The Hill

The Spread, Book 1

By: Iain Rob Wright

Narrated by: Aubrey Parsons

Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

For lovers of The Strain trilogy and The Thing comes an unforgettable squeamish tale! 

"Iain Rob Wright scares the hell out of me!" (J.A. Konrath)

An ancient land hides a new threat…. 

The Scottish Highlands; a sparse, mountainous region some say was carved by the gods themselves. Few places are as untouched as this harsh, prehistoric landscape. It is no place for man. 

But nestled deep within the wilderness lies a cottage, and behind that cottage is a hill.... 

When a group of friends travel up from Manchester and hire the cottage for a weekend of boozy fun, they discover a threat far greater than the harsh landscape and unwelcoming weather. 

Something deadly lies upon the hill. 

And it’s waiting.

If you love claustrophobic horror with a dashing of body-horror then The Spread will knock your socks off. 

©2020 Iain Rob Wright (P)2020 iain rob wright

Interesting start to a strange story

This story had both a great well developed plot and well developed characters. Had a claustrophobic feeling that reminded me of a certain movie about people in the woods with cabin fever. I definitely felt isolated with the friends as they struggle to survive. Felt more so when they finally got back to civilization.
The characters were interesting and were well developed enough to get you close to them. Lubey was the one I liked the most and really liked his story, despite the sadness around it. I felt like I was there with them celebrating the stag party and while they where obviously close at one time, they have clearly grown apart and have make for a turbulent ride.
I really liked the plot. It was simple and very effective. I liked what was causing the problems. Haven't come across that yet and I think it will make for an interesting next couple of books. The descriptions of how it takes over and its texture really got under my skin. I freak out looking at spoiled food so the thought of that growing on me was really gross and absolutely horrific. If it was 4 legged spiders I might have been the first one of the group to call it quits
Aubrey Parsons did a good job with the narration. I liked his character voices although it took me a bit to get used to the raspiness of Lubey's voice. Not sure if that was a reflection of his illness or just a product of his meekness. It was fitting for him but it wasn't the easiest to listen to, almost like fingernails on a chalkboard.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Creepy good book!

The Hill
The Spread, Book 1
By: Iain Rob Wright
Narrated by: Aubrey Parsons

This is one creepy book! A group of friends travel together up to a cottage in the country to celebrate one of the guys getting married. They were close at one time but they mostly have drifted apart with jobs and families. This would give them a chance to reconnect. While they are there, something happens. Then they find the cause. Then that becomes something they never would have dreamed of. A nightmare that is after them all!

This is so creepy and with a terrifying plot and memorable characters. Unpredictable and strange, my kind of crazy good story!
The only downside to me was the cliffhanger. That's the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars.

The narrator had a thick accent for this Midwest USA gal and at first it was difficult to understand some words. It did get better or I got accustomed to it!
I received this from freeaudiblecodes.

Loved it.

The person reading this puts you through all the emotions . You laugh , cringe, and gasp at what happens to a bunch of guys just trying to help celebrate the last
single days of a friend . And end up being unknowingly attacked and trying to just survive, in the wrong end of town for all of them. Can't wait to read book two.

love the narration

this author knows what I want. I love his books. this book was very entertaining would recommend

A good one of three books.

If you are a fan of fast paced, blood curdling terror that will keep you awake at nights, this isn't the book for you. That said it is a very good book with the excellent narration you would expect from Aubrey Parsons. It is a very well written book with an addictive storyline. You will definitely want books two and three when you have listened to this.

Pretty bad

Weak story, terrible narration. The accents were toe curling. As we're the references to pop culture. Very predictable.

This is awful

This is one of the worst stories I've ever heard. Clumsy caricatures of 90s stereotypes that seems to have been written by an alien or a machine that has yet to experience human emotion or friendship. I could understand if this was a teenage author but I've looked it up and he's not, he's an adult human! I want my credit back! How can it have so many good reviews? Absolute garbage.

One to watch

I was very surprised by this book. There are only so many ways you can ask that skinned cat to jump, believably, through any given hoop. So, a new take on things is always very welcome. I'm not a spoiler so your going to have to read/listen to these books yourselves.
A noteworthy point is how the narration sounds as though we'll heeled thespians have decided to read for Audible. See if you get the same ideas.

Great story

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, but extremely disappointed that you are unable to buy the other audio books without signing up for them

A little empty but an interesting take.

Disclaimer I was provided a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

I don't listen to a lot of zombie books as, in all honesty, I'm bored of the genre.

As this was more of an alien infection, and based in the UK to boot, I figured I'd give it a shot.

What I found was a story of several young men from Manchester enjoying a final weekend away together to celebrate one's impending marriage who must contend with a fungal-infection of unknown origin.

First I would say that this isn't a true horror story and felt more like the relationships and angst that existed between the men and how they'd grown apart and we're dealing with their own personal issues. The infection itself kind of felt secondary to this and and, while not a bad thing, it did make the sense of threat seem less powerful for me.

In addition, I never felt the infected were particularly dangerous and, while a touch would seem sufficient to cause the infection to take hold, the writing just lacked suspense for me.

I will say though that the camaraderie between the characters felt very real and I did grow attached to some of them, meaning I feared for their fate and this was increased by Aubrey Parsons' fantastic narration.

In all, I think I will continue the series in the future as the final revelation has left me wanting more but I did feel this one a little too light on terror.

Relatable UK Horror

good narration great story, my favourite reads are the pulpy British horrors of the 80's Herbert, Smith and like though there is little new to the story the characters and pace kept me quite entertained. The narration was clear and descriptive.

Potentially great

I did enjoy this book but I hope the scale and scope of the story increases like in the hell on earth series. On a negative note it was very slow to get going and the horror was not up to Iain’s normal high standards but hopefully as this series develops the tension will increase along with the introduction of more interesting characters. This could become a great series and I hope it does.
Aubrey parsons as always delivers a great performance.

Terrifying Breath of Fresh Air...

As a North Manchester lad of 47, still trying to find my place in the world, I can definitely relate to the characters. The scenario and interactions, banter and raw energy seems somewhat familiar. Coarse, funny, brash, charming and downright crude in parts.

I've met more than a few Sean's in my time!

The narrator does a decent job on the accents, and I only cringed a few times. Bravo.

The storys premise was OK, look forward to it's development in the next audio installment.

Listened in one sitting until the early hours, and my only criticism: Too short!

Really Enjoyed It

Really enjoyed this book. I’m a northern girl, so the fact that they were Manchester lads was good for me as it made it feel more local and real. The narrator was perfect, I was completely submerged into the characters from the start and was a none stop listen. Ready for the second one now, hoping it’s the same characters!