Ahoy there mateys! The main characters of a bio-prosthetic surgeon and her personal AI are what captivated me about the book.  Saint Enita Malovis is one of the city's elite thanks to the sacrifices her family made when the city was founded in order to save humanity after the cataclysms.  She does not have to work but chooses to be a surgeon.  She has no children so she decides to create a body for her house's AI system, Nix, and train it to take over when she dies.  Cool right?

The set-up and history of how the city is structured was fascinating.  I loved Saint Enita and Nix's relationship.  I loved the body horror in how they grow prosthetics.  I also appreciated the body horror in Body Martyrs and how they donate organs to the elite in return for credits towards living expenses.  There is also a murder with interesting ramifications for why the city is failing.

I managed to get to 61% of this novel before I found it dragging.  The problem was that I was not interested in the newer characters and the revolution.  I also found that a lot of the world building and the politics did not always make sense and ended up being confusing once the setting extended outside of Saint Enita's home.

The ideas here were worth exploring but the novel didn't seem to have a strong focal point.  There was the AI portion of Nix exploring the world with a new body and then the sections about the poor and how they are exploited. But overall it became muddy in both plot and purpose.  However, what I did enjoy was evocative.  I am willing to try whatever the author writes next.  Arrrr!

really thought I would love this one. The premise and post-apocalyptic world 300 years in the future sounded so promising. But it just didn't some together in a satisfying way for me. Maybe what's left of humanity is surviving inside a walled city. Everything is controlled by artificial intelligence.

‘We Lived on the Horizon’ tells the story of a crumbling A.I.-run society through multiple POVs, including Parallax (the A.I. responsible for upholding the status quo); The Stacks (sentient library); Enita (a member of the elite “Sainted” class); House Saint Malovis (Enita’s “house system,” or the A.I. who manages every aspect of her life); Neren (a member of the working class who donates organs to the Sainted in exchange for “life hours”); and Davet (a human who holds some of Parallax’s consciousness, aka this world’s version of a cop).

I’m of two minds about this book. On one hand, the world is brilliantly detailed and the author is clearly talented. It’s immersive. The challenges the characters face are relatable despite how “in world” they are (for example, House Saint Malovis/Nix experiences a shift in consciousness from plural to singular; while Nix’s struggle is unique to this world, the themes of identity and trying to hold onto your true self are universal). On the other hand, there’s so much world to build that worldbuilding is where the book has to spend most of its time. The result is a book set in a thoughtful, well-crafted world that unfortunately is not very exciting to read.

I enjoyed this book for its characters and themes, but would find it difficult to recommend. But I also don’t want to give the impression that I didn’t like it. Instead of recommending or not recommending, I’m sharing my notes from the first few chapters. These initial impressions are pretty much the vibe for the whole book. If it sounds like your jam, check it out.

- This is good but it’s so much work
- So dense
- This is like starting a series 5 books in
- Literally this is book 5 and I never read books 1-4
- I always say I want the books I read to be smarter than me, but this book is so MUCH smarter than me that I feel stupid
- DID A ROBOT WRITE THIS

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read ‘We Lived on the Horizon’ in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

This might be reader error, but I had a hard time tracking what was going on in this book- especially at the beginning. I do think the author shows a lot of promise, but this read wasn't for me.

We lived on the horizon was an excellent read. I loved the writing and it was propulsive. Great character study. I would read more from this author.

Thank You Netgalley for an early arc of this book, We Lived on the Horizon. I liked this so much, I was so happy when it was one of Aardvark book choices. I had to grab it. Thank you Erika Swyler for writing this and I would highly recommend reading it. I rated this 5 stars.

This sci fi/dystopian is set on earth in a far-ish future, taking place all in a self-contained city with a complicated social structure where certain families descending from important figure in the founding of the city are known as Sainted and are essentially the rich and privileged of the society, while most people work very hard but can never escape their “life debts.” The murder of one of the Sainted sets in motion a story told from the perspective of a Sainted woman who is also a scientist who grows replacement body parts, the AI of her house which she has now transplanted into a humanoid body, one of the have- not people who donates her organs known as a body martyr, and more.

If you’re confused already, well so was I when I started this book which plunges you right into the mix of this complicated society and situation without really explaining anything! But after a slow and tough start, as I slowly figured out what was going on, I actually ended up getting pretty into it. It felt kind of like a cross between Kazuo Ishiguro and Margaret Atwood, with a dash of Adrian Tchaikovsky.

