Customer Reviews

Breeding Ground

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nature takes a bizarre turn in this horror thriller. Seen from the eyes of a mortgage agent we watch as his girlfriend starts gaining weight during a pregnancy at an amazing rate even after she stops eating. A local doctor claims everything is normal and she just needs vitamins. But soon we learn that she is not alone. These things are happening to all of the women. They have things growing inside them. Horrible, spider-like things with a taste for people. They are later called widows. Our hero manages to escape his girlfriend only to see the collapse of the world as he knows it.

Now he is out looking for answers and other survivors. He is quickly joined by other survivors. But their foe wants to stop them. Eventually they gain a few more and wind up at a military base safe behind an electrified fence. Here they are able to contact other groups. While the base is well-stocked, the relative safety begins to wear thin. Tensions build while the widows stay on guard outside the base. Over the radio they hear rumors. Rumors of other groups and rumors of other terrors. What has caused this monstrous change? How will they survive?

This reminds me somewhat of WAR OF THE WORLDS in the way we have invasion story followed by survival. It also reminds my of THE CONQUEROR WORMS (Brian Keene) in that we get a small and local perspective of a world-wide crisis. But if you are looking for answers, you will not find them. This is like a pilot movie. A lot happens and there are resolutions but we see plots that will go on. Will there be a sequel? I would like to see one. If there is no plan for a sequel then I really don't like the way the book stops without an ending. Only time will tell.

The cover of Breeding Ground jumped out at me while browsing for books one day and upon learning that this was an apocalyptic type of a horror book I was hooked and eagerly stared my journey through the horror laden pages. The story takes place in England, Stony Stratford, a village country of Buckinghamshire where Matt and Chloe are happily discovering that she is with child. The tale jumps right in, with them into their sunny apartment, while they tell each other how much they love one another in warm crumbled sheets. As the pregnancy progresses, things quickly take on a dark tone as Chloe starts changing mentally and physically. She starts to repulse her lover, her body emitting odors and growing fat in places that have nothing to do with normal gestation. Matt finds himself confused and isolated, but pretty soon he watches his beloved change into a fat creature who eats raw meat and who is not carrying a baby inside her after all.

Placed in a remote village, far from crowds of people it takes Matt a while to notice that the whole town is in a dreamy slumber, no women walk in the streets, stores are closed, people missing, houses abandoned. He manages to escape his home while the transformation is taking place and runs away, trying to find someone, anyone who knows what's going on. The feeling of loneliness and solemn eerie emptiness sweeps though the town and through his bones, as he slowly hears music and meets an old man named George. They share their stories and sit around waiting for others as they encounter Nigel, Dave and John, who also have bewildering stories to share of how the women in their lives changed into creatures hungry for blood and covered in lumps of translucent fatty skin. As they group talks they encounter Katie and Jane, sisters who were lost and scared, but seemed not affected by the mysterious disease that made all other women vanish.

The group talks about what is going on and their stories match up all too well. All the men have seen spider like creatures come out of their women and now they know that they are prey in a new environment where man stands no chance of survival. The problem is not only local but global, spanning the entire continent and beyond. They decide to find cars, supplies and head out to find more people and to try and survive each day at a time. They reach an army base where a group of men, some scientists and others army soldiers are still holding up and together they try to make the best of the situation. Slowly things start to change in the base, as people start going mad and picking fights with one another. They also have hoards of blood thirsty spiders roaming around the gates, and they need to come up with a game plan or they will become snacks.

The book was good, but not perfect. I felt that the author introduced too many characters, and some of them were not developed at all. I got lost and confused at who was who at a later point, there was a Dave, Dean and a Daniel, two of which sounded the same and I had no clue who was really who, and the bad guy played by Nigel was really annoying. Everyone hated him so much that I felt the hate too, only it made me wish I didn't have to read about how annoying and stupid he was over and over again. Also the concept of time was lost, I wasn't sure how long the whole ordeal was, it read like it took a week, but the author made it look like it was months. Matt the main hero, was a nice guy, but man was he horny! After Chloe gave birth to a spider creature and died he found himself falling for Kate the second he met her, and managed to hook up with another woman introduced later on totally ignoring his terrible loss. That was really bothering me more than any weak parts of the book, it was not believable and surprisingly written by a woman, which really made me question why she was trying to make him so tough and heated, no woman would ever think this was appropriate at that time, so why write it? The author is also a teacher, as I read on the back of the book, and it made me wonder if she would let her kids read it. Also people kept having $ex in the book, even though women who were pregnant in the book earlier on died and gave birth to creatures, so why keep doing it?? The stupid obvious mistakes did not make the book more juicy, they just made me furious. Also the story deals more with the people who had issues with one another, and the spiders played a smaller role, I was expecting huge attacks, chases, and battles but it fizzled and almost forgot itself, losing the main point of the story. The ending was also non existent, if there is a sequel I will read it but I hope it will come, because hanging a reader on a thread is not fun, the story builds up so much and it needs to spill over and expose all the skeletons in the closet.

