Butcher is an excellent writer who has created a few not-so-ordinary worlds of his own for his characters to frolic in. In one, he has a wizard/detective for hire in Chicago; in another, he created a believable fantasy universe. In both cases, the characters spring to life off the page, wisecracking their way through occasionally implausible adventures with some extra-special abilities. And he makes them seem quite plausible indeed.
So I was _really_ curious to see what he'd do with Spider-Man. To my great relief... he did a wonderful job. Spider-Man is a wise-cracking good guy with extra-special abilities too, and Butcher makes him sparkle.
Now, I like Spider-Man, but I'm not a card- (or web-)carrying fan. I didn't grow up with a stash of comic books under my bed (little girls didn't *do* that), but I was generally familiar with the story and I liked the movies. I've read a handful of Spider-Man stories since then, primarily by Babylon 5's Straczynski, and I think they're fun mental cotton-candy.
The basic story is the stuff of comic books. (Well DUH.) Spider-Man thought he was done with Morlun, a life-sucking entity who feeds on "totemic images," after he wiped the guy out in a previous book. But Morlun has a sister and two brothers, and boy are they _mad_. And also hungry....
It's hard to fathom a book about Spider-Man without images, but Butcher pulls it off. He writes very visually, even (or maybe especially) in the fight scenes. But the "words" let the reader learn more about Peter Parker's internal dialog, which both adds to the character and makes you giggle out loud. You realize how much Peter loves his wife; you watch him figure out how to resolve the "B plot" with the high school basketball player; you get to see him question the "humanity" of someone he thought was evil. It's all lightly done, and you can see Butcher's tongue poking out of his cheek at times... but hey, that's what you came for.
If you're a Spider-Man fan, you'll like this book. And if you're a Butcher fan, as I am, you'll enjoy watching him romp through someone *else's* universe for a while.
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