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Dark Horizons
'A better class of thriller.' The Independent on Sunday.
After caring for his mother in her last days, Alex has gone off round the world, with no plan other than to travel and maybe recapture some of his lost youth. Beginning his travels in Indonesia, the idea of finding himself sounds appealinga simple life, shared by friends in a beautiful place hidden from the world. But Domino has no answers for the questions that are forming in Alex's mind: Why do the local villagers hate them so much? Why are people leaving the camp in the dead of night? And what are the strange shapes lurking just beyond the clearing? A taut, atmospheric and emotive thriller, Dark Horizons transports you to the lush landscapes of Sumatra, and the twisted ideals and deadly secrets lying in wait there.
After caring for his mother in her last days, Alex has gone off round the world, with no plan other than to travel and maybe recapture some of his lost youth. Beginning his travels in Indonesia, the idea of finding himself sounds appealinga simple life, shared by friends in a beautiful place hidden from the world. But Domino has no answers for the questions that are forming in Alex's mind: Why do the local villagers hate them so much? Why are people leaving the camp in the dead of night? And what are the strange shapes lurking just beyond the clearing? A taut, atmospheric and emotive thriller, Dark Horizons transports you to the lush landscapes of Sumatra, and the twisted ideals and deadly secrets lying in wait there.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2011
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Dan Smith
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 11, 2019
Thriller set in SUMATRA
The book opens as Alex, a 20-something young man from Newcastle, is lying on the tarmac, somewhere in Indonesia, having been thrown clear of the bus in which he was travelling. It has crashed and beside him a woman is dying. A short while later he wakes up in hospital with a ‘travelling companion’ beside him who has rescued his important items, such as his money and passport. She is Domino and he states early on: “I had no idea that keeping her in my life was a mistake“. An early warning that things may not end well…. The police have found drugs in the wreckage of the bus and they are looking for some white faces to take the fall for their discovery.
Alex has nursed his mother in her dying days and the trip to Indonesia was to be his way of reconnecting with himself after a long period of caring for her. His naivety makes him susceptible to Domino’s charms and her persuasive manner.
Running away from the police is the only option, and soon Alex and Domino are headed into the depths of the inhospitable terrain and eventually end up in an isolated community, where Domino lives for much of the year. There is of course an initiation ceremony and it is only after taking part in the challenge that new members are allowed to stay in the community….. The group dynamics need careful negotiation as Alex settles in and feels his way through the diverse, often interwoven and often destructive relationships.
The opening has a very pacy feel to it and then, as the story unfolds, the narrative finds its own rhythm, perhaps just a slow at times. There is of course a nod to Lord of the Flies (Pacific Ocean) and to The Beach (Thailand). The author has an easy writing style and it is a thriller that has a good sense of atmosphere and lush location.
The book opens as Alex, a 20-something young man from Newcastle, is lying on the tarmac, somewhere in Indonesia, having been thrown clear of the bus in which he was travelling. It has crashed and beside him a woman is dying. A short while later he wakes up in hospital with a ‘travelling companion’ beside him who has rescued his important items, such as his money and passport. She is Domino and he states early on: “I had no idea that keeping her in my life was a mistake“. An early warning that things may not end well…. The police have found drugs in the wreckage of the bus and they are looking for some white faces to take the fall for their discovery.
Alex has nursed his mother in her dying days and the trip to Indonesia was to be his way of reconnecting with himself after a long period of caring for her. His naivety makes him susceptible to Domino’s charms and her persuasive manner.
Running away from the police is the only option, and soon Alex and Domino are headed into the depths of the inhospitable terrain and eventually end up in an isolated community, where Domino lives for much of the year. There is of course an initiation ceremony and it is only after taking part in the challenge that new members are allowed to stay in the community….. The group dynamics need careful negotiation as Alex settles in and feels his way through the diverse, often interwoven and often destructive relationships.
The opening has a very pacy feel to it and then, as the story unfolds, the narrative finds its own rhythm, perhaps just a slow at times. There is of course a nod to Lord of the Flies (Pacific Ocean) and to The Beach (Thailand). The author has an easy writing style and it is a thriller that has a good sense of atmosphere and lush location.
August 27, 2011
Winner of the 2005 Northern Promise Award, Dan Smith follows up his debut novel, ‘Dry Season’, and transports readers to yet another far-flung destination with this startling tale about drugs, betrayal and death.
Dark Horizons tells the story of Alex, who put his life on hold to nurse his terminally ill mother. After her death, Alex finds himself with no ties and sets off to find himself in Indonesia.
No sooner has Alex arrived at his destination, he’s involved in a near-fatal bus crash on a mountainside and, after then being robbed at the roadside whilst critically injured, ends up in a hospital, unable to speak the language. Luckily, he meets a beautiful girl, Domino, who saves him from a run-in with the local police.
Exciting and exotic, Alex’s love affair with Domino takes him off the beaten track and away from any of the sights recommended in the guide books. Domino leads Alex to Lake Toba and to her ‘home’ on the island. A simple life, a million miles away from what he’s left behind, Alex embraces the idea at first but questions keep nagging at him. Why does danger seem to follow Domino? Why are there tensions between the campers and the locals? And where do people keep disappearing to?
Having lived in Indonesia during his childhood, Smith paints a beautiful picture with his vivid descriptions and powerful metaphors. His descriptions conjure up such striking imagery that the reader will have no trouble imagining the stunning landscapes of Sumatra. The description was so vivid that I could see the action happening in my mind’s eye; it was as though I was watching a film, not reading a book.
The stunning scenery is, at times, a complete contrast to the behaviour of the campers, somehow making the actions of some of the characters even more deplorable.
The characters are well constructed and Smith manages to, very subtly, lull you into making assumptions and then, just as you think you know what’s going to happen, sneaks in yet another twist to surprise you. The plot is really well worked and although there seems to be a lot of violence at times, it never seems exaggerated or out-of-place and only serves to heighten the tension further. The final four chapters were really unexpected but intelligently constructed.
Smith’s second offering is like a cross between Alex Garland’s ‘The Beach’ and ‘Lord of the Flies’. The narrative, intertwined with some really evocative prose, carries you away with it, drawing you deeper and deeper into this mystery.
Yet another pacey thriller from Dan Smith – I couldn’t put it down.
Dark Horizons tells the story of Alex, who put his life on hold to nurse his terminally ill mother. After her death, Alex finds himself with no ties and sets off to find himself in Indonesia.
No sooner has Alex arrived at his destination, he’s involved in a near-fatal bus crash on a mountainside and, after then being robbed at the roadside whilst critically injured, ends up in a hospital, unable to speak the language. Luckily, he meets a beautiful girl, Domino, who saves him from a run-in with the local police.
Exciting and exotic, Alex’s love affair with Domino takes him off the beaten track and away from any of the sights recommended in the guide books. Domino leads Alex to Lake Toba and to her ‘home’ on the island. A simple life, a million miles away from what he’s left behind, Alex embraces the idea at first but questions keep nagging at him. Why does danger seem to follow Domino? Why are there tensions between the campers and the locals? And where do people keep disappearing to?
Having lived in Indonesia during his childhood, Smith paints a beautiful picture with his vivid descriptions and powerful metaphors. His descriptions conjure up such striking imagery that the reader will have no trouble imagining the stunning landscapes of Sumatra. The description was so vivid that I could see the action happening in my mind’s eye; it was as though I was watching a film, not reading a book.
The stunning scenery is, at times, a complete contrast to the behaviour of the campers, somehow making the actions of some of the characters even more deplorable.
The characters are well constructed and Smith manages to, very subtly, lull you into making assumptions and then, just as you think you know what’s going to happen, sneaks in yet another twist to surprise you. The plot is really well worked and although there seems to be a lot of violence at times, it never seems exaggerated or out-of-place and only serves to heighten the tension further. The final four chapters were really unexpected but intelligently constructed.
Smith’s second offering is like a cross between Alex Garland’s ‘The Beach’ and ‘Lord of the Flies’. The narrative, intertwined with some really evocative prose, carries you away with it, drawing you deeper and deeper into this mystery.
Yet another pacey thriller from Dan Smith – I couldn’t put it down.
September 14, 2011
Let me start by saying that this isn't normally the kind of book I read, I picked it up because it is by a regional author. It took me a little while to get into at first, probably for this reason - but once I was into it I could not put it down! The characters are really well-developed - I really cared about what happened to them and felt involved; the story had just the right pace to it, nothing felt rushed or too drawn out - one of the problems I normally have with thrillers if you have everything figured out ages before they end and you're just trying to fast track through to see if you are right!
Such a great read, I would thoroughly recommend it to anybody even if, like me, you normally wouldn't go for this kind of book.
Such a great read, I would thoroughly recommend it to anybody even if, like me, you normally wouldn't go for this kind of book.
August 27, 2016
I enjoyed this story. The suspenseful parts hit home, but many times (especially towards the end) I got frustrated with Alex. Like, GO THE F*** HOME, BRO! You've known these people for a week and you don't owe them S**T! You've had your chance to escape, your ticket to freedom has landed into your lap more than once. But overall, entertaining, good theme behind the story (the goodness in one's heart, making the right decisions, giving back...). Definitely a four star for great underlying morals, charismatic characters and incredible imagery.
August 12, 2012
read something similar about a backpacker stumbling across a hippie, drop-out commune in Indonesia, situated by a lagoon, bay. Appears to be the perfect idyll, utopia, where everyone is friendly but there are serious undercurrants involving drugs and volatile relationshipsd. The film, The Beach starring Leonardo de Caprio was about exactly the sxame thing. good read but predictable
December 28, 2022
Great novel..as always!
March 8, 2019
I’m glad this wasn’t my first Dan Smith book for I’m not sure I would of read more. After thoroughly enjoying two others I was keen to read this.
Ultimately it disappointed.
No characters to care for, a plot that just plods along with no real twists nor thrills
The author writes well and engaging that being the only reason I pursued the book though it became a chore to persist with
Try the child thief instead
Ultimately it disappointed.
No characters to care for, a plot that just plods along with no real twists nor thrills
The author writes well and engaging that being the only reason I pursued the book though it became a chore to persist with
Try the child thief instead
June 7, 2023
I hate that we can only contribute zero to 5 stars. This book kept me interested. I enjoyed it a lot! It was a pretty cool thriller! Realistically though nowhere near 4 stars. 71 percent!
October 4, 2017
I was really disappointed by this novel. I loved Dan Smith's debut Dry Season and was really looking forward to reading this one, his second. Perhaps that was the problem....expectations too high, but this one never took off for me.
Set in Sumatra, Indonesia the opening scene/chapter of a devastating coach crash is brilliantly done and I settled back in the expectation that there would be more to come.
The main character is a young Englishman called Alex, who is a just arrived, wet behind the ears backpacker who has come to Indonesia having recently suffered the death of his mother. During the aftermath of the crash, Alex is helped by and becomes attracted to the other main character, a much more worldly and beautiful Australian girl called Domino (!!) and it is at this point that things went south.
Although Alex is a credible character, and his attraction to Domino is understandable, Domino just didn't work for me and as a central character, this was a major problem.
The two of them go to join an isolated, free living traveller community that Domino is part of, which is led by a charismatic but unnerving duo called Kurt and Michael and the plot moves on from there. The trouble was that although the community was supposedly isolated and thus difficult to find and to escape from once things started going awry, most of the people living there seemed to find it relatively easy to find their way back to civilisation when pushed. As such, the idea of suspense and terror that the story was supposed to engender due to the isolation never got off the ground for me.
In addition, I never got any sense of a forest in a tropical country. One of the great strengths of Dry Season was the evocation of the Amazonian rainforest, but here you could have been in any thick forest in a temperate climate. There was no sense of the heat or the humidity or the variety of wildlife one would expect.
I will still look forward to Dan Smith's third novel as his debut was that good, but I think this was definitely second novel syndrome. Great cover though.
Set in Sumatra, Indonesia the opening scene/chapter of a devastating coach crash is brilliantly done and I settled back in the expectation that there would be more to come.
The main character is a young Englishman called Alex, who is a just arrived, wet behind the ears backpacker who has come to Indonesia having recently suffered the death of his mother. During the aftermath of the crash, Alex is helped by and becomes attracted to the other main character, a much more worldly and beautiful Australian girl called Domino (!!) and it is at this point that things went south.
Although Alex is a credible character, and his attraction to Domino is understandable, Domino just didn't work for me and as a central character, this was a major problem.
The two of them go to join an isolated, free living traveller community that Domino is part of, which is led by a charismatic but unnerving duo called Kurt and Michael and the plot moves on from there. The trouble was that although the community was supposedly isolated and thus difficult to find and to escape from once things started going awry, most of the people living there seemed to find it relatively easy to find their way back to civilisation when pushed. As such, the idea of suspense and terror that the story was supposed to engender due to the isolation never got off the ground for me.
In addition, I never got any sense of a forest in a tropical country. One of the great strengths of Dry Season was the evocation of the Amazonian rainforest, but here you could have been in any thick forest in a temperate climate. There was no sense of the heat or the humidity or the variety of wildlife one would expect.
I will still look forward to Dan Smith's third novel as his debut was that good, but I think this was definitely second novel syndrome. Great cover though.
June 18, 2012
Dark Horizons is an excellent, character driven thriller which kept me turning the pages at a rapid pace. Dan Smith paints a vivid picture of Indonesia and it's sights and sounds, really bringing the place to life. The culture, the stunning forests and lakes of Sumatra, the dangerous roads and the well known backpacker trails of Bali.
Alex is a likeable character, somewhat inexperienced and alone in a strange country, I could see how he'd fall for the impulsive, complicated and perhaps even dangerous Domino (anyone can see she's bad news!!) Naive he may be, but Alex is someone who reads people well and questions the motivations and actions of those whom he finds himself living among. I liked his journey and that in the end, he is a decent person.
I enjoyed the themes of this novel - paradise gone wrong, the clash of geographical beauty and the seedy underside of corruption, the idealist members of the commune and the nasty, violence they experience and perpetrate. In all a good, exciting read.
Alex is a likeable character, somewhat inexperienced and alone in a strange country, I could see how he'd fall for the impulsive, complicated and perhaps even dangerous Domino (anyone can see she's bad news!!) Naive he may be, but Alex is someone who reads people well and questions the motivations and actions of those whom he finds himself living among. I liked his journey and that in the end, he is a decent person.
I enjoyed the themes of this novel - paradise gone wrong, the clash of geographical beauty and the seedy underside of corruption, the idealist members of the commune and the nasty, violence they experience and perpetrate. In all a good, exciting read.
August 3, 2013
My favourite thing about Dark Horizons was how vividly the scenery and the culture of Indonesia were brought to life. There was an alluring and exotic sense of adventure to the book which contrasted well with the darker side of paradise that Alex, our protagonist, comes to experience. I found the book to be well written and at times, quite chilling. The characters, with the relationships and conflicts built between them, were strong and I particularly enjoyed Alex's development from a person willing to be roped into anything, to one who stood up for his moral beliefs.
I found my interest in the plot began to slip at times which is why I only gave the book three stars in the end. However, it was still an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.
I found my interest in the plot began to slip at times which is why I only gave the book three stars in the end. However, it was still an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.
September 24, 2016
Although this novel was highly readable and held my attention throughout, there was more than a passing similarity to The Beach by Alex Garland, and I'm wondering if the author named his protagonist Alex in acknowledgment of that? The back cover quotes Raymond Khoury on the author's first book: 'Dry Season does for Brazil what The Beach did for Thailand.' I haven't read that book, but it appears Dan Smith has not yet done with the subject matter. This one, though set in Indonesia, treads the same ground. Perhaps Dan Smith subscribes to Dan Brown's formula for writing: if ain't broke, don't fix it? Or maybe it's an ongoing personal exploration? I haven't written a novel, original or not, so who am I to judge?
July 31, 2014
The first book by the author, 'Dry Season', was the first and best goodreads giveaway book I've won. I love the author's writing style, his extensive character building and vivid descriptions of the (at least to me) exotic places where the stories play. All that can be found in Dark Horizons as well. However, the plot was unconvincing and predictable, and I was immediately reminded of The Beach, telling a similar story which held little attraction for me, too. Also, the plot was too thin for the length of the book and dragged on most of the time.
While I would rate the plot only two stars, the writing still receives four stars, which makes for an average result.
While I would rate the plot only two stars, the writing still receives four stars, which makes for an average result.
July 4, 2015
At first I wanted to read this because the setting was in Indonesia. Coming from the country, sure I'd love to read what foreign author have to say about something that not Bali.
But alas!
I could understand why the author put an Australian girl with a British guy as the main characters (or so). And somehow, he managed to cement the image of Australian people coming to Indo for drugs. LOL.
The story is nothing new, pretty much like The Beach, but this one is more like THE BITCH. There are so many things I dislike throughout the later half. Which is disappointing since the premise was great. It started great. But sadly it ended up as meh.
But alas!
I could understand why the author put an Australian girl with a British guy as the main characters (or so). And somehow, he managed to cement the image of Australian people coming to Indo for drugs. LOL.
The story is nothing new, pretty much like The Beach, but this one is more like THE BITCH. There are so many things I dislike throughout the later half. Which is disappointing since the premise was great. It started great. But sadly it ended up as meh.
December 15, 2015
I bought this in a book sale and I can say that it is worth reading! This is definitely my genre. I read this two weeks ago but damn, I can hardly forget every scenario. Aside from the thrilling effect of the story, the Domino-Alex break up is also very heartaching. Anyway, I desperately want to read Dan's other novels however his books are still unavailable in bookstores in the Philippines, and I cannot afford the ones sold in Amazon etc., for they are in dollars. I badly want to read his books :( Help please! :(
January 17, 2012
I don't normally read this sort of book but after reading Dry Season and enjoying it so much I had to read the next book by Dan Smith. It took me a while to really get into it at the start but once I was into it I really enjoyed it. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen. Out of Dan's two books I think I enjoyed Dry Season more and can't wait to read his new book when it is published.
August 22, 2014
I love it! The first non romance novel I voluntarily picked up at the library and I thank god I wasn't disappointed. *SPOILER* But Dan, you can't just let Domino die like that (if she did in the bombing)? I'm not satisfied about that one thing. Domino played a huge part in the book and I grew so attached to her and her personality and suddenly Alex doesn't like/love her anymore and got so attached to Helena? No. :( But in all, a very well-written book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2012
I enjoyed Dark Horizon, but a couple of reviewers have already mentioned that the characterisation was not quite right. Alex is likeable enough, a bit wet, but we've all met people like that. Domino was less convincing!
I loved Dry Season and I have a library copy of The Child Thief ready and waiting. I'm hoping this will match the very high standards Dry Season set.
I loved Dry Season and I have a library copy of The Child Thief ready and waiting. I'm hoping this will match the very high standards Dry Season set.
September 30, 2012
was disappointed with this after had read dry season but do have child thief on order so maybe could be a blip tis novel but as dry season was so good though but didnt just connect witht he lead characters of alex and domino though
August 3, 2016
I thrived this book, it was so exciting and captivating I could not put it down and when I did all I could think about was picking it back up.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews