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The Darkest Hours (Spider-Man)
by
Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author)
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 th
...moreMass Market Paperback, 320 pages
Published
June 27th 2006
by Pocket Star
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Jim Butcher must have had so much fun writing this book. I never noticed it before but if Harry Dresden would get on some anti-depressants he might sound an awful lot like Peter Parker. Butcher must have loved being able to put the paint thinner away while writing this one. His Spider-Man fanboy status also shines through loud and clear throughout the story as there are references to details in Spidey's career that those of us who've only watched the movies don't completely follow. Luckily, Butc...more
You know, it's not like I really expect much from a novelization of a comic book...but they are usually pretty bad. This book was a surprise! I'm not a real big fan of the Dresden series, because I think it's sooooo formulaic. The jokes are just so...typical of that kind of plot. However, Butcher definitely tickled my funny bone in the guise of Peter Parker. He wrote him in the most believable voice! Plus, he emphasized the best element of the Spider-man culture: Peter Parker is a regular guy! T...more
Fun and silly (especially for a book subtitled "The Darkest Hours"), the first thing that struck me about this book was that Spiderman's voice sounds a HELL of a lot like Harry Dresden's, only more so.
Then I mused that actually, Harry's voice isn't entirely dissimilar to Peter Parker's anyway, so this makes sense. Also, the similarities are in no way a BAD thing.
The plot to this one's a fairly standard superhero yarn - bad guys come gunning for Spidey, bad guys ...more
Then I mused that actually, Harry's voice isn't entirely dissimilar to Peter Parker's anyway, so this makes sense. Also, the similarities are in no way a BAD thing.
The plot to this one's a fairly standard superhero yarn - bad guys come gunning for Spidey, bad guys ...more
I have read all of the Dresden files books, so when my husband picked this up and told me why, I was intrigued. Having read many comic books, I've decided that there definitely are some writers that are better for certain characters. Butcher was meant to write Spider-Man. It's unfortunate that Marvel pays its novelists so little, because Butcher could definitely make me want to read more of the novelizations of various graphic storylines. I don't tend to read them, as the visual medium tends...more
ShadowShock
rated it
Recommends it for:
yes; Any Spider-fan looking for a little more indepth
Shelves:
good-fiction
I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, what with Mary Jane as Peter Parker's wife and Black Cat in the same room. I was pleasantly surprised at the writer's way of handling the situation.
While the story isn't necessarily deep, but it was definitely good. At points in the story the author mentions things that any comic reader would be familiar with but it would help a new reader catch up with the story line. It also isn't too long so as to bore the veteran readers. Having only re...more
While the story isn't necessarily deep, but it was definitely good. At points in the story the author mentions things that any comic reader would be familiar with but it would help a new reader catch up with the story line. It also isn't too long so as to bore the veteran readers. Having only re...more
I'm a big Jim Butcher fan. He's my go-to guy when I need to read to just escape and relax for a couple of hours. My favorite "popcorn" writer.
This is not his best work. Maybe it's because I've gotten to know the Harry Dresden milieu so well and it's so rich, and this book is lacking in the back story. Maybe the "you've got to work together to succeed" motif got pounded home a little hard. Whatever it was, he's done better. Not that this was a bad book by any means...more
This is not his best work. Maybe it's because I've gotten to know the Harry Dresden milieu so well and it's so rich, and this book is lacking in the back story. Maybe the "you've got to work together to succeed" motif got pounded home a little hard. Whatever it was, he's done better. Not that this was a bad book by any means...more
It was hard for me to commit to reading a Spider Man book. Not that I'm snooty. I like a comic or graphic novel as much as the next nerd. But I like Butcher's other books and his style certainly comes through here. While I wouldn't really recommend the novel. I did enjoy it. I'd love to see Butcher tackle Doctor Strange. That's a book I would seek out.
This is a fun book. I found myself thinking of Harry Dresden many times, but they Spidey and Dresden do have the same type of wit. The overarching story is okay, but not great. I love all of the stuff with Rhino. Very nicely done. Overall, fun and campy...which is okay by me.
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I was surprised by how good this book was, and not because I expected it to be bad. Comic book novels tend to be extremely good or extremely bad. This one fell into the former category.
Jum Butcher managed to capture Spidey's voice. The book is told in the first person so succesfully that it feels like you are in Spiderman's head. The action is superb, the prose amazing and the details satisfying.
The book can be read by a newcomer to Spiderman but it has the added bene...more
Jum Butcher managed to capture Spidey's voice. The book is told in the first person so succesfully that it feels like you are in Spiderman's head. The action is superb, the prose amazing and the details satisfying.
