Horizon Fault, book two of the Transition Age Trilogy, was released today. Written by Tyler Corriveau, the novel continues the story of Iris Vale following her escape from a lower level covert research facility in Transition Age.

Synopsis –

Years before the events of Transition Age, a single city exposed the cracks beneath a carefully engineered future. In the aftermath of a catastrophic failure known as the Great Horizon Fault, the megaregion of Seattle became a test case the world would rather forget.

Following her harrowing escape from a subterranean lab, Iris Vale is thrust into the center of a global conspiracy. Guided by the chilling firsthand account of a surviving mother and son, Iris learns the historic disaster may not have been what everyone was told to believe.

To stop a new and escalating threat from dismantling the world, Iris must venture into Seattle’s irradiated ruins to search for answers in a void of quantum entanglement. What she may uncover in the shadows of the fallen city could challenge the future of the Transition Age, forcing everyone to question the mystery of the children who vanished that dark winter.

The first book in the Transition Age Trilogy, Transition Age, saw protagonist Iris Vale, with no memory of how she got there, waking up in a laboratory experiencing some kind of meltdown. She escaped, but was forced to evade capture by the forces that had held her captive, whilst trying to solve the puzzle of her own identity.

The first book functioned very much as an introduction to the character, and the new world she found herself in. This second book, Horizon Fault, feels like the beginning of the story proper. Iris has regained some of her memory, but now she longs to find out the truth about what happened to her, and the others who were taken and experimented on. She is pressed to assist in an investigation into what caused the historic disaster of the Great Horizon Fault, but there are some that do not wish the details to be discovered, and Iris finds herself in danger from more than one interested party.

The world of the Transition Age, in the year 2159, is very well thought out and meticulously planned by author Tyler Corriveau. As a result, he is able to slowly reveal more and more about both the present, and the past, world in which the protagonist finds herself in. A lot of the history of the setting was laid out at the beginning of the first book, but it was far too much information to take in and remember. That isn’t an issue though, as the most salient details are explained as the story progresses, and it may actually be more enjoyable to read the book without reading those summary passages first.

Horizon Fault moves quickly, in the best of ways. The story is fast moving, the characters in constant forward motion, and the plot develops at an exciting pace. The world that has been created is fascinating, and because Iris has been away from the world, and not fully regained her memories, we get to enjoy learning about it just as she does.

The description is well written, conjuring images of the vertical city, a mixture of modern technology and crumbling detritus, without getting bogged down in flowery prose, or being too self-satisfied with the atmospheric setting that has been created. Iris is an interesting character, haunted by her past incarceration, and the enduring horror of the experiments that were done on her. As she starts to learn more about her enhanced abilities, and how to access them, she is able to become a lot more proactive, without suddenly becoming a superhuman superheroine. It must have been tempting for author Corriveau to really unleash her and show what she is capable of, but that’s not who Iris is. She is a character with morals, and guilt, and regret.

The supporting cast of characters are all three dimensional interesting too, with believable motivations and obligations that they are beholden too. As the story progresses, we along with Iris get more of a feel for who can be trusted, who her strongest allies are, and who the hidden threats might be. And there are many, it seems. Horizon Fault develops the story, and offers satisfying plot developments, whilst leaving plenty of threads to be explored in the third book. This means when you reach the end, you have enjoyed a satisfying read, but are also hungry for more.

Horizon Fault is available now in digital and paperback formats. Book Three, The Uncounted, does not yet have a publication date.