 | The Spider’s War is the fifth and final book in Daniel Abraham’s exceptional The Dagger and the Coin series. The story is told primarily from the perspective of four main characters: Marcus Wester, a world-weary soldier who roused the last dragon Inys from hibernation and is now on a quest to destroy all spider priests with the dragon's help; Cithrin, the prodigy banker, who wages a financial war against the spider priests and against War itself; Clara, a noblewoman intent on saving her country by destroying Lord Regent Pallaiko and the spider priests he champions, no matter the personal cost; and Lord Regent Geder Palliako, increasingly at odds with himself and with the spider priests who keep him in power. |
 | Marcus is the only one who can cajole the dragon Inys into cooperation, but he goes on a quest with Clara and Master Kit (an apostate and former spider priest) to bring Geder Palliako’s army home from the field. It’s a gruesome march, and the author makes the cold and starvation palpable. Throughout the novel, Marcus's experience and leadership skills prove key to his mission to thwart the spider priests. Marcus remains an endearing character, treating everyone with courtesy and respect, including when he provides expert guidance to the Lord Marshall of the army (Clara’s son Jory) without undermining his authority. |
 | With Marcus gone, Cithrin tries to reason with the dragon, but with limited success as Inys becomes increasingly despondent and volatile. Meanwhile, her propaganda campaign against the spider priests proves unsuccessful. Her scheme to print paper money has given her resources to hire mercenaries, but that too has limited effect on Geder Palliako and his spider priests. She decides to make a desperate gamble to promote her agenda and end war once and for all. Cithrin is strong and resourceful throughout the story. She has developed an intuitive sense of when and how to act to influence others, and grasps the inherent vulnerability of love. |
 | Clara has a son who lives as an exiled pirate, a son serving as Lord Marshall of Geder Pallaiko’s army (Jory), and a son who has become a spider priest. As a mother, she wants the best for her boys, but knows that if she succeeds in her quest to destroy Geder Palliako, not all of her sons will survive. And if she manages to restore her family’s fortunes and resume her place as a noblewoman, she’ll have to give up her common-born lover, the huntsman Vincen Coe, her only source of happiness in the world. Clara walks a tightrope throughout the story, but never wavers from her resolve to rid her country of Geder Palliako and his priests. |
 | Lonely, scholarly Geder Palliako is a complex and fascinating character: desperate to prove himself a good leader and please the spider priests, protective of Prince Aster, vindictive and violent when he believes himself made a fool. Early in the story, we see him caught in a conflict between different factions of the spider priests. As confusion spreads among the priests, Geder’s doubt also grows, but is always assuaged by the head spider priest and Geder’s need to be “right.” |
He makes atrocious decisions that have painful and deadly consequences for others, particularly the disenfranchised. And though he feels guilt and remorse, he justifies his cruel actions and is quick to blame others for his misdeeds.
Like all of the books in the series, the author addresses compelling themes, including the nature of faith, the importance of being true to ourselves, the powers of persuasion, and “good” versus “bad.”
For example, Marcus and Master Kit discuss why there are no plays or stories about good people being kind to each other:
For example, Marcus and Master Kit discuss why there are no plays or stories about good people being kind to each other:
 | Master Kit maintains that people are by nature “thoughtful and kind and gentle and resolve their hurts and confusions with consideration and love. [But these actions] seem like nothing. Thoughtfulness and kindness and love, I contend, are so much the way we expect the world to be that they become invisible as air. We only see war and violence and hatred as something happening, I suggest, because they stand out as aberrations. In my experience, even in the midst of war, many lives are untouched by battle. And even in a life of conflict, violence is outweighed by its absence.” |
Marcus says: “Seems more likely to me that violence and strife catch the attention because ignoring them leads you down a short road. I’ve walked a lot of battlefields that had boys who’d have lived another few decades watering them. I’ve made my gold working at war and death, and I haven’t often gone hungry.”
“But war’s not the same as death, is it?”
“The one involves the other, Kit.”
“I disagree. War, I think, only involves a particular manner of death. Everyone always dies. It’s the price of being born.”
“But war’s not the same as death, is it?”
“The one involves the other, Kit.”
“I disagree. War, I think, only involves a particular manner of death. Everyone always dies. It’s the price of being born.”
 | Another strength of this book, and the series in general, is the sense of a world beyond the storyline: the reign of the dragons a millennia ago; mentions of Far Syramys, a fantastical world beyond the sea; the ways characters and countries outside the main setting play into character’s calculations. The fate of the dragon Inys is a good example: he yearns to re-establish his rightful dominance of the world, but we have no idea if he has the skills to craft anything given his admission that all prior creating was done by his mother and older siblings. |
The book comes to a stunning climax when all of the characters, including Master Kit and his acting troupe, gather in the capital city to move against the spider priests. Marcus organizes the logistics and the role of Inys; Cithrin uses her intuitive powers of persuasion; Clara moves among the nobility, carefully cultivating allies; and Geder is given an opportunity for heroic redemption.
At the last minute, the head spider priest threatens to thwart the entire plan, and the courage of our heroes is put to the ultimate test . . .
In the aftermath, Cithrin and another banker excitedly consider what the future will hold for “paper” currency, Clara confronts Vincen Coe about their uncertain future, and Marcus and his long-time sidekick Yardem tie up “loose ends.”
Without giving away specifics, I will say the ending of The Spider’s War was very satisfactory, providing an excellent conclusion to the series.
At the last minute, the head spider priest threatens to thwart the entire plan, and the courage of our heroes is put to the ultimate test . . .
In the aftermath, Cithrin and another banker excitedly consider what the future will hold for “paper” currency, Clara confronts Vincen Coe about their uncertain future, and Marcus and his long-time sidekick Yardem tie up “loose ends.”
Without giving away specifics, I will say the ending of The Spider’s War was very satisfactory, providing an excellent conclusion to the series.
Read other books in The Dagger and the Coin series:
The Dragon’s Path, The King’s Blood, The Tyrant’s Law, The Widow’s House
Read other books by Daniel Abraham: Age of Ash, Blade of Dream (both set in Kithamar)
Read other gritty lived-in fantasies: Memories of Ice, Fire Logic, City of Stairs, City of Blades, City of Miracles
The Dragon’s Path, The King’s Blood, The Tyrant’s Law, The Widow’s House
Read other books by Daniel Abraham: Age of Ash, Blade of Dream (both set in Kithamar)
Read other gritty lived-in fantasies: Memories of Ice, Fire Logic, City of Stairs, City of Blades, City of Miracles
