2 out of 4 stars
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The Forever Horizon by Anthony Thomas Noto should have been a lot better. The book has a great storyline but, sadly, it’s not executed very well. Poor editing, inorganic conversations, and the lack of character development are just a few reasons this book didn’t live up to its potential.
We follow Dr. Raymond Price through most of the book. A highly educated and motivated man, we immediately like his character. He’s convinced by his mentor, Sir Larry Little, to climb Mt. Everest in search of the burial ground of George Leigh Mallory. Mallory went on a climbing expedition in 1924 and wasn’t seen again until his body was found in 1999. The ones that found his body took samples, but buried his body on the mountain. When Little tested those samples, he discovered a lot of questionable things. Since Price is an experienced climber, an expert in DNA, and has a strong background in Osteology, Little asks him to go find the body and get some answers.
Eventually, Price is ready to go, and he gets on a plane that should take him to Lutka, where he is to meet up with the team he will be climbing with. Unfortunately, the plane has some trouble and crashes into Everest instead. Price is injured, but rescued and taken to the Forever Horizon. From what I understand, Forever Horizon is a valley within the mountain that stretches are far as the eye can see. They say that it would take a week to walk from one end to the other. Sunlight enters through cracks in the sides, and the people there have created a “lightening” system (I’m not sure if the author meant lighting or if there’s frequent lightning). The people in the Forever Horizon live exceptionally long and healthy lives, but there’s a current struggle for power happening. There are a few other prisoners that we meet, and several indigenous people, both good and bad. Most people have what’s called “Infinite Wisdom,” which just means special mind powers (telekinesis and telepathy), but all to varying degrees. In fact, we find out a few chapters in that Price has these powers on a minor scale before he even gets to the secret valley.
I like that the story has a lot of moving parts and sub-plots, but it gets pretty hard to follow. By the end, I understood enough of it to see the big picture, but while reading, I found myself confused. Conversations between characters felt extremely fake and forced. Transitions felt abrupt and jarring. The most annoying thing about the conversations was probably that they kept repeating each other’s names. In a typical conversation, I don’t say the name of the person I’m speaking to in every other sentence. It’s just not necessary, especially if we’re the only two people in that conversation. Additionally, there was no character development. Everyone is the same person in the end that they were in the beginning. The only thing that’s different is that they’re now allowed to be that person. I thought Dr. Price, at least, could have developed into a stronger character, but, while his life and circumstances have changed, his personality and attributes have remained the same.
The book was poorly edited. I felt like I was reading someone’s first draft. I found ten errors before page twenty. There were missing letters and words, extra letters and words, and sloppy punctuation. I feel like this book could be amazing with some polishing. The overall concept for the storyline is solid, but the writing and editing need some work.
I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I took away a point for the poor editing. I took away another point for the subpar writing. I gave it a point for the story’s idea. I honestly think this would make a fantastic, four-star book, but it just needs some tender love and care first. If you’re a lover of Shangri La (like me), I recommend reading this book, even in it’s unpolished version. Otherwise, maybe wait for the rewrite.
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The Forever Horizon
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