This week I am reviewing Horizon by Tabitha Lord, it is the first book in a Sci-Fi / Fantasy trilogy. Horizon was the 2016 Writer’s Digest Grand Prize Winner. It was also a Finalist of the Next Generation Indie Awards and a Finalist of National Indie Excellence Awards.
Excellent First Book!
Horizon tells the story of Dr. Caeli Crys. She lives on a planet with two distinctly different peoples. Her people, the Novalis, are empaths and also have other gifts. Caeli can heal, among other things. Her people for generations have hid the planet, using their gifts, from all of the other planets in the universe. This is where the problems start, the other group, the Amathi, do not have the same empath gifts, but are more scientifically advanced. This causes problems on the planet.
The book opens with Caeli hiding in a cave in the forest. She sees a space ship crash on the beach and uses her gifts to heal the one survivor of the two men on board. This introduces Derek.
The two have some adventures and are rescued by his people on the ship, Horizon. Caeli is torn about leaving her planet, she feels drawn to help them, but realizes she cannot do anything for them on her own. So she leaves her planet. For now.
On the ship, Caeli must now adjust to a much more technically advanced society, and adjust to the fact that there are so many inhabited planets that there is an Alliance, which the ship, Horizon belongs to. And, of course, enemies of the Alliance.
Caeli is a very rounded character. You see her grow from a child to an adult and a doctor. She is so well drawn that the reader feels all of her emotions; love and loss, friendship and fear. But she refuses to be a victim. Reading the book, I found myself completely involved in her story. Derek and the other characters are also well developed, but this is clearly Caeli’s story.
The book is written from both Caeli’s and Derek’s viewpoints, which can be confusing as there is not a discernible pattern. In the first half of the book, on Almagest, the viewpoint goes back and forth, but are mostly Caeli’s. The second half of the book take place on the ship, Horizon. Derek’s viewpoint is more prevalent at this point. However, this did not keep me from enjoying the story.
Tabitha Lord has since finished the complete trilogy with Infinity in 2018 and Equinox in 2019. I look forward to reading those installments in the Caeli Crys story.
Syloquies 