What do you think?
Rate this book
Horizon Now
Laura Mendez has spent years dreaming of escape—from a dead-end corporate job, from her coffin-like apartment, from a world that devalues the things she loves most. Ever since her sister escaped terminal illness by electively putting her brain in a jar and uploading herself to the virtual world, Laura's been saving up to join her. So when she finally makes it to the immersive digital paradise where her sister now lives full-time, Laura thinks she’s finally free.
But escape has a price.
Joana is missing, and Laura's easy prey for con artists. When her jar is hijacked, Laura is forced into Horizon Now, a secret experimental program that traps her in a cycle of nightmare shipping warehouses, battlefield trauma, brutal exploitation. And she’s not the only one.
With only a sex-obsessed virtual dragon and his rogue band of nerds on her side, Laura must rescue her sister, expose the truth, and find a way to reclaim control of her jar. But when your body is gone and your mind is being borrowed by your AI assistant, how do you take your life back?
But escape has a price.
Joana is missing, and Laura's easy prey for con artists. When her jar is hijacked, Laura is forced into Horizon Now, a secret experimental program that traps her in a cycle of nightmare shipping warehouses, battlefield trauma, brutal exploitation. And she’s not the only one.
With only a sex-obsessed virtual dragon and his rogue band of nerds on her side, Laura must rescue her sister, expose the truth, and find a way to reclaim control of her jar. But when your body is gone and your mind is being borrowed by your AI assistant, how do you take your life back?
278 pages, Paperback
Published October 10, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 28, 2025
Horizon Now is a book with a dark theme. Like seriously dark. Some people may think that the nuclear winters and mass genocide - which is just the background setting - in Glyph Queen, his other novel, is worse, but to me Horizon Now feels darker probably because it feels like it's something that could happen in the not-so-distant future. perhaps not in a couple decades, but a century? Two? It's all too possible.
Right off the bat, the novel talks about the bleak fate of Joana, a cancer patient and the MC's sister. She's converting to the digital world to save herself, and by that I mean discarding her ill-ridden body completely and living as a brain in a jar connected to the internet. You can already see why this is dark. This feeling is magnified by Laura's - the MC - casual observations on how casual - too casual - the procedures are being done, how patients aren't given their due attention, and generally unsavory things that are straight out of an American hospital and seems outright dystopian to me, a foreigner, so on and so forth. This prologue immediately and properly sets the tone for the rest of the novel.
There was a point in the novel where I thought the tone would finally lighten, and I'm gonna get some standard cyberpunk (well not really, but kinda) progression where Laura builds up her profile as a designer and grow big so to speak. Alas, things took a turn for to super dark.
I really love how realistic the characters are. Laura, for example, failed to learn the lessons her grandmother tried to impart her before her passing and so allowed her naivety and carelessness to land herself in what was possibly the worst fate a human being could suffer. That's how people are though. Only a handful of us ever seem to learn the most important qualities we need to learn from our parents, and those who don't usually reject it for very petty and stupid non-reasons. You can tell this from the fact that Laura kept dismissing her grandmother's well-justified concerns at the beginning, and how she did not realize how horrible people can be even after she became a working adult. Just like most of us, she does not learn until reality rips her innocence right and even her freedom to her entire being out of her.
I don't want to spoil too many things, so I'm going to jump to the bigger picture of the novel instead. As this is the first book of a trilogy, it is very detail heavy. Like you are given a detailed process on how your brain is removed from your skull kind of detail. It's great world building and doesn't overstay its welcome, but it's possible that some people might be repelled by it. I also have this feeling that, if this novel went in a completely different direction called "Adventures of Laura the Designer" then I wouldn't have minded it one bit. Or at least, I feel like it would've put a lot of the setting to good use, which isn't really because of Laura's predicament. Oh well.
The novel IS wrapped up with a proper conclusion, but honestly it wasn't until literally the last 15 pages or so that I realized it was going to end on a conclusive note. I thought for sure there was going to be a cliffhanger but somehow it didn't. Speaking of which, after finishing this novel, I have this strange feeling... it feels like you're preparing for years for this heist, and you have this horrible feeling that something MUST go wrong because no plan survives first contact with the enemy and all that, but you gotta execute it anyway because your child is counting on you to rob that bank to fund their operation fee, so you did it and... it worked? Everything went perfectly, nothing went wrong, it was so smooth the bank didn't even realize they got robbed until way too late and you're completely in the clear, and... and... it almost feels unsatisfying?
But of course this is just the first book of the trilogy. There are still two more books to come. Freeing herself is just the beginning, the real battle for Laura begins in the next book. Still, this feeling that I just read a prequel even though this is literally the first book is kinda strong and may even come off as unexciting.
This isn't to say that the trilogy will be bad though, not at all. The Millennium series for example, had a very boring first book but it gets far better in the second, and absolutely epic in the third. Here's to hoping that Horizon Now can do the same!
Right off the bat, the novel talks about the bleak fate of Joana, a cancer patient and the MC's sister. She's converting to the digital world to save herself, and by that I mean discarding her ill-ridden body completely and living as a brain in a jar connected to the internet. You can already see why this is dark. This feeling is magnified by Laura's - the MC - casual observations on how casual - too casual - the procedures are being done, how patients aren't given their due attention, and generally unsavory things that are straight out of an American hospital and seems outright dystopian to me, a foreigner, so on and so forth. This prologue immediately and properly sets the tone for the rest of the novel.
There was a point in the novel where I thought the tone would finally lighten, and I'm gonna get some standard cyberpunk (well not really, but kinda) progression where Laura builds up her profile as a designer and grow big so to speak. Alas, things took a turn for to super dark.
I really love how realistic the characters are. Laura, for example, failed to learn the lessons her grandmother tried to impart her before her passing and so allowed her naivety and carelessness to land herself in what was possibly the worst fate a human being could suffer. That's how people are though. Only a handful of us ever seem to learn the most important qualities we need to learn from our parents, and those who don't usually reject it for very petty and stupid non-reasons. You can tell this from the fact that Laura kept dismissing her grandmother's well-justified concerns at the beginning, and how she did not realize how horrible people can be even after she became a working adult. Just like most of us, she does not learn until reality rips her innocence right and even her freedom to her entire being out of her.
I don't want to spoil too many things, so I'm going to jump to the bigger picture of the novel instead. As this is the first book of a trilogy, it is very detail heavy. Like you are given a detailed process on how your brain is removed from your skull kind of detail. It's great world building and doesn't overstay its welcome, but it's possible that some people might be repelled by it. I also have this feeling that, if this novel went in a completely different direction called "Adventures of Laura the Designer" then I wouldn't have minded it one bit. Or at least, I feel like it would've put a lot of the setting to good use, which isn't really because of Laura's predicament. Oh well.
The novel IS wrapped up with a proper conclusion, but honestly it wasn't until literally the last 15 pages or so that I realized it was going to end on a conclusive note. I thought for sure there was going to be a cliffhanger but somehow it didn't. Speaking of which, after finishing this novel, I have this strange feeling... it feels like you're preparing for years for this heist, and you have this horrible feeling that something MUST go wrong because no plan survives first contact with the enemy and all that, but you gotta execute it anyway because your child is counting on you to rob that bank to fund their operation fee, so you did it and... it worked? Everything went perfectly, nothing went wrong, it was so smooth the bank didn't even realize they got robbed until way too late and you're completely in the clear, and... and... it almost feels unsatisfying?
But of course this is just the first book of the trilogy. There are still two more books to come. Freeing herself is just the beginning, the real battle for Laura begins in the next book. Still, this feeling that I just read a prequel even though this is literally the first book is kinda strong and may even come off as unexciting.
This isn't to say that the trilogy will be bad though, not at all. The Millennium series for example, had a very boring first book but it gets far better in the second, and absolutely epic in the third. Here's to hoping that Horizon Now can do the same!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2025
This book is a quick and easy science fiction read with a premise that feels uncomfortably plausible given how rapidly AI and virtual technologies are developing. Laura Mendez wants to escape her life—her dead-end job, tiny apartment, and a world that doesn’t value the things she cares about. Following her sister into a virtual existence seems like a real chance at freedom, and that idea alone is enough to draw readers in. Once Laura arrives, however, her escape begins to unravel. Her sister is missing, Laura is easily manipulated, and she ends up trapped in Horizon Now, a secret program built on exploitation and control. These sections raise thought-provoking questions about consent, autonomy, and what it truly means to surrender your body for a digital life. At the same time, the story often feels like it is holding back. Not much happens in the first book, and the antagonist barely appears, making the threat seem distant rather than urgent. By the end, the novel feels more like a setup than a complete story. The ideas are strong, and the world has potential, but it clearly depends on future books to deepen the conflict and deliver the payoff it promises.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 3, 2026
Horizon Now is a chilling, yet totally believable story of what may not be too far from the future!!
It shows a disturbing picture of corporate greed & how it manipulates technology for it's own monetary benefits. You have familiar troupes of an 'evil one' in the form of the bad boss - Shoal
, who will stop at nothing to get his own way, even if it is by unscrupulous methods! Alongside the 'The reluctant Hero' in Laura who is very relatable & you will find yourself rooting for her throughout her journey to find her sister Joana, with a few anxious moments mixed in! Not forgetting the comedy element - hey who wouldn't want an Assistant called Squirrel!!
The technology being immersed into the social dynamics is quite close to where the world is now, this storyline just takes it that few steps further, but it is expertly balanced by the sublime & ridiculous from the various worlds that are created within the storyline. The world building is vast & imaginative that sings to any avid fantasy reader with the attention to detail.
Great flow & pacing of the book, giving just the right amount to keep the tension & the reading experience moving.
* Thank you to Booksirens for the free ARC copy of this e-book, I'm leaving this review voluntarily*
It shows a disturbing picture of corporate greed & how it manipulates technology for it's own monetary benefits. You have familiar troupes of an 'evil one' in the form of the bad boss - Shoal
, who will stop at nothing to get his own way, even if it is by unscrupulous methods! Alongside the 'The reluctant Hero' in Laura who is very relatable & you will find yourself rooting for her throughout her journey to find her sister Joana, with a few anxious moments mixed in! Not forgetting the comedy element - hey who wouldn't want an Assistant called Squirrel!!
The technology being immersed into the social dynamics is quite close to where the world is now, this storyline just takes it that few steps further, but it is expertly balanced by the sublime & ridiculous from the various worlds that are created within the storyline. The world building is vast & imaginative that sings to any avid fantasy reader with the attention to detail.
Great flow & pacing of the book, giving just the right amount to keep the tension & the reading experience moving.
* Thank you to Booksirens for the free ARC copy of this e-book, I'm leaving this review voluntarily*
October 8, 2025
ARC reader here. Horizon Now is a sci-fi dystopia - the opening of a trilogy - with enough uncomfortable parallels to reality to make me depressed for the first segment of the book, though my overall feeling switched to a more frantic concern as the plot progressed (interspersed with amusement at the dragon).
The protagonist and her family are definitely sympathetic characters, and well-established as such from the beginning. The supporting hacker characters are fun, but not as much time is given to fleshing out their motives or backgrounds, which is partly owed to the rapid pacing of the book (I assume subsequent books in the trilogy will involve them more).
I like the virtual world(s), and the thought of people transitioning to it en masse as a sort of idealized goal in the setting. Making that transition almost seems like a new American Dream, which is certainly thought-provoking.
Definitely worth a quick read if you're interested in sci-fi, or are just thinking about modern day AI issues, which (along with corporate power over governments and an increasing class divide) are a significant focus of the book.
The protagonist and her family are definitely sympathetic characters, and well-established as such from the beginning. The supporting hacker characters are fun, but not as much time is given to fleshing out their motives or backgrounds, which is partly owed to the rapid pacing of the book (I assume subsequent books in the trilogy will involve them more).
I like the virtual world(s), and the thought of people transitioning to it en masse as a sort of idealized goal in the setting. Making that transition almost seems like a new American Dream, which is certainly thought-provoking.
