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Drambish Chronicles #1
Spider's Kiss: A Horror Science Fantasy
Silvia’s life is a game of survival. Her kiss means death or insanity—or worse: contamination by the Drambish gene, converting the victim to one of her spider brethren. Tired of being enslaved in the bowels of the galaxy's most infamous brothel, she plots to escape along with her spider mate. But they can’t claw their way off-world without legal papers. And only one man within their sphere can help them.
Police Chief Berrick Trehar believes in the law. He isn’t willing to use his authority to forge papers for the spiders, especially since he senses something evil in them. When Silvia finds the widower’s only daughter, the threat to her life complicates his choice. Deafeating the spiders may be his only way to protect his daughter and the universe from the spider’s kiss.
Survival is the goal, but not everyone can triumph in this game of mortality, madness, and lust.
Police Chief Berrick Trehar believes in the law. He isn’t willing to use his authority to forge papers for the spiders, especially since he senses something evil in them. When Silvia finds the widower’s only daughter, the threat to her life complicates his choice. Deafeating the spiders may be his only way to protect his daughter and the universe from the spider’s kiss.
Survival is the goal, but not everyone can triumph in this game of mortality, madness, and lust.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 13, 2019
31 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Jesse Sprague
34 books50 followersHi. My name is Jesse and I’m a compulsive writer
I can’t help it. I write prolifically. I write because I must! And luckily for you, my dear reader, the stories never stop.
What do I write?
I write fantasy because the world we live in can feel like a trap.
I write sci-fi because I like to toy with worlds, universes, and cultures. I like to play god. I write horror as a kind of decadence. I mean, who doesn’t like writing that bleeds?
Regardless of what type of speculative fiction I write, you can expect that it will be dark. Whether my inspiration comes from a shiver crawling up my spine while darting across a dark parking lot, a fascination with Gothic heroines and their delightful kidnappability, or a desire to build a world to suit a spiffy MMO character, that dark undercurrent of fear makes me feel alive.
So, if you enjoy science fiction and fantasy with an eye to horror, join my readers group.
I’d love to have you along for special sneak-peeks, cover reveals, free stories, and more! Just to show how special you are to me, I’ll start you off with an exclusive short story!
I can’t help it. I write prolifically. I write because I must! And luckily for you, my dear reader, the stories never stop.
What do I write?
I write fantasy because the world we live in can feel like a trap.
I write sci-fi because I like to toy with worlds, universes, and cultures. I like to play god. I write horror as a kind of decadence. I mean, who doesn’t like writing that bleeds?
Regardless of what type of speculative fiction I write, you can expect that it will be dark. Whether my inspiration comes from a shiver crawling up my spine while darting across a dark parking lot, a fascination with Gothic heroines and their delightful kidnappability, or a desire to build a world to suit a spiffy MMO character, that dark undercurrent of fear makes me feel alive.
So, if you enjoy science fiction and fantasy with an eye to horror, join my readers group.
I’d love to have you along for special sneak-peeks, cover reveals, free stories, and more! Just to show how special you are to me, I’ll start you off with an exclusive short story!
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 17, 2020
If you have arachnophobia, this might not be the right book for you. Which would be a shame, since the narrative's incredibly hooky. Yes, as some mention, the characters are dark and difficult to like. But what I enjoyed in this book is that they're incredibly interesting. Give me an interesting character over a nice dull one any time!
A couple of were-spiders (I use this term loosely just to clarify what I'm talking about) is trying to salvage their hide after their kind was all but obliterated. They're not nice and won't let you pet them. Instead, like some nightmarish horror, they would do all in their power to leave the planet that has them prisoners, leaving darkness and despair behind.
It's hard to stop reading this book. The plot is amazingly well done and everything falls into place. Highly recommended if you don't mind reading dark SciFi. Two thumbs up!
A couple of were-spiders (I use this term loosely just to clarify what I'm talking about) is trying to salvage their hide after their kind was all but obliterated. They're not nice and won't let you pet them. Instead, like some nightmarish horror, they would do all in their power to leave the planet that has them prisoners, leaving darkness and despair behind.
It's hard to stop reading this book. The plot is amazingly well done and everything falls into place. Highly recommended if you don't mind reading dark SciFi. Two thumbs up!
December 13, 2019
DNF - too dark for me
I thought this would be a story where I could root for someone but the main characters are evil and I wished the officer would have killed them towards the beginning.
Silvia
Halis killing of an innocent child Risa at location 1537 was enough for me. The other killings could be at least somewhat justified in trying to escape their brothel/jail etc or where they threatened but they didn’t truly follow through on.
His excuse for killing the child was I was hungry. Silvia shrugs and doesn’t really care either.
Silvia and Hali’s deserve to die and with no connection to any of the characters I could not finish this book. Disappointing.
They make great villains, but with no heroes or heroines to oppose them this makes for a dark dark read
I thought this would be a story where I could root for someone but the main characters are evil and I wished the officer would have killed them towards the beginning.
Silvia
Halis killing of an innocent child Risa at location 1537 was enough for me. The other killings could be at least somewhat justified in trying to escape their brothel/jail etc or where they threatened but they didn’t truly follow through on.
His excuse for killing the child was I was hungry. Silvia shrugs and doesn’t really care either.
Silvia and Hali’s deserve to die and with no connection to any of the characters I could not finish this book. Disappointing.
They make great villains, but with no heroes or heroines to oppose them this makes for a dark dark read
April 7, 2020
Spider’s Kiss is science-fiction by way of Gothic horror with so much darkness the pages practically leak black. At its core, it’s about the last two members of a species of were-spiders (I use the term to simplify things), the people who hunt them, and the people whose lives they wreck. There are almost no innocents in this book. Nearly every character is monstrous in their own way. But the magic Jesse Sprague brings to this tale is that each character elicits some sympathy, and the reader finds a connection with each and every one of them. This is the first book of a series and it sets the stage for what’s to come with a lot of drama and action. I have read the next two books in the series in their beta format on Wattpad, and this is a saga I absolutely love. It’s incredibly unique and frequently shocking. I highly recommend for readers to begin to immerse themselves in the Drambish Chronicles universe.
December 31, 2019
A book that falls into the dark SciFi category, which is not a genre I usually consider.
Taking different and unexpected twists, the story follows a series of characters who true to the type of literature are all in the anti-hero category (at best). None of them are one you would normally root for. It is a book where lines between survival and revenge blur with no redemption.
If you like dark speculative fiction, this may be a book for you.
Taking different and unexpected twists, the story follows a series of characters who true to the type of literature are all in the anti-hero category (at best). None of them are one you would normally root for. It is a book where lines between survival and revenge blur with no redemption.
If you like dark speculative fiction, this may be a book for you.
February 7, 2025
I still have not made up my mind about this book. I find it particularly strange. I wouldn't say it's a horror story but rather a decadent, depressing and sometimes oppressive story. Not sure mixing magic, telepathy, genetic manipulation and some other things in the same book is such a good idea. I will take a break in this series after this book before deciding whether I continue reading more books of this series or not.
March 20, 2026
A creepy, inventive blend of horror and sci-fi elements. The story follows characters navigating a world where science and supernatural terror collide, with spiders no thank you and other unsettling creatures posing constant threats.
Creative concept and imaginative world-building make it engaging, though pacing occasionally slows. A solid read for fans of horror with a speculative twist.
Creative concept and imaginative world-building make it engaging, though pacing occasionally slows. A solid read for fans of horror with a speculative twist.
October 22, 2022
Nothing here was interesting or even half way to my taste. It gets kind of half way ok t the end, but it’s absolutely not for me.
May 13, 2023
interesting
That was one weird book with things changing all the time. I loved it. It ended on a cliff hanger with the reader (me) wanting to read more.
That was one weird book with things changing all the time. I loved it. It ended on a cliff hanger with the reader (me) wanting to read more.
August 8, 2023
Good read
I enjoyed this book and I recommend this book to anyone who likes space opera and invasion type of books
I enjoyed this book and I recommend this book to anyone who likes space opera and invasion type of books
March 20, 2026
Wow, what a ride!
I devoured this book. I read it practically in one sitting. I didn't think grimdark sexy spiders would appeal to me, but I was totally hooked.
This is not a book for children or the squeamish. There's blood, sex, and death--and that's in the fire scene. The violence only continues as the book goes on. I was continually surprised by who died and who lived--and at how they died. No one is safe from grievious bodily harm and/or death.
None of the characters are likeable, but that's part of the charm of Spiders Kiss. The book doesn't expect you to like the characters, or even sympathize with them. The writing does, however, lay out the motivations of each character.
If you want to be swept into a masterfully-built world of intrigue, despair, triumph, elation, and twisted love, then this is the book for you. The worldbuilding has me craving more, and I am hungry for the sequel.
I devoured this book. I read it practically in one sitting. I didn't think grimdark sexy spiders would appeal to me, but I was totally hooked.
This is not a book for children or the squeamish. There's blood, sex, and death--and that's in the fire scene. The violence only continues as the book goes on. I was continually surprised by who died and who lived--and at how they died. No one is safe from grievious bodily harm and/or death.
None of the characters are likeable, but that's part of the charm of Spiders Kiss. The book doesn't expect you to like the characters, or even sympathize with them. The writing does, however, lay out the motivations of each character.
If you want to be swept into a masterfully-built world of intrigue, despair, triumph, elation, and twisted love, then this is the book for you. The worldbuilding has me craving more, and I am hungry for the sequel.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews