Some call it the Rapture. Others call it a global genocide. Whatever it was, only thousands of survivors remain on Earth.When Scott Beck finds himself alive after the Rapture, along with only a small number of survivors, he retreats to the Lake District in the north of England. Soon after, he finds himself the reluctant guardian of a young woman, leading him once again to challenge Mathew, a … Mathew, a religious megalomaniac, and his Watchers, who are as determined as ever to send every last human soul to heaven.
The AI, controlled by Mathew, informs Scott of a dead horizon, past which its view of the deterministic universe vanishes, meaning it can no longer see the future. Scott, along with what remains of humanity, having lived with the paradox of knowing his own demise, must once again embrace freedom and take hold of the smallest offering of hope if he and humanity are going to survive.
Rejoin Scott Beck’s fight to save humanity in Book Two of the Humanity Series.
It’s not the end of the world … only humanity.
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A really good second story from this exciting new end of the world series by Seth Rain! I really enjoyed this book, liked the characters, plot & generally the idea! Something a little different! I would recommend this to all that like this genre. Make sure you read them in order, or it could be a little confusing!
I absolutely loved this book! The characters were given a life of their own. I few as I know them, like I’m a part of the story as I read it. I can’t wait to read book 3!
“The Dead Horizon”, the second installment in Seth Rain’s “Humanity Series”, takes on seven months after the Rapture, the global cataclysm that almost eradicated humanity. Seth Beck finds himself surprisingly, after all the tattoo in his hand states he should have not survived, nevertheless here he is. And when he realises that the dead appeared unchanged after over seven months, perfectly preserved without any clues whatsoever about the cause of death, he begins to suspect that the machinations behind the cataclysm are even darker as assumed.
Meanwhile the AI states the existence of a dead horizon, a kind of even horizon, behind which it cannot predict the future. The end of future determination changes the way of life for humanity once again, humans must learn to live with the lack of knowledge about the future, they can be free again and bear hope, but freedom brings a new set of choices and consequence.
The book explores two different plots timely set one year apart and uses flashbacks into the time of the Rapture to fill in the blank about the current situation. Seth Rain’s writing style is crisp, thrilling and captivating, the plot is absolute credible to the point of sheer discomfort, and forces the reader to actively read and question the action, which adds to the pleasure of reading. The narrative is good but is the subtext what makes this book extraordinary.
AN ORIGINAL AND CAPTIVATING SUITE !
(REMINDER:
In a futuristic World everyone lives with the date of their own Death engraved on their wrist.
All except one, Scott Beck, the one whose date would be an error…).
VOLUME 2 :
Seven month after the RAPTURE, Scott Beck counts the dead.
He’s always surprised to see the bodies of the deads intact, well preserved without injury or mark which could indicate the cause of death.
It’s a bit like they just died.
Strange, right ?
———————
Scott continues his quest.
Will he succeed in reversing the course of events ?
Should he know the exact date of his future death?
Can he fight Michael and A.I.?
Many questions, action, meetings in this volume 2 towards a conclusion that could be inevitable…
Will Scott succeed ?
A beautiful volume 2, in the post apocalyptic dystopia genre, which makes us share Scott’s desesperate quest…
A book to discover!
Received as an ARC, this is an honest review. Scott continues his quest to finally confront Matthew and the AI; putting the end to the the man’s obsession with getting humanity back to heaven. Evading Watchers, protecting a pregnant teen mother from those who could hurt her; Scott finds the way to fight to whatever end there will be. Discovering dark secrets along the way: seeing the best and the worst of what remains of humanity. A brilliant and disturbing take on the dystopian genre. Highly recommended.
The Dead Horizon, by Seth Rain
Circle the Date on Your Calendar
5-Stars
I’ve been looking forward to The Dead Horizon since reading The Warm Machine. I ripped through this book in one day. The Dead Horizon is brilliant.
It is a little daunting to read about a future in which the total global population shrinks to less than twenty-five thousand. It puts being housebound during a worldwide pandemic in perspective.
In this book, the future fate of humanity might just depend on the success of Scott Beck, the protagonist in The Warm Machine, as well as The Dead Horizon. Everything seems to be working against him. A powerful antagonist. The Watchers. Artificial Intelligence. Time. And the rest of humanity, which has become an endangered species. As the author writes, “On the whole, humanity has surrendered.”
This second installment in “The Humanity Series” continues along two tracks, separated by about a year, in the wake of the Rapture. It’s a gruesome time, dominated by death and hopelessness. The author paints a dismal scene. Periodically the reader gets a respite in the form of descriptions like, “By the side of the lake, sheep that had been left to their own devices drank the water. Two ducks landed, skidding across its surface, coming to a halt with a gentle splash.” The author seems to know just when the reader needs a phrase like, “He stood outside, facing the lake. It was dark, mist rolling down from the mountains across the water. He could hear the faint sound of water lapping against the shore; the air was damp and cool. The clouds moved quickly and the crescent moon was milky white.” Otherwise, it’s lots of burning bodies, loneliness, pain, sacrifice, and death, as appropriate for the genre, I’m sure.
I enjoyed following along with Google Maps and checking out places like Lake Buttermere and Ennerdale Water. I also appreciate the real-life settings which give a complete feel of being on location in Britain and Scotland. As mentioned in the book, “Britain was always going to be the final home for humanity.” Someday, I’d like to visit Britain and spend some time in the Lake Country.
I always appreciate the facial expressions, hand gestures, and body language, which reveals the thoughts and feelings of characters in a book. If I must find something to criticize, I would suggest that there was too much use of some of these. Too often, characters are portrayed running a hand through their hair.
Seth Rain has written another exciting, page-flipping book that keeps you driving toward the end. It is the end of time. Will there be a third installment? I sure hope so. Hopefully, humanity will thrive beyond the horizon. My guess is it will not be easy.