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Mind's Horizon
Humanity’s time is done.
A modern ice age has all but stamped out human civilization and left the Earth nearly uninhabitable. For Ira Hartman and the dysfunctional band of survivors that surround her, all that’s left of the old world are ghosts trapped beneath the still forming ice sheets.
Living in retrofitted tunnels beneath Riverside, California, scrounging for food, supplies, and desperately trying not to kill each other, things could be worse; but when an accident causes the generators powering their shelter’s heating system to be destroyed, hope seems to have run out.
That is until Ira discovers a strange heat signature in the San Bernardino mountains, and it leads to a secret military research facility housed deep within the mountain.
At first, it seems like the perfect shelter. Plenty of rations. Water. Warmth.
Then they discover the remnants of horrifying experiments. Corpses, strapped to operating tables, horror etched on decomposing faces, experiment rooms filled with strange machines and occult symbols, and the logs of a raving lunatic. The unmistakable feeling that something is watching them, waiting in the cold, tubular concrete tunnels, in the shadows.
What Ira and the others don’t know might just kill them.
A modern ice age has all but stamped out human civilization and left the Earth nearly uninhabitable. For Ira Hartman and the dysfunctional band of survivors that surround her, all that’s left of the old world are ghosts trapped beneath the still forming ice sheets.
Living in retrofitted tunnels beneath Riverside, California, scrounging for food, supplies, and desperately trying not to kill each other, things could be worse; but when an accident causes the generators powering their shelter’s heating system to be destroyed, hope seems to have run out.
That is until Ira discovers a strange heat signature in the San Bernardino mountains, and it leads to a secret military research facility housed deep within the mountain.
At first, it seems like the perfect shelter. Plenty of rations. Water. Warmth.
Then they discover the remnants of horrifying experiments. Corpses, strapped to operating tables, horror etched on decomposing faces, experiment rooms filled with strange machines and occult symbols, and the logs of a raving lunatic. The unmistakable feeling that something is watching them, waiting in the cold, tubular concrete tunnels, in the shadows.
What Ira and the others don’t know might just kill them.
372 pages, ebook
Published October 31, 2019
69 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
Eric Malikyte
17 books31 followersEric Malikyte is a neurodivergent author, illustrator, science communicator, and video editor. He has published works in various genres, including Lovecraftian horror, dark fantasy, and cyberpunk. He has written for YouTube channels such as TopTenz, Geographics, and Biographics. He lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife and two cats, where he spends his spare time exploring used bookstores, Irish Pubs, and terrorizing the neighborhood children on Halloween.
Get a free copy of Eric's cosmic horror story, The Stranger: https://BookHip.com/RRLVWXV
Get a free copy of Eric's cosmic horror story, The Stranger: https://BookHip.com/RRLVWXV
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 10, 2025
MIND'S HORIZON by Eric Malikyte is a post-apocalypse horror novel where the protagonists find themselves with mixed fortunes. On one hand, they're trapped on an Earth that is slowly dying due to a cosmic dust cloud blotting out of the Sun. On the other hand, they've found an abandoned underground military base with its own infinite power source. On the other, other hand, the military base was where a bunch of mad scientists attempted to contact other dimensions. So, you know, good news, bad news situation.
It is not a spoiler to state that Mind's Horizon is a cosmic horror novel, specifically of the Cthulhu Mythos. This is more or less my catnip so I have to warn readers that I am going to be kind to this book beyond what might be warranted (but I enjoyed it legitimately either way). It is like some weird fusion of Fallout and Event Horizon, which is a pretty good set of things but if you aren't looking for a novel about a bunch of cynical survivors going mad as they're exposed to nightmarish imagery then this is probably not the book for you.
The book starts with Ira Harding, a young woman with strong protagonist energy, doing her best to try to get some feminine supplies a year into the Ice Age that will eventually exterminate humanity. Ira is the definition of "plucky" and has a crush on her fellow survivor, Eddy. Unfortunately, Eddy is loathed by Ira's brother, Nico, due to the fact they fought on different sides during the Second Civil War before civilization completely collapsed. Just about everyone in the group hates one another.
The trick to making a good "dwindling party" story is to focus on the characters and make sure the audience cares about them before they die or go mad. The survivors of Mind's Horizon may not be the most likable bunch of individuals, frequently hostile for the pettiest of reasons (which I feel is fairly realistic given they aren't here by choice), but they are all distinct with interesting stories. My favorite characters were Nico and Lena, who may be less friendly than most but I understood the rationales thereof. Ira, for all of her positive qualities, often behaves like a brat when everyone else is struggling to survive.
Eric Malikyte does a fantastic job establishing the mind-destroying and hallucinatory effects of the extra-dimensional beings. The protagonists experience flashbacks, hallucinations, and all too real warping of reality as things start breaking down. The extra-dimensional beings are more like Chaos than Lovecraft, though, as they seem actively malevolent versus indifferent. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but some people prefer amoral horrors versus things actively out to torture you before you die.
The feeling of the book is very much a combination of kind of B-movie science fiction horror and would make a very good video game, in my humble opinion. Still, its focus is primarily on the slow breakdown of the protagonists' sense of reality. It avoids a lot of the usual flaws of horror stories by making it clear why our protagonists don't just leave. If the choice is a frozen hellhole with no supplies or a place that may be haunted, most people will take their risks with the creepy building. It has its flaws but I enjoyed it.
It is not a spoiler to state that Mind's Horizon is a cosmic horror novel, specifically of the Cthulhu Mythos. This is more or less my catnip so I have to warn readers that I am going to be kind to this book beyond what might be warranted (but I enjoyed it legitimately either way). It is like some weird fusion of Fallout and Event Horizon, which is a pretty good set of things but if you aren't looking for a novel about a bunch of cynical survivors going mad as they're exposed to nightmarish imagery then this is probably not the book for you.
The book starts with Ira Harding, a young woman with strong protagonist energy, doing her best to try to get some feminine supplies a year into the Ice Age that will eventually exterminate humanity. Ira is the definition of "plucky" and has a crush on her fellow survivor, Eddy. Unfortunately, Eddy is loathed by Ira's brother, Nico, due to the fact they fought on different sides during the Second Civil War before civilization completely collapsed. Just about everyone in the group hates one another.
The trick to making a good "dwindling party" story is to focus on the characters and make sure the audience cares about them before they die or go mad. The survivors of Mind's Horizon may not be the most likable bunch of individuals, frequently hostile for the pettiest of reasons (which I feel is fairly realistic given they aren't here by choice), but they are all distinct with interesting stories. My favorite characters were Nico and Lena, who may be less friendly than most but I understood the rationales thereof. Ira, for all of her positive qualities, often behaves like a brat when everyone else is struggling to survive.
Eric Malikyte does a fantastic job establishing the mind-destroying and hallucinatory effects of the extra-dimensional beings. The protagonists experience flashbacks, hallucinations, and all too real warping of reality as things start breaking down. The extra-dimensional beings are more like Chaos than Lovecraft, though, as they seem actively malevolent versus indifferent. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but some people prefer amoral horrors versus things actively out to torture you before you die.
The feeling of the book is very much a combination of kind of B-movie science fiction horror and would make a very good video game, in my humble opinion. Still, its focus is primarily on the slow breakdown of the protagonists' sense of reality. It avoids a lot of the usual flaws of horror stories by making it clear why our protagonists don't just leave. If the choice is a frozen hellhole with no supplies or a place that may be haunted, most people will take their risks with the creepy building. It has its flaws but I enjoyed it.
January 17, 2020
3.5 stars rounded.
Mind’s Horizon, by Eric Malikyte, starts off with a prologue that reaches out and grabs the reader, giving them a taste of the cosmic, other-worldly content that the author intends to address throughout the rest of the story. I read it right before leaving for work, and found myself weighing whether or not I could afford to be late. Rather than an introduction to what we will spend the next 350 or so pages doing, it actually serves as more of a bookend. The bulk of the book spends more time dealing with human relationships than with cosmic monsters. That doesn’t mean we don’t get a lot of the latter, but Mind’s Horizon makes a full-fledged effort to distance itself from its’ Lovecraftian ancestors where the characters are second-rate in service to gods and monsters.
Malikyte lets the novel take it’s time getting to the locale where most of the story will take place. We get to live in the world he built, we meet all the characters. Through mostly dialogue and limited flashback, we examine their complex relationships, ranging from familial to having fought on different sides of a civil war. The world our story takes place in is in a second ice age, and survivors are still reeling from a war between federalists and revolutionists. Malikyte gives a clear glimpse of what has lead to this moment without beating us over the head with it. We get enough information to set the stage, but it never becomes a distraction.
The cosmic elements never disappear throughout. There are always looks back at the events from the prologue and the novel’s primary antagonist attempting to balance the line between summoning and serving the alternate dimensional beings. At the forefront is the way the characters deal with isolation, the surroundings in their new home, and each other. In many ways, Malikyte uses the isolation that stems from the ice age to replicate the atmosphere created in movies like Alien or Event Horizon, without venturing into the farthest reaches of space.
Pacing was occasionally an issue throughout. I found myself either plowing through chapter by chapter, anxiously anticipating what was coming next at some points, and dragging through other parts to get to next event of plot during other parts of the book. The story as a whole works on the basis of character relationships and tense atmosphere, just not in a strictly linear fashion. If you’re okay with that, and you like a cosmic horror story that doesn’t (metaphorically) sacrifice humanity for tentacles, this might be the one for you. I was given an e-book by the author for review consideration.
Mind’s Horizon, by Eric Malikyte, starts off with a prologue that reaches out and grabs the reader, giving them a taste of the cosmic, other-worldly content that the author intends to address throughout the rest of the story. I read it right before leaving for work, and found myself weighing whether or not I could afford to be late. Rather than an introduction to what we will spend the next 350 or so pages doing, it actually serves as more of a bookend. The bulk of the book spends more time dealing with human relationships than with cosmic monsters. That doesn’t mean we don’t get a lot of the latter, but Mind’s Horizon makes a full-fledged effort to distance itself from its’ Lovecraftian ancestors where the characters are second-rate in service to gods and monsters.
Malikyte lets the novel take it’s time getting to the locale where most of the story will take place. We get to live in the world he built, we meet all the characters. Through mostly dialogue and limited flashback, we examine their complex relationships, ranging from familial to having fought on different sides of a civil war. The world our story takes place in is in a second ice age, and survivors are still reeling from a war between federalists and revolutionists. Malikyte gives a clear glimpse of what has lead to this moment without beating us over the head with it. We get enough information to set the stage, but it never becomes a distraction.
The cosmic elements never disappear throughout. There are always looks back at the events from the prologue and the novel’s primary antagonist attempting to balance the line between summoning and serving the alternate dimensional beings. At the forefront is the way the characters deal with isolation, the surroundings in their new home, and each other. In many ways, Malikyte uses the isolation that stems from the ice age to replicate the atmosphere created in movies like Alien or Event Horizon, without venturing into the farthest reaches of space.
Pacing was occasionally an issue throughout. I found myself either plowing through chapter by chapter, anxiously anticipating what was coming next at some points, and dragging through other parts to get to next event of plot during other parts of the book. The story as a whole works on the basis of character relationships and tense atmosphere, just not in a strictly linear fashion. If you’re okay with that, and you like a cosmic horror story that doesn’t (metaphorically) sacrifice humanity for tentacles, this might be the one for you. I was given an e-book by the author for review consideration.
May 13, 2020
Really great read! Very Lovecraftian, which for me is a big plus. Well written characters, and a decent amount of imagery without dragging on. Will definitely be looking for the other books set in this multiverse.
December 31, 2025
This is the first OEI book, but I had already read the second - "Cthulhu: Grimoire" - before this one. That worked fine because they aren't strictly in a linear order, but more like standalone books in a shared multiverse.
Everything I've read by the author before this is very clearly Lovecraftian Mythos stories. It's more subtle with "Mind's Horizon". It's more like reading work by Laird Barron in which you know the influence is there, and there are specific things dedicated Mythos fans will recognize, but it's the author's own world and you aren't seeing the same Old One names and forbidden tome titles popping up. As characters were moving cautiously and losing any bits of hope about being prepared for what was around the corner, I could feel a more delightful anxiety from wondering if something was a reference to Lost Carcosa or just a fact of astronomy, if Nyarlathotep had any involvement in things, or if the familiar eldritch entities even exist in this universe.
