Some reviewers have noted this is not gonzo journalism, but that it has a touch of realism embedded within the writing that makes it a bit different. I did enjoy the book, once I got past the first few chapters. His is a one sided, but probably pretty accurate view of the situation in Iraq. Maybe not the next best thing to being there, but definitely worth a gander if you want to see what is behind the headlines. ( )

This is one of the most extraordinary books on current events that I've read in years. Investigative reporter James Hider gives an inside view of wars in the Middle East -- Palestine in part, but Iraq in particular. It's a view from the ground, written in the first person by a reporter who puts himself at considerable risk from all sides in the conflicts. Hider has a sharp eye and keen wit, and his expose is irreverent, frightening, and hilarious. This is not "gonzo journalism" (as the cover blurb maintains) -- the reportage is real, not fantasy. However, it does offer an unflinching view full of dark humor and irreverent observation. The Spiders of Iraq is as close as most readers will ever get to the wars in question and ever want to get. My copy of this book is underlined, full of marginal comments and turned- down page corners, and I just may turn around and read it again. I never would have picked this book up if not for the Early Reviewers program, and am glad to recommend it strongly. ( )

Spiders of Allah is a ground-eye view of the Iraq war from an embedded reporter with The Times of London. Although the book purports to offer an atheist's perspective on the religious motivations behind the war, this only comes through in the last couple of chapters. I was hoping for more insight into how religion drives the rhetoric and recruiting of soldiers on both sides of the conflict, but these insights are only slightly scattered through the narrative. Having said that, it is still a very good view of the horrors of the war. Hider was on the front lines of several battles, including the infamous raid on Fallujah, and interviews both coalition soldiers and insurgent Imams to find out why and how they fight and offers his own insights into what it all means. Overall, a harrowing picture of the horrors of war. ( )

The Spiders of Allah is an interesting, if slightly disjointed, picture of Iraq in the midst of war. As a civilian not caught up in the religious ideology of either side of the conflict, he has a unique observer's perspective on the tragedy and violence plaguing the Iraqi people. His descriptions were vivid and heartfelt, and brought the story alive in ways that news reports simply cannot. His journalistic skills served him sell, however, setting the stories up from personal angles that don't fail to deliver political and religious context for what is going on in this beautiful and sadly war torn country. ( )

In Spiders of Allah, Hider describes the unstable cityscape and citylife of war-torn Iraq. Touches of frontline reportage are there, but most remarkable is Hider’s life-during-wartime approach that almost entirely eliminates the overarching warstory (i.e., the U.S. vs Middle East) rhetoric that so often plagues these types of narratives. He provides tremendous insight into the cultural chaos of post-Saddam Iraq, and by interacting with apathetic, war-weary, and threatened Iraqis, he’s able to hint at subcultures – ones that yank Iraqis this way and that – that inevitably developed in the chaotic new environment.

Hider’s account is neither polemical nor overly political. It makes for an interesting read, even though the opening chapters on Israel seem to be (given the book’s Iraq-heavy focus) out of place. ( )