Horizon (Blake's 7 fiction anthology)

Zine
Title:	Horizon
Publisher:	Horizon
Editor(s):	Pat Thomas (1-12), Jackie Ophir (13-22, perhaps 23?)
Date(s):	1980-2002
Series?:
Medium:	print zine
Size:
Genre:	gen
Fandom:	Blake's 7
Language:	English
External Links:	Horizon webarchive
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Horizon is a gen Blake's 7 fiction anthology with 23 issues. It is a digest-sized and published in England.

Sister Zines

• The Horizon Interviews
• Horizon Letterzine
• Horizon Newsletter

1983 Statements from the Editors

Printing Choices: Technology

As far as zines and stories go, there are a few points we would like to make. The first point concerns zine quality. As you know, with the exception of the newsletters and (so far) Oracle which have been professionally printed, all our zines are run off on a gestetner, with litho printed card covers. Obviously, gestetner quality cannot be compared to professional printing, but we do aim to print them as well as possible. We would love to be able to have all our future zines professionally printed, but alas it is very expensive to have things printed A4 size. For personal preference, the committee has avoided having zines professionally printed on A4 reduced to A5 size (although this would be afford- ! able) due to the fact that we find it hard to read (we are all short-sighted to a greater or lesser degree). HOWEVER, if it!s just us, and most of you out there that buy the things would PREFER A5 professionally printed zines, we would look into this more thoroughly. I know that many other clubs and magazines are resorting to this, so we would like you to let us know what YOU think. In the meantime, of course we are still hoping to get more things printed like Oracle on A4 - but it does take up a lot of our funds!

Printing Choices: RPF

...regarding characters in fan stories. It appears that some people are bringing the names of the actors/actresses into stories, rather than just the characters they portray. Whilst in most cases these are fairly harmless, Horizon will not be printing any such stories. In correspondence with Paul and Janet Darrow, they have particularly asked that stories only be written about 'Avon' and not about Paul and Janet themselves, and I think that this should really go for ALL the actors/actresses. After all, who are we to think we could write with authority on the personal lives of these people.

Reactions and Reviews

Unknown Date

This zine is consistent in its good stories, and lack of awful ones. I dunno, do the British understand B7 better or something? Put out by the Horizon club.

These are generally cheap, well-produced zines offering good value for money. There aren't many stories that stand out as classics to my mind, but neither are there too many complete duds, just nice solid writing in a variety of styles. The zines are edited, not simply published, and the layout is as good as is practical with the technology available at the time of printing. Early volumes of the fiction zines were originally printed in A4 format, but later printings are in the same digest format as the later volumes, often with new art. It's well worth trying a couple of volumes, as they're so cheap that you haven't wasted much money even if they turn out not to be to your taste.

1993

Horizon zines: are good and bad. Equal to the best in artwork/physical presentation although some Americans (Americans tend to use a whole tree for each zine) say they think the little Horizon zines rather poor value for money. I like the small size - it is cheap to post, easy to store, easy to carry around and anyway, it's the content that matters. I think raost Horizon stories ore of acceptable standard, a few are memorable, and another few are quite awful.

I think it's sad that Horizon won't issue B7 novels as single-story zines, as they are missing a whole dimension of B7 fiction. However good short stories may be in a multi-story zine, for me personally anecdotes don't compare with a major, complex novel - and the moment you chop a long story into bits to spread it across zines, you've diminished its impact in several ways (the only conceivable benefit being to people who don't like long stories?) I'm not au fait with Horizon's financial arrangements and perhaps they can't afford to take on B7 novels. Industrious American zine editors will promote and sell your novels widely over there. But you friends in the UK may never even hear about your novels unless you tell them or they've American contacts (because the Americans don't seem to publicise their zines much outside America). I'm being pressed continually by some American friends to send all my longer stories over there and really it does seem the only possibility for novels. Much British fiction is no longer in print.

(Jac [a Horizon editor]: We do print B7 'novels' occasionally - 'The Epic' and 'Strangers Among Us' are single-story zines. However, you're right about the consideration being financial - we really can't afford to risk printing single-story zines that might not sell. ('The Epic' and 'Strangers' were already established 'best-sellers' before we did the professional re-issue). In America, a) printing costs are a fraction of what they are here, and b) the market is vast, with huge 'zine-conventions' like Media West. So with a lower initial financial outlay and guaranteed sales, American editors are in a much better position than we are to take risks. That's why we tend to play it safe, and aim for mass appeal in the Horizon zines, with a mix of long and short, funny and serious, different seasons, PGP and Pre-WB stories. One last word on the subject of breaking down long stories and spreading them across different issues: It didn't hurt Charles Dickens!!)

1994

Some issues of Horizon are very good, but the later issues seem to be better as an overall rule. The best issues - as far as I'm concerned - are 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17.

Yes, there may be a fundamental difference in what kind of fiction we and you want. I think many of us here want something better than Horizon offer nowadays but not quite what you want. Horizon's stories will probably become even less emotional, more violent and adventure oriented now that we have a preponderance of male members over here. Horizon have to try and please everyone - the newsletter is becoming less attractive to me personally, rather more commercial and impersonal. Lengthy articles on model-making, many worthy but not particularly "exciting" technical articles, much briefer analyses (big on font styles, low on content), more cons, fan activities, committee member activities, bitty anomalies, knitting patterns. A APA is more fun. HOWEVER, the Horizon letterzine is excellent!

Issue 1

cover of issue #1

Horizon 1 was published in 1980 and contains 56 pages. The cover and single interior illo is by Deborah Eckman.

• Eclipse, fiction by Sharon Eckman (1)
• cartoon by Deborah Eckman (37)
• Just Another Day, fiction by Dorothy Davis (38)
• Goodnight, Mr. Vila! by Paul Mark Tamms (48)
• Sam's Story, fiction by C.S. Armitage (Citizen Smith crossover) (47)

• 

  from issue #1

• 

  from issue #1

Issue 2

cover of issue #2

Horizon 2 is undated. It has 83 pages long.

• Enter Prometheus, fiction by Ewan Haggerty (1)
• Of a Kind...., fiction by Christine Knowles (8)
• A Niche in Time, fiction by Helen West (real world crossover) (16)
• Later Than You Think, fiction by Eileen Duffield (26)
• Companionship, fiction by Heidi Dennis (29)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2

Original A4 edition) An early zine, and it shows it - the authors, and editors, haven't had the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others. The only art in the original edition is the Liberator on the front cover.

Enter Prometheus - Ewan Haggarty: I don't know whether it's supposed to be a parody or not... A number of technical flaws, not least the inability to walk the line between lush description and purple prose, or at least decide which side to stay on. The characterisations are badly off as well. However, it's an early fanfic look at one of the strengths of B7 - the villains see themselves as the good guys - and the writer shows promise.

Of a Kind... - Christine Knowles: A lovely piece of Travis h/c. Freedom City post-Gambit, and Travis is considering his options. They're a bit limited, given that his cybernetic arm doesn't work and his shoulder is infected (so technically AU post-Gambit). Then he meets someone who's willing to help... Excellent story, with a good original character whose motives are plausible rather than in the realms of Mary-Sue. I recommend this one to the members of FinalAct.

A Niche in Time - Helen West: Someone should have taken this author's thesaurus away . The very first sentence includes "jibed Vila", and there are another seven different dialogue attributions, including the delightful "interjected Jenna", before we get to someone who simply said something. That aside, it's a lightweight but entertaining look at Avon, Vila and Jenna coping with one of Orac's little pranks. They've been sent back in time to 1980, and get to spend the evening in a disco and then MacDonalds.

Later Than You Think - Eileen Duffield: Vignette in which Vila unknowingly meets a ghost.

Companionship - Heidi Dennis: There's a stowaway on Liberator. A stowaway with long red hair, violet eyes, long long legs that are barely covered by a skimpy skirt, high intelligence, and she's the daughter of the man who designed the Liberator. She can operate the ship better than the crew can, she can rescue them single-handed. Her name is Em Zephyr, but it should be Em Sue. That's Em for Mary, as in Mary Sue. I forced myself to read all 55 pages in the hope that things would improve. They didn't. Avoid.

In essence, one short story that demonstrates how a Mary Sue character can be handled well, one novella that demonstrates the opposite, and some so-so stories. Unfortunately the Mary Sue novella constitutes two thirds of the zine, and the only story worth buying the zine for is only eight pages long. Worth getting if you can pick it up cheaply second-hand.

Issue 3

Horizon 3 was published in 1983 (reprinted February 1987 and October 1996) and it is 83 pages long. It has a cover by Heather Lulham and contains no interior illustration.

cover issue #3, Heather Lulham: "The Last Planet"

• The Last Planet by Judith M. Seaman (1)
• Limericks by Heather Lulham (47)
• The Heinan Affair by Heidi Dennis (48)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 3

(1996 digest format reprint)

This one contains two novellas, and the digest reprint has been typeset and contains interior art. I know at least some of the art wasn't in the original A4 printing, as it was drawn in 1993, so presumably Horizon took the opportunity to add interior art when the early zines went through type-setting and layout for the new A5 digest editions. I'm glad they did, as there's some nice art in this one. My particular favourites are Whitby27's Avon on p54 and Richard Farrell's Tarrant on p74.

The Last Planet - Judith M Seaman: A Judith Seaman story that's safe for a Blake fan to read:-) Avon and Servalan are stranded on a desert planet, dependent on each other and the small rebel colony on the planet for their survival. Avon has been badly injured, and the emotional link he has with Servalan is one of the things keeping him alive. Avon's need for Servalan is one of the things keeping *her* alive. The set-up for this scenario is well-written, and the characterisation is excellent. Lovely uc A/Se relationship, lots of good Avon h/c with Servalan as the comforter. And at the end we have one of the major themes of Blake's 7 - trust, and the keeping or betrayal thereof.

The Heinan Affair - Heidi Dennis: S3 action-adventure McGuffin hunt, with Tarrant getting a good share of the limelight. I thought the ocf was more than a tad Mary-Sue, but I read this zine straight after Horizon 2, which contained a long, tedious, shameless Mary-Sue by the same author, so I may just have been more inclined to see M-S while reading this one.

I loved the Judith Seaman story, and thought the other novella readable. I'd recommend the zine.

Issue 4

cover of issue #4, Heather Lulham

Horizon 4 was published in 1983 and is 65 pages long.

• Oblivion, fiction by Judith M. Seaman (26 pages)
• cartoon (1 page)
• Destiny, fiction by J. Hawley (11 pages)
• Flashback, fiction by J. Hawley
• Child’s Play, fiction by Heidi Dennis (16 pages)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 4

No outstanding stories, but not a waste of money.

Oblivion - Judith M Seaman: Hmm. I want to like this story, I really do, but... It's set on the Liberator, with the third season crew. And yet it's set after Terminal. Not just a slip of the pen, but frequent mentions of Terminal, significant to the plot. While I have no intrinsic objection to AU stories that play fast and loose with the timeline, I prefer this to be stated up front unless there are good spoilerish reasons not to, and there aren't in this case. I found it very off-putting. Added to this, it's a third season version of Tarrant, one who's trying to take the ship away from Avon, and a particularly nasty one at that. I was getting a feeling of Tarrant being put down to make Avon look better in comparison. I don't think the Tarrant Nostra would like this one.

Other than that, it's an entertaining little story of the crew coming across a brutalised man who might or might not be Blake, and having to deal with the problems of identification while handling their own little problems of plague loose aboard the ship. I disliked the story, but those with different prejudices might enjoy it.

Destiny - J Hawley: Part 1 of the Dorian trilogy. This one provides a backstory for Dorian, and there are some nice concepts in the story. Unfortunately, the first half of the story is in flashback with a great deal of telling rather than showing, making it less interesting to read than it might have been, but it's worth perservering with.

Flashback - J Hawley: Part 2 of the Dorian trilogy. Soolin's backstory this time. Good suggestions about exactly how Soolin learnt her gunslinger skills from the man she intended to kill, and how she became involved with Dorian. The author's technical skills have improved with this one.

Child's Play - Heidi Dennis: The crew are stranded on a planet where the things they imagine can become real. The creature responsible is lonely, and doesn't want to let them go. It's a staple SF plot, but pleasantly done.

Average zine, but not a waste of money.

[review of issues #1-4]:"The old and dreadful zines I was reading were copies 1-4 of Horizon. I suppose they weren't that bad really, but I won't regret returning them, and I only bothered photocopying two stories for myself, and both of those had plot flaws. Later issues I should emphasise are MUCH better and even these had some passable stories. I notice that they haven't reprinted these really early ones, and I can see why. They are A4 size with no photo-reduction and would cost a bomb to post. I don't think Will would risk lending them out TransAtlantic. I could copy them for you, but it wouldn't be cheap, and you'd have to pay in pounds."

Issue 5

cover of issue #5, Heather Lulham and Kay Wallace

Horizon 5 was published in 1985 and has 82 pages.

• Epilogue, fiction by Helen Pitt (1)
• The Price of Knowledge, fiction by Jeannette Hawley (part 3 of the Dorian Trilogy) (13)
• Sentence, fiction by Judith M. Seaman (23)
• Brotherly Love, fiction by Heidi Dennis (38)
• Encore, fiction by Helen Pitt and Mary Moulden (62)
• Reprieved/Condemned, fiction by Wendy Ingle (76)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 5

(original A4 edition)

The stories are of variable quality, but as usual with Horizon zines, it's cheap enough not to matter much if you only like half the stories.

Epilogue - Helen Pitt: Avon and Anna demonstrate that using scraps of information about the future to cheat fate can bring about the very doom you were trying to evade. I liked the use of the time travel paradox, but the ending of the story is a clumsy attempt to push S4 Avon into revealing his hidden feelings for his fellow crew members.

The Price of Knowledge - Jeannette Hawley: Final part of the Dorian Trilogy. Pre-Rescue, Dorian and Soolin go looking for a former associate of Dorian's who has stolen confidential information, with Dorian having to conceal from Soolin exactly what the information is. Could use some polishing, but it's good to see a story about Dorian himself, rather than his interaction with the remnants of the Liberator crew.

Sentence - Judith M Seaman: The third season crew have a break on an uninhabited planet, and bring back an odd little ball. Then one by one the crew start experiencing hallucinations that knock them unconscious, and the race is on to reverse it. Well-written story, and a delightful bit of Avon characterisation at the end.

Brotherly Love - Heidi Dennis: Tarrant rescues the only survivor from a damaged ship, a pilot who turns out to be Deeta's ex-lover. Bluff and double-bluff ensue as Avon sees a chance for inside information on military freight carried in civilian ships - *if* the pilot isn't a planted spy. Still more Mary-Sue from this author, although more readable than the one in Volume 2.

Encore - Helen Pitt & Mary Moulden: The crew are brainwashed after Gauda Prime, turning them into good little citizens. Twenty years later a chance encounter at a double-booked conference centre results in them remembering who they were, with entertaining results. I was far too busy giggling to notice the logical flaws in the story the first time through. Lots of fun, and I loved the job Servalan had put Avon to work at.

Reprieved/Condemned - Wendy Ingle: Cally was in a deep coma after the explosions on Terminal, and after the departure of Scorpio she revives just enough to put out a telepathic call for help. Jenna has finally managed to locate the Liberator and caught up just in time to see it destroyed. Will she hear the call or not? An interesting variant on the theme of Cally's possible rescue from Terminal, but the ending falls a little flat.

Issue 6

front cover of issue #6, Valerie Leibson

back cover of issue #6, Harry Eckman

Horizon 6 was published in July 1984, reprinted in February 1989, and has 104 pages long.

The art is by Valerie Leibson (front cover), Chris Copp, John Humphries, Kay Wallace, and Harry Eckman (back cover).

• Footnote To History, fiction by Helen Pitt (1)
• Of a Hero, fiction by David G. Bell (18)
• Interval, fiction by Judith M. Seaman (real world crossover) (41)
• Inheritance, fiction by Mary Mouldeny (69)
• A Day by the Sea, fiction by Wendy Ingle (89)
• Stowaway, fiction by Margaret Scroggs (97)

• 

  from issue #6, signed "chick"

• 

  from issue #6, Chris Copp

• 

  from issue #6, John Humphries

• 

  from issue #6, Kay Wallace

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 6

[Inheritance]: I like it for its older, mellower vision of Avon (I'm sure Mary didn't mean it, but I picture him as long-haired and stubbly-chinned, a bit like Mel Gibson at the beginning of Thunderdome). The plot is reasonably sensible for this brand of space opera and it generally steers well clear of its potential pitfalls.

[zine]: Some excellent stories and nothing that was appallingly bad. I'd recommend this zine. There are several pieces of art and two cartoons - reasonable but nothing outstanding. My favourite was a pencil portrait by Kay Wallace, which is actually of Paul Darrow rather than Avon - it's taken from a publicity shot of the actor rather than the character, and it shows:-)

Footnote to history - Helen Pitt: Servalan is planning a double bluff with an operation that can enhance intelligence. The story is somewhat marred by plot holes and the occasional slip in characterisation and continuity with the series - I found these rather distracting, even though they're to be expected in a story written before videos of the series were widely available. Some interesting ideas, and the story's worth reading in spite of the flaws.

Of a hero - David G Bell: Cally has a series of dreams showing her that Avon's behaviour will lead him to indirectly cause her death and Zen's, and to murder Blake. Are the dreams genuine premonitions, and even if they are, can she prevent them coming true without having to kill Avon? I'm not entirely convinced by how readily some of the crew turn against Avon, but this story takes a nicely hard-edged look at the dilemma of prophecy.

Interval - Judith M Seaman: Thoroughly entertaining story in which the third season crew attempt to escape the clutches of an enemy even more deadly than the Federation - the BBC in pursuit of a fourth series. One of the best Real World/Federation crossovers I've seen.

Inheritance - Mary Moulden: 20 years after Gauda Prime, President Servalan is dying. Her last wish - to see Avon die before she does. Her daughter promises to fulfil that wish. Wonderfully written story, with both an action/adventure strand and a good exploration of character interaction.

A Day by the Sea - Wendy Ingle: Soolin and Vila explore a concealed area of Xenon base, and end up getting washed out to sea. Nothing much happens in the story, but it's competently written.

Stowaway - Margaret Scroggs: Fourth series Vila rescues a runaway orphan. Avon finds the orphan a safe place to stay, but as always his motives are mixed. Reasonable but nothing special. Notable for the author having remembered that the Scorpio had no separate living quarters when the crew first took over, and specifically mentioning that they have since installed crew quarters in one of the cargo holds. I've seen far too many stories by authors who thought the Scorpio was as big as the Liberator...

Issue 7

Horizon 7 was published in 1985 and is 94 pages long.

front cover issue #7, Valerie Leibson

back cover of issue #7, Janette Harris

The art is by Valerie Leibson (front cover), Wendy Ingle, and Janette Harris (back cover).

• Possible Futures - Part 1 by Ros Williams (1)
• Of a Heroine by Ann Godfrey (71)
• Time's Waste by Felicity Millerd (73)
• Alone and Silent by Kathryn Cutmore (84)

• 

  from issue #7, Wendy Ingle

• 

  from issue #7, Valerie Leibson

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 7

The main tale of this zine, 'Possible Futures' by Ros Williams (who?) is a direct follow or from 'Blake'. In fact it begins several minutes after that apparently fatal shoot-out. Once we have discovered who has actually survived we are led to various locations on various adventures until one way or another the 'survivors' meet up and rescue yet another but far more surprising 'survivor1. The story moves along at a steady and never boring pace, is well written and certainly nearer the mark than 'Afterlife' (although what couldn't be?) I would point out that Ros has devised a rather interesting way of decimating the Federation in 'P.F.' - unlike a certain other author. I eagerly look forward to the following part. (Ed: which appears in Horizon 8).

'Of a Heroine' is a follow on from 'Of a Hero' (Horizon 6 - and different author), and not really my cup of tea, but neither was 'Of A Hero'. 'Time's Waste' set after Gauda Prime concerning Vila's life thereafter, is well written and amusing in parts. 'Along & Silent' concerns the kidnapping of Avon's consciousness by some Aliens, and is a good tale, if not a particularly original one.

