A spider monster traversing lava land. That's what this volume is about. It is (almost literally) the crucible where Komoko becomes the legendary monster known among humans as "The Nightmare of the Labyrinth". Yet the whole time she's just trying to survive in the worst environment possible for an ambush thread-user like herself. It is a fun experience on all levels, and both forwards and backwards.
By that I mean two things.
ONE, it is fun to read on its on as well as after watching the anime episodes that cover this arc, the Middle Stratum Arc. The anime splendidly brings Komoko's struggles to life, from the construction of the scenes themselves, the way relevant information is provided to the viewer, and the voice-acting of Aoi Yūki (I haven't watched the English dub yet, but Brianna Knickerbocker does a good job in the clips I've seen). It is fun, but it doesn't include everything. The light novel go further into her trek in the Middle Stratum and more of her thought process, especially as she now has a couple of Parallel Minds to talk to.
TWO, this volume continues to develop the double perspective initially set up in the first volume. Namely, that Komoko was reborn before her classmates. This fact sets up some delightful dramatic irony that continues into volume three. For instance, after seeing Fei (a human girl reincarnated as an earth dragon) quickly gain power and evolve into a more powerful dragon-type creature, Shun shutters to think how powerful Fei would be if she had hatched in the Great Elroe Labyrinth (where her egg was discovered) and spent years living in there (just like Komoko is doing now/has already done).
On that subject, the light novel does a much better job of developing characters outside of Komoko herself than the anime does. They have more time to themselves so that they can be established as actual characters. Yes, they are still kind of generic: Shun the All-Loving Hero protagonist, Hugo as this rude and aggressive Rival archetype, Kaita as the Patient Childhood Friend love interest etc. However, they are not simple archetypes in the light novel, and "generic" does necessarily mean "bad". Okina Baba breathes life and emotion into these characters.
Now about the "crucible" thing that I mentioned earlier. Yes, the Middle Stratum is a place of tremendous growth for Komoko. In this area, the air is so hot that her spider thread burns up quickly, and the monsters who live here can hide out in magma when attacking her. So her usual methods of ambushing and thread control are not effective. She has to continue innovating to create new tactics, and continue conversing with Miss. Appraisal (^_^) to gain new information. This is where she becomes the Ruler of Pride, Perseverance and Wisdom, which all come together to shape her development.
I suppose it's needless to say that I really enjoyed this second volume, but I have to. It's part of my grading system. SO!
Trickster Eric Novels gives So I'm a Spider, So What? (light novel 2) an A+
Click here for my next book review: So I'm a Spider, So What? (light novel 3)
Click here for my previous book review: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).
His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.
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