The book can be read by a newcomer to Spiderman but it has the added bene...more
Butcher does a great job with Spider-Man but I will admit there will times when Peter Parker sounds like Harry Dresden without magic. Both are wisecracking under pressure and the comedy infused in both characters is great.
I'm a big fan of Butcher and a big fan of Spidey - no contest. Not a bad little story and definitely a different look at the Rhino as well as some great interplay between Mary-Jane and the
Black Cat.
Black Cat.
Mr. Butcher has some insight into the Marvel 'verse - he's clearly a webhead.
The book is well-written and focuses on a wonderous, character-driven story (the best sorts of comic book stories).
The book is well-written and focuses on a wonderous, character-driven story (the best sorts of comic book stories).
The author who writes Harry Dresden is so perfect for writing Spidey! The wit was spot on, and while I saw similarities b/w Harry and Spidey, it didn't just come across as Dresden in a Spider Man suit. Just a plain ole fun read!
Holy crap this guy should have written the movies! This is the spider-man everyone knows and loves: fights while making wisecracks and being all intelligent at the same time.
I think most people who read this book will do so because they're fans of Jim Butcher, and know that the author of The Dresden Files could write Spider-Man with half his quick-witted snark tied behind his back.
I wasn't sure if it would be an exciting book though. I'm not a fan of Black Cat or Rhino, and have never heard of the Ancients (it's been a while since I collected comics), but the story turned out to be an exciting novel Butcher should be proud of, even if it did start out a...more
I wasn't sure if it would be an exciting book though. I'm not a fan of Black Cat or Rhino, and have never heard of the Ancients (it's been a while since I collected comics), but the story turned out to be an exciting novel Butcher should be proud of, even if it did start out a...more
Classic Jim Butcher long form fiction crack. It's particularly nice to see him writing more involving a working relationship!
I really enjoy Jim Butcher's work and this one didn't disappoint. Fun read overall, and I'm not really that big of a Spidey fan.
Another good read from Jim Butcher.
The Rhino gets a chance to shine.
The Rhino gets a chance to shine.
Blake
marked it as to-read
Did you know Jim Butcher wrote a Spider-Man novel?
I read it solely because I'm a fan of Jim Butcher's other work, the Dresden Files and the Codex Alera, and I enjoyed it. It's popcorn, but sometimes a girl needs some popcorn in her To Read stack! Butcher does a commendable job ensuring that newcomers to the Spideyverse have no problem following along. I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it to others, but it was delightful nevertheless. Butcher's knack for snappy dialogue and snark in the face of evil--honed from writing the smartassed ...more
LOVED IT!!!
Best. Spidey. Ever. Spidey and Rhino having tea in aunt May's apartment is unforgettable.
Its a great read in Spider-Man collection.
Jim Butcher and SpiderMan, need I say more?
I didn't quite make it through to the very end of this, but skimmed the last bit. I loved it up until the middle, but I felt like Butcher was writing Spidey as Harry Dresden too much. I realize the characters share a similar snarky tone in both their canons, but still, this was just too jarringly similar.
Points for including Black Cat, though. She's one of my favorite Spider-Man chacaters. :)
Points for including Black Cat, though. She's one of my favorite Spider-Man chacaters. :)
This book was okay, which is a disappointment because a Spider-man novel should be great. With such well developed characters and setting, I expected more. This was like one of the between story line comics where the art is fair and the story doesn't matter and nothing is really accomplished. I enjoyed the character interaction but wanted more plot.
This book takes Harry Dresden and dresses him in a Spidey-suit. I really liked it. I think the character traits mesh well. I don't know enough about all the backstory to say how accurate it is (character and backstory), but what I know makes it work. I'm really looking forward to reading his other series now.
After defeating Morlun, a creature that drain life forces away for food, Spiderman needs to face off 3 more of them. These 3 are siblings or Morlun looking for revenge and food. Fighting with Morlun was difficult enough, now with 3 more, Spiderman needs help from and old friend and a villian?
Jim Butcher does justice to the Spider-man universe. His comic style of narration is a fabulous imitation of Spider-man's own sarcastic quips to bad guys - it is even more perfect inside his head. A must read for all Spider-man enthusiasts. (all puns intended.)
i liked this book because it has spiderman in it. plus it has a lot of actions which invovles spiderman swinging around ang beating up the villians. i also like it because it was really descriptive so i knew wat was going around with a clear picture in my head.
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A martial arts enthusiast whose resume includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago, Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives in Independence, Missouri, with his wife, his son, and a ferocious guard dog.
More about Jim Butcher...
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