This book is DEFINITELY not going to be for everyone. There are some books I call sci fi for beginners, which are set in a world more like are own and anyone can enjoy regardless of how they feel about science fiction. Indeed, Erika Swyler’s book before this, The Light From Other Stars, is one of those. But this most definitely is not - if you’re not a sci fi fan, I’m sure the first paragraph of my review was already enough to scare you away. 😂 But if you are a sci fi fan, I think this one is worth checking out.

3.75 stars

Unfortunately I expected more from this book. It sounded intriguing, but lacked the action. It fell flat for me and I wanted more. I would say it’s a great inbetween read.

I also found it hard to keep track of what was going on. I do believe the premise was interesting, but there was more potential.

We Lived on the Horizon by Erika Swyler is a thought-provoking science fiction novel set in a dystopian future where a walled city is governed by a distant AI. The story delves into themes of body autonomy, utopia versus dystopia, and the future of technology. Readers have praised the book for its beautifully written narrative and complex character development, noting that it offers a fresh perspective on the genre. While some found the first portion of the book slow and challenging to follow, the novel's depth and exploration of societal issues make it a compelling read

It seems like the appropriate time for a dystopian novel depicting a future where our lives are run by almost sentient beings (are they? aren't they?) I think that if I were reading this at any other time, I would have balked at the idea that I could really care about what happens in a place almost completely run by AI. Now, I think this is the genius of Erika Swyler—she can pretty much convince me to love anything. Swyler's tale, like our not so distant future, is compelling and terrifying at once. The line between the haves and the have nots is stark—surgeons are able to "grow" organs while destitute others are coerced into donating their own—and stunning, but also, not so hard to imagine. Once again I was swept into a world I could not possibly have dreamt, and yet, Swyler's odd bunch of characters provoke my empathy, concern, and yes, maybe even love.

I personally enjoyed this and I would classify this squarely in science fiction. I am a librarian and I enjoyed the tension and conflict between humans and AI. I thought this story eloquently spoke about who is human and what a human acts like. I also felt this reminded me of Neil Shusterman’s novel Unwind when speaking about Body Martyrs - the discussion of who donates body parts and who receives them really delved into classism between the Saints and the workers of this society. It was wholly interesting to me as a librarian.

The future is a mystery that each of us see in a different manner, imagining a time when what we know today is no longer. In WE LIVED ON THE HORIZON, it seems the world has grown from a start that was just beyond our view. As we meet the characters, the story moves backwards in history to show how the world has evolved to this point. Then we strain our eyes....and a few brain cells.....to look beyond the what if of time ending. Stir in the ability to utilize AI while trying to save history and this book will make you think, and wonder.

In her acknowledgments, Erika Swyler names Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler, and Margaret Atwood as inspirations—a fitting tribute for We Lived on the Horizon. This dystopian science fiction novel stands tall among the works of its predecessors, using speculative fiction to wrestle with morality, ethics, and the ever-shifting dynamics between humanity and technology.

Set in Bulwark, a walled city governed by an AI system that enforces a strict economy of sacrifice and reward, the story follows Saint Enita Malovis. As a descendant of Bulwark's original founders, Enita enjoys the privileges of the elite Sainted class. Yet, she's long felt uneasy about her status and has dedicated her career as a bio-prosthetist to helping anyone who comes to her door, regardless of rank. Now aging and alone in her craft, Enita makes a radical choice: she creates a biological body for her personal AI, Nix, passing on her knowledge in a bold experiment to preserve her legacy. But Enita and Nix's situation is made more complex when they mistakenly perform surgery on an unwilling patient, and as Enita and Nix separately begin to suspect that changes are afoot in Bulwark's systems.

We Lived on the Horizon is both a richly layered character study and a profound exploration of class, purpose, and systemic control. Swyler grapples with weighty questions: How do we define usefulness within a larger system? Which is more necessary: purpose or usefulness? Who benefits from sacrifice, and who is sacrificed? These intellectual explorations are balanced by a cast of flawed yet deeply human characters who strive, stumble, and seek connection in a fractured world.

Readers who love Le Guin’s Hainish cycle or Butler’s Xenogenesis trilogy will find much to admire here. This is a thoughtful, provocative addition to the canon of dystopian literature, one that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

Erika Swyler is a good writer, but unfortunately, I had a hard time getting into the story. It was very confusing. I enjoyed reading her debut novel. The plot was boring and plotless. I just didn't enjoy anything about it.

I love Erika Swyler's writing style. She makes everything seem beautiful. But I kept stopping this book and I'd have trouble wanting to get back in. I don't really remember much about it just days after finishing it. The experience was enjoyable but in a kind of numbed way. It was like driving home on autopilot. It wasn't unenjoyable. It just was.

Interesting story for sure! I enjoyed it but can see how it’s not for everyone! Thank you NetGalley for early release!

This novel takes place in a walled city, run by a distant AI, that originally existed to protect its people from drought and other catastrophes, but has come to question its purpose. But that sounds like a vast and sweeping novel, and one of the things I really like about this book is that although the ideas are big, with enormous scale, they play out in the thoughts and relationships of a small group of people: elderly Saint Enita who builds replacement body parts but is facing her own body's decline; her friend and sometimes lover historian Saint Helen; Nix, the computer that runs Enita's house and cares for her who is now adapting to living inside a human state; Neren, the young woman who is brought to them for urgent medical care (which is itself a major challenge to her body autonomy), as well as Neren's lovers and childhood friends. This small group reaches across the many levels of the city, but they are also people living in connection to each other, and frequently getting it wrong.

The relationships between humans and machines are complicated in this novel (and that's setting aside the main character who is an AI, formerly a house system, who is evolving to live inside the limits of a nearly-human generated body, and not finding it a comfortable or easy adjustment). Places literally have intelligence and purpose, which means even the city itself can doubt its purpose and crave change (even catastrophic change). There's a complicated system of social debt that traps many people, but also a class of Sainted who are free of debt because of the past sacrifices of their ancestors who helped build the city, and Body Martyrs like Neren who willingly donate living parts of their bodies to keep the Sainted alive. There's a major revolution building, but the people in this novel still need to decide if they are going to eat and sleep, what the boundaries of their bodies and their lives should be, and what other people really need and what they owe them. There are plenty of big ideas, but we see them play out in individuals (characters I found myself caring deeply for, including the city archive the Stacks, the even more alien city itself, and the prickly Enita).

It was the characters who pulled me into this book, but I have found myself continuing to think about its ideas as well. It would be a great book for a book club--there's so much to talk about!--but it was also wonderful to fall into as a solo reader.

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my free earc in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are all my own.

Ahhhh this is rough because I liked so much of it but my goodness it was such a slow burn. I was so bored and uninterested in so much and it makes me sad.

In the walled city of Bulwark, the AI Parallax makes sure its citizens are safe and cared for through the use of smart houses and meritocratic reward. Over time, this life credit system has separated and stiffened into a distinct and unfair class divide. Saint Enita and Saint Helen both try to live up to their ancestors’ wealth—Helen as a historian and Enita as a prosthetic surgeon—rather than simply coast on their privilege. And then, one of the wealthiest Saints of the city is murdered and Enita does the impossible…she gives her house AI a human body, separating them from Parallax and kicking off a revolution.

There’s a lot going on in this book, and the execution is mixed in my opinion. Underneath the info dumps, stilted relationships, and vague world-building, there is an interesting story with flashes of gorgeous prose and insight. I found Enita and Helen flat and unlikeable, which was especially disappointing because we get so few books with older women protagonists. The body martyr’s attempts at autonomy and Nix’s pain of becoming themselves both kept me turning the pages despite this, though. I think this is a book that will find its audience over time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Erika Swyler’s We Lived on the Horizon is one of those books that quietly gets under your skin. It’s set in a future where humanity and AI are deeply intertwined, and the story focuses on Saint Enita Malovis, a bio-prosthetist living in the walled city of Bulwark. Enita creates a physical body for her house AI, Nix, hoping they’ll carry on her life’s work. But when a fellow Sainted is mysteriously murdered and the city’s overarching AI, Parallax, erases the records, Enita and Nix are thrown into a mystery that forces them to question everything they thought they knew about their world.

The character development in this book is amazing—especially Nix. Watching them grow from a disembodied AI to something so much more was easily my favorite part of the book. The relationship between Enita and Nix is layered and full of moments that really made me stop and think about what it means to be human (or not).

Swyler also does an incredible job of showing both sides of technological advancement. The world she builds is full of innovation and possibility, but there’s also a darker undercurrent that’s impossible to ignore. It felt balanced in a way that made the story hit harder.

As much as I loved being drawn into this world, the reason it’s not a 5-star read for me is that I struggled to picture some of the settings and scenes. With similar books, I’ve felt like I was standing right there with the characters, but here the world didn’t feel as vivid to me. That said, this is absolutely a story I’ll be thinking about for a long time, especially the themes and the way Nix’s journey unfolds.

If you’re into stories that explore the complexities of humanity, AI, and what the future might look like, I’d highly recommend picking this one up!