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Belief's Horizon

(The Lightfeeder Menace #1)

I.W. Ferguson (Goodreads Author)

4.08 · Rating details · 12 ratings · 7 reviews

Treachery at home. Otherwordly visitors. What else lies beyond belief’s horizon?

Happen Fell lives on an isolated farm deep in the rainy woods on the magical planet Grith. It’s past time for him to go to the annual trade fair to begin his rites of passage, but one untimely trouble after another keeps him from exploring further than his home and the tiny school he attends wi

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Kindle Edition, 358 pages

Published October 22nd 2018 by Happen.net (first published October 18th 2018)

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SPFBO 5

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Oct 02, 2019 Nick Borrelli rated it liked it

6/10

Happen Fell is a simple farm boy who lives on the planet Grith. His family has told him that it is time to embark on the traditional rite of passage for every young boy his age. This requires travelling to the annual trade fair held in another town and showing that he can hold his own with the various traders buying and selling their wares. If he is successful he will prove to be worthy of taking up the family farm and passing it on to the next generation of Fells.

But things don't really go 6/10

Happen Fell is a simple farm boy who lives on the planet Grith. His family has told him that it is time to embark on the traditional rite of passage for every young boy his age. This requires travelling to the annual trade fair held in another town and showing that he can hold his own with the various traders buying and selling their wares. If he is successful he will prove to be worthy of taking up the family farm and passing it on to the next generation of Fells.

But things don't really go as planned for Happen and his cousin/travelling companion Cor. Along their journey they are beset by treachery that could not only postpone their arrival at the fair but also potentially threaten their very lives. It is in the midst of these troubles that they encounter two mysterious travellers named Nora and Ariadne. Ariadne in particular has a strange appearance as she has no mouth and speaks through what seems to be a magical box that her companion Nora holds.

Things get even more strange when Ariadne claims that she is from another planet and calmly discloses that there have been scouts from where she is from that have been travelling to Grith for centuries undetected. Not only that but she fears that Grith is in immediate danger from something called the Lightfeeder Menace, which could end up destroying everything and everyone on this tranquil world.

What is the Lightfeeder Menace exactly and could what Ariadne says actually be true? Happen can hardly believe the things that are being revealed to him by the enigmatic space traveller but he may find that his coming of age test may be far greater than simply journeying to a local farm fair to barter with the locals. He just might be a crucial component to saving humanity on his home planet from a devastating threat that nobody, including himself, could ever envision.

I thought that BELIEF'S HORIZON was ultimately a fun and enjoyable read. I like a good coming-of-age story from time to time and this one is handled fairly well in most respects. Happen is the perfect example of how the main characters in stories such as these are usually constituted. He doubts himself on a number of different levels, not really certain as to whether or not he is ready to take up the mantle and become a responsible adult. He's often hesitant and doesn't trust his decisions etc...

I also liked the other characters in the story Nora and Ariadne and thought they lent a very cool mystery to the book with regard to why they travelled to Grith and delivering the message of the Lightfeeder Menace. As they became more and more a part of the narrative we get little nuggets of the planet that Ariadne comes from and the reasons for her arrival at this particular time in Grith's history.

What I was somewhat disappointed in were certain components of the story and how they were relayed to the reader. For instance, the thing that made this just an okay book for me was how most things happened far too easily. A lot what took place was told rather than shown which is not what I normally prefer in a story. Also, quite a few situations that arise are resolved too quickly without a lot of buildup beforehand or explanation afterward.

While BELIEF'S HORIZON was pretty enjoyable overall, I felt like there was not enough tension and I wasn't completely satisfied in the end due to the reasons that I just mentioned. But that is simply my own opinion and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to readers who enjoy SF stories with interesting otherworldly space travellers, a decent coming-of-age plotline, and a mystery that ties everything together. I liked it enough to want to check out book #2 in The Lightfeeder Menace series once it is released to see what happens (no pun intended) next to these characters. ...more

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Nov 28, 2018 Paul rated it it was amazing

A great first novel by I.W. Ferguson. An engaging read that suits anyone from YA to adult fantasy readers. There are a couple darker scenes in the novel, so I would hesitate to give this to a pre-teen or younger child.

While containing some familiar themes, I was happy to find many unexpected twists and turns in the plot. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series which I hope will explore the mysteries presented but not fully explained in this book. ...more

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Dec 20, 2019 Jennifer (bunnyreads) rated it really liked it

Shelves: spfbo-5, 2019, fantasy-adventure, ya

Enjoyable coming of age tale.

Happen is ready for his summering task (which is like a passage into manhood where he has an important job to prove he is capable of doing things on his own.) His task is to take the wagon to the annual fair where he will sell the family wares, and return with supplies to see them through the next year.
Happen’s cousin Cor joins him on the journey, and they run afoul of trouble almost immediately when Happen’s wagon is stolen, and the boys find themselves in danger of ...more

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May 13, 2019 Calvin Park rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, spfbo-2019

I.W. Ferguson gives us a fun and interesting coming-of-age tale in Belief’s Horizon. There is some intricate and unique world building here, and some of the story has almost a slice of life feel to it. This all combines for an enjoyable, self-contained read that leaves some possible openings for further stories.

One common trope with coming-of-age tales is that the world that the protagonist is used to gets expanded. Sometimes the protagonist discovers a secret ancestry or finds out he is actual I.W. Ferguson gives us a fun and interesting coming-of-age tale in Belief’s Horizon. There is some intricate and unique world building here, and some of the story has almost a slice of life feel to it. This all combines for an enjoyable, self-contained read that leaves some possible openings for further stories.

One common trope with coming-of-age tales is that the world that the protagonist is used to gets expanded. Sometimes the protagonist discovers a secret ancestry or finds out he is actually a powerful mage. Maybe the simple act of traveling from the country to the city elicits moments of discovery. In some instances the protagonist discovers more about her world as a result of meeting new people. What I found so refreshing about Belief’s Horizon is that as the protagonist is confronted with seemingly crazy truths about his world he continually tries to make them fit into the mental models that he already has. Whether it be different technology, strange people, or lasers, Happen tries very hard to make what he’s experiencing fit into his previous experience and understanding of the world. I think this is what people actually do in life, as opposed to sort of just immediately accepting truths that stretch credulity. I loved the realism of this. Coming-of-age tales also rise and fall on the strength of the character development the reader perceives. I’m happy to say that this is another area where Ferguson does well. We see genuine growth take place as Happen changes throughout the story. I appreciated this aspect of the novel a good deal. While there were a few moments when the story slowed down, overall the pacing was good and kept things moving. However, that does lead to one of my criticisms, which I’ll mention below. A final aspect of the story that I really liked was the mixing of fantasy and sci-fi elements. While not entirely unique, I felt like Ferguson did this in a way that felt fresh and fun.

While the pacing worked well in terms of the story moving along, there wasn’t a lot that compelled me to read. It isn’t that the story was slow, but rather that—while I enjoyed the narrative—there wasn’t much that gripped me on kept me reading. This was one that I could put down whenever and pick up again when I felt like it. I didn’t feel any compulsion to keep reading. Although some of this might be attributed to the slice of life feel the book has, I’m convinced that slice of life stories can still grip you in various ways. In addition, the antagonists were poorly developed and for much of the book didn’t feel like they had motivations other than “being the bad guys.” This was less of a problem than it might seem, largely on the strength of Happen’s characterization and the fact that it’s really a story about him in this liminal space as he becomes an adult.

I enjoyed this one. It’ll be of interest especially to those who enjoy coming-of-age stories or are looking for a cozy-ish read. I look forward to seeing what Ferguson comes up with next!

7/10

3.5/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
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Aug 13, 2019 Tamara rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Everyone!

Love this story of a young man finding his way and the amazing adventures he faces. It is fun, thoughtful, beautiful, and always enjoyable. Can't wait to see what the future has in store for our hero! ...more

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Jan 25, 2019 Corey Nunlist rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I especially liked this book for the unique world (or universe, rather) that Ferguson created, and for Happen's coming-of-age story. As a 5th grade teacher, it was interesting a fantasy novel from the perspective of a young adult who is picking and choosing his role models and the bits of wisdom they've provided.

I'm looking forward to the next books, for both the continuation of the story and for Ferguson's continuation as a writer. ...more

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