'The Spread, Book 1: The Hill' – Iain Rob Wright (Ulcerated Press)


I've had my eye on this book for a while now; it's been ages since I last read anything by Iain Rob Wright but I know he's a safe bet for good horror reading so book one of 'The Spread' was nestled very comfortably in my wish list until yesterday when I saw that the Kindle edition was 99p. I didn't need much more encouragement than that really, payday is a while off so offers like that are made to be jumped on. So I did and I spent a large chunk of last night finding out what lurks on the hill. It's grim up there but what comes down is even worse...

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 spreading.


It's been too long since I've read anything by Iain Rob Wright, I'd forgotten how much I enjoy his horror fiction. Wright doesn't mess around, just goes straight ahead and serves up an intriguing plot, horror and all. That was just what I was after last night and that was what I got, couldn't ask for a lot more than that really.

What lies on top of the hill may not be that much of a surprise but it's what Wright does with it that's fun. If you like a bit of body horror (which I do) then 'The Hill' has you covered. Wright doesn't hold back and honestly, it's nasty. What I really got a lot out of though was how Wright mixes this with Ryan's fear of losing his friends to adulthood. It's a double dose of fear and Ryan loses certain of his friends to something far worse. And that's where Wright really cranks up the tension with a siege involving... I'm not going to give it away because it's worth seeing for yourself .All I'll say is that the plot hits top gear and just purrs along just when it's needed. Wright is very much in control of his plot and you can really see this in how assured the pacing is.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you could read this as a standalone book if you wanted. There's closure on the main plot arc and while the book concludes on an open ended note, I think that you could finish there and still have a decent story.

I'm not going to stop there though. Wright is onto something here and it's not just about the body horror; there are characters that you'll enjoy spending time with and the stakes are a lot higher than anyone figured. There are two more books in the series, with at least one more to follow as far as I'm aware, and I'm on board for the duration. 'The Hill' is only 99p, on Kindle, as well (I don't know how long for though) so definitely worth a look if you haven't read it already.

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