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Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: Available Now
352 Pages
Synopsis: 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 Gruyer, 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.
They’re baaack! Those creepy eight-legged critters from The Hatching have returned to cause even more monstrous mayhem in this thoroughly enjoyable sequel. Once again the somewhat large cast of characters makes it difficult to really get to know them all that well, but some of their individual stories are developed a bit more this time around. Adding to the horror of man-eating spiders, is the way the U.S. government is forced to respond in order to try to contain the threat. In some ways, Skitter is definitely a filler book. While the plot advances from the first book, except for the Spanish Protocol and discovering what the spiders’ endgame might be, it mostly goes back and forth between countries and characters. The ending is a huge cliffhanger which perfectly sets things up for the final book. Will the spiders prevail and jump to the top of the food chain, or will human ingenuity win in the end? If you’re a horror fan and love movies like Arachnophobia and Eight Legged Freaks, I highly recommend The Hatching and Skitter. While there are plenty of scenes that will make you squirm, there’s also instances of sly humor. I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing how the Author wraps everything up in the final book.