Overall a fun read, but it had many bumps. The quality of the writing was good but the story needed more tweaking and I wanted to read more about the creatures than all the Deans, Daves and Daniels who were all the same and who argued about the most minuscule things. This was really a 3.5 rating, but I was entertained and writing books is no small feat, so I will give Ms. Pinborough that credit.

It seems too good to be true; and it probably is. Matt and Chloe are immensely jubilant. Their lives are fraught with sheer happiness and their love for one another is unparalleled. When Chloe discovers that she is pregnant, their bliss only increases. Finally, their world of joy shall be extended to include a new member and together, their serendipity shall carry them through life on an unending journey of joviality. Or so it should have been. However, something ghastly and perverted is churning beneath the surface of this supposedly calm English summer; something so earth shattering and devastating that it will destroy the minds of many and claim the lives of others as it mercilessly stretches its tentacle of doom across the land encompassing the globe in its deadly death grasp. The horror begins as Chloe's pregnancy progresses, her gentle demeanor and loving personality begins to morph into a sinister pall of impending cruelty. Not only does her formerly pleasant personality transform into something quite displeasing, but her appearance is also altered as she gains strange translucent lumps of fat in bizarre places over her body causing her to become a gruesome parody of a person. As her visage and demeanor become more gruesome, her cruelty takes on outstanding proportions and Matt is soon left at her mercy only to realize, too late, what she carries is not their loved baby, but something else; something entirely different and infinitely evil. Soon, the quaint English towns shall be shrouded in slimy white threads disconcertingly reminiscent of a spider's web. Strange creatures will soon prowl the street, their bank of evilly glowing red eyes staring into the very soul of their prey as they devour them. What are these monstrous creations and where will their carnage end? Will anyone survive this reign of nightmares? Welcome to the new world where the new children shall rule.

The premise of this ghoulish tale was interesting although somewhat formulaic. The idea of mutant spiders, born from an unsuspecting and victimized woman was both horrifying and sorrowful yet this same premise has been massively overused over the years. The tale proved entertaining and fairly absorbing although it was devoid of any true emotion or philosophical objective. I often refer to this type of tale as junk food fiction: tasty yet not filling. This certain degree of shallowness was perpetrated mainly through the characters' selfish actions. For example, the main character, Matt, often professed his deep devotion for Chloe and stated, an irritating amount of times, how circumstances could never deviate his extreme love from her. However, shortly after Chloe was lost to Matt due to her transformation, he seemed to always encounter numerous reasons why he should refrain from grieving for her and pursue lurid relationships with whatever other women he happened to encounter. When some of these relationships were forced to a conclusion, he displayed little regret and once again started searching for a new woman with whom to instigate yet another dramatic liaison. I need not further detail the distastefulness of this character flaw as all women will find Matt's lack of devotion offensive and thus generally begin to lose sympathy with his character. I find it odd that a women author even perpetrated this theme.

Another example of the general shallowness of the tale was also to be located in the characterization, or the lack thereof. I would have to state that none of the protagonists throughout the entirety of the novel were well developed especially the later characters that were merely names on a page detached form any form of description or personification. I often experienced extreme difficulties recalling who each character was and due to this poor form of literary style, I was never able to experience true emotion when disaster assailed the protagonists. I was merely interested in a detached sort of manner, as one would gaze at an interesting picture without feeling any emotional connection.

While the character development, as noted previously, was distinctly lacking, the one element that continued to maintain my interest was the fascinating plot. Thus one can imagine my abject disappointment when the novel concluded somewhat pointlessly. The conclusion was neither definitive nor appropriate. Although the story maintained the expected aura of hopelessness, I would have preferred an epilogue stating what happened to all the characters, where the spiders originated from, and what eventually happened to the world. Yet none of this crucial information was ever presented thus leaving the reader with an incomplete and utterly pointless feeling. What was the reason for all the depression and carnage if the tale was to be left unfinished! And what of the putrescent spiders, from whence did they originate? What were these dismal creatures and what was their ultimate purpose? Were they an accident of nature, and alien creature, or simply a new order of animal? Could they be defeated? What happened to the rest of the world? Were any governments left intact; were there other groups of survivors? None of this was ever addressed thus leaving me extremely perplexed and irritated after spending over three hundred pages pondering these questions and anticipating a dramatic reveal-all conclusion.

As for the elements of horror, the spiders proved to be vicious advisories but through the middle and later portions of the novel, they rarely ever appeared. The reasons for which they were terrified by certain elements mentioned in the story (that I shall refrain from mentioning so as not to spoil the tale) was confusing and unexplained. The paranoia experienced by the protagonists including their hopeless spirit remained unconvincing due to the lack of descriptive characterization and the general lull in the story.

The writing style was tedious especially in the dialogue sequences. Regardless of the circumstances, the characters answer to every qualm was unending profanity that failed to express any deep or poignant feelings regarding their predicament. Rather, they approached their desperate circumstances as though they were expected to react in some manner to entertain the reader but not as though their shattering emotions were there own. Their sentiments lacked realism; therefore, the reader remains unaffected.

In conclusion, it appears that I have been quite generous in my rating. Not so. I feel that this novel, while certainly nothing classic or lasting was good junk food. I was entertained and my attention was unwavering despite the heavy illogic perpetrated throughout the entirely of the novel. Due to general curiosity, I never felt that I should refuse to conclude the tale and for those seeking a simple entertaining story devoid of heavier literary qualities, this might prove worth reading. However, if you wish to encounter a serious horror novel with large proportions of the human element, seek elsewhere.

Ravenova

Matt and Chole are a happily married couple who is looking forward to their first child. Everything is going normal until he starts noticing that Chole is putting on a lot more weight than normal. Her mood is also changing. She is becoming very depressed and combative. He soon learns that he and Chole isnt the only ones this is happening too. Women all over town are pregent and are going through the same changes that Chole is experencing. He soon finds out that this is a Global phenomona and noone can explain what is happening. He prepares himself for the worst but he leans that that there isnt anything he could have done to be ready for what Chole gives birth too. What she gives birth too isn't a baby. It isn't even human. It is a nightmarish spider like creature. She isnt alone. Women all over the world are giving birth to these hideous creatures and they only want us for two things. Food, and as hosts to birth their young. Matt flees his home and soon finds other survivors. Together they must find a way to fight and survive these creatures that now have become the new dominent species of what is left of the world.

I must admit I didnt know what to expect when I started Breeding Ground. I had never read any of Ms Pinborough work before. The premise caught my eye though, and I tore into it with high hopes. To say my hopes were exceeded is a major understatment. I simply could not put this book down for anything. Breeding Ground hits the ground running on the first page and never lets up. I found myself staying up to the crack of dawn on a couple occasions consumed in this story. I havent had this much fun reading a authors work for the first time since Brian Keene's The Rising. I will go as far as to say that this is the best Horror Novel to come out this year, and I am sure that I wont be the only one saying that before long.

I also recently learned that Ms. Pinborough has a sequel planned. I cant wait to see were she takes this story next.

I could go on and on talking about how great this story is but I will finish by saying that anyone who is a fan of SciFi or Horror novels has to go pick up a copy of Breeding Ground. It is one of the best stories to come out in a long time. Ms. Pinborough you have a new fan.

Matt and Chloe are a successful young couple from the idyllic English village of Stony Stratford--Chloe is a beautiful and talented lawyer, while Matt sells mortgages. They are very much in love and their world is a promising and brilliant place until Chloe begins to gain weight. At first it's only a few pounds, but it quickly begins to build--her thin frame becomes engorged with strange, almost inhuman bulges. And that's not all; Chloe's personality also begins to change. She becomes angry, removed, and downright strange. She claims to communicate with a friend in London with her mind, and she takes a liking to raw meat.

What Matt doesn't realize is the rest of Stony Stratford's women are experiencing the same changes and it's only a matter of weeks before the village streets are quiet and empty. The women are gone; they were used as breeders for a strange new species and the men devoured as food. The few survivors stumble together searching for companionship, protection, and peace. The small group of survivors Matt joins consists of a five men and three women; one of them a young girl. Their hope of a future is secured in the idea of reaching a military research base, but there is a world of danger and potential death in between.

BREEDING GROUND was an unexpected treat. Its subject matter compelling--who can resist a tale of apocalyptic proportions? Its focus squarely on the horror of the passing of humanity; there are no scientific discussions of why it happened, other than the obligatory, and Ms Pinborough competently develops an overwhelming anxiety that permeates the story. The characters are well-crafted servants of the plot--they are likable, strong, and very much worth rooting for without the bog-down of over-analysis. The plot is well-conceived and executed and while it is familiar there are enough twists to keep it fresh and interesting.

Ben Boulden, Gravetapping

From start to finish this is a proven horror novel at its supreme best. You won't put it down, and if you do--well, you won't want to. Trust me.
This was, simply a brilliant, dark, delicious tale that gives a new meaning to...breeding.


--Joseph McGee, author of In the Wake of the Night, Phil's Place and Darkness Won't Rest: Phils Place II

This is one of those rare horror novels that hits the ground running on Page One and doesn't break stride once all the way through. Like Graham Masterton, Sarah Pinborough is an English writer, and there is something indefinably creepy about horror novels written by British authors that I just adore; the BREEDING GROUND is a perfect example. Even though Ms. Pinborough's setting is quite modern, there's something of the clanking chain and dank, moldering castle overarching her narrative, and it's stunningly effective in elevating the chill factor. Matthew and Chloe are a young couple with a new baby on the way. Their concerns are the same as for expectant parents since the beginning of time: the health of their growing fetus, weight gain, morning sickness and such. Chloe and Matt are typical expectant parents, but when Chloe delivers, it is something that neither she or Matt could have expected in their wildest nightmares. Their child isn't...well...it isn't right at all. It isn't even human. And women all over the countryside are giving birth to these horrifying, spidery monstrosities that are an entirely new species, parasites that use their hosts for food and as hosts for their own dreadful spawn, leaving behind web-enshrouded ghost towns that stand as bleak, silent evidence of their evolutionary success. And the monsters are spreading exponentially! BREEDING GROUND is a wonderfully entertaining and shriek-inspiring novel beautifully wrought by an author with an unflinching eye and a steady hand.

This novel starts off on a promising basis: overnight, all the women in the world become mysteriously implanted with the embryos of a race of alien creatures. Upon completion of the bloodspattered birthing process, the progeny turn out to be homicidal spider-like monsters with webspinning capabilities, venomous fangs, and telepathic communication. The protagonist of "Breeding Ground" is an otherwise unremarkable English loan agent who joins with a motely band of survivors to try and find safe haven among the ruins of civilization.

Sarah Pinborough makes no secret that she is borrowing rather heavily from British science-fiction writer John Wyndham. This is not a bad thing to do; "The Day of the Triffids" remains one of the best alien invasion novels of the genre. However, "Breeding Ground" suffers from two major flaws. First, the spider creatures don't seem all that menacing; one gets the impression that England's strict gun ownership laws have more to do with their successful takeover than whatever evil attributes the spiders possess. After all, when your survivors have to rely on kitchen knives and aerosol can / cigarette lighter combos for self-defense, it seems like an invasion by ill-behaved gerbils could succeed in subduing the UK. I kept waiting to see if the protagonist and his allies would stumble upon a pleasing arsenal of semiautomatic weapons and go on a blastin' rampage, but it simply never happens.

The novel's second flaw is the characters; they are so uninspiring and dim-witted that I found myself rooting for the spiders a third of the way thru the book. At every turn the hero and his companions are consumed by self-pity and profound clumsiness in the business of survival and, once safe harbor is reached, they sink into a kind of torpor that does little more than set them up for a predictable finish. I won't spoil it for readers, but let's just say that when you reach the last page, you may well find yourself indifferent to the fate of our heroes.

"Breeding Ground" is the first work from Sarah Pinborough that I've read. I've got to admit that I knew nothing about her or her earlier works - it was the cover that grabbed me. Who among us won't admit that spiders creep us out? This creepiness factor kicks in early in the novel and is present throughout the book. "Breeding Ground" is well-written with interesting characters who band together to battle an alien hoard of huge spiders ("widows") that take over the English countryside.

It all starts when the widows literally begin growing for some unknown reason inside the bodies of the female population. Moms-to-be suddenly find out that its not a bountiful bundle of joy that's being carried, but something grotesquely different. After coming to term, the spiders are "born", kill their hosts, and look to feed on every other living soul. The story revolves around a husband who survives one of these attacks and escapes with his life. During his flight, he meets up with other survivors who band together to flee the growing menace. Pinborough does a nice job developing these characters while making the reader care about their chances for survival.

Without giving away any more of the plot, let me say that one will find this book hard to put down. The thrills keep coming and Pinborough effectively keeps the reader guessing to the very last page. Readers who enjoy the works of Richard Laymon, Edward Levy, Simon Clark, and Brian Keene will find this book much to their liking. If you're new to Pinborough's works, be sure to read this book before diving into the sequel, "Feeding Ground".

This book is silmlar to "The Feeding Ground", and A FANTASTIC READ. I also read "Feeding Ground" and it's difficult to say which one is the better book. The writer is very descriptive and you feel like you're right there with the characters, and the suspense is kept up throughout.LOVED both of them!