Horizon - M. and the Cosmopunxx
A story by Manfred Hörmann
First published in German 2023,
first published in English in 2024
Self-Published, 184 pages, Hardcover
Off to Mira Nunaat—a purple, maybe orange-purple shimmering planet. It’s a safe place, yet quite exotic. A haven for control freaks and, oddly enough, lambs. Luckily, there are the five Cosmopunxx, a little retro, pretty loud, and explosively spirited, perfect for Mira Nunaat.
On their adventure, they’re accompanied by the Stellarnauts Molxtrovi and Alhidesha, and...
THIS BOOK DOES NOT NEED HYPE!
It’s just a good story: Good characters (real, live human beings), sincerely imaginable Sci-Fi, road-movie elements, some down-to-Earth ethics, startling metaphors and solid rock n’ roll. Just read it!
Like Elke did:
Intense, realistic characters and a story peppered with reflections on life on Earth – sometimes blatant, sometimes metaphorical – but always with kindly humor. Horizon is a highly entertaining read. I fully recommend it!
And Nina did, too:
Manfred Hörmann successfully intertwines action-packed, literary entertainment with humorous, heartfelt critique of our society’s values and ethics. Horizon is an adventure from cover to cover, touching readers hearts and minds. Horizon is an invitation to reflect on our world. What are you waiting for?
Excerpts
Chapter 1 - Valley of Tears
This was M.’s favorite valley. He had dubbed it The Valley of Tears, to honor Solomon Burke’s song. I know that sounds a bit sentimental, but that’s M. for you. He’s a musician, you oughta know. That’s just how they’re built! He didn’t know the valley’s real name. The Kayados, Mira Nunaat’s inhabitants, tended to give their places meaningless names, more like coordinates than descriptions. Once, way, way back, Mira Nunaat used meaningful names, but those days were long gone. Romantic rubbish, they would call it today, if anyone still living knew what romantic rubbish meant.
Chapter 2 - Nora
Bug-eyed, Joe stared at the monitor’s programming window, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He’d done it! 30 seconds and no reaction. Where were they? Is it possible? They can’t see me? 60 seconds, still nothing. No beeps or blips on the alert channel. After five minutes, Joe was certain. I’m in! I did it! He had a powerful urge to run around Homebase screaming, his fists pumping the air. This was how Hans Krankl must have felt in ’78 when he shot the winning goal against Germany. Joe bet he felt even better
Chapter 11 - Star swap
M. sank to the riverbed, crossing the entire width underwater before surrendering to natural forces that slowly lifted him to surface. It was a mystical moment. The mist, the slanting sunlight, the enchanting, variegated colors of the small mixed woodland and the prominent, nearly round boulder on the opposite bank. The undercurrent carried him downstream. This was the Earth’s essence. With or without him, the river would flow. With or without him, the Earth would turn. He could shift the current’s flow for a short moment, swimming upstream if it brought him to his destination. But he could also simply drift and see where the river chose to deposit him on the land. It would not be his choice, not the destination he sought.
Chapter 13 - At the Hard Rock Cafe
Backlights, pale as a misty winter’s dawn, vaguely etched out the musician’s silhouettes. The audience was cloaked in darkness. The band waited for silence to fall. Eerie, soft, deep tones snaked through the stillness, followed by strings, tender as a butterfly’s wings. Joe broke in with clear, respiring piano chords. Each heavy, melancholy exhalation permeated space; time and gravity dissolved. The instruments merged and the music became a ponderous barge gliding through restless waters, gathering up the shipwrecked and taking them on a new journey.
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