It’s been a while since I’ve written anything for the British Fantasy Society, but I’m delighted to say that my latest book review is now live – for The Spider Dance by Nick Setchfield, a tremendously enjoyable occult thriller from Titan Books. You can read that review by clicking on this link, but I want to take a moment to add a few more informal thoughts about this book here, to accompany the link. Of course, if you would rather skip straight to the review then feel free to head over to the BFS website – I don’t mind, honest!
I read Setchfield’s first novel – 2018’s The War in the Dark – at the beginning of last year, and was impressed by the way it felt like a proper old-school spy thriller at heart, and how all the supernatural elements were really baked into the story rather than feeling tacked on as an afterthought. If anything I enjoyed The Spider Dance even more, with its slightly more focused narrative lending it a simpler and more straightforward vibe that had me speeding through the book and not wanting to put it down. Both are excellent, and it’s worth reading the first book if you can to get the full picture, but if time is pressing then you should be able to pick this one up and get everything you need from it.
The previous book – The War in the Dark – is excellent too!
Why did I enjoy this so much, though? Well first of all, it has loads of the hallmarks of a classic 60’s era Bond-esque spy story, without the troubling bigotry that sometimes makes those stories a little uncomfortable to read these days – so that’s an instant tick, for me. I know I mostly review and write about science fiction and fantasy but I love a good thriller just as much, and I thought Setchfield really nailed the right vibe with The Spider Dance, which hits all the right notes for a spy novel set in the 60s, at the height of the Cold War.
All the globetrotting adventure and murky politics, though, is set to the backdrop of not just the Cold War but also a hidden underworld of magic, demons and all sorts of interesting occult themes. There are vampires and erovores (succubi and incubi), just the right amount of dark magic – as the protagonist rediscovers abilities he associates with a past incarnation of himself – and the first, intriguing hints of some truly sinister underworlds that are absolutely ripe for exploring further. Overall there’s just a hugely engaging sense of darkness and mystery running throughout the book, which combines beautifully with all the spy stuff to form a gripping, pacy and characterful novel.
I had an absolute blast reading this, and I’m very much hoping that Setchfield is going to be writing more in this setting!
If you haven’t already checked out my review, I’ll leave you now to click this link and have a read of my more formalised, objective thoughts on the novel. I’d love to hear what you think if you’ve already read The Spider Dance, or if you read this article and/or my review and are tempted to pick it up. Drop me a line in the comments below, or find me on Twitter to let me know!