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Horizon
There is no salvation among the stars...
With every known planet, colony or settlement empty, ruined or completely destroyed, a desperate crew of humans onboard the starship Odyssey , hear rumours of a mythical phenomenon called The Horizon . This magical place on the edge of known space is believed to transport those who traverse it back in time to the moment they were at their happiest.
With only death, heartache and baron wastelands surrounding them, the crew of the Odyssey head towards the Horizon. However to reach this phenomenon, they must cross The Expanse - a 30-day trip through entirely empty space.
No light, no stars, no planets... nothing.
At least that's what they think...
From the author of the Dark Corner series, comes a new trilogy of pure unbridled science fiction horror, with twists and turns around every bulkhead, and murderous carnivorous eyes in every shadow...
With every known planet, colony or settlement empty, ruined or completely destroyed, a desperate crew of humans onboard the starship Odyssey , hear rumours of a mythical phenomenon called The Horizon . This magical place on the edge of known space is believed to transport those who traverse it back in time to the moment they were at their happiest.
With only death, heartache and baron wastelands surrounding them, the crew of the Odyssey head towards the Horizon. However to reach this phenomenon, they must cross The Expanse - a 30-day trip through entirely empty space.
No light, no stars, no planets... nothing.
At least that's what they think...
From the author of the Dark Corner series, comes a new trilogy of pure unbridled science fiction horror, with twists and turns around every bulkhead, and murderous carnivorous eyes in every shadow...
Kindle Edition
First published December 18, 2023
2 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
David W. Adams
21 books15 followersDavid W. Adams is the author of dark and atmospheric novels spanning horror, sci-fi, and dark fantasy. Born in Wolverhampton, England in 1988 and raised in Telford, David took a non-traditional path, leaving formal education to work full-time, before discovering his passion for writing.
His debut collection of haunting short stories was published in early 2021, born from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, his work has been praised for its emotional depth, chilling atmosphere, and cinematic storytelling.
In 2024, his sci-fi horror novel Horizon won AudiobookReviewer.com's award for Best Dystopian Novel, thanks in part to the gripping narration by frequent collaborator Brandon J. Peterson. A partnership that the following year resulted in Emergence winning Best Team Up.
David now lives on the Isle of Portland in Dorset with his wife, Charlotte. In addition to writing, he designs book covers and reviews books on YouTube and TikTok, where he shares insights into the craft and the indie publishing world.
Follow this author to stay updated on new releases, projects, and behind-the-scenes content.
His debut collection of haunting short stories was published in early 2021, born from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, his work has been praised for its emotional depth, chilling atmosphere, and cinematic storytelling.
In 2024, his sci-fi horror novel Horizon won AudiobookReviewer.com's award for Best Dystopian Novel, thanks in part to the gripping narration by frequent collaborator Brandon J. Peterson. A partnership that the following year resulted in Emergence winning Best Team Up.
David now lives on the Isle of Portland in Dorset with his wife, Charlotte. In addition to writing, he designs book covers and reviews books on YouTube and TikTok, where he shares insights into the craft and the indie publishing world.
Follow this author to stay updated on new releases, projects, and behind-the-scenes content.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 17, 2024
If you've ever played the games Alien: Isolation or Dead Space, mix that with a little Expanse, and you have Horizon.
This was incredibly well done, and David does a phenomenal job at building tension, creating vividly dark descriptions, and terrorizing the reader. The book starts off right in the action of a world interesting enough on it's own dealing with space pirates, takes you crashing down to a backwater planet, and then on a sort of ship heist gone wrong. There are underpinning stories that help build intrigue, and bits of magic in the form of telepaths/empaths and more. The book was a wild ride and I enjoyed it.
Side note: I listened to the audiobook version of this and while it was well performed, the sound effects in many parts were overloud and overpowered the narrator and I did find that to be distracting. They were great additions, but they could have been turned down several decibels and still been just as impactful. This is not a critique on the story, just thought I would mention it for anyone looking into the audiobook version.
Overall, I was pleased with Horizon. My only real gripe is the cliffhanger it leaves you on. Fortunately, I have the eBook copy of Ransome, so I can pick right up where Horizon lets you off.
This was incredibly well done, and David does a phenomenal job at building tension, creating vividly dark descriptions, and terrorizing the reader. The book starts off right in the action of a world interesting enough on it's own dealing with space pirates, takes you crashing down to a backwater planet, and then on a sort of ship heist gone wrong. There are underpinning stories that help build intrigue, and bits of magic in the form of telepaths/empaths and more. The book was a wild ride and I enjoyed it.
Side note: I listened to the audiobook version of this and while it was well performed, the sound effects in many parts were overloud and overpowered the narrator and I did find that to be distracting. They were great additions, but they could have been turned down several decibels and still been just as impactful. This is not a critique on the story, just thought I would mention it for anyone looking into the audiobook version.
Overall, I was pleased with Horizon. My only real gripe is the cliffhanger it leaves you on. Fortunately, I have the eBook copy of Ransome, so I can pick right up where Horizon lets you off.
January 26, 2024
If Frederick Pohl created a universe where Star Trek met Aliens and let Harry Harrison create the characters, Horizon would be the result.
The imagination in this book is immense. It’s the start of a must read trilogy.
Roman, Drusilla, Samantha, Noah and the rest of the crew are searching for a legendary ship called the Odessey. It vanished 150 years prior to the story, but is integral to all that happens.
Telepathic aliens coerce the captain of the band, Roman, when they find the ship, directing them to a place called the Expanse. A huge void in space. At the Expanse’s heart is a time anomaly, the eponymous Horizon. Like the one in Star Trek Generations, but this transports you back to the point in time in which you were the happiest.
In the expanse live some Aliens. They might not drip acid blood (the opposite, in fact, their blood heals), but they are some mean and hazardous antagonists.
There is nothing about this book I didn’t like. Other than I don’t yet have the next two in the series. The revelations set up what’s to come in a wonderful way.
The imagination in this book is immense. It’s the start of a must read trilogy.
Roman, Drusilla, Samantha, Noah and the rest of the crew are searching for a legendary ship called the Odessey. It vanished 150 years prior to the story, but is integral to all that happens.
Telepathic aliens coerce the captain of the band, Roman, when they find the ship, directing them to a place called the Expanse. A huge void in space. At the Expanse’s heart is a time anomaly, the eponymous Horizon. Like the one in Star Trek Generations, but this transports you back to the point in time in which you were the happiest.
In the expanse live some Aliens. They might not drip acid blood (the opposite, in fact, their blood heals), but they are some mean and hazardous antagonists.
There is nothing about this book I didn’t like. Other than I don’t yet have the next two in the series. The revelations set up what’s to come in a wonderful way.
July 1, 2024
Excellent book. Absolutely had a blast making this audiobook!
November 3, 2024
Read for the SPSFC4
Full thoughts up at:
https://onereadingnurse.com/2024/11/0...
I have sampled so many books in this competition over the years and so far, Horizon has my favorite opening sentence and paragraph.
"Space is nothing but a graveyard.
You can fool yourself into thinking it is a magical and wondrous place full of intrigue and exploration, but in reality it was nothing but death and emptiness surrounded in shadows and blood."
Being a fan of dark fantasy, splatterpunk, and horror, I am drawn immediately to this. I also like the "humanity sets out to find a new home" trope and telepaths are always interesting, so I felt like Horizon was setting itself up for success.
After a confusing introduction of characters and far too many commas, the main story emerges of a desperate voyage in a broken ship to reach a space-time anomaly that can send people back in time to when they were happiest.
It starts to become clear that the trip is a one way ticket as the telepathic alien race has a history of drawing people into danger. The region leading up to the anomaly is full of flesh eating giant aliens. There’s no peace as the crew is picked off one by one in gruesome ways as they start to discover exactly how bleak (and weird) their situation is.
I’m picturing flashing lights, clanging sounds, blips of razor sharp tails, raging tempers and fears, and explosions of flesh. I love this kind of shit and especially since there’s at least three mysteries at the core that I wanted the answers to, I kept reading to the end despite the book’s painful editing issues.
There wasn’t much background to draw me to the characters, which is typical for adventure/action focused books. Humanity is dying anyway and the action and mystery were enough to carry the book through.
At some point I’ll read the sequel just because the ending was such a cliffhanger. It would be appropriate to just leave the story as it ended, but the author seems to indicate a sequel coming, and personally I’m curious enough to buy and read the next one.
Full thoughts up at:
https://onereadingnurse.com/2024/11/0...
I have sampled so many books in this competition over the years and so far, Horizon has my favorite opening sentence and paragraph.
"Space is nothing but a graveyard.
You can fool yourself into thinking it is a magical and wondrous place full of intrigue and exploration, but in reality it was nothing but death and emptiness surrounded in shadows and blood."
Being a fan of dark fantasy, splatterpunk, and horror, I am drawn immediately to this. I also like the "humanity sets out to find a new home" trope and telepaths are always interesting, so I felt like Horizon was setting itself up for success.
After a confusing introduction of characters and far too many commas, the main story emerges of a desperate voyage in a broken ship to reach a space-time anomaly that can send people back in time to when they were happiest.
It starts to become clear that the trip is a one way ticket as the telepathic alien race has a history of drawing people into danger. The region leading up to the anomaly is full of flesh eating giant aliens. There’s no peace as the crew is picked off one by one in gruesome ways as they start to discover exactly how bleak (and weird) their situation is.
I’m picturing flashing lights, clanging sounds, blips of razor sharp tails, raging tempers and fears, and explosions of flesh. I love this kind of shit and especially since there’s at least three mysteries at the core that I wanted the answers to, I kept reading to the end despite the book’s painful editing issues.
There wasn’t much background to draw me to the characters, which is typical for adventure/action focused books. Humanity is dying anyway and the action and mystery were enough to carry the book through.
At some point I’ll read the sequel just because the ending was such a cliffhanger. It would be appropriate to just leave the story as it ended, but the author seems to indicate a sequel coming, and personally I’m curious enough to buy and read the next one.
July 31, 2024
This book is beyond amazing, if you love star trek next generation and alien then this is the book series for you, horizon is book 1 of a duopoly with a prequel for added fun.
December 12, 2024
Now this is one Heck of a Sci Fi story and the time and place this all happens in is remarkably well thought out. I hope the next book in this Series is released on Audible very soon, as I want to know what happens next. Narration is done sort of Luke a noir style, with various characters voices as the characters speak between Narration.
Want to Read
September 15, 2025I hate it when series are not marked in the app - but this seems to be book 1. Now that I have book 3 I better get this one I guess.
October 19, 2024
I listened to the audiobook today and it was so engaging! Really incredible work on David's part for writing it, and the narrator (Brandon) for his excellent storytelling! I can't wait for Emergence!
November 19, 2024
Horizon: The Frozen Planet Trilogy, Book 1 will be right up your alley if you’re into Star Trek Enterprise, Battlestar Galactica, or the kind of creeping dread that the Dead Space games deliver. David W. Adams opens this trilogy with a fast-paced, carefully crafted sci-fi horror that grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go. At just under five hours, this audiobook uses every minute to pull you deeper into its brutal, relentless world, leaving you wanting for more.
The story follows the crew of the Odyssey, who are out of options and chasing a last, desperate rumor about The Horizon – a mysterious place said to return people to their happiest moments. With every colony and planet they know either destroyed or abandoned, this faint hope is all they’ve got. But to get there, they have to cross The Expanse, an endless stretch of dead space with no stars, no planets, just darkness. And soon enough, they realize that even empty space can hide something dangerous. Mr. Adams keeps the tension high and the twists unpredictable, with dangers hiding in every shadow and a palpable sense of fear that builds with every scene.
Narrator Brandon J. Peterson, who also produced this audiobook, does an incredible job bringing the story to life. His narration nails each character’s intensity and vulnerability, letting you feel every bit of their fear and desperation. I absolutely love his narration and voices range. After I listened to over 1,500 audiobooks this is something that rarely happens. Plus, the sound quality is top-notch, with eerie effects woven through the narration to keep you immersed without overdoing it.
Horizon is a gripping, atmospheric listen – one that’s as thrilling as it is haunting. For anyone who loves dark, suspenseful sci-fi with a hard edge, this is a must listen! I’m already eager for the next book as this trilogy is shaping up to be something special.
I am a blind audiobook reviewer, so if you found this review interesting I hope you will consider leaving a helpful vote below. Most audiobooks I receive for free for review purposes. Thank you! Take care, stay safe, and don't forget, always listen with your heart.
The story follows the crew of the Odyssey, who are out of options and chasing a last, desperate rumor about The Horizon – a mysterious place said to return people to their happiest moments. With every colony and planet they know either destroyed or abandoned, this faint hope is all they’ve got. But to get there, they have to cross The Expanse, an endless stretch of dead space with no stars, no planets, just darkness. And soon enough, they realize that even empty space can hide something dangerous. Mr. Adams keeps the tension high and the twists unpredictable, with dangers hiding in every shadow and a palpable sense of fear that builds with every scene.
Narrator Brandon J. Peterson, who also produced this audiobook, does an incredible job bringing the story to life. His narration nails each character’s intensity and vulnerability, letting you feel every bit of their fear and desperation. I absolutely love his narration and voices range. After I listened to over 1,500 audiobooks this is something that rarely happens. Plus, the sound quality is top-notch, with eerie effects woven through the narration to keep you immersed without overdoing it.
Horizon is a gripping, atmospheric listen – one that’s as thrilling as it is haunting. For anyone who loves dark, suspenseful sci-fi with a hard edge, this is a must listen! I’m already eager for the next book as this trilogy is shaping up to be something special.
I am a blind audiobook reviewer, so if you found this review interesting I hope you will consider leaving a helpful vote below. Most audiobooks I receive for free for review purposes. Thank you! Take care, stay safe, and don't forget, always listen with your heart.
August 8, 2024
Great Performance of a Basic SciFi Horror Story
Book: ***
Performance: *****
This was pretty standard fare for the SciFi Horror genre … so you get a spacecrew that is far out in the black on their own with something of a deadly mystery (like what happend to the last crwe) that slowly whittles down the crew until you have the final, small, group of heroes struggling to survive against an unknown alien threat. There are a few details and twists that were fun, but it was fairly predicatble for the most part. The writing was decent, if not all that exceptional … and the production was pretty solid (with apporiately sound effects for emphasis) and strong profermance from the narrator that makes it all very entertaining despite the incomplete ending (aka cliffhanger). The only way to improve it would be to use a full cast (and perhaps actually resolve a major plotpoint).
I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#Horizon #FrozenPlanet #FreeAudiobookCodes
Book: ***
Performance: *****
This was pretty standard fare for the SciFi Horror genre … so you get a spacecrew that is far out in the black on their own with something of a deadly mystery (like what happend to the last crwe) that slowly whittles down the crew until you have the final, small, group of heroes struggling to survive against an unknown alien threat. There are a few details and twists that were fun, but it was fairly predicatble for the most part. The writing was decent, if not all that exceptional … and the production was pretty solid (with apporiately sound effects for emphasis) and strong profermance from the narrator that makes it all very entertaining despite the incomplete ending (aka cliffhanger). The only way to improve it would be to use a full cast (and perhaps actually resolve a major plotpoint).
I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#Horizon #FrozenPlanet #FreeAudiobookCodes
December 14, 2024
Received an audio copy to review from the narrator, Brandon J. Peterson; whose eloquent and harrowing performance elevates this haunting, poignant and gut wrenching adventure into something much more terrifying. Humanity has finally achieved its ego driven desire to live among the ancient stars, but this accomplished came along with war and death both of human and sentient alien alike as we made our home on Mars and Jupiter. As humanity's abilities to survive out in space becomes more precarious, the ambitious program to launch high tech vessels to search for a new home begins. And long after both ships vanished with no understanding why, Captain Roman and his hard knocked crew discover the disturbing truth of what happened to the mighty Odyssey as they battle terrible, animalistic alien hungry for human flesh and other beings that can turn the crew into puppets for their control that leaves each person afraid of people they should be able to trust. Have to trust out in the black depths of space.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
January 15, 2024
A wonderful mix of sci-fi and horror.
If Alien and Star Trek got together and had a baby, Horizon would be the result - and this book not only deserves (and needs!!) a sequel, it would also adapt wonderfully to the big screen.
There's a lot of names and setting up in the first few chapters which took me a minute to get my head around but the story weaves and reveals really well. Without giving spoilers, I won't say how it comes together, however, I read it in a couple of sittings (which is super fast for me) because I wanted to see how it ended. I need book two and can only hope David is working on that now!
Great job and I definitely recommend this book to all sci-fi horror fans!
If Alien and Star Trek got together and had a baby, Horizon would be the result - and this book not only deserves (and needs!!) a sequel, it would also adapt wonderfully to the big screen.
There's a lot of names and setting up in the first few chapters which took me a minute to get my head around but the story weaves and reveals really well. Without giving spoilers, I won't say how it comes together, however, I read it in a couple of sittings (which is super fast for me) because I wanted to see how it ended. I need book two and can only hope David is working on that now!
Great job and I definitely recommend this book to all sci-fi horror fans!
October 9, 2024
As with all of his books thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It's an adventure in space where every planet or colony has been destroyed and we hear about the mythical phenomenon called Horizon. A ship called the Odyssey is on a misson to find this place, there's only one catch . They have to cross the Expance. A nearly empty part of space..... you will have to read it yourself to find out what happens next
January 8, 2025
This was an introduction to a rich sci-fi story. If you like the movie ‘Alien’ then you’ll love this book.
This story shares that ‘hunted’ feel of the Alien franchise but this book is shrouded with a mystery that needs solving and a sprinkling of telepathic possession and violence.
This is a sci-fi book at its heart with interplanetary traversal, alien beings and spaceships…but that’s not all. The horror elements of this book are undeniably freaky with a aura of torment and tension breathing life into the story throughout.
David W. Adams writing is fantastic and definitely deserves praise. Great characterisation and descriptive prowess ensure an enticing and enjoyable read. The follow ups to Horizon are definitely on my wish list and I’m looking forward to getting back into the world.
This story shares that ‘hunted’ feel of the Alien franchise but this book is shrouded with a mystery that needs solving and a sprinkling of telepathic possession and violence.
This is a sci-fi book at its heart with interplanetary traversal, alien beings and spaceships…but that’s not all. The horror elements of this book are undeniably freaky with a aura of torment and tension breathing life into the story throughout.
David W. Adams writing is fantastic and definitely deserves praise. Great characterisation and descriptive prowess ensure an enticing and enjoyable read. The follow ups to Horizon are definitely on my wish list and I’m looking forward to getting back into the world.
March 13, 2025
A good SciFi book, but didn't have an ending, so I am assuming there a sequel coming
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews