This neatly-constructed plot drags Nick into increasingly terrifying and violent adventuresReaders of Brian Falkner’s YA novels will know that, as well as fast-moving action plots, he also enjoys dramatic surprises, overturning everything that has gone before.
The main story of Spider Games begins with Nick (15) on a plane for the first time, travelling to Berlin with his grandfather for a holiday.
Nick is looking forward to the New Year 2000 fireworks, although the main purpose of their trip is to scatter Grandma Sofie’s ashes.
When they reach their hotel, Grandpa Joe starts behaving oddly, like a secret agent trying to elude followers. At about this point, readers will realise that Brian Falkner has fooled them again. Grandpa Joe is actually Katipo Joe (from earlier novels), former teenage scourge of the Nazis.
Despite precautions, Joe suddenly vanishes.
Nick begins searching for a confused old man lost in a huge city, but realises that his grandfather is actually a successful secret agent whose past has caught up with him. Joe has been kidnapped by well-connected and powerful people. But why?
To avoid spoiling Falkner’s twists and surprises, it is enough to say that his neatly-constructed plot drags Nick into increasingly terrifying and violent adventures. Brian Falkner made good use of his time on a Creative NZ writer’s award in Berlin, so the settings are as vivid and lively as the characters.
Nick, who sees himself as a chubby Spider-Man unable to match his grandfather’s heroism, has one unusual advantage. Readers may have been puzzled by Nick’s acute observations of detail. In the lobby of Berlin’s Adlon Hotel, he notes, 24 tables and 83 chairs, some red, some mushroom. Nick is aware of his autism, a condition the author deals with in a touching personal foreword. Gradually, Nick’s sharp eyes and acute memory help him survive. He finds allies, such as the savvy young Rejhana, a refugee who survived a massacre that wiped out her family. She helps the naïve Nick to stay alive, even as he faces duplicity from all sides.
The story unfolds with Nick narrating in the present tense.
A piece of paper is taped to the dashboard. It’s in German, naturally, but the large photos of me and Rejhana need no translation. I know a wanted poster when I see one.
The violent action scenes and hairbreadth escapes which follow make exciting reading. Constantly challenged, but always inspired by his grandfather’s diary, Nick develops hidden strengths as he battles to save the lives of those he loves.
His enemies have complex motivations and are ruthless in their aims.
An interesting aspect of Spider Games is the use of real historical figures and events within the story, to explain the international intrigues behind Joe’s kidnapping. The opening scenes have Carlos the Jackal on top of the Brandenburg Gate in 1987, preparing to assassinate President Reagan.
Despite, or perhaps because of, the desperate action, the story is also peppered with humorous situations and witty observations. A surprise bonus is to be found in the chapter headings, which use, and misuse, titles of spy novels, TV series and films. Young readers who can decode them will find themselves invited into the great fiction world of agents and counteragents, spies and spy-catchers. Spider Games is a worthy addition to this world.
Magpies Magazine
May 2026
