The Horizon by Gautam Bhatia
I would like to thank the author for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher – HarperCollins
Published – Out Now
Price – £15.70 paperback
NB There will a few spoilers for the excellent earlier novel The Wall
‘Did we not once promise that we would always be honest with each other?’
‘I no longer ask for honesty. Just tell me a lie that I can forgive.’
After 2000 years, the Wall has been breached. As Mithila steps into a world unknown, her sister Minakshi tightens her grasp on a city bracing for chaos and violence under a red sky. The ghost of an old Revolution stalks the streets, while the shadow of a new one threatens to tear Sumer apart.
Spreading word about this historical transgression, Alvar and Mankala find themselves facing new perils in a City they can barely recognise-one torn between old fears and new desires, while caught in a deadly power struggle. But soon, they will know that the crossing of the Wall has consequences not just for the City, but for the world.
Fantasy is actually very pro-revolution. Take down dark lords, corrupt leaders and insert a fresh new exciting hereditary monarchy or chosen one. One of the reasons I like the genre is it is actually quite political exploring when it is time for a change but sometimes it does seem very easy. Yes there may be a quest and epic battle but ultimately everyone sees sense in the end. In Gautam Bhatia’s The Horizon the sequel to the equally brilliant The Wall the focus this time is on how easy societal change really is and what are the barriers in the way.
To recap the huge city of Sumer has for over two thousand years been surrounded by a huge circular wall basically cliffs that no one can escape. The society has created Mandalas or Circles each of which has specified uses such as farming, carers, and artisans. There are specialist Scientists, religions known as The Shortens and in charge The Elders. The system has been finely tuned that each contributes to the survival of the other. But there can be crossing of any layer of society; you stay in your lane and cannot live or love outside of it. Over time tensions have risen and the last revolution nearly split the world apart but then its leader Savarian was stopped. Years later his daughter Mithila joins a group of protestors known as the Young Tarafians who are less concerned with changing Sumer and instead want to escape the Wall itself. Their movement also falls apart but in the previous book eventually Mithila finds a way out of the city and has also started to discover more about the Builder who created Sumer and the imprisonment of the people. While Mithila explores what lies outside Sumer the tensions inside are rising.
A traditional fantasy will take a group of young rebels and usually very easily everything falls apart and the new group take over and all is well. I am so pleased to report that is not the case in this story. Instead, if the first book was about ideals of government and freedom this story for me focused on the constraints on how difficult a revolution can be. We meet factions haunted by their past failures; those who love the status quo as it gives them power and really interestingly, we can see how other factions love to use such situation to seek power for themselves in the horsetrading of alliances. A lot of the tension in this novel is focused on Minakshi, the sister of Mithila, who now leads the Shoortans and sees this as an opportunity to take power once again and punish the government and people for their fall from power. Mithila returning from the Wall discovering some of the secrets behind Sumer and also some sign of betrayals wants to get the world to see sense but is finding that ultimately revolution is about making trades and taking hard decisions that all have consequences.
If this was solely about politics, it would be a bit dry for some readers but what is skilful is all the building blocks of Sumer’s society that Bhatia built in the first novel now come into opposition with each other and that imbalance threatens the city’s safety and security. We see barricades, battles and leaders being overthrown through fair means and foul; ancient weapons are once again built. The status quo is loved for its safety that tomorrow will be like today but sometimes change can be good or bad. One fascinating idea explored is that within Sumer are factions who actually love to play with the city over the centuries and ensure it never steps out of line. Mithila comes into close contact with this faction and they take the story in a very unusual direction really opening the world up and also reminding us there are always entrenched interests who don’t mind sowing seeds of revolution if this means they profit from them in some way.
The story simmers and then halfway through boils out into battles, revelations, and destructive forces. Can people et aside their differences to save themselves is a key question to be asked and answered. I love how Bhatia throws magic, technology, and politics together so skilfully. There is a generation having to take over. Another strand of the plot is Mithila’s lover Rama taking her father’s place as a Elder of Sumer and being thrust into the difficult rule of of government ad having to decide what is the right thing to do for her people. This is not an easy decision and people will die and be hurt by those decisions the main characters make.
This is a highly recommended fantasy that raises questions about power and democracy that clearly reflect our own world’s experiences (the author’s afterword highlights several inspirations) but at the same time creates a stunning fantastic city and this time further opens up the world. There is room for further stories if needed but Sumer’s tale is done in this novel. Highly recommended for fantast fans looking for something to get their teeth into.
