Making the Horizon

by Charley Daveler

A Blank Slate. An Infant Reality.

Jack, a misanthropic mage hunter, finally loses his fight with a bottle in the one way he never saw coming. Sucked into a sandbox world inside a jar, his pursuit of a rogue wizard brings him to twelve artists spirited away, now gods of the barren wasteland.

An agoraphobic cartoonist. A bankrupt romance author. A prodigal painter. A disturbed ballerina. Some came by choice, others seek escape, but when life is created, a world war begins and the Universe asks them, "What makes humanity?"

412 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 14, 2020

About the author

Charley Daveler is an American author and playwright best known for her ongoing online serial, Stories of the Wyrd. She writes primarily speculative fiction and satire, using a memorably dark humor to describe love in fantastical worlds. Though raised in Wyoming, she has lived in Los Angeles, Western Australia, and New York City, packing nothing but a violin, a laptop, and 10 tons of fabric each time her wanderlust hits.

Reviews

[Kea4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

First thing you need to know about this book is that there are a LOT of characters we are introduced to. Think 12 of them. Some characters stand out and you know a little more about them. Other’s your not so sure. At times its really hard to tell some of them apart so a little note saying who’s who might have helped at the front of the book.

I liked how it starts off. People getting kidnapped by a mage with magic. Your not sure why they are taken but they are being put into a bottle aka a sandbox and its up to them to create a world. They are given gems to create with. This part I found pretty interesting and I liked seeing how some team up. Its funny at times sure. For me the book kind of fell apart when they started to create life. Because this group really does not know much about where they are or why they are there. But also your introduced to SO many more new names.

The ending was ok but it felt like something was missing. I guess I wanted to see how some of them explain where they have been for over a year. The other problem I had was that I wasn’t sure what happened to a few of them at the end or how the problem would be fixed.

https://theworldisabookandiamitsreade...

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt like a loosely related collection of vignettes. There are too many main characters (at least 7) and they remain underdeveloped throughout the story. The story takes place from first-person and third-person perspectives. The chapters are short which adds to the choppiness as each one follows a different point of view.

I think that this book has an excellent premise -- what would happen if a group of humans unknown to one another were put into a new world. Would they create beautiful things? Go to war? Create a utopia? Create hell? Humanity has so many facets that the options are endless.

Much of this book seems to allude to activities that happen when we, the reader, aren't around. For example, why the people all abandoned Haven, what the rings do, and what in the world Dania was doing. I wish that these and other stories were part of this book. Of course, that would make this book WAY too long.

Four stars for the premise, two stars for the characters and story itself.

[Tj Antley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few years back I read the premise for this book and knew that I wanted it. I started to read it and became a bit unsure. The story includes many characters and the storyline moves in unusual ways. So I started thinking that I might not be finishing this book. I am thrilled that I stayed with it. Making the Horizon is not like any other book I have ever read but as I read it I felt like I "got to know" the book. It became more engrossing, more enjoyable. It is difficult to define how and why I liked this story so much. It really is not simple to outline or break down. Making the Horizon grew on me and when it ended I didn't just miss the characters; I missed the way the story moved. I would 100% recommend this book to any lovers of story. If you start to read and feel unsure just keep getting to know the book and I am pretty sure you will love it too. For anyone unsure of what to read next, this is it! I just WISH I could find a hardcover copy for my collection. This is one I will keep and read again.

[Karen Kanatzar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Character driven fantasy

Strong characters developed within an interesting world view was enjoyable. There were some spots where tighter editing and spell check would have helped, but that can be taken care of in a second edition. The villains are slightly stereotypical, but this is fantasy and that is appropriate for the tale. The next tale from this plane should be intriguing on how fast the creatures evolve and grow socially and intellectually.

[Linda Stopani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise of this book of putting together creative people to design a new world. The problem is there are too many characters to keep up with. The chapters were short and jump around. It felt like activities were happening that we weren't privy to until they were half done. I think it has good potential.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating concept of giving artists the basic elements to build a world and life from the ground up. My only gripe was the amount of narratives and characters. It made the story feel less fluid and I got lost from time to time. Like wait, who is this again. Overall, fantastic!

[Candra Hodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept- although it was a slow start til the interesting part came into play. I was not a fan of how the story jumped around between different characters viewpoints so frequently.
I won this book thru a goodreads.com giveaway.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very original, wild tale with more creative energy found in most other formula fiction. This is raw and real fantasy spewed on paper leaving much for the reader to imagine and visualize independently of what other readers may imagine.

What I really enjoyed may have been unintended, but what make this 5 instead of 4 stars is that I felt each character was a different viewpoint or stance the author had in her own situations through her own growth journey. While this journey may be a giant splatter of ideas, this clearly was shown I this story and journey that made this enjoyable to immerse myself in.