Customer Reviews

Feeding Ground

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

 

 

In an end-of-the-world thriller that blends "The Rising" with "Aliens", Sarah Pinborough has crafted an aggressive story that moves quickly and efficiently. Though a sequel to "Breeding Ground", "Feeding Ground" can be read alone, because its occurs within the same time-frame as its predecessor, with a new cast, set in London. It's a fast-paced little gem that's a pleasure to read.

It's Blane Gentle-King's lucky day. A drug-dealing prince who rules a London apartment complex, he's languished the last three months in jail, accused of murder. His cell-mate has worn his nerves wire-thin. He hungers for action, desperate to return to his urban kingdom. He has plans - big plans - which don't include going down on a murder-rap. He needs to get out. Soon.

Something has happened; however, things have changed. Over the past weeks, fewer and fewer guards have stalked the prison, and the prisoner's meals have dwindled to one a day. At first Blane fears he and everyone else will starve behind bars, until his right-hand man and childhood friend Charlie Nash shows up to spring him. When he finally gets out, Blane faces a likewise dwindling London, a bustling city now crowded only with a menacing silence. Things have changed, but rather than fear this, Blane senses his chance to become the king he's always wanted to be.

The women of his apartment complex have become...infected. Impregnated. They've given birth to hideous monstrosities; but these things are different than those scrambling over London. They were born of life-long crack addicts, and they've inherited their hosts' addiction. They crave not only flesh and human blood but drugs, also...and Blane Gentle-King has just become their main supplier.

"Feeding Ground" boasts a strong cast of characters, too many to do adequate justice here. Pinborough balances the novel's action and exposition well, and a notable point: doomsday tales such as these often tread risky ground, they're either too depressing with little resolution, or they boast highly unrealistic solutions for the world's salvation. Pinborough handles this well, also. The world has changed. It will never be the same. Humans are now an endangered race. There is hope, however, enough to pull readers through; enough to make another installment in this series a much anticipated thing.

This book sounds like a spin off from The Breeding Ground, but it's on a different level. I LOVED both books! On a sci fi level, but really great books!

I've read all her tales and search Amazon routinely for her new titles. Very satisfying modern British horror. Always a path less trodden on!

I was expecting a bit more suspense..but crack smoking spiders wasn't anything close to what I had in mind..I wasn't impressed and couldn't wait for it to end.

My first taste of Sarah Pinborough was with BREEDING GROUND and I left that book feeling that she accomplished a great original idea of mutant spiders (that were once women) and placing the remaining menfolk into a post-apocalyptic England. I enjoy stories with post-apocalyptic settings because authors always come up with great ideas about how the world has ended. Naturally, I was excited when Pinborough released a sequel to BREEDING GROUND titled (cleverly, I might add) FEEDING GROUND. This book is no sequel but a rehash of the events from BREEDING GROUND in a different setting. We sadly do not learn much, if anything, about the spiders that we did not already know from the previous novel. I have learned over my many years of reading never to truly trust the dust jacket of a paperback novel. The summarization of what the book is going to be about is usually different than what the back cover says. This case falls true for FEEDING GROUND, the band of characters do not end up in the literal Feeding Ground until the last three chapters of the novel.

Do not get me wrong, this was a pretty decent read. Pinborough toyed with some ideas that I found interesting and subtle. The mutant rats would be a subject I would like for her to explore. Also, the "Whites" have some purity issues. They feel that some of junkie spiders or "Squealers" are beneath them and simply ignore the Squealers. Its just that my expectations were let down.

I loved this book because spiders creep me out! I felt like Sarah did an excellent job developing her characters. So far Feeding Ground and Breeding Ground are two of my favorite books.

I highly recommend this book!

"Feeding Ground" is a sequel to "Breeding Ground". You really need to read "Breeding Ground" first to understand what is going on in "Feeding Ground". Both of these stories are about man eating spiders and how they are taking over the earth. Very interesting idea. I found it hard to give "Feeding Ground" five stars because the back of the book description was a little misleading. ***SPOILER*** The tunnel with the spiders only comes when the book is darn near over! I was a bit disappointed because I kept waiting for "that" to happen.....Aside from that, Sarah Pinborough is a good story teller in the realm of horror and I might add she does have a good imagination...the spiders gave me the creeps!!