A few pages in, I could tell this isn't my usually preferred type of dystopian sci-fi, but I was here for the Mythos and didn't stop. I am so glad! It's like "Fallout", MKUltra, and the Stanford University prison experiment blended together, except they all start in the roles of both prisoner and guard. These are usually my kind of stories because I'm not a fan of action, but the author makes it more of a psychological thriller. We get information to understand where each character is coming from. No one is completely innocent, but some are easier to forgive than others. Even the human character who is most clearly The Villian... you know, I can't be sure I would do better than him in that situation. I got the feeling how each character did things was a result of both the situation they were in and their experiences in life before they teamed up. Corrupting insanity works different ways in different people.
Eric Malikyte has quickly become one of my favorite modern Mythos authors, and this book was a creepy delight! I almost feel guilty that I got it on sale because it would have been more than worth the regular price.
Everything I've read by the author before this is very clearly Lovecraftian Mythos stories. It's more subtle with "Mind's Horizon". It's more like reading work by Laird Barron in which you know the influence is there, and there are specific things dedicated Mythos fans will recognize, but it's the author's own world and you aren't seeing the same Old One names and forbidden tome titles popping up. As characters were moving cautiously and losing any bits of hope about being prepared for what was around the corner, I could feel a more delightful anxiety from wondering if something was a reference to Lost Carcosa or just a fact of astronomy, if Nyarlathotep had any involvement in things, or if the familiar eldritch entities even exist in this universe.
A few pages in, I could tell this isn't my usually preferred type of dystopian sci-fi, but I was here for the Mythos and didn't stop. I am so glad! It's like "Fallout", MKUltra, and the Stanford University prison experiment blended together, except they all start in the roles of both prisoner and guard. These are usually my kind of stories because I'm not a fan of action, but the author makes it more of a psychological thriller. We get information to understand where each character is coming from. No one is completely innocent, but some are easier to forgive than others. Even the human character who is most clearly The Villian... you know, I can't be sure I would do better than him in that situation. I got the feeling how each character did things was a result of both the situation they were in and their experiences in life before they teamed up. Corrupting insanity works different ways in different people.
Eric Malikyte has quickly become one of my favorite modern Mythos authors, and this book was a creepy delight! I almost feel guilty that I got it on sale because it would have been more than worth the regular price.
January 9, 2020
If you like fantasy/sci-fi, this is a book for you
Mind's Horizon is a fast paced tightly woven story that mixed apocalypse genre with science fiction and fantasy. This story revolves around the lives of 5 survivors, who face extinction on a earth that fell into rapid deep freeze. To make matters worse, deep conflict exists between almost everyone.
When a top secret U.S. Government test lab is discovered, things go from bad to worse. Erick Malikyte takes the reader on a journey where lost worlds are consumed by evil forces, where the individual stands to either die by freezing earth or face a date worse than death. A very captivating read.
The only issue with the story is the occasion where the plot becomes confusing. Make sure you read carefully
Mind's Horizon is a fast paced tightly woven story that mixed apocalypse genre with science fiction and fantasy. This story revolves around the lives of 5 survivors, who face extinction on a earth that fell into rapid deep freeze. To make matters worse, deep conflict exists between almost everyone.
When a top secret U.S. Government test lab is discovered, things go from bad to worse. Erick Malikyte takes the reader on a journey where lost worlds are consumed by evil forces, where the individual stands to either die by freezing earth or face a date worse than death. A very captivating read.
The only issue with the story is the occasion where the plot becomes confusing. Make sure you read carefully
August 22, 2020
While I found myself really enjoying the plot, I struggled to find even a single character that was likeable - or even one that made rational decisions, for that matter.
A lot of the character development and dialogue was extremely contrived, and just made the whole thing hard to get behind as a whole. It’s almost as if the plot was created by one author while, the characters themselves were created by that author’s angsty teenage son.
Very many times throughout this book, specifically almost every time the character Hugo has any sort of vocal role, I found myself laughing out loud at how bad the dialogue was.
Overall, the plot was enough to do the heavy lifting: if you’re a sci-fi fan and enjoy horror of a Lovecraftian nature, you’ll likely enjoy this book.
A lot of the character development and dialogue was extremely contrived, and just made the whole thing hard to get behind as a whole. It’s almost as if the plot was created by one author while, the characters themselves were created by that author’s angsty teenage son.
Very many times throughout this book, specifically almost every time the character Hugo has any sort of vocal role, I found myself laughing out loud at how bad the dialogue was.
Overall, the plot was enough to do the heavy lifting: if you’re a sci-fi fan and enjoy horror of a Lovecraftian nature, you’ll likely enjoy this book.
September 4, 2023
Excellent cosmic horror
It's very rare to find a good cosmic horror novel these days, but the author nailed it. It was a very original idea with the apocalyptic ice age setting. The underground bunker was creepy as hell from the get go. Each character was believable and seemed like a real person, not a stereotype. The impending doom and insanity kept me wanting to keep reading, and now I'm seeing movement in the shadows. I hope I don't go insane like they did...
It's very rare to find a good cosmic horror novel these days, but the author nailed it. It was a very original idea with the apocalyptic ice age setting. The underground bunker was creepy as hell from the get go. Each character was believable and seemed like a real person, not a stereotype. The impending doom and insanity kept me wanting to keep reading, and now I'm seeing movement in the shadows. I hope I don't go insane like they did...
January 13, 2026
Very Cosmic!!
This was cosmic horror at its best!!
Hell didn't freeze over, the world did, and now Ira and a few others are surviving underground hoping they won't run out of food to scavenge.
When Ira picks up a heat signature on a scanner, she hopes it will lead to salvation.
Great writing and I enjoyed a very Lovecraftian tale!!
This was cosmic horror at its best!!
Hell didn't freeze over, the world did, and now Ira and a few others are surviving underground hoping they won't run out of food to scavenge.
When Ira picks up a heat signature on a scanner, she hopes it will lead to salvation.
Great writing and I enjoyed a very Lovecraftian tale!!
May 6, 2023
Page Turner!
I couldn’t put this novel down! I love how Malikyte blended Lovecraftian horror with a 21st Century plot line. Great story!
I couldn’t put this novel down! I love how Malikyte blended Lovecraftian horror with a 21st Century plot line. Great story!
January 12, 2020
This book gave me early Dean Koontz vibes, with the scifi horror/suspense. It's written in third person and told through multiple points of view. Each character has their own unique voice. Main character Ira is an engaging mix of brave and vulnerable, slipping in and out of the roles of the younger sister to the ragtag group's leader Nico, and tentative leader herself. Each of the survivors of this post-apocalyptic world deal with their circumstances differently, battling the elements and human nature as something even more sinister stalks them.
September 17, 2019
By all that’s holy, I don’t know how he does it.
I fell for the dark, visceral tension in “Echoes Of Olympus Mons,” and Eric has outdone himself with this new novel. I was so deep into the story that at times it was difficult to breathe; that’s the grip his mastery of description has on mere mortals like me.
No spoilers here, just — read the book. See what I still see when I close my eyes.
I fell for the dark, visceral tension in “Echoes Of Olympus Mons,” and Eric has outdone himself with this new novel. I was so deep into the story that at times it was difficult to breathe; that’s the grip his mastery of description has on mere mortals like me.
No spoilers here, just — read the book. See what I still see when I close my eyes.
October 23, 2019
This book refuses to be put down, it grips you and you have to know what will happen. It contains such beauty and is very thrilling and deep, yet easy to read and as you turn each page you get completely lost in each character. I absolutely loved reading this! I've read so many books and I have to say I am truly impressed at the lasting impression this leaves upon me. Basically, you gotta get this book!
November 5, 2019
Malikyte follows up Echoes Of Olympus Mons, his woeful tale of Mars’s untimely death, with a love letter to H.P. Lovecraft. Mind’s Horizon features all the good apocalyptic stuff you expect from Lovecraft, notably world-ending excitement, a hint of magic, and teeth. Lots of teeth.
It's a cracking good read of Lovecraftian proportion.
Read the whole review on my blog
It's a cracking good read of Lovecraftian proportion.
Read the whole review on my blog
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews