The Horizon, Vol. 1

The Horizon takes place during the aftermath of some kind of massacre (the Webtoon page says it was an apocalyptic event). A young boy is the sole survivor of some kind of event that kills his mother and pretty much everyone else in the city. With nothing else to do, he walks and eventually finds an abandoned school bus to sleep in. A girl his age also finds the bus, and the two of them become sudden traveling companions as more violence breaks out around them. Eventually they come across a third person, a grown man who seems to only be capable of screaming like a crow. Although the girl is fine with him following along, the boy can't help but be frightened and wary of the man.

There's this Korean movie called 26 Years that opens with a show more stunning and horrifying animated sequence depicting the Gwangju Uprising. Reading this reminded me a lot of that.

This was darker and more unpleasant than I was prepared for. The artwork was extremely effective - mostly black and white, scratchy, with occasional splashes of red to highlight things like the sky or a wound. The strange man that the boy and girl encountered had blank black, unnerving eyes. Although his behavior could be light and childlike, I, like the boy, was worried about what would happen if he stuck around. He was somehow both pitiful and terrifying.

This is the kind of series I'd need a boatload of spoilers for before I could continue it, so I'm likely stopping here. The volume doesn't end on an encouraging note for the boy and the girl, and I'm probably better off not seeing just how much darker things get for them.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“I want to live.”

When a character responds this way, you can’t help get a feeling that the future doesn’t bode well for this person. The above response hints at how dark and depressing and desolate this book is.

Narrated from the point of view of two young children, the story shows a dystopian society where human life and humanitarian feelings aren’t of value anymore. The world is filled with death, devastation and disease. All these two children, who were left all alone in the world and have miraculously found each other, can do is ‘keep walking forward’ as far as the road takes them. But is any journey ever that smooth, more so in a dangerous political climate?

The storyline show more doesn’t proceed in a linear fashion but includes flashbacks and parallel tracks. In spite of this, it is quite easy to follow. Every arc except for one is equally sad.

"A world where no one gets hurt, where no one feels hatred, and where no one feels lonely… Can such a world exist?"

The manhwa is captivating to such an extent that once I began, I couldn’t keep it aside. Though the page count is quite high, many of the panels contain only illustrations and minimal dialogues. As such, you can complete the whole book in an hour or two, unless of course you keep pondering over the bleak bw sketches or the existential thoughts peppered randomly through the narrative.

I simply can’t rate this book. There are many things that horrified me, and many that moved me. It’s a book worth reading, but it is not going to leave you easily. It has a highly pessimistic rendering of humankind, and at the same time, you can’t help but feel that the foundation of this narrative, however stereotypical, is based on reality. It is utterly thought-provoking and utterly depressing.

If you want to try a haunting manhwa that will make you reflect on the purpose and the value of human life, please do try.

Not recommended for the faint-hearted. The word “graphic” is applicable to this novel in both its meanings.

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Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever!, for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun. show less

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“I want to live.”

When a character responds this way, you can’t help get a feeling that the future doesn’t bode well for this person. The above response hints at how dark and depressing and desolate this book is.

Narrated from the point of view of two young children, the story shows a dystopian society where human life and humanitarian feelings aren’t of value anymore. The world is filled with death, devastation and disease. All these two children, who were left all alone in the world and have miraculously found each other, can do is ‘keep walking forward’ as far as the road takes them. But is any journey ever that smooth, more so in a dangerous political climate?

The storyline show more doesn’t proceed in a linear fashion but includes flashbacks and parallel tracks. In spite of this, it is quite easy to follow. Every arc except for one is equally sad.

"A world where no one gets hurt, where no one feels hatred, and where no one feels lonely… Can such a world exist?"

The manhwa is captivating to such an extent that once I began, I couldn’t keep it aside. Though the page count is quite high, many of the panels contain only illustrations and minimal dialogues. As such, you can complete the whole book in an hour or two, unless of course you keep pondering over the bleak bw sketches or the existential thoughts peppered randomly through the narrative.

I simply can’t rate this book. There are many things that horrified me, and many that moved me. It’s a book worth reading, but it is not going to leave you easily. It has a highly pessimistic rendering of humankind, and at the same time, you can’t help but feel that the foundation of this narrative, however stereotypical, is based on reality. It is utterly thought-provoking and utterly depressing.

If you want to try a haunting manhwa that will make you reflect on the purpose and the value of human life, please do try.

Not recommended for the faint-hearted. The word “graphic” is applicable to this novel in both its meanings.

***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever!, for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun. show less

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/zQT0LBsMPNA

Enjoy!

Un mundo donde todo se ha perdido. Un chico y una chica, juntos y solos. Un destello de esperanza se atisba en el lejano horizonte. Todo lo que pueden hacer es seguir adelante. Sin embargo, rodeados de adultos corruptos y una devastadora desesperación... ¿Cuánto más van a poder seguir avanzando? Averígualo en esta conmovedora aventura de Jung Ji Hun, el aclamado autor coreano de ?The Boxer?.