Hi knarf_scot,
I believe the series you are looking for is "Spider World" by Colin
Wilson, which has had several editions printed. It's a little
confusing to try and determine which book you actually read, because
in the Ace editions, Vol I was "The Desert" and Vol II was "The
Tower". In other editions by other publishers, Vol I is "The Tower".
At any rate, the following link gives an excellent synopsis of the
story along with photos of the newer editions.
Spider World by Colin Wilson
"The imaginative setting of the series title is the result of a
catastrophic change in the earth's biosphere. Virtually all of human
history, including the knowledge of when and why the earth changed, is
lost except for vague legends. Insects and spiders have evolved into
giant creatures and are capable of varying degrees of intelligent
thought; spiders, having previously used their mental power to cow and
control their prey, have evolved into the top species of this new
order. They believe themselves perfectly justified in this role, since
they see humans, with their inherently violent tendencies, as
inferior; they also remember how humans used to treat them. A few
groups of free humans exist, dwindling under the combined threat of
hunting spiders, the less intelligent but just as hungry predators of
the insect world, and even many plants which have now grown to a size
and malignancy that can kill humans easily.
The first book in the series, The Tower, introduces Niall, a child in
a small clan of humans who live in primitive, post-apocalyptic squalor
in the desert. Hiding in caves, venturing outside with small, furtive
motions, the humans of Niall's clan are defined as "prey" in the food
chain of their world. They scavenge, living like parasites on the
excretions of plants and insects in the desert when hunting goes badly
or is thwarted by a squad of spiders flying over the desert in silk
balloons. Niall and his family are losing their struggle to survive:
successive crises have worn them down and a desperate gamble to save
the family ends in tragedy. After a visit to a hidden city of humans,
Niall does the unthinkable: he confronts and kills a spider. Bent on
rooting him out, the vengeful spiders eventually enslave him and his
family, taking them to the spider city."
http://www.raintaxi.com/online/2003winter/wilson.shtml
The older editions will look differently:
GRAFTON photos
Spider World I The Tower II The Delta III The Magician
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=288192686
A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF COLIN WILSON'S WORK
83. Spider World: The Tower. 1987. The first volume in the Spider
World Trilogy. This was split into three parts published separately by
Ace Books in the US. Fiction.
84. Spider World: The Delta. 1987. The second volume in the Spider
World Trilogy. Fiction.
99. Spider World: The Magician. 1992. The third volume in the Spider
World Trilogy. Fiction.
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jbmorgan/cwbib.html
ACE EDITIONS
The Desert Book 1: ISBN 0-441-77810-0
The Tower Book 2: ISBN 0-441-77811-9
The Fortress Book 3: ISBN 0-441-77813-5
The Delta Book 4: ISBN 0-441-77814-3
Spider World ACE
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?bx=off&sts=t&ds=30&bi=0&pn=ace&an=wilson+colin&tn=spider+world&sortby=2
GRAFTON EDITIONS
The Tower Book 1: ISBN 0-586-07288-8
The Delta Book 2: ISBN 0-586-06371-4
The Magician Book 3: ISBN 0-586-20557-8
Shadowland Vol IV
Spider World GRAFTON
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?bx=off&sts=t&ds=30&bi=0&pn=grafton&an=wilson+colin&tn=spider+world&sortby=2
Spider World, various editions
http://www.redlightgreen.com/ucwprod/servlet/ucw.servlets.UCWController?SRCHTERM=colin+wilson+spider+world&MAXMATES=100&ACTION=search&SRCHBY=keyword&MAXRECORDS=20&lang=english
There's a printing history here: Wilson, Colin
http://www.locusmag.com/index/b512.html
Abebooks search: Colin Wilson: Spider World
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?bx=off&sts=t&ds=30&bi=0&an=wilson+colin&tn=spider+world&sortby=2
BookFinder Used Book Search for Spider World: Tower
http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?author=wilson&title=spider+world+tower&submit=Begin+Search&new_used=*&world_english=on&binding=*&isbn=&keywords=&minprice=&maxprice=&classic=on¤cy=USD&mode=advanced&st=sr&ac=qr
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search/103-0192535-5193422?field-keywords=colin+wilson+spider+world&mode=blended&tag=mozilla-20&sourceid=Mozilla-search
The Tower (Spider World): Imagine a world where creatures are no
longer small and use their terror-inspiring abilities to paralyze the
minds of those who might oppose them. But one boy has the gift of
seeing into minds of other living things, disclosing them for what
they are. Suddenly, it is the "masters" who are afraid.
**********
The Delta (Spider World): Niall's only hope of freeing his people
from the rule of the terrible Spider Lord is to find within the Great
Delta the evolutionary catalyst that made insects and spiders large
enough to take over the world. His telepathic gifts are instrumental
to the successful completion of his quest.
**********
The Magician (Spider World): Niall, ruler of the spider city and
favoured by the alien-goddess Nuada, is horrified by the brutal murder
of Skorbo, captain of the spider guard - an attack that threatens the
delicate relationship between the spiders and humans who share the
city.
**********
Shadowland (Spider World): Volume 4 in the "Epic Visionary Fiction"
Series. Niall's adventures continue his development to the point that
his powers are almost super-human, but in Shadowland, the magician's
powers are far greater. The two soon become involved in a contest of
strength.
http://www.leicesterandleicestershire.com/Market_Place9.htm#The_Tower_(Spider_World):
Phew, I hope that isn't too confusing! If this isn't the correct
series, or if you have any questions, please post a clarification
request and wait for me to respond before closing/rating my answer.
Thank you,
hummer
I originally found the book by searching abebooks for: spiders science
fiction trilogy |
,
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