The Unborn

by David Shobin

A beautiful, pregnant woman...

A handsome sleep research scientist... who falls in love with her.

An incredibly sophisticated computer... who talks with...The Unborn.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

301 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Grady Hendrix · Rating 2 out of 5]

A computerized big-headed baby with access to the internet all up inside your wombs.

[Kaine Andrews · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's very difficult to take this book seriously. Perhaps it's just more a product of its time than I can stomach, or perhaps my own familiarity with computers and what they can (and can't) realistically do - let alone what they could do 30+ years ago - renders me unable to stretch my belief far enough to find something of value here. Whatever the reason, I found myself shrieking at this book, throwing my hands in the air and saying "Oh, jeez, that is so stupid!" almost constantly.

The premise: Samantha discovers she's pregnant; the father doesn't want anything to do with it. Being a modern (for the early 80s, anyway) empowered woman, Sam vetoes abortion right off (after a bit of politically correct babble about respecting the right to choose) and determines she's still a bit short to meet expenses if she wants to keep the child. Seeking alternate income, she ends up in a sleep study group, purportedly testing a new sleeping pill; upon the doctor discovering her pregnancy, the focus shifts to seeing if fetuses dream (oh, and she starts dating the doctor, too, since he's so young and caring and interesting. Blech.) Of course, the medical complex where the experiments are being conducted has a supercomputer (called MEDIC, tee hee) that starts to "dream" itself, and it's eventually discovered that during the experiments the computer is "talking" to the fetus. Chaos ensues.

Alright, so maybe I made fun of it a little much in the synopsis, but honestly it felt entirely too contrived. The romance angle felt forced - Doctor Bryson goes on at length how sex was just a physical release and his true love is his research, then proceeds to tell us every chance he gets about how it's totally different with Samantha, and the whole "Dating your patient, who also ends up being your employee, who falsified records to participate in your study, who is pregnant with another man's baby that you guys hardly ever talk about" was crossing so many lines and flying counter to every bit of logic one could apply that it became just stupid. The characters were all very basic tropes and felt like cardboard cut outs - pretty, intelligent, strong woman in trouble(TM); motherly, understanding type who's playing matchmaker and faithful sidekick, and so on. Three quarters of the characters have apparently never heard of an ethics committee or are capable of thinking past their own cubicles.

And then there's the computer. Keep in mind this is the early 80s. MEDIC is the room-sized, runs off tapes and reel-to-reel recorders for it's data input and storage, prints things out via typewriter (and receives most of it's input the same way). Yet somehow it can store the complete medical knowledge of mankind, cross reference all of it in seconds and perform "free associative thinking" tasks without a hiccup. Uh. No. Mind you, I'm not adverse to science fiction, but this felt like the author was merely pulling things out of his butt and shoving them together, without any logic applied. Oh, did I mention it responds to - and responds with - direct english commands with a minimum of "computer-ese"? Yeah. You can ask it, for example "Describe last analysis of patient Samantha Kirsten and likely results of death." And the computer comes back with "1.5 Hours - Liver failure, renal failure, hypertension, cardiac arrest likely." *facepalm* Oh, and does it in about 5 seconds. Without anyone having to thread a different reel of tape (this is before hard drives and gigabytes of RAM, mind you; we'd just gotten past the punch card stage.) despite it being several days later on a system that is purportedly running 24/7. Not buying it.

This computer also somehow taps into the EEG nodes that our doctor put on Sam's belly to monitor her fetus, and not only records/references this data, but somehow begins beaming everything it knows into the little amphibian's head. Bet you didn't know those little nodules could do that, did ya? Oh, and then the fetus - and mind you, I really hate typing that word over and over again, but it's how the book refers to it, so... - figures out how to excrete hormones and neurotransmitters at will, using its supreme medical knowledge in conjunction with this technique to essentially mind control mommy into doing fun things like forcing Bryson to ejaculate into her repeatedly (because his semen contains a hormone that promotes fetal growth, makes labor easier, and is a primary component in its mind-control scheme) and eat raw fish eyes (because they're oh so good for baby, apparently). Yeah. There never seems to be much point in this - the computer supposedly can't "think" in terms of this being an ultimate plan, and no motive/reasoning/higher cognitive function is ever ascribed to the fetus - so I guess this all falls under the "just because" header.

