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Sumer #2
The Horizon
Long-listed for the Locus Magazine Award for Best Science Fiction Novel of 2021
'Did we not once promise that we would always be honest with each other?' 'I no longer ask for honesty. Just tell me a lie that I can forgive.' After 2000 years, the Wall has been breached. As Mithila steps into a world unknown, her sister Minakshi tightens her grasp on a city bracing for chaos and violence under a red sky. The ghost of an old Revolution stalks the streets, while the shadow of a new one threatens to tear Sumer apart. Spreading word about this historical transgression, Alvar and Mankala find themselves facing new perils in a City they can barely recognise-one torn between old fears and new desires, while caught in a deadly power struggle. But soon, they will know that the crossing of the Wall has consequences not just for the City, but for the world.
'Did we not once promise that we would always be honest with each other?' 'I no longer ask for honesty. Just tell me a lie that I can forgive.' After 2000 years, the Wall has been breached. As Mithila steps into a world unknown, her sister Minakshi tightens her grasp on a city bracing for chaos and violence under a red sky. The ghost of an old Revolution stalks the streets, while the shadow of a new one threatens to tear Sumer apart. Spreading word about this historical transgression, Alvar and Mankala find themselves facing new perils in a City they can barely recognise-one torn between old fears and new desires, while caught in a deadly power struggle. But soon, they will know that the crossing of the Wall has consequences not just for the City, but for the world.
Paperback
First published November 10, 2021
About the author
Gautam Bhatia
19 books1,005 followersGautam Bhatia is an Indian science fiction writer.
He is the author of The SENTENCE (to be published as THE FIFTH INFLECTION in the US and the UK in 2027), which won the Ignyte Award for Best Adult Novel in 2025. He is also the author of the SF Duology, THE WALL and THE HORIZON, both of which featured on Locus Magazine's Recommended Reading Lists in 2021 (Best Debut Novel) and 2022 (Best Science Fiction Novel). THE WALL was a finalist for the 2021 Valley of Words Best English Language Novel Prize. Bhatia was long-listed for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer at both the 2021 World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon), and the 2022 WorldCon.
Bhatia is also the co-ordinating editor of Strange Horizons, a weekly online magazine of fantasy and science fiction, which won the British Fantasy Award in 2021, and the Hugo Award in 2024. In 2022, he was nominated for a World Fantasy Award for his work with the magazine.
His reviews and essays on science fiction and fantasy have appeared in Strange Horizons, The Hindustan Times, Scroll, and The Wire.
In his spare time, he is a lawyer.
He is the author of The SENTENCE (to be published as THE FIFTH INFLECTION in the US and the UK in 2027), which won the Ignyte Award for Best Adult Novel in 2025. He is also the author of the SF Duology, THE WALL and THE HORIZON, both of which featured on Locus Magazine's Recommended Reading Lists in 2021 (Best Debut Novel) and 2022 (Best Science Fiction Novel). THE WALL was a finalist for the 2021 Valley of Words Best English Language Novel Prize. Bhatia was long-listed for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer at both the 2021 World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon), and the 2022 WorldCon.
Bhatia is also the co-ordinating editor of Strange Horizons, a weekly online magazine of fantasy and science fiction, which won the British Fantasy Award in 2021, and the Hugo Award in 2024. In 2022, he was nominated for a World Fantasy Award for his work with the magazine.
His reviews and essays on science fiction and fantasy have appeared in Strange Horizons, The Hindustan Times, Scroll, and The Wire.
In his spare time, he is a lawyer.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 27, 2022
The Publisher Says: ‘Did we not once promise that we would always be honest with each other?’
‘I no longer ask for honesty. Just tell me a lie that I can forgive.’
After 2000 years, the Wall has been breached. As Mithila steps into a world unknown, her sister Minakshi tightens her grasp on a city bracing for chaos and violence under a red sky. The ghost of an old Revolution stalks the streets, while the shadow of a new one threatens to tear Sumer apart.
Spreading word about this historical transgression, Alvar and Mankala find themselves facing new perils in a City they can barely recognise—one torn between old fears and new desires, while caught in a deadly power struggle. But soon, they will know that the crossing of the Wall has consequences not just for the City, but for the world.
My Review: Be careful what you ask the gods for, lest the answer be "Yes."
Mithila's prayers were assented to; now she must live in the aftermath. The Walls of Sumer are no more; this doesn't mean Sumer is no more, of course, any more than the ending of Constantinople's play-Roman society meant it didn't exist anymore. (What do you imagine sparked the Renaissance if not the sudden outflow of people and books that had been behind Constantinople's walls?) The discovery that there is...stuff, people, a whole Universe...outside Sumer's walls doens't mean that Mithila and her peeps just win because Mithila has a sister. Sibling rivalry will do more than a little to prevent things from moving too fast, and Minakshi (Author Gautam! These names, so many are so similar! NOT COOL, DUDE) is a sibling in the throes of serious rivalry. She uses Mithila's discovery of the outside to force a confrontation with Powers That Be who previously defeated *her* attempt to take over Sumer and she is ripe and ready for revenge against them. And if Mithila suffers too, well, omelettes, eggs....
Writing about chaotic change in a society whose stasis was thoroughly established earlier should feel, I don't know, complicated. It does here. I was also very pleased that the read was propulsive, violent where necessary and exciting throughout, and driven from the real-feeling needs and desires of characters unafraid to throw their hearts and bodies into the future. There is no landing in safety, there is no landing even, visible to them. But Mithila and Rama (her lesbian lover) do it anyway, commit themselves and their people to a brave new world. (Arrogant, of course, as one must be to be a rebel.) What became difficult for me as I read this book is my sense that I am empathizing with people who aren't in sympathy with the world they were born into so they...tear it all down...? That's a very big step to take with no plan for the future. I understand that Author Gautam has said he's done with this storyverse. I'm really not sure if the characters agree with him. I predict sleepless nights flipping the pillow, looking for some way to cool their anger as they struggle to get out of his brain.
There is an appendix where Author Gautam goes through the sources and inspirations for Sumer, and it by itself should be required reading for aspiring fantasy/speculative fiction writers. It is thorough without feeling like a course syllabus.
All in all, two books telling one story in a deeply, empathetically imagined alternate reality to our own. Spending time in this place poised on the brink of rebellion is, strange to say, a great escape from a darkening world.
‘I no longer ask for honesty. Just tell me a lie that I can forgive.’
After 2000 years, the Wall has been breached. As Mithila steps into a world unknown, her sister Minakshi tightens her grasp on a city bracing for chaos and violence under a red sky. The ghost of an old Revolution stalks the streets, while the shadow of a new one threatens to tear Sumer apart.
Spreading word about this historical transgression, Alvar and Mankala find themselves facing new perils in a City they can barely recognise—one torn between old fears and new desires, while caught in a deadly power struggle. But soon, they will know that the crossing of the Wall has consequences not just for the City, but for the world.
My Review: Be careful what you ask the gods for, lest the answer be "Yes."
Mithila's prayers were assented to; now she must live in the aftermath. The Walls of Sumer are no more; this doesn't mean Sumer is no more, of course, any more than the ending of Constantinople's play-Roman society meant it didn't exist anymore. (What do you imagine sparked the Renaissance if not the sudden outflow of people and books that had been behind Constantinople's walls?) The discovery that there is...stuff, people, a whole Universe...outside Sumer's walls doens't mean that Mithila and her peeps just win because Mithila has a sister. Sibling rivalry will do more than a little to prevent things from moving too fast, and Minakshi (Author Gautam! These names, so many are so similar! NOT COOL, DUDE) is a sibling in the throes of serious rivalry. She uses Mithila's discovery of the outside to force a confrontation with Powers That Be who previously defeated *her* attempt to take over Sumer and she is ripe and ready for revenge against them. And if Mithila suffers too, well, omelettes, eggs....
Writing about chaotic change in a society whose stasis was thoroughly established earlier should feel, I don't know, complicated. It does here. I was also very pleased that the read was propulsive, violent where necessary and exciting throughout, and driven from the real-feeling needs and desires of characters unafraid to throw their hearts and bodies into the future. There is no landing in safety, there is no landing even, visible to them. But Mithila and Rama (her lesbian lover) do it anyway, commit themselves and their people to a brave new world. (Arrogant, of course, as one must be to be a rebel.) What became difficult for me as I read this book is my sense that I am empathizing with people who aren't in sympathy with the world they were born into so they...tear it all down...? That's a very big step to take with no plan for the future. I understand that Author Gautam has said he's done with this storyverse. I'm really not sure if the characters agree with him. I predict sleepless nights flipping the pillow, looking for some way to cool their anger as they struggle to get out of his brain.
There is an appendix where Author Gautam goes through the sources and inspirations for Sumer, and it by itself should be required reading for aspiring fantasy/speculative fiction writers. It is thorough without feeling like a course syllabus.
All in all, two books telling one story in a deeply, empathetically imagined alternate reality to our own. Spending time in this place poised on the brink of rebellion is, strange to say, a great escape from a darkening world.
November 25, 2021
this was soooo satisfying. what incredible worldbuilding!!!
June 1, 2021
I CANNOT wait for this to release!
May 20, 2024
The Horizon starts exactly where The Wall concludes and it focuses on the ramifications of the act of Mithila. The Wall has been breached and things are not going to remain the same in Sumer as it was before. Power structure will change, belief system will be questioned, laws will be struck down and rewritten and the truth about Sumer will be revealed.
In the first part, I felt that the world building aspect was fantastic with beautiful lore and stories about the origin and its history which were revealed succinctly. Also, the social structure and laws prevailing in Sumer made lots of sense for a walled city. The character developments were the weak point.
However, the Horizon handles the character development of many protagonists brilliantly. Alvar, Mankana, Minakshi, Rama, Mithila, Maji, Anant all play a crucial role to enable significant changes- this side of the Wall. But, the stories of the origins and the future of Sumer fails to hit the mark which is disappointing because the book had tremendous potential to be a sensation in the literary world.
The book should have been much more detailed and the series should have been a trilogy. This would have given Sumer a better treatment than what the duology did. Sumer could have been explored in detail which could have perhaps given the author a better path towards the endgame.
In the first part, I felt that the world building aspect was fantastic with beautiful lore and stories about the origin and its history which were revealed succinctly. Also, the social structure and laws prevailing in Sumer made lots of sense for a walled city. The character developments were the weak point.
However, the Horizon handles the character development of many protagonists brilliantly. Alvar, Mankana, Minakshi, Rama, Mithila, Maji, Anant all play a crucial role to enable significant changes- this side of the Wall. But, the stories of the origins and the future of Sumer fails to hit the mark which is disappointing because the book had tremendous potential to be a sensation in the literary world.
The book should have been much more detailed and the series should have been a trilogy. This would have given Sumer a better treatment than what the duology did. Sumer could have been explored in detail which could have perhaps given the author a better path towards the endgame.
March 11, 2022
In The Horizon, Gautam Bhatia has written a masterful sequel to his first novel, The Wall, that brings together a close examination of the politics of radical change with the songs and stories that can sustain but sometimes also limit the imagination of what is possible in life. Directly following the climactic ending of The Wall (spoilers below), The Horizon not only shows us what the young Tarafian rebel Mithila found on the other side of the vast wall encircling the city of Sumer but also dramatizes the sweeping revolution that convulses Sumer itself.
Mithila is a delightful character, a rebellious and fearless twenty-something woman who is never satisfied with any of the answers the powers that be have tried to enforce about the nature of Sumer. She challenges everyone and everything and never does what people expect and want her to do. Only through her stubborn refusal to take any of the paths to safety offered to her is she able to finally understand how to be free of the strictures of the 2500 year-old civilization of Sumer.
Governed by a Council and a Priesthood, supported by force of arms, life within Sumer depends on the order established by mythical Builders. These superhuman beings not only bounded the circular city within a vast black wall which no one, except Mithila, had ever breached but also left behind a set of myths and stories and knowledge guarded by a group of scientists known as the Select. They claim to protect the people from knowledge which destroyed earlier cycles of human civilization and intervene in Sumer’s affairs only in extreme circumstances to guard the circle of time.
One of their tenets is that people die to live again, summarized in the word apoptosis. That refers in biology to the structured process of cell death by which cell components are broken down and used again. What it really means for the future of Sumer only becomes clear as the story moves toward its climax.
......
While the climactic moment of The Wall (Mithila’s escape past the Wall) was clear from the outset, how that could possibly happen was always the question. The end point of The Horizon is much more mysterious. Bhatia keeps the narrative moving through many twists that had me guessing how things might turn out, and he achieves a powerful ending full of surprises.
Mithila is central to most of the action but almost as an anti-chosen one. Bhatia, a constitutional scholar in India, focuses a lot on how the the discordant notes of social unrest can become an anthem of revolution but reveals all the stops and starts and failures along the way. And the revolution turns out not to be the decisive change everyone was looking for but only another manifestation of the impending break in everyone’s lives.
Mithila is caught up in all this but what sets her apart for me is her fearlessness in jumping straight into the darkness of the future without a hint of where the light might come from to make a new life possible.
The Horizon is a remarkable novel that pulls together ideas about language, poetry, social change, law and some mind-bending intersections of time from different worlds. The characters define themselves through their actions and dialogue rather than backstory, and sometimes I had trouble distinguishing individuals in the large supporting cast. But the basic drive of the story works beautifully through both The Wall and The Horizon.
I heard Bhatia say in an interview that he was done with this story, but there is plenty to pick up at the end of The Horizon if he should change his mind. Whether or not he does, I look forward to whatever new fiction he writes. I urge you to get a copy of The Horizon, which is published so far only by Harper Collins India. You can get the paperback through Amazon and other booksellers, though it might take a little longer than usual for it to arrive. It’s worth waiting for.
Read the full review at SciFi Mind.
Mithila is a delightful character, a rebellious and fearless twenty-something woman who is never satisfied with any of the answers the powers that be have tried to enforce about the nature of Sumer. She challenges everyone and everything and never does what people expect and want her to do. Only through her stubborn refusal to take any of the paths to safety offered to her is she able to finally understand how to be free of the strictures of the 2500 year-old civilization of Sumer.
Governed by a Council and a Priesthood, supported by force of arms, life within Sumer depends on the order established by mythical Builders. These superhuman beings not only bounded the circular city within a vast black wall which no one, except Mithila, had ever breached but also left behind a set of myths and stories and knowledge guarded by a group of scientists known as the Select. They claim to protect the people from knowledge which destroyed earlier cycles of human civilization and intervene in Sumer’s affairs only in extreme circumstances to guard the circle of time.
One of their tenets is that people die to live again, summarized in the word apoptosis. That refers in biology to the structured process of cell death by which cell components are broken down and used again. What it really means for the future of Sumer only becomes clear as the story moves toward its climax.
......
While the climactic moment of The Wall (Mithila’s escape past the Wall) was clear from the outset, how that could possibly happen was always the question. The end point of The Horizon is much more mysterious. Bhatia keeps the narrative moving through many twists that had me guessing how things might turn out, and he achieves a powerful ending full of surprises.
Mithila is central to most of the action but almost as an anti-chosen one. Bhatia, a constitutional scholar in India, focuses a lot on how the the discordant notes of social unrest can become an anthem of revolution but reveals all the stops and starts and failures along the way. And the revolution turns out not to be the decisive change everyone was looking for but only another manifestation of the impending break in everyone’s lives.
Mithila is caught up in all this but what sets her apart for me is her fearlessness in jumping straight into the darkness of the future without a hint of where the light might come from to make a new life possible.
The Horizon is a remarkable novel that pulls together ideas about language, poetry, social change, law and some mind-bending intersections of time from different worlds. The characters define themselves through their actions and dialogue rather than backstory, and sometimes I had trouble distinguishing individuals in the large supporting cast. But the basic drive of the story works beautifully through both The Wall and The Horizon.
I heard Bhatia say in an interview that he was done with this story, but there is plenty to pick up at the end of The Horizon if he should change his mind. Whether or not he does, I look forward to whatever new fiction he writes. I urge you to get a copy of The Horizon, which is published so far only by Harper Collins India. You can get the paperback through Amazon and other booksellers, though it might take a little longer than usual for it to arrive. It’s worth waiting for.
Read the full review at SciFi Mind.
December 25, 2021
The Horizon is an ode to revolution, the several different iterations of it that the world has seen over time. Still stunningly intertwined with reality, it was a magical concoction of all of the author's inspirations drawn from the history of revolution and protest, and the art that struggle has given birth to. HIGHLY recommend this sequel to The Wall and can't wait to see what Gautam Bhatia does next with his immaculately created world.
April 10, 2022
this book has given me so much to think about
November 12, 2021
I'll try and write a longer review later, but I had to come squee about The Horizon, that I pulled an all nighter to finish reading.
My pandemic - addled brain is suffering from an inability to focus, and no matter how interesting something is, I find myself getting distracted. While reading The Horizon, however, I never felt the urge to take my eyes off the page.
A worthy end to the Sumer duology, The Horizon is both thrilling and thought provoking. The characters, already so beautifully written in The Wall, become flesh and blood in this sequel. There is both craft and care in the writing, and there were many points at which I whooped with delight; or wept, because I was heartbroken; or because the scene was written with so much tenderness. The scene where Mithila sees the sea for the first time, will stay with me forever.
The Horizon ties up the loose ends, but leaves off enough for the reader to imagine for themselves (yaay head canon!). I especially appreciate the appendix, in which the author describes all the influences and ideas that went into the writing of the duology. That is as fascinating and fun a rabbit hole to dive into, as the story itself.
I've already been recommending The Wall to everyone, and now I can happily do the same for The Horizon.
My pandemic - addled brain is suffering from an inability to focus, and no matter how interesting something is, I find myself getting distracted. While reading The Horizon, however, I never felt the urge to take my eyes off the page.
A worthy end to the Sumer duology, The Horizon is both thrilling and thought provoking. The characters, already so beautifully written in The Wall, become flesh and blood in this sequel. There is both craft and care in the writing, and there were many points at which I whooped with delight; or wept, because I was heartbroken; or because the scene was written with so much tenderness. The scene where Mithila sees the sea for the first time, will stay with me forever.
The Horizon ties up the loose ends, but leaves off enough for the reader to imagine for themselves (yaay head canon!). I especially appreciate the appendix, in which the author describes all the influences and ideas that went into the writing of the duology. That is as fascinating and fun a rabbit hole to dive into, as the story itself.
I've already been recommending The Wall to everyone, and now I can happily do the same for The Horizon.
November 4, 2021
When I read 'The Wall', I was a tad disappointed. The setting reminded me of many other fictitious worlds. Sometimes the writing was structured in a way, that I couldn't understand the intention behind it. There were things unexplained that felt like plot holes to me. After reading 'The Horizon', some of those questions remain but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
I loved how the character building in 'The Wall', leads to their actions in 'The Horizon'. Everyone has a part to play in this final act of Sumer and they play it well. Personally, It was interesting to note how easily I could get drawn into a world when the characters have familiar names.
As the events unfolded, I especially enjoyed trying to guess the identity of the 'Mentor' and the 'Young one', trying to guess the grand picture behind it all but I was never sure, not until the final reveal.
There were a few times that I wish I had a copy of the Wall handy. Hopefully a future edition will package them together.
I loved how the character building in 'The Wall', leads to their actions in 'The Horizon'. Everyone has a part to play in this final act of Sumer and they play it well. Personally, It was interesting to note how easily I could get drawn into a world when the characters have familiar names.
As the events unfolded, I especially enjoyed trying to guess the identity of the 'Mentor' and the 'Young one', trying to guess the grand picture behind it all but I was never sure, not until the final reveal.
There were a few times that I wish I had a copy of the Wall handy. Hopefully a future edition will package them together.
December 19, 2021
I had loved the wall but the Horizon was an emotional rollercoaster. I felt like a stakeholder in the fate of sumer and was proud, disappointed, and betrayed (oh lord so much betrayal) by the characters who I got so attached to.
I had found Mithila incredibly annoying in the last book but darn did Rama and Minakshi get on my nerves this time around. Manakala and Alvar were such endearing characters and Elamander was a delight every scene he was in. Maji was such a show stopper as well. Like all characters were so beautifully written and I could understand their motivations and why they did what they did. Great read.
I had found Mithila incredibly annoying in the last book but darn did Rama and Minakshi get on my nerves this time around. Manakala and Alvar were such endearing characters and Elamander was a delight every scene he was in. Maji was such a show stopper as well. Like all characters were so beautifully written and I could understand their motivations and why they did what they did. Great read.
September 30, 2024
i didn't expect to like this book, based on my unsatisfying / frustrating experience with the prequel. but, this delivers – in terms of writing and the plot both. so, i'll be generous and bump the 4.5 to 5.
the vagueness in action plot strikes again, but thankfully to much lesser degree. and there's a deus-ex-machina element with sword fighting, that could have been avoided with some careful planning. like, till what age did she train with her father? (began at 4, and she's 21 / 22 during the story). there are m-word typos again, probably the side of effect of having too many character names that begin so.
i had questions about animals and the landscape the pit rescue, and the story's climax had answers. (the pit rescue is still suspicious, because didn't it raise any questions or objection from the shoortans or council at all?!).
the last 10% of the book is a roller coaster ride, and it's never over when you think it is! well done, that.
i'd recommend sitting through the first book, so that you can read this.
the vagueness in action plot strikes again, but thankfully to much lesser degree. and there's a deus-ex-machina element with sword fighting, that could have been avoided with some careful planning. like, till what age did she train with her father? (began at 4, and she's 21 / 22 during the story). there are m-word typos again, probably the side of effect of having too many character names that begin so.
i had questions about animals and the landscape the pit rescue, and the story's climax had answers. (the pit rescue is still suspicious, because didn't it raise any questions or objection from the shoortans or council at all?!).
the last 10% of the book is a roller coaster ride, and it's never over when you think it is! well done, that.
i'd recommend sitting through the first book, so that you can read this.
July 17, 2024
I’m happy to say that a genre I rarely explore has satisfied my longing for an intriguing plot which has kept me gripped, every time I pick up the book.
The Horizon is a commendable sequel to The Wall, a sequel that answers the questions the previous book lays for the reader. The Wall is breached by Mithila, and a group of like minded rebels take the story forward in two parallel narratives with one specifically detailing Mithila and the events that concern her. The Horizon, simply put, is the result of the actions that were taken place in the first book, the consequences of breaching THE WALL. The cost of dismantling a structured living, the chaos and the volatility glue the reader until the very end.
What works extremely well is the detailed narration, this book is just as visually appealing as its predecessor, connected by characters which are developed to perfection which add value whenever they appear and the absolute uniqueness of the plot.
Read THE WALL AND THE HORIZON!❤️
The Horizon is a commendable sequel to The Wall, a sequel that answers the questions the previous book lays for the reader. The Wall is breached by Mithila, and a group of like minded rebels take the story forward in two parallel narratives with one specifically detailing Mithila and the events that concern her. The Horizon, simply put, is the result of the actions that were taken place in the first book, the consequences of breaching THE WALL. The cost of dismantling a structured living, the chaos and the volatility glue the reader until the very end.
What works extremely well is the detailed narration, this book is just as visually appealing as its predecessor, connected by characters which are developed to perfection which add value whenever they appear and the absolute uniqueness of the plot.
Read THE WALL AND THE HORIZON!❤️
December 16, 2022
a complex, heady story of politics, scientism, and the temporalities of civilizations and cultures, made emotive with bittersweet revolutionary hope, joy, and hurt (the Le Guin influence is evident but never overshadows Bhatia's unique vision). It did get a little tricky to hold all the plot threads in my head, especially with the time between reading The Wall and The Horizon, but about midway through this book you can see the ideas and stories connecting and it is nothing but thrilling. If this is truly the narrative end for these stories and characters, it was a genuine pleasure to live with them.
January 10, 2022
A satisfying sequel, though I felt some characters and arcs began to follow tropes, rather than fulfil the promise of the allegory the first book built. It was a gripping read, with an exciting pace throughout (so exciting I’d sometimes get confused when the book referred to all of it happening in just a week). Enjoyed it!
February 4, 2022
Captivating
I like how different themes like politics, freedom, death, time, and ideas interplay among the different characters. I have read both the novels in this series, and they are really good, atleast for me. I would like to see more of this world, about builders, the select and geography of the world they are staying at.
It's worth your read.
I like how different themes like politics, freedom, death, time, and ideas interplay among the different characters. I have read both the novels in this series, and they are really good, atleast for me. I would like to see more of this world, about builders, the select and geography of the world they are staying at.
It's worth your read.
August 18, 2023
This was a great conclusion to the series! A lot of the plot points set up in the first book, where they sort of felt it out of place, are all resolved beautifully in this book. And unlike the first book, the pacing was just great in this book. It was so great that I finished the whole book in just one day!
November 11, 2021
The Wall and The Horizon need to be both read together, I believe. If The Wall "set the stage", so to speak, then the reader is well-rewarded for their patience now. The action is swift and the twists and turns are genuinely unexpected. One of the best books I've read this year.
January 4, 2023
I loved this book so much. High concept, brilliant speeches, Ursula-adjacent contemplation, layered arguments; mystery, family, songs, and sapphic love. Not to mention damned excellent swordfights. My only regret is that I can't read it for the first time again.
June 17, 2021
Re-reading The Wall in anticipation for The Horizon (and because it’s Pride month). With how book 1 ended, I can only imagine what book 2 has in store!
December 15, 2021
It happened when I read The wall and it happened with this one too. It takes a while before the plot takes off. after which, it does well.
July 4, 2023
Writing this for The Wall & The Horizon
I am not particularly drawn to Sci-Fi as a genre, but since I'd read most of the books authored by Gautam Bhatia, I decided to give these a shot. I wouldn't say that these two books were page-turners for me, but they do provide regular treats with carefully planted timely surprises. Besides, the maps provided at the start of both books made it quite easy to imagine life in Sumer.
I am not particularly drawn to Sci-Fi as a genre, but since I'd read most of the books authored by Gautam Bhatia, I decided to give these a shot. I wouldn't say that these two books were page-turners for me, but they do provide regular treats with carefully planted timely surprises. Besides, the maps provided at the start of both books made it quite easy to imagine life in Sumer.
October 12, 2023
This book feels weak at moments compared to the tight writing of The Wall, but apart from that, a worthy successor.
December 19, 2021
A brilliant smart intelligent fantasy that explores revolutions in a city that has stayed the same for thousands of years.
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