The Web of Arachnos is the first of a proposed trilogy of novels set in the City of Heroes universe. Written by Robert Weinberg, it details the entangled origin of both Statesman and Lord Recluse, and the beginning steps of moving Prohibition Era Paragon City from a hotbed of crime and corruption to the gleaming metropolis we “see” today.
For CoH/CoV players, there’s a certain charm in learning some of this backstory, as well as more about Nemesis, some of the early heroes of Paragon (previously only hinted at in various plaques and statues about the city), and other geeky goodness like that. Aside from that, though, this is ultra-lightweight fluff. Though Weinberg occasionally tries to play on Doc Savage/Avenger/Shadow-style pulp conventions, it’s never maintained for long enough to actually impart some flavor to the tale.
Instead we get a bunch of stock characters moved through inevitable, predictable, uninvolving motions — the plucky girl reporter, the hardened Great War veteran, the “band of brothers,” the cunning inventor, the venal city officers, the gangsters, the megalomaniac villain, a ho-hum romance … Only bits of the tale sparkle, usually involving backup characters — a trio of sisters, for example, and a few of the fellow founders of the Freedom Phalanx.
Any of our gaming friends in the area who wants to borrow my copy is more than welcome to do so. It’s certainly better than reading the newspaper or office memos, or being poked in the eye with a sharp stick. But it’s not something I’d recommend to anyone other than someone who plays the games the novel is based on.