The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone
The world is on the brink of an apocalyptic disaster. A virulent ancient species of spider has awakened and they are terminally hostile. This is a wonderfully entertaining novel about a near extinction-level-event. It has loads and loads of characters. There is a spider expert who has focused careerism and a reputation for arrogance and knows stuff. The female POTUS is disconcertingly sincere. The White House Chief Of Staff has a guise of concern. An FBI agent has everyday intentions and wants to protect his icon of innocence daughter.
A writer has no significance. A marine fights. And these various tough unbiddable non-ingratiating characters have intense anguish as they face an increasingly destabilised situation caused by a brutal, alienating, menacing and terrifying enemy. Spiders are learnedly discussed, incredulous announcements are made and there is I-don’t-even-know-what-I’m-looking-at spectacle. This was excellent, thrilling and I’m there for the sequel.
This was vibrant, sharp, relevant and genuinely creepy. This was likeable and convincing and there are no characters with no principles whatsoever as they face a merciless enemy. This is full of continuous excitement and lurid details.
Best Lines:
“Shooting a spider might be overkill.”
“He was lucky to bleed to death in sixty seconds. The first spiders were crawling through the broken window in eighty.”
“Great swaths of Los Angeles seemed to think that the proper response to a full-scale catastrophe was to document it.”