Technically, Armsmaster never asked Taylor to spy on anyone — she volunteered herself for the duty without asking him.
Of course, that's pretty much the only point that I actually disagree with you on — you summed up the appeal pretty well. :)
Ah well, it's been a while since I've read that part.
The first part of your review is something that I think I could expound on. There's some juxtaposition where a typical status-quo city is a place of utter despair, but after things go to hell, there is at least some sense of hope and a chance to grow.
The series also does a great job of developing characters and fleshing them out. Characters you see as heroes to begin with are shown to be incredibly complex and to have ulterior motives that change the reader's perception. The protagonists do terrible things at time, but they have good intentions, even if their reasoning is terribly flawed.
The author has done a fantastic job of including international and cultural references, to the point that it begins to feel quite different from your typical American-centric story.
Also, for anyone else watching the veritable volleyball match between Axelx Gabriel, his "allies", and everyone else, don't bump his reviews or those who say "I agree with Axel." The author has provided screenshot proof of sockpuppetry, despite his (Axel's) protestations. I might even argue, however, that the sockpuppetry is a lesser crime than his lack of reading comprehension, his ability to jump to conclusions, and his inability to listen to any criticism of his position. For instance, the "Rape" criticism has no basis in Taylor's viewpoint or in Triumph's viewpoint (it was aggravated assault at best, with manslaughter in the offing if Skitter didn't hand over the epipen, the equivalent of beating someone half to death and refusing to let anyone call an ambulance until demands are met). Only when the consequences are blown up beyond all recognition does it resemble rape.
I'll say this much - from the description, forcing insects into the anus/urethra of a person sounds very much like a form of sexual assault. Rape? Maybe, some people think rape covers varying areas of sexual assault. But sexual assault, almost definitely.
That's all I'll say on the matter. Feel free to right me if you see the need to.
Come sail your ships around me, and burn your bridges down.Leave a Comment:
Much to love, much to hate.
Worm can be polarizing on first glance. As the front page states, it starts with the hellish landscape of contemporary high school at its worst and then transitions to "the more uplifting setting of a bombed-out city at the mercy of a roving band of psychopaths." (I wish that was only the slightest bit of hyperbole). However, I personally can't get enough of it. This is for several reasons.
One: The characters are fully-realized and compelling, if not necessarily sympathetic. Of course, if you want to focus solely on the wrong things they do, (and perhaps ascribe things to them that they are innocent of) that's your prerogative. Part of this is Wildbow's knack for inventive powers (The main character, Taylor, controls bugs, another character can project the cutting edge of any blade he's holding to a nigh-infinite length, a third can throw "buds" that apply an effect on contact), part of this is his decision to give us a taste of other viewpoints once-a-chapter.
Two: The world itself is compelling. It appears to be a bog-standard superhero story, up until Taylor's contact in the local superhero division tries to arrest her for consorting with supervillains - ones he asked her to spy on. We get details that peel away the cliched facade bit by bit: the "Mutants" are amnesiac and are all branded with the same mark. A gang is selling Super Serums, again with the mark. A group of monsters attacks single targets, one at a time, with months in between. These and other mysteries entice the reader onward.
Three: The fight scenes are top-notch. Seriously.
That's why I love Worm.