“I have dreams and in my dreams I see…
I see Observers stalking the streets.
Tom and the Bomb of all Bombs.
Fear and Sickness and wars that are not fought.
And I hope.
I hope there is a chance to salvage what remains.
I hope that there can be something better.
I hope that this isn’t the end of the world.”
Matthew De Bie, the author of Broken Horizon grew up in Post-Apartheid South Africa. His experiences and surroundings have made a significant impact on his writing. He explores complex and difficult themes such as inequality, violence and social disparity in his work. He doesn’t believe in staying clean while writing fiction rather wants to challenge and break long held beliefs and conventions. This is his debut novel which he self-published in March 2023. You can read his guest post here.
Set in 1857 in the empire of Angilica, Broken Horizon is a Steampunk novel that belongs to the alternate history genre. It features a bleak and pessimistic world ridden with threats, conspiracies, and a danger that lurks over the existence of humanity. Whether humanity is worth saving at this point is another question.
It follows the lives of multiple characters as they struggle to make sense of the world around them. There is Alexis, whose life has turned upside down after the death of her father. She is looking for answers but who is going to provide them? Thorntun is the one who always tries to do the right thing and refuses to compromise on his beliefs despite the oppressive police-state. He is an Observer. Remember Thought-Police from Orwell’s 1984. An Observer is a bit milder version of that. Milder, but not merciful. They are always watching. Vikus is a former soldier turned nihilist, who is responsible for the bloody unrest we see in the end of the novel. He seeks to annihilate the society that made him who he is. And then there is Tom, in whose hands lies the fate of all. What will he do? Will he drop the bomb or there is still some hope left? All of them are bound by a single threat, the end of the world as they know it.
The book is divided in five parts. I liked Part 2 the best. It weaves a web of mystery. Thorntun and his fellow Observer, Suttler investigate the disappearance of a ‘working girl,’ Mary Slater. Apparently, several of them have been vanishing off without a trace over a decade and no one has bothered to mention it. What confounds Thorntun the most is that all of them were blindfolded with a satin ribbon, the only expensive thing in the midst of trash and filth. The question is how can a low-life, who is on a rampage to murder these girls, afford such a fine fabric? The suspicion points to someone higher up the hierarchy. And that’s what Thorntun is grappling with. For answers, these Observers explore the depths of the underworld of crime and uncover shocking secrets that can shake the foundations of the whatever is remaining of the law and order in their world.
Broken Horizon explores a myriad themes and diverse plotlines. It breaks from chronological restraints, shifting from one timeline to another. The characters are brought face to face with their fears. Modern horrors become reality: rampant corruption, greed, human trials for vaccines, wasting-sickness, biological weapons, war crimes, debauchery and riots.
“WE ARE HERE IN HELL.
Fear and death everywhere again.
Fear, death and the breaking knowledge that
it was all happening again.”
One thing I missed in the novel is that it has limited dialogue. Dialogue gives an authentic insight into characters’ lives and their true nature. But it makes it up with rich descriptions of cities and people. The author presents something fresh and original. However, you will find traces of your own very real world throughout the novel.
The books asks important questions. What do you do when you have nothing to protect and lose? What is left to be done when a bloody uprising is burning your entire world? Who thinks about future in these times? Is there still a future? De Bie does not provide easy answers. You have to dig deeper and go to the depths to find meanings. He leaves it to the reader to make the sense of it providing a free space for the imagination. At times, it ceases to feel like fiction, portraying the complexities of a world which is not so different than ours. It shows how degraded humanity can become in the face of survival and impending disaster. Sometimes it drags a little too much but covers up by introducing new locations and characters.
The novel is a ticking clock. The more you read, the less time is left for the characters to pick up the pieces that they have so carelessly shattered. Its narrative is unpredictable and is told through a series of flashbacks, letters and memories.
I am not a fan of sci-fi thrillers but this one kept me on the hook. Once started, I could not stop. The book assumes the reader is smart enough to decipher the entangled web of mystery and keep up with fast paced narrative. If you liked Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness,’ you will definitely like this one.
The book is available on Amazon as well as Kindle. Go check it out.
Do you like sci-fi thrillers and steampunk novels? If yes, what are the books you have read and what do you like about them? Let us know in the comments down below.
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