Definitely worth a quick read if you're interested in sci-fi, or are just thinking about modern day AI issues, which (along with corporate power over governments and an increasing class divide) are a significant focus of the book.
April 30, 2026
Wow, what an engaging and thought provoking first book in the series! I loved this story because I got lost in the story and really felt like I was alongside Laura deciding whether I wanted to live in the physical or virtual world. This is truly an ode to the world building and character development showcased in Book 1.
I would highly recommend this book to any fans of SciFi especially to people who are optimistic or pessimistic about the future that we are constructing when it comes to Generative AI. It was clear that the author is well equipped to talk about a possible future of AI while still engaging the reader in morals dilemas and thoughtful dialogue. Additionally, I loved the critique on capitalism and our modern society.
I am truly excited to see how the plot and characters evolve in this story.
I would highly recommend this book to any fans of SciFi especially to people who are optimistic or pessimistic about the future that we are constructing when it comes to Generative AI. It was clear that the author is well equipped to talk about a possible future of AI while still engaging the reader in morals dilemas and thoughtful dialogue. Additionally, I loved the critique on capitalism and our modern society.
I am truly excited to see how the plot and characters evolve in this story.
November 7, 2025
This was such a great read! It's easy reading, mostly--like some of the other reviews say, it's also VERY on the dystopian nose with currents in modern tech and society, which can make it uncomfortable in the same way that Brave New World is uncomfortable to read. But that’s sci-fi, the classics always use worlds and universes to explore real trends.
I think this is the author’s debut title, I’m looking forward to the next books in the series. For what it’s worth, I’m a big sci-fi/fantasy consumer—I’ve read a lot of Asimov, Philip K Dick, David Weber etc. Read the heck out of the Three Body Problem and Andy Weir’s stuff too—this feels very in these same veins. Solid work for a new author, and I'm hoping for more good things.
I think this is the author’s debut title, I’m looking forward to the next books in the series. For what it’s worth, I’m a big sci-fi/fantasy consumer—I’ve read a lot of Asimov, Philip K Dick, David Weber etc. Read the heck out of the Three Body Problem and Andy Weir’s stuff too—this feels very in these same veins. Solid work for a new author, and I'm hoping for more good things.
November 8, 2025
This book? Absolutely amazing. The concept feels so fresh and unpredictable, and I was hooked from the very beginning. It’s one of those rare sci-fi stories that balances creativity and emotion perfectly—complex enough to make you think, but written in a way that’s easy to follow and completely immersive.
The worldbuilding is vivid, the pacing keeps you turning pages, and the characters feel real and layered. I love when a story surprises me, and this one did that again and again. The author’s writing style is smooth and cinematic, and the premise is unlike anything I’ve read recently.
I can’t wait to see where the series goes next. If the next books are anything like this one, we’re in for something special.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The worldbuilding is vivid, the pacing keeps you turning pages, and the characters feel real and layered. I love when a story surprises me, and this one did that again and again. The author’s writing style is smooth and cinematic, and the premise is unlike anything I’ve read recently.
I can’t wait to see where the series goes next. If the next books are anything like this one, we’re in for something special.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 2, 2025
The only thing I disliked about this book was that there wasn't more of it.
The book is set in an sci-fi dystopia where the concepts of bodily autonomy and privacy have all bu completely eroded.. for the poorest class of people. The rich of course, gain all the benefits with none of the drawbacks of this new world, and as you join the main character on her journey she believes will be into heaven, but quickly turns into hell instead. Luck and the kindness of strangers is all she has to rely upon to save herself, and many others, from a fate worse then death.
highly reccomended!
The book is set in an sci-fi dystopia where the concepts of bodily autonomy and privacy have all bu completely eroded.. for the poorest class of people. The rich of course, gain all the benefits with none of the drawbacks of this new world, and as you join the main character on her journey she believes will be into heaven, but quickly turns into hell instead. Luck and the kindness of strangers is all she has to rely upon to save herself, and many others, from a fate worse then death.
highly reccomended!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2025
This was a fantastic excursion in to sci-fi for someone who usually reads fantasy. The pacing was excellent. It was enjoyable from cover to cover and I can’t wait to read the rest of it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews