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Dan Smith
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Dark Horizons Kindle Edition

by Dan Smith (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 99 ratings
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On the other side of paradise, a nightmare waits...

After caring for his mother in her last days, Alex has gone off round the world - with no plan other than to travel and maybe recapture some of his lost youth. Beginning his travels in Indonesia, the idea of finding himself sounds appealing...but soon, he finds himself in real trouble.

It starts with a bus crash on a terrifying mountain road. Lucky to escape with his life, Alex loses everything else - even his identity. But then he meets Domino, a beautiful girl who takes Alex under her wing. At first it's an intoxicating adventure, but Alex starts to realise that danger seems to follow her around. As they approach the magnificent Lake Toba, and head to the remote community of free spirits that Domino calls home, it seems there's trouble in paradise.

The ideals of the camp seem honourable - a simple life, shared by friends in a beautiful place hidden from the world. But Domino has no answers for the questions that are forming in Alex's mind: Why do the local villagers hate them so much? Why are people leaving the camp in the dead of night? And what are the strange shapes lurking just beyond the clearing?

A taut, atmospheric and emotive thriller, DARK HORIZONS transports you to the lush landscapes of Sumatra, and the twisted ideals and deadly secrets lying in wait there...

Previous page
  1. Print length
    446 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Orion
  5. Publication date
    May 26, 2011
  6. File size
    1483 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dan Smith is the author of Dry Season. His first 18 years were spent following his parents across the world to Africa, Indonesia, and Brazil.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00H6SRFDO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orion; Reprint edition (May 26, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 26, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1483 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 446 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1409108244
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 99 ratings

About the author

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Dan Smith

Dan Smith

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Growing up, Dan Smith led three lives. In one he survived the day-to-day humdrum of boarding school, while in another he travelled the world, finding adventure in the padi fields of Asia and the jungles of Brazil. But the third life he lived in a world of his own, making up stories . . . Which is where some people say he still lives most of the time.

Dan writes for both children and adults.

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
99 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

REDBONE
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2013
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I enjoyed this book it held my attention I do not like it as well as The Thief and Red Winter by Dan Smith. The ending has a twist I would recommend this book Redbone
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Barbara McLovich
5.0 out of 5 stars entering the bizarre world of Dark Horizons
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2013
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With his novel The Child Thief, Dan Smith took us to the snowy forest regions of the Ukraine, chasing an unknown who stole a village child. With this novel, Dark Horizons, Mr.Smith takes us to the hot and sultry jungles of Sumatra. Alex, back-packing by himself, wakes up at the side of the road after his bus crashes to find an "angel" hovering over him. This angel is a pretty female by the name of Domino who comes to visit him in a Sumatran hospital. She persuades Alex to leave the hospital and come with her on the "adventure of his life." Needless to say, Alex, having lost all of his belongings to a thief, and hanging on to his passport for dear life, decides to follow Domino into the jungle to meet with her friends. These friends, as Alex soon finds out, are not the kind of friends you would want. He joins their commune and soon realizes that unless he complies with their requests and demands without asking any questions, his life is in 100 percent danger. Whom can he trust? Is Domino the friend he initially thought she was? Can he trust Helene, to whom he is soon attracted? How can he escape their confines and return to a normal existence? The cast of female and male characters, plus the locale, makes this a winner of a book. Dan Smith has a natural way of writing and draws the reader into the action. You certainly will not go wrong if you buy this book and see how Alex fares!
3 people found this helpful
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Alumine Andrew
3.0 out of 5 stars Thriller or meditation???
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2014
This novel has a great setting, Indonesia. It's well described and one enters into the landscape and feel for the place. The food, climate and vegetation all take centre stage in this thriller.

BUT. It's not really that thrilling. I feel this book couldn't make up it's mind whether it was a thriller or a mindful meditation on life. There is a lot of introspection from the main character Alex. After a while it becomes repetitive and slows the action down, and I lost interest in what he was thinking because I'd heard it all before.

I feel the story has merit, the setting is exotic and the storyline interesting, but enough, Alex, with all the over-thinking!!

