Tens of millions of people around the world are dead. Half of China is a nuclear wasteland. Mysterious flesh-eating spiders are marching through Los Angeles, Oslo, Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, and countless other cities. According to scientist Melanie Guyer, however, the spider situation seems to be looking up. Yet in Japan, a giant, truck-sized, glowing egg sack gives a shocking preview of what is to come, even as survivors in Los Angeles panic and break the quarantine zone. Out in the desert, survivalists Gordo and Shotgun are trying to invent a spider super weapon, but it’s not clear if it’s too late, because President Stephanie Pilgrim has been forced to enact the plan of last resort: The Spanish Protocol. America, you are on your own.
My experience with The Hatching series is sooo weird! I hate spiders, but I can't stop reading these books!
I'm going to jump right in and say I enjoyed Skitter even more than The Hatching.
Skitter upped the creep factor, but it's still very readable for those of us who do not enjoy the spiders. (Who does enjoy spiders? I'm not sure we can be friends.) I think the whole "black wave" of The Hatching and the size of the spiders really helps. Oddly enough, I appreciate a mass of spiders more than the singular creepy crawly. There are more to these spiders than we have previously known, though. I'm super freaked out about the next book. I'm sure I won't hesitate to read it, though.
I really enjoyed the science in Skitter. I was reminded of Crichton a couple of times, and I would love to keep seeing more of that.
If you enjoyed The Hatching, I'm sure you will enjoy Skitter, as well. It's a solid sequel that does a great job setting up the next book in the series.
7/10: Recommended Read
Review copy provided by publisher