The book has the appropriately predictable "dun dun dun!" ending, though it still doesn't make any sense - I'm really wondering how a kid sitting in a cradle is going to access his computer "mentor," or even what the point of it would be - unless it also developed psychic powers or something, and it's left very vague, as though it was tacked on merely because that was the custom of the country, to have that last "scare." Add in that government agents appear, sweep everything under the rug - including the murder, the attempted murder, the break in, and all the data Bryson had collected "proving" something was up - and tell mommy a fairy tale that she believes since she conveniently has amnesia as a residual effect from stress, flatlining during the labor (because the baby tried to kill her during birth) and the fetus mind-control of her, and it leaves you with an entirely too tidy and predictable ending.

So why two stars? Why not the 0 or 1 this would appear to deserve from my tearing apart the entirety of its insipid plot? Mainly the writing itself. When the author isn't discussing the state of Samantha's breasts - which happens way too often - he does a good job of keeping the language flowing, and the imagery he manages to conjure is suitably disturbing when taken out of context. It's just when you try to put it into the whole that it becomes problematic. The scene with the fish eyes is duly repulsive, and when Bryson suffers a bit of... performance anxiety, Samantha's response and the way it's written is suitably disturbing. Moments like that pepper the script, and when the characters aren't making goo-goo eyes at one another or otherwise behaving like bloody idiots, the dialogue is amusing and well-written.

Honestly, though, I'd steer clear. A lot of people can use language well, and several of them can tell an interesting, coherent and intelligent story while they do it. Just not worth the time, in this reader's humble opinion.

[Kenneth McKinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it when a book makes you ponder the “what ifs” and your mind goes down rabbit hole after rabbit hole, even if the story has a few eye rolls along the way. That was THE UNBORN for me.

Samantha, a twenty-something grad student, gets pregnant from a dead end relationship and the father wants nothing to do with it. She decides to have the baby anyway and sets out to better her life by getting serious about finishing school and preparing for motherhood. But to do that, she needs to make more money to pay for this plan. After learning of a sleep study, being done at the hospital, she quickly applies and meets the head of the lab, Dr. Jon Bryson. They both hit it off from the start and that’s good, because once Bryson learns that she’s pregnant, instead of disqualifying her, he alters the program to include a side study of the effects on her as a pregnant woman. He soon learns that the groundbreaking computer system that all the data is fed into is “communicating” back and forth with Sam’s unborn fetus. And that’s where shit starts to go sideways, bringing up all the “what ifs,” and the beginning of my trip down the rabbit holes. What if an unborn child can learn how to control the mother from the inside? If the computer can discover a way to feed the unborn child full of information so it can comprehend the data, what would that child be like once it’s born? Is this the start of creating a master class of humans? You see where this is going. Shobin brings up some of these ideas. My mind did the rest. His medical background was also a double-edged sword. The tech speak gave it an air of authenticity, but it also had its moments where it caused the story to bog down under the weight of all the medical-eze. And as with most stories from this era, it had a few occasions of eye rolls. It didn’t deter my enjoyment.


4 Abnormal EEGs out of 5

[CasualDebris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review originally posted at Casual Debris.

The Unborn is a standard suspense/horror novel, lacking in suspense and devoid of horror. At times it reads like a trite medical romance, though I mostly enjoyed its elements of technological parody. Unintentional, of course.

The plot deals with a pregnant woman taking part in a medical sleep study, during which the foetus begins to communicate with the medical centre's super computer. An interesting, far-fetched idea.

Author David Shobin is himself an obstetrician and gynaecologist still practicing in New York (as of the writing this articles publication, June 2010). The Unborn, his first novel, utilizes a fair amount of medical knowledge to narrate its story. While Shobin's knowledge certainly adds to the somewhat thin plot and does help to ground the far-fetched premise, I kept wondering how a sleep-study researcher knew so much about obstetrics, including obscure bits of information related to pregnancy and gynaecology. Is the smart, dashing and sensitive hero of the novel the author in disguise? Or perhaps, while the foetus was communicating with the super-computer, the doctor was in tune with the narrator; a more frightening prospect and a neat idea for a future Shobin novel.

The unusual premise and medical slant help to save an otherwise bland novel. The writing, characters and plot are weak, and though it is a fast read, a third of the 301 pages could easily have been shaved off. Shobin spends far too much time in the first eighty pages delineating these all-too-familiar characters. Samantha ("Sam"), the pregnant woman and Jon, her sleep-study doctor, are both highly intelligent, exceptionally good-looking and hyper understanding of each other. If not convinced of these qualities, rest assured that the author will not hesitate in reminding his readers just how intelligent and good looking these two are. The two fall in love, which is evidently what good-looking people do, and unfortunately they must prove their love again and again at the expense of the reader.

The good doctor has an older, maternal assistant who helps him professionally and socially, and cares about Sam as much as he does. The minor characters, and there are very few, are stock and impossible to tell apart. The computer, sadly, does not act as a character, but as a machine. Shobin had the opportunity to create a creepy menace but avoids it altogether, though at times Sam's foetus does come across in a nice, eerie light.

The writing is weak, but I suppose passable for a doctor trying to write his first novel. The sex is laughable and Shobin seems quite taken by Sam's breasts, though I suppose the attention he lavishes on them might be an attempt at enhancing the focus on maternity. Dialogue is paint-by-numbers and plot is almost non-existent while scenes are quite repetitive. The reader knows well in advance what is happening, so there is no suspense for us (though in abundance for the doctor and his assistant) until about page 200 or so. What kept me reading was wanting to know what will the foetus turn out to be? Freak, innocent child or Damien? I give Shobin credit for not overdoing this in the course of the read, since some authors might find it tempting to fill reams of pages wondering what freakish being resides in the pregnant woman's abdomen to the point that the reader will get fed up and no longer care. I will peculate that Dr. Shobin, during his career, has developed a sensitive view of women in their pregnancy, and I applaud his sensitive approach to what could easily have been a juvenile speculation. Hence little time is spent on such musings, with the occasional mutter from Sam, so that the reader's own imagination can wander at will.

The Unborn was published in 1981, and social and gender roles come across awkward and self-conscious, with the good doctor clearly acknowledging that abortion is the woman's choice. Shobin wanted to make his doctor the well-rounded yet perfect modern male, who is sickened when he feels used by sex and all-understanding of women's lib. Modern at the time perhaps, but a little contrived and comical today.

Moreover, the computers are clunky machines of the past. I mention above that Shobin missed an opportunity in creating a menacing, life-like computer, but in reality this machine may have appeared more frightening in the dark ages of the early '80s. It is indeed 1981, and these massive data banks and "minicomputers" are hilarious. Have a look at Shobin's description of the precursor to the home computer:

[Patricia Kaniasty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept me interested enough to keep reading. However not that thrilling. Way too technical. Not enough about the baby. Just my opinion.

[Román Hernández · Rating 3 out of 5]

El terror que nos transmite la novela es el hecho de que el peor enemigo vive dentro de uno, una vida aparte que se gesta dispuesto a destruirte desde dentro. David Shobin mezcla Ciencia Ficción y Horror sobrenatural para compartir la historia de Samantha, una joven que será madre y para obtener recursos acepta formar parte de un experimento de sueño. Dentro de ella, su bebé, se desarrolla sano, Pero tan bien que es capaz de poseer un intelecto superior que puede usar para destruir a otros. Shobin de repente describe escenas románticas algo exageradas, muy al estilo de una telenovela, no digo que el romance sea malo, el problema es que se siente exagerado. Shobin le falta desarrollar más escenas aterradoras, porque tiene buenas ideas, sin embargo, no las aprovecha para contar una buena historia ya que bien parte de la trama se pierde al enfocarse en la investigación del Dr. Bryson, mientras que la intriga es menor.

[Buzz · Rating 2 out of 5]

i can’t take it seriously.

so much sex and fascination with this woman’s chest for a horror book, or any book really. just ew ew ew tbh like “My God, he thought, a breast feeder for sure, and he pressed bid lips to get chest, chopping his cheeks with her breasts.”

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting concept that, while very close to a fun 3-star, extended it's story in all the wrong places. The whole book feels like a slinky set-up for a sinister climax that never truly comes and is only hinted at in the final pages. Not overly long, but takes its time at too leisurely a pace and never really delivers what you're expecting, except again in the final pages, and by then...who cares.unless there's a sequel? Which there isn't.

[Aurora Dimitre · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Unborn! Fun times. Actually a super fun book. Fetus + supercomputer = baby taking over mom from inside. Very dramatic and fun. One of those books that has very few ratings on goodreads, but two of them are me and Grady Hendrix.

[Mullmuzzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro estuvo muy de moda en los 80s cuando yo era niño, recuerdo que siempre me intrigó leerlo, hasta que por fin lo encontré usado en una librería a un precio casi regalado.

Es un thriller sumamente entretenido el cual a pesar de lo inverosímil de la historia, es muy bien llevado y jusitificado dentro de ese mundo de ficción donde se observa esa paranoia que al parecer era muy común en esa época, en donde se pensaba que las computadoras podrían ser tan inteligentes como el ser humano y que llegaría un momento donde podrían tomar consciencia y tomar decisiones. La base fundamental para sostener este relato ficticio consiste en el amplio conocimiento sobre medicina que tiene el autor ya que es médico de profesión. La trama nunca decae y la parte final se vuelve adictiva manteniendo el suspenso en todo momento. Una buena novela de ciencia ficción.

[Allison Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not realize this was a TRASHY romance novel when I picked it up at a thrift store. Thelma read it between Septemer and October of 1981 according to the inside of the book. This read as a sci fi/horror/romance novel. Only slight on the horror.

Basically a newly knocked up broad goes in for a sleep study (not supposed to be pregnant but she lied) and this new super computer and her baby communicate and baby essentially gains all this computers knowledge and uses it to enhance its growth by controlling it's mothers behavior. Pretty decent read, definitely could tell a dude wrote it from the way all the sexual exploits were written. Later when I read the jacket I learned the author was a physician. Really hope to hell he kept this book in his waiting room.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover grabbed me immediately when I saw it on the shelf, and I was intrigued by the synopsis. However, I found this book to be lacking in quite a few areas. I felt that the pacing was too fast and did not take the time to build up the suspense. It became predictable and cliché. I was also not a fan of the writing style: far too technical and written in a way that makes the reader feel like they are being lectured. Also the romantic/sexual scenes were strange from what I can remember.

I will say that it was a fairly easy read and hard to put down, so I give it three stars. But I have too many gripes to consider it anything more than mediocre.

[William F. Kammerer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book started a little slow and seemed to be the beginning of a love story. However, my mind changed rather quickly and I really became engrossed in the book. There are many turn of events so you don't know what going to happen next.

A really exciting read as all of his books are.

I would recommend this to a friend.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitivamente este libro no ha envejecido nada bien, y lo que era "ciencia ficción" y terror a principios de los ochenta ahora suenan como especulación risible y un tanto ridícula.

No negaré que el principio se me hizo lento por eso precisamente. Además tuvo breves escenas de auténtico horror.

Al fin, lo terminé anoche y pese a que el final fue predecible podría haber estado peor.

[Mark R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Medical horror, with an unusually intelligent fetus sending messages through an experimental computer system, during an otherwise uneventful sleep study.

I liked the first half better than the second, but overall, this is not a bad first novel, and I'd read more from David Shobin. And to the best of my knowledge, 100% of the medical processes and knowledge in this book is accurate.

[Linda Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful medical,mystery.

I love medical mysteries. My favorite author is Robin Cook. This book was almost up to his level. It was a bit far fetched but really kept your interest! I highly recommend it.

[Onemoment · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best I've read in years

Medical, sci-fi, romance,action...who could ask for more. Believable characters and story progression. Held my attention and denied me sleep. I had to find out!

[Joseph King Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro un tanto fuera de lo normal a lo que uno está acostumbrado, en lo personal si esperaba que diera algo de miedo, pero fue demasiado ligero su lectura, si la recomiendo para un momento en que querías algo ligero.

[Hayley B Halliwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this years ago (randomly thought of it today and went searching for the title). I remember liking it back then, but I was probably like 13 when I read it. Still,wanted to add it to my shelf and figured I'd throw a rating on it.

[Latosa31 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro muy bien redactado, a pesar de ser de los 80’s te envuelve con la ficción.
Creo que es un libro muy avanzado para su época, aunque es claro que ahora parece muy inverosímil pero en su época fue muy comentado.
Sin duda lo recomiendo ampliamente.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in the 80s

[Carson Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much about how to hormonally control pregnant women. 6/10 would recommend to all expecting mothers.

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

Creepy, Weird, A Great Read ! Read it in a couple of hours, too good to put down. Needs a sequel .... STAT !

[Paulina Pizarro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was 10 years old, for me was the coolest experience, I got mad, terrified, probably not the best age to read it but I loved it then

[Brigitte Frantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible

This book was so exciting. I love Jon and Samantha. Such lifelike characters. I was rooted for her all the way. Wish there was a sequel.

[Ben Mailloux · Rating 2 out of 5]

The theoretical technology in this story has not aged well.

[Samantha Tully · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in high school while I was riding the bus or train to the school. I loved this one and I would even sneak the book out when the teachers weren't looking. It's creepy and wonderful!

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Kevin G Mohrman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, edge of your seat! But, too much amorous activity for me.

[Shea Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rosemary's Baby is about demons, this book is about technology.
Good story concept but the writing is a bit hypnotic. I never want to read another book by this author.