I really enjoy Smith's books and writing, his Dry Season being one example. I will read anything he writes, but this one I feel could have benefited from stronger editing and a stronger mindset as to what kind of novel Smith wanted it to be.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars He has a good handle on how the country works
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2015
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Another cracker from Dan Smith. Enjoying his stories based in Brazil. He has a good handle on how the country works. Nice work.
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SuperLuckyCat
2.0 out of 5 stars So I thought this book would be at least good. It was not
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2014
Verified Purchase
Ok so this book was written by the same author who wrote The Child Thief, which was incredible. So I thought this book would be at least good. It was not. Very predictable and the ultimate 'gotcha' was not that exciting. If you're looking for a light read and haven't read the Child Thief yet, I guess it might entertain. Or, you can just read the Child Thief and forget this one......
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Yakuza of the Written Word
5.0 out of 5 stars Atmospheric Coming of Age
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2014
Picked this up on the strength of the back cover copy and was pleased. Not often does one get the chance to discover a new author. Dark Horizons was a pleasant bildungsroman filled with atmonsphere and catharsis. Just when I thought I knew were the plot was going, Smith switched it up. I've already ordered Dry Season. Wish it was already here.
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Top reviews from other countries

Noel
4.0 out of 5 stars Reminiscent of The Lord of the Flies
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 5, 2014
Verified Purchase
Last year I read 'The Child Thief' by Dan Smith,  The Child Thief a book of extreme tension set in the bleak terrain and winter snows of post-revolutionary Russia. I loved it. 'Dark Horizons' is a book of mounting menace and tension but the location is the lake-shore tropical forest of an Indonesian island. The setting and people have nothing in common with those of the 'Child Thief' but this too is a page turner and hard to put down.

Alex arrives in Indonesia as a 20-something from England after nursing his mother through her months of dying. He needs rest and relaxation from the stress of his loss but he chooses to find that by setting off on a solo backpacking trip to Indonesia. He has mugged up on the places that young tourists seek out across the Indonesian Archipelago but on his first bus journey disaster strikes when he is in the cockpit of a bus which is involved in a disastrous accident. He sees fellow passengers dead and dying around him.

Day one of his 'get away from it all' experience and life has crashed down around around him. He is befriended by a streetwise Ozzie free-spirit called Domino. He is fascinated by her but is not quite sure whether to trust her or not. Soon he is captivated and under her spell and goes with her to the small group of western youths living in a 'family' in a forest clearing. Alex is a 'nice boy' but naive and uncomfortable in this new environment. He sees things, hears things, that worry him, scare him, and me.

This is a dark and sinister tale which grips from the first page and draws you on even when you know that it is only going to get more and more scarey. I have one 'but' and that's about the ending. Not what I had expected given all that went before. I won't hint at how it ends but see if you think the author might have missed a trick. I have seen it compared to 'The Beach' by Alex Garland which I have not read or seen. However the atmosphere created reminded me of how it felt reading 'The Lord of the Flies'  Lord of the Flies  However this stands on its own merits as a great read, though maybe not the companion novel for a backpacking holiday around Indonesia.
One person found this helpful
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Mark
5.0 out of 5 stars Darkly addictive
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2011
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Dan Smith has a great talent for character development. He gives the reader just enough and lets us fill in the gaps, making the people and characters in his novels complex and real. The relationships, interdependencies, and conflicts between the plot characters are intense, and he takes the reader on an intoxicating and immersive experience. The plot is more active and quicker than Dry Seasons, but it is the people in it which lends this novel its success in storytelling.
There will inevitably be comparisons to Alex Garland's The Beach, but the similarities are superficial only. The characters in Dark Horizons are far superior in their construct, and the situation itself far more real, more rooted in the real horrors of what life can be in such environments. Frankly, this is a far more believable and compelling story than The Beach.
Dark Horizons has the same menacing, underlying unease that Dry Seasons brings to the reader, yet it is also a very different journey. Dan Smith is clearly a very talented narrator, and I am impatient to read more from him!
One person found this helpful
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Meg
4.0 out of 5 stars Dark Horizons
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2013
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I have never read anything by Dan Smith and I don't normally read this type of book,having said that, the book was well written and I enjoyed it very much. I found my self hoping the main character would somehow get himself out of the situation he was in.Very enjoyable read although very dark.
One person found this helpful
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westiesue
4.0 out of 5 stars Dark horizons
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2015
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Ok book a bit long winded at times with often too many irrelevant details and information. Not as good as previous books by this author.
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Rei
2.0 out of 5 stars Not 4 me
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2018
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Great start, but soon found it a chore to continue.
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