0
0
Each year, as technology progresses in leaps and bounds, medical science does the same. Patients can be healed from illnesses that once seemed incurable—and people who once thought that a family was out of reach are becoming parents. As author Chase Novak’s thriller, Breed, suggests, however, some of these new medical advances could have horrifying consequences.
Alex and Leslie Twisden once lived a life that you only see in movies. They had great jobs, a solid marriage, and tons of money—and they lived in a stunning Manhattan home that had been in Alex’s family for generations. The only thing that was missing was a Twisden heir.
After years of trying every fertility treatment imaginable, Leslie is ready to give up. But when Alex hears about a doctor in Slovenia who could solve their problems, Leslie agrees to give it one last try.
The Twisdens are overjoyed when they find out that they’re going to be parents. But even before twins Adam and Alice are born, the Twisdens begin to act strangely. And as the years pass, the animal-like symptoms become stronger, until their children no longer feel safe in their own home.
Breed isn’t the same old horror novel, with some kind of supernatural beast lurking in the shadows. Zombies and vampires may be all the rage right now, but the monsters in Breed are more familiar—which makes them so much more horrifying. After all, children look to their parents for love and protection—and the latest headlines will tell you that there’s really nothing more terrifying than parents turning on their own innocent, defenseless children.
Perhaps even more horrifying is the fact that the characters aren’t really monsters. Deep down, they’re good people. They’re loving, caring, intelligent people who simply wanted to have a family of their own. And as they begin to understand what’s going on, they do what they can to protect themselves and their children. But, of course, it’s just not enough, and their situation gets more and more grim. From the beginning, you’ll know that their story can’t end well for all of them—and it just gets worse from there, until it all comes to a fittingly bleak end.
The story is set in some remarkable locations—from the posh luxury of the Twisdens’ Manhattan home to the eerie, utilitarian town of Ljubljana, Slovenia and the squalor of the victims’ homes. And those locations create a haunting atmosphere for an equally haunting horror story.
Still, Breed often feels like it’s merely scratching the surface of the story. It doesn’t go quite as in-depth as it could, focusing a little too much on supporting characters and not enough on the main ones. It isn’t quite as horrifying as it should be. And it hints at other parts of the story that are barely even explored.
While it leaves a few too many unanswered questions to make it a truly remarkable thriller, though, Breed is still a haunting read. So if you’re looking for a terrifying twist on the same old supernatural thriller, it’s worth picking up.