Generally this zine is a good one, and certainly value for money at 96 pages.

70 of the 94 pages are taken up by part 1 of a story by an author whose work I generally don't like. I know that others do like her work, so whether this zine is worth the money depends on which stories you're likely to enjoy.

Art - portraits of Blake, Avon, Vila and Servalan, and an ASCII image of Cally. All reasonable, nothing outstanding.

Possible Futures Part 1 - Ros Williams: I'm sorry, but I can't face reading this one at the moment. There are 70 pages in part 1 and 44 pages in Part 2 (in volume 8), and I know by now that there's a high probability that I will regret having spent the time reading anything by this author... Those who do like her style will just have to assess the story for themselves.

Of a Heroine - Anne Godfrey: Riposte to "Of a Hero" in the previous volume. In an AU series 4, Cally discovers that escaping one fate may lead you into a worse. Short, nasty and well-written. I just wish that the usually good editing had caught the misuse of its/it's.

Time's Waste - Felicity Millerd: Monologue from Vila about how he survived Gauda Prime, what he's spent the last year doing, and what he's going to do next. Excellent Vila voice, and a lovely description of the relationship between Avon and Vila.

Alone and Silent - Kathryn Cutmore: The crew of an alien spaceship are desperate for assistance in repairing their computers, and abduct Avon. Except that they only abduct his mind. While they don't mean any harm, and return Avon when he's finished the job, the total isolation he experiences is difficult to deal with. His experiences make it easier for him to understand what Cally is going through with a non-telepath crew.

Nice concept, but one gaping plothole - the aliens abduct Avon because the failure of their control systems has left them in non-corporeal form, so they can't fix it themselves. But if only Avon's mind has been taken, surely he's going to have the same problem? Aside from that, I enjoyed the story.

Issue 8

cover of issue #8, Jo Blackie

Horizon 8 was published in March 1986. It has a cover by Jo Blackie.

This issue of Horizon was duplicated without permission as the zine Omnibus #1.

The author's introduction to "Deja Vu":

This piece started off life as a continuation of a private bit of writing, which (apologies to pedantic Blake's 7 fans) collected together not just the characters from B7 but from other shows, and from fantasy literature and history (ie a confrontation between Rasputin, Dr. Who and Dracula). I allowed another club newsletter to print the parts leading up to it that related mainly to B7 after modifying it a bit and it seems a shame for this part to go to waste. By the way, for the record my name's not Judith Seaman, I'm a desperate spinster of a very definite age, and I agree with her that Blake is dispensable. There are minorities in every camp.

• Life-Watch by Pamela Wright (1)
• Possible Futures by Ros Williams (13)
• Seeds of Legend by Judith Seaman (65)
• Deja Vu by Val Leibson (multifandom crossover) (91)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 8

[Seeds of Legend]: Judith Seaman's (why is B7 fandom is full of Judiths?) Seeds of Legend is a straight, no-frills adventure. I like the limited scale of the action: a small blow struck for freedom without altering the fate of millions, an accurate reflection of the painstaking piecemeal way in which real-life progress is made.

[Life-Watch]: I include this one [on my list of favorites] because when I twigged what was going on I groaned and then came out the other end pleasantly surprised. It treads a very fine line between emotion and sentiment and never once goes right over the edge. Rather than wallow in details it lets its depth of feeling steadily accumulate through what is actually a rather fast-moving story.

[Deja Vu]: Val Leibson's Deja Vu was totally unrestrained, and brilliant with it.

Issue 1 + 8

front cover of issue #1-8

back cover of issue #1-8

Horizon 1+ 8 is digest sized and has 128 pages, was published in July 1990 and is a combination of issues #1 and #8 minus two stories. Cover by Fliss Davies. Interior art by Fliss Davies, Kevin Davies, Tim Pieraccini, and Jo Jobson.

The two stories that were not reprinted were from issue #1 and called "Goodnight, Mr. Vila!" and "Sam's Story."

• Eclipse by Sharon Eckman (2)
• Life-Watch by Pamela Wright (38)
• Deja Vu by Val Leibson (multiple crossover) (49)
• Possible Futures, part two by Ros Williams (56)
• Just Another Day by Dorothy Davis (100)
• Seeds of Legend by Judith Seaman (107)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1 + 8

[Seeds of Legend]: Judith Seaman's (why is B7 fandom is full of Judiths?) Seeds of Legend is a straight, no-frills adventure. I like the limited scale of the action: a small blow struck for freedom without altering the fate of millions, an accurate reflection of the painstaking piecemeal way in which real-life progress is made.

[Life-Watch]: I include this one [on my list of favorites] because when I twigged what was going on I groaned and then came out the other end pleasantly surprised. It treads a very fine line between emotion and sentiment and never once goes right over the edge. Rather than wallow in details it lets its depth of feeling steadily accumulate through what is actually a rather fast-moving story.

[zine]:

Horizon 1+8

(July 1990 combined reprint, A5)

This is a combined reprint of volumes 1 and 8. However, there are only 6 stories in this reprint, and the zine database listings for the original zines indicate 4 in volume 1 and 4 in volume 8. The missing stories are listed as follows in the zine database entry for Volume 1:

Paul Mark Tamms, "Goodnight, Mr. Vila!" (S2; V)

C. S. Armitage, "Sam's Story" (S2; Citizen Smith crossover; humor): The combined reprint also has new artwork. There's a lot of art in this volume, ranging from average to very nice indeed. I'm particularly taken with Fliss Davies' portrait of Avon on page 128, and not just because it appears to be based on one of the publicity stills from Aftermath where he's wearing that black silk shirt with the open neck.

I didn't like everything in this zine, but thought it worthwhile overall.

Eclipse - Sharon Eckman: I didn't like this to begin with - the characterisation seemed off to me. There turned out to be a good in-story reason for this... Aliens are manipulating the human crew of _Liberator_ as part of a psychology study. They are eventually driven off, but not without leaving damage behind them. For me this one fell into the category "has potential and I'd like to read this author when she's more experienced". In fact, I _have_ seen later work by this author, and thoroughly enjoyed it. This one's worth reading but not worth chasing after.

Life-Watch - Pamela Wright: After Deathwatch, there's one last thing Del Tarrant can do for Deeta - pretend to be Deeta for the day or two before Deeta's wife gives birth. Tender h/c story, well written. I liked this one a lot. Highly recommended for the Tarrant Nostra in particular.

Deja Vu - Val Leibson: A piece of silliness in which Avon and Vila get sucked into the brain of Marvin the Paranoid Android, and Avon relives his past. Whether it's funny depends very much on personal taste, but it's only five pages of text, plus two pages with a couple of decent cartoons, so it doesn't take up much space.

Possible Futures Part 2 - Ros Williams: I'm sorry, but I can't face reading this one at the moment. There are 70 pages in part 1 (in Horizon 7) and 44 pages (in Part 2), and I know by now that there's a high probability that I will regret having spent the time reading anything by this author... Those who do like her style will just have to assess the story for themselves.

Just Another Day - Dorothy Davies: Short story from the viewpoint of one of the people Blake helps. A young woman in a rebel group has been disfigured during a raid, and Blake offers her plastic surgery. Sweet without being overly sentimental, and a nice look at how Blake and his crew look to other people.

Seeds of Legend - Judith M Seaman: The third season crew is looking for a defunct Federation supply base in the hope that it will still have useful supplies to raid. Avon tries logic to work out where the camouflaged base must be, Tarrant tries going down to the planet to talk to the locals, with varying degrees of success. This being a Judith Seaman story, it's Avon who has the greater degree of success. Being a third season story, it's safe for Blake fans to read. I enjoyed this one.

Issue 9

front cover of issue #9, Tim Pieraccini

back cover of issue #9, Tim Pieraccini

Horizon 9 was published in 1986 and is 96 pages long.

The art is by Tim Pieraccini (both covers), Kevin Davies, Jo Jobson, Fliss Davies, Nikki, and Val Leibson.

• Captivity by Mary Moulden (1)
• Flight to Destiny by Margaret Scroggs (19)
• A Place in the Country by Ruth Balmer (31)
• Terminal — An Epilogue by Lee Steadman (51)
• The Rain Land by Felicity Millerd (56)

• 

  from issue #9, Nikki

• 

  from issue #9, Tim Pieraccini

• 

  from issue #9, Jo Jobson

• 

  from issue #9, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #9, Jo Jobson, illo from "Flight to Destiny" "#Jenna is the only reason Blake lived past the second or third epsiode#would have been a damned short rebellion without her support#she deserved better"

• 

  from issue #9, by Tim Pieraccini. "It’s a damn good Vila drawing. Kudos."

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 9

"Captivity" by Mary Moulden-Good stuff! Intriguing bit about Anna and Grant. The illo at the end is really good (Kevin Davies). "Flight To Destiny" by Margaret Scroggs - Fair, decent stuff. I don't think it could have happened that way, quite (what about Epheron and all that?), but it was a fair way of bringing it all together. "A Place in the Country" by Ruth Balmer - Looking at my notes, I gather I disagreed with the character analysis, but found the middle interesting.

The Servalan on page 50 is good. "Terminal - An Epilogue" by Lee Steadman - With a title like that, I don't have much hope for it. OK-oops! Dying declarations aren't in character-but then again, what would they say? People die too quickly on TV. My favourite version of this scenario is still my favourite ("Reasons" by Ana Dorfstad, in Enarrare 5). "The Rain Land" by Felicity Millerd- Aha! I recognise this name! (She wrote "A Human Face" which appeared in Chronicles 19). which I adored!) Goody! Great start! A post-'Blake' story; which we didn't discover until page 3! That's different! No rescue then. Intriguing, yet another version of Avon's brother. This is great-moral debate! Definitely good. The best thing in this zine.

One thing I do find frustrating about Horizon is that the author's name only appears in the table of contents, not with the actual story, it seems rather an odd practice. Why do you do it? (Ed... I guess it hadn't occurred to me to do otherwise - it's on the contents page. Perhaps in the future...)

(2nd print run, 1988)

A5 zine, 96 pages, card cover. Physically well produced, although the print is photo-reduced and those with reading glasses will need to use them. Nice artwork by a variety of artists, and reproduction on most of the art is good.

Captivity - Mary Moulden: S3 action-adventure, with Cally captured by the Federation; Avon and Tarrant deciding that they need specialist skills to rescue her, and trying to retrieve Del Grant from a prison planet; and Dayna and Vila trying to keep the Liberator intact long enough for them to do so. Nothing outstanding, but a good solid story, and a believable reason for bringing back a favourite guest character.

Flight to Destiny - Margaret Scroggs: A version of what happened to Blake and Jenna after they abandoned ship during the battle at Star One. Believable original characters and a plausible story, although it conflicts with Zen's report that he has heard from Blake after the battle.

A Place in the Country - Ruth Balmer: S3 Avon decides that he wants to retire from rebelling. He eventually finds that retirement is boring, and the others find that they can't manage without him. I don't actually find either aspect all that plausible - there's a touch of Avon Ubermensch about this story, and the story isn't entertaining enough to carry it. However, the story's readable.

Terminal - An Epilogue - Lee Steadman: Oh no, it's another Avon finds Cally's not-quite-dead body... Actually, this one's not bad, and it's short (5 pages), so even if you can't bear to ever read another Avon-finds-Cally's-body, it doesn't take up much of the zine.

The Rain Land - Felicity Millerd: PGP novella, with Vila just trying to stay alive, in the company of an Avon whose attitude to staying alive is somewhat variable. The main plot point, that they encounter Avon's brother by chance, and find shelter with him, required some suspension of disbelief on my part. I liked the story, but it may not be to everyone's taste.

Overall, there are some good stories in this zine and no outright duds, plus several excellent pieces of art. Recommended.

Issue 10

Horizon 10 was published in April 1987 and 94 pages.

front cover issue #10, Tim Pieraccini

back cover of issue #10, Tim Pieraccini

The art is by Tim Pieraccini (both covers), Fliss Davies, Valerie Leibson, Rory Hull, David Nicol, and Kevin Davies.

• The Power and the Glory by Helen Pitt (1)
• Afterdeath - The Authentic Alternative P.G.P. by Ros Williams (49)
• The Cowards Way by Kathryn Cutmore (71)
• Night-Watching by Wendy Ingle (91)
• Recognition by Fliss Davies (93)

• 

  from issue #10, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #10, Valerie Leibson

• 

  from issue #10, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #10, Rory Hull

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 10

See reactions and reviews for Afterdeath.

[The Power and the Glory]: I like the way Helen Pitt's The Power and the Glory paints a very vivid picture of the planet Paorl: I don't agree with the story's assessment of Blake's aims, but the politics are at a far higher level than Servalan's Cunning Plan which belongs more to Blackadder than Blake's Seven. It's not a perfect story, having several irritating features, but its strengths pull it above its drawbacks.

[zine]: "The Power and the Glory" by Helen Pitt - (Frown.) Is this an acceptable Cally? Well, someone has to say it? I don't like this. It is too over the edge. Even Travis is caricatured. It was an interesting look at Gan (who is noticed all too rarely!), but as a whole, well, I didn't like the characterisations...Sterr's disease was a good idea. "Afterdeath - the 'Authentic' Alternative P.G.P." by Ros Williams- You can tell by the title this is going to be a light satire. And it is. I guess Afterlife is so bad it isn't even really worth satirising - was it really that bad? I guess it was. I forget what happened in it - it was so forgettable. (I think there was actually one good line in the entire novel; something Avon said to Vila.) (Surprisingly, I actually have read a PGP worse than Afterlife! I won't say what it was, though!) "The Coward's Way" by Kathryn Cutmore - OK, nice to have Vila a hero for once! "Night-Watching" by Wendy Ingle - too short; better to put it as part of a longer story, as a change of pace and a good bit of thought. "Recognition" by Fliss Davies - Very short, too. I don't get it; or if I do, I don't like what I'm supposed to get. You can't persuade me that Avon wanted to...I don't get it. The art is OK - good.

[zine]: As usual with later Horizon zines, some nice artwork, although nothing outstanding enough to be worth buying the zine for if none of the stories appeal. I utterly loathed one of the stories in this volume, and unfortunately it's the longest one, fully half the page count. Another long story isn't really enjoyable if you're not familiar with the material being parodied. The remaining stories are good, but only about a quarter of the page count in total, and I don't think any are "must haves".

The Power and the Glory - Helen Pitt: Blake-bashing *and* Travis-bashing in one story... If you think that Blake is a crazed fanatic who is intent on ruling the Federation, regardless of the cost to others, you may well enjoy this story. If you think that Travis is a swaggering braggart who revels in being evil, you may well enjoy this story. All I can say is that the author clearly watched a completely different series to the one I saw. A good author can convince me that Blake is corruptible, but this author isn't good enough. She certainly can't convince me that Blake was corrupt from the start by simply repeating this over and over in the narrator's voice. I finished it for the purpose of reviewing the zine. I won't be reading it again. It's badly-written rubbish. Unfortunately it's also half of the zine page count.

Afterdeath - the 'authentic' alternative PGP - Ros Williams: Something tells me that Ros Williams wasn't impressed with _Afterlife_... I abandoned the story when it moved from an alternative version of _Blake_ to taking the piss out of _Afterlife_, since it's not all that funny when you haven't read past the first few pages of that being parodied. I suspect that those more familiar with the original novel will enjoy this.

The Coward's Way - Kathryn Cutmore: A third series McGuffin hunt results in Avon being captured. Vila volunteers to rescue him. Competently written A-V, with nice characterisation for Avon and Vila. It does short-change Tarrant somewhat, suggesting that he'd leave Avon behind. For all Tarrant's faults, that's one thing that I think the boy can't be accused of. Other than that, I enjoyed this story.

Night-watching - Wendy Ingle: Vignette with Cally waiting for her turn on night watch as she, Avon and Vila wait for the Liberator to make pick-up. Short and effective.

Recognition - Fliss Davies: Vignette with Avon and Tarrant meeting a man who may or may not be Blake. I didn't find it convincing, but those with different tastes may like it better.

Issue 11

front cover #11, Tim Pieraccini

back cover of #11, Tim Pieraccini

Horizon 11 was published in January 1988 and is 114 pages long.

From an ad in Horizon Newsletter #19:

HORIZON 11 will include: 'For Jenna' by M. Scroggs - Blake seeks to avenge Jenna's death; 'Never Say Die' by Lee Steadman - what happened to Servalan between 'Terminal' and 'Traitor'; 'Visiting Hours' by Faye Bull - Avon and Vila have a visit from the President of the Federation.,. Blake! - (a humorous tale!); 'Till Armageddon' by Judith Seaman - Deva reflects on his mooting with Blake, and the direction his life is taking; 'Deja Vu' by N. Cheeseman - Avon, Vila and Servalan revisit Terminal... and Cally's grave; 'In the Wake of Ruin' by Linda Willard - Horizon once said we'd had enough PGP (post Gauda Prime) stories to last a lifetime, but this one is so brilliant we've made an exception. Avon and Vila are still alive, but Avon has been captured by Servalan. What can Vila do? (Eat your heart out, Tony Attwood!!); and a little seasonal flavouring from Judith Seaman - 'All the Days of Christmas'. Set in early Series 2, this story is impossible to describe, really. Judith says she "Can't really write humour. CAN Judith write humour? Is the Pope Catholic? One of the funniest things I've ever read -AND it has a serious ending... these and a couple of other tales not yet decided upon will be in HORIZON 11.

The art is by Tim Pieraccini (front and back cover), Fliss Davies, Harry Eckman, Jo Jobson, and Rory Hull.

• In The Wake of Ruin by L.S. Willard (reprinted in Southern Seven #10) (1)
• All The Days of Christmas by Judith M. Seaman (17)
• Deja-Vu by Nick Cheeseman (40)
• For Jenna by Margaret Scroggs (44)
• The Infection by Jill Grundfest (59)
• Never Say Die by Lee Steadman (65)
• The Final Fear by Barbara Lefler Jackson (89)
• Visiting Hours by Faye Bull (97)
• Till Armageddon by Judith M. Seaman (101)
• My Late Lamented Friend by Fliss Davies (109)

• 

  from issue #11, Jo Jobson

• 

  from issue #11, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #11, Tim Pieraccini

• 

  from issue #11, Jo Jobson

• 

  from issue #11, Jo Jobson

• 

  from issue #11, Rory Hull

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 11

See reactions and reviews for the story For Jenna

See reactions and reviews for In the Wake of Ruin

See reactions and reviews for All the Days of Christmas

[My Late Lamented Friend]: [It] was more restrained [than "All the Days of Christmas"], but conjured up some wonderful images.

[zine]: I really enjoyed HORIZON 11, I prefer short stories anyway, and some of these were really brilliant. Particular favourites were Faye Bull's "Visiting Hours." "Never Say Die" by Lee Steadman, and "For Jenna" by Margaret Scroggs. I also enjoyed Judith Seaman's "All the Days of Christmas," which had me laughing out loud in places... but wasn't keen on her other one, "Till Armageddon," I didn't recognize the characters in it.

[zine]: I'll keep this really brief and to the point: excellent production quality - I loved the colour of the cover (it clashes beautifully with Horizon 9 & 10!). Nice mix of fiction, both serious and hilarious. Linda Millard's "In the Wake of Ruin" gives a refreshingly different angle on the events on GP, and "The 12 Days of Christmas" is an absolute delight, as is "The Infection". Horizon 11 is highly enjoyable and a good read, although I noticed that 6 out of 10 of the stories or events leading up to, or after 'Blake', and that the humorous tales were based in the first or second series. Clearly the fourth series is no laughing matter...

[zine]:

"Horizon 11 in detail.

• "In the Wake of Ruin" A superb PGP (post Gauda Prime) story by Linda Willard
• "All the Days of Christmas" by Judith Seaman, it all starts when Blake finds a pear tree growing in his cabin - guaranteed to have you in stitches
• "Visiting Hours" - Alternative universe story, Avon and Vila are in jail,and guess who's coming to see them?
• "My late lamented friend" Alternative universe story, Avon gets killed and comes back as a ghost to haunt Blake and make snide comments - very amusing

There's a half a dozen stories other as well, but the above are well worth the cost on their own."

[zine]: "In the Wake of Ruin" by Linda S.Willard. Fair, decent stuff. Interesting. Fine. That's good. "All the Days of Christmas" by Judith M. Seaman. Amusing. Quite amusing. Yep, that's good. Ah, of course, it was by Judith M. Seaman; what else could one expect? "Deja-Vu" by Nick Cheesman. Hm mm...interesting. Unusual usual stuff? Short, golly, they're all so short. But this one has more short stories this time. "For Jenna" by Margaret Scroggs. Looking fine, ah, an interesting way to make Blake a bounty hunter. Good. "The Infection" by Jill Grundfest. Fun! (Haven't I seen her in US zincs?) (Ed... yes!) "Never Say Die" by Lee Steadman. I haven't read a what-happened-to-Servalan-after-Terminal story before. Good - it ties it all together. "The Final Fear" by Barbara Leflar Jackson. Well. A lot of bring-back-Cally-even-if-she-has-to-be-a-ghost-to-do-it story. Let it be. "Visiting Hours" by Faye Bull. Not quite. hu? What's this? Oh. Maybe? (I gather I didn't quite understand/accept this story.) 'Till Armageddon" by Judith M. Seaman. Excellent, of course. "My Late Lamented Friend" by Fliss Davies. Alternative universe. Pretty good. (Smile.)

Issue 12

front cover of issue #12, Tim Pieraccini

back cover of issue #12, Fliss Davies

Horizon 12 was published in October 1988 and has 114 pages.

The art is by Tim Pieraccini (front cover and interior), Fliss Davies (back cover and interior), Kevin Davies, and Rory Hull.

• Fingers in My Mind by Sarah Berry (1)
• Faileth Now Even Dream by Judith Seaman (17)
• Midnight Blue by Fliss Davies (29)
• Fruits of the Moon Tree by Judith Seaman (31)
• Dimples and Hairpiece by Wendy Ingle (Dempsey and Makepeace crossover) (97)
• Orbit -- An Alternative Ending by Sue Christian (102)
• Acceptance by Kathryn Cutmore (108)
• I'm Bored! by Sue Christian (109)
• Editorial (113)
• Bootlegs (editorial about The 1988 Blake's 7 Bootlegged Zines Discussion) (114)

• 

  from issue #12, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #12, Tim Pieraccini

• 

  from issue #12, Tim Pieraccini

• 

  from issue #12, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #12, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #12, Tim Pieraccini

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 12

[Dimples and Hairpiece]: [It] had me creasing up, which says a lot since I've never watched so much as a minute of Dempsey and Makepeace

[zine]:

Finally I find time to finish this. "Fingers in my Mind" - Felt it was too bitty at first, probably a good idea, but not adequately developed. It's a bit like a truncated episode guide from Cally's viewpoint. However, taken as a whole it was an interesting and enjoyable story. P8: Avon THINKING? Come off it, Rambo doesn't think, he acts instinctively! P16: I don't think Avon would kill Blake for such an irrational reason! The story got better and better as it went along.

"Faileth Now Even Dream" - Both Judith's stories in this zine seemed unusually emotional for her. Does this one imply a homosexual passion? Well, well... Otherwise good.

"Midnight Blue" - Blake asleep on watch? Tut tut...Otherwise OK.

"Fruits of the Moon Tree" - Poor old Blake, he's Avon's underdog again. Blake irrational, tentative, nervous, frantic for Avon's approval. Judith's usual view of Blake isn't how I see the man, of course, so this starts at a disadvantage. P61: I think Vila would appreciate beauty. Avon wouldn't. Why does Blake suddenly become so suspicious of Avon? This isn't apparent in the TV series and isn't explained here. Why is Blake so jittery - not like him at all. Why is Avon demanding reports from Zen during Blake's watch- is Avon pretending to be in charge, or something? But Blake was always the boss on that ship until he disappeared. P64: I find this scene between Blake and Avon out of character for both of them. Blake has become a nervous twerp and Avon is apparently God! Sorry, I can't accept that. If anyone's God, it's neither of them...P70: I came to the conclusion that this hitherto fairly serious story was actually a spoof. I felt perhaps Judith couldn't make up her mind which it was either? By P79 I was definitely anti, not so much because of the idea of Vila's' infatuation' - given the explanations earlier, one could understand why - but the rather crude way in which Vila's feelings and actions arc described. By p91 was totally disbelieving. Is it a farce or isn't it? I guess I need to know!

The alternative Orbit tale - very good, but is there time, for all this? "Acceptance" - Very depressing. "I'm Bored" - Very amusing.

To sum up, I suppose I'd say it's a reasonable zine - not the best, not the worst. Perhaps Judith's second tale was overlong for the rather slight content of the plot. More powerful development of the emotional matters might have made it more interesting to me personally than the unconvincing confrontations between Blake and Avon since neither seemed to have the right character. I suspect it's a matter of personal interest. Since I can't agree Judith's view of Blake and Avon I find the scenes between them rather boring. No doubt she feels the same when reading - if she does - stories depicting Blake as tough and forceful and Avon as remote and evasive!

Issue 13

front cover of issue #13, Fliss Davies

back cover of issue #13, Tim Pieraccini

from issue #13, art by Fliss Davies for "Teddy, the Bear Truth." A fan in 2016 said: "Servalan with a teddy bear. Servalan. With a teddy bear. The picture alone is weird; the story it goes with is outright bizzare. A teddy bear narrates his life story, which starts when little Kerr Avon is given him as a present, and continues through Gauda Prime. My brain breaks every time I try to read it... #Blake's 7#Servalan#Horizon 13#vintage fanzines#I've read some weird fic in my time#but I think this one deserves some sort of award

Horizon 13 was published in June 1989 and has 116 pages.

The zine is online here.

• Revenge Is Sweet, fiction by Helen Parkinson (1)
• A Promise to Keep, fiction by Fliss Davies (5)
• Fools' Trust, fiction by Ros Williams (7)
• Making the Grade, fiction by Sue Christian (82)
• Shadow of Death, fiction by Sophia R. Mulvey (86)
• Deep Into Darkness Peering, fiction by Helen Parkinson (92)
• Teddy—The Bear Truth, fiction by Priscilla Futcher (102)

• 

  from issue #13, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #13, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #13, Tim Pieraccini

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 13

[Fool's Trust]: One of the first pieces of fan fiction I ever read and still one of my favourites. It's an alternative universe story that relates just exactly what I thought would happen if Blake ever won his fight against the Federation.

Issue 14

Horizon 14 was published in March 1990 and has 100 pages. A single sheet "extra page" is included which reads at the top: "The following text, which was accidentally deleted at the typesetting stage, should replace that which appears on page 29. We apologise to our readers". Indeed, the text on page 29 does not belong in this story or at least on that page.

front cover of issue #14, Fliss Davies

back cover of issue #14, Fliss Davies

The art is by Fliss Davies (front and back cover, interior), Marianne Plumridge, Kathryn Andersen, Jo Jobson, and Tim Pieraccini.

• Conflict by Kevin Davies (1)
• On the 5th Day by Helen Parkinson (8)
• Heavy by Val Leibson (12)
• There Was a Time When ... by Robin F. Atkins (16)
• Anselm by Margaret Scroggs (79)
• A Malign Influence by Helen Parkinson (92)
• Rehearsal by Jackie Ophir (98)
• Against My Ruins by Gill Marsden (99)

• 

  from issue #14, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #14, Marianne Plumridge

• 

  from issue #14, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #14, Marianne Plumridge

• 

  from issue #14, Jo Jobson

• 

  from issue #14, Kathryn Andersen

• 

  from issue #14, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #14, Marianne Plumridge

Issue 15

Horizon 15 was published in August 1991 and has 112 pages.

front cover issue #15, Fliss Davies

back cover of issue #15, Fliss Davises

The art is by Fliss Davies (front and back cover, interior), Tim Pieraccini, and Clare Driver.

• Provisional Partners by Lorna B.S (3)
• Shadow of the Trojan Horse by Jean Graham (reprinted from Syzygy #1) (11)
• If You Would Have Power, Part 1 by Ros Williams (27)
• The Dark Segment by David E. Willard (93)
• The Revenge of Haki by Judith Rolls (101)

• 

  from issue #15

• 

  from issue #15

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 15

[The Revenge of Haki]: Judith Rolls' The Revenge of Haki is very vivid, and the landscape of Haki springs very readily to the mind's eye, perhaps suspiciously so. The story is so well written it can even change tense without jarring. As an examination of Avon's past it relies heavily on novelty value, which is no bad thing in itself, and I'm prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt.

[If You Would Have Power]: Horizon story zines 15 and 16 (I think) contain 'If you would have power', Ros Williams. It's a long two parter about Carnell as the major manipulator behind all of the major events after Weapon. Even at the end, Blake doesn't die because of another oversite on Carnell's part. The plot is intricate, and the ideas are very good. But Williams doesn't write the characters the way I like them. In fact, she doesn't write much that I have liked. But her *ideas* are usually intriguing!

Issue 16

Horizon 16 was published in April 1992 and has 106 pages.

cover issue #16, Jo Jobson

The art is by Jo Jobson (front cover), Fliss Davies, Kathryn Andersen, Rory Hull, Rob Emery, and Tim Pieraccini (back cover).

• Unlikely Meeting by Kathryn Cutmore
• Reputation by Fliss Davies
• If You Would Have Power - Part 2 by Ros Williams
• Rescue Who? by Brad D. Black
• The Beginning of the End by Teresa Ward

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 16

[If You Would Have Power]: Horizon story zines 15 and 16 (I think) contain 'If you would have power', Ros Williams. It's a long two parter about Carnell as the major manipulator behind all of the major events after Weapon. Even at the end, Blake doesn't die because of another oversite on Carnell's part. The plot is intricate, and the ideas are very good. But Williams doesn't write the characters the way I like them. In fact, she doesn't write much that I have liked. But her *ideas* are usually intriguing!

[Rescue Who?]: [It] sunk to abysmal depths of lavatory humour but with wit and reckless bravado and a total lack of respect for anything and anybody. Wonderfully heretical!... Far too short.

Issue 17

Horizon 17 was published in November 1992 and has 108 pages.

front cover issue #17

back cover of issue #17

The art is by Tim Pieraccini (front cover), Fliss Davies (back cover), Andy Spencer, Ivan Smith, Danny Dresner, Richard Self, Rory Hull, Whitby27, and Jo Jobson.

• Hunters and Prey by Brad D. Black
• Question of Allegiance by Fliss Davies
• Orac's Revenge by Marcia Quinn
• Duel or the Folly of Madness by Margaret Scroggs
• Talk About Summer, Remember Winter by Priscilla Futcher
• The Trouble with Heroes by Richard Self
• When You Look into the Abyss by Gill Marsden
• Reflecting Rumours by Sue Swain

• 

  from issue #17

• 

  from issue #17

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 17

[Duel or the Folly of Madness]: Margaret Scroggs is a writer I've decided I like. I got HORIZON 17, and she has "DUEL OR THE FOLLY OF MADNESS" in it. It's the episode "Duel" written as a Shakespearian play, and it's delightful. I tore "Duel" out and gave the entrails away, (another gutted zine) It's really amazing to me that HORIZON as a B7 fan club produces so much more Avon oriented material than Blake oriented. The mix should be close to 50-50. I'm only conceding that because I know most people like Avon, and Avon did star in two years of B7. For me, the perfect "ratio" is 100% Blake and Avon.

Issue 18

Horizon 18 was published in October 1994 and has 104 pages.

cover issue #18, Ivan Smith

The art is by Ivan Smith (front and back cover), Whitby27, Tim Pieraccini, Harry Eckman, Rory Hull, William J. Morrison, and Steven J. Miscandlon.

• A Choice of Identity by Judith Proctor
• About-Face by Lorna B.S.
• Nothing Unusual by Nina Lynch
• Future Passing by Ros Williams
• Narrowboat by Judith Proctor
• Legend by Russ Massey
• Not the Man We Thought by William J. Morrison
• Inscriptions by Brad D. Black
• Revenge of the Dead Thief by Heather Whitney
• All the President's Men by Neil Faulkner

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 18

[zine]:

This is the most recent Horizon zine, it came out in October at Who's 7. As with all the Horizon zines, it is A5 digest size with center stapling and a card cover.

The artwork is a fair range, from [Whitby27] (whose work I don't like apart from a portrait of Vila on page 19) to Tim Pieraccini (some middling, but a nice portrait of Jenna). Other pictures are by Harry Eckman, William J. Morrison, Steven Miscandlon, and Rory Hull. Overall, nothing to swing from the rafters about, but a reasonable standard of pictures apart from a few duds.

The stories:

"A Choice of Identity" by Judith Proctor: Avon has traumatic amnesia after an explosion. Servalan manipulates him into believing that he is his own brother and working for her. She sends him back to Liberator to impersonate himself and betray Blake.

"About-Face" by Lorna B.s: A short sharp PGP with a good twist.

"Nothing Unusual" by Nina Lynch: Set after "Gold". All the Scorpio crew except Vila are behaving like kindergarten children and he realizes that this is because of drugs they were exposed to on the Space Princess. It's a good idea for a story, but the joke is carried on for twenty seven pages, and that's too long.

'Futures Passing" by Ros Williams: I'm not a great fan of Ros William's work as a rule, so bear in mind that if you normally like her stuff, you may like this in spite of my comments. This is another long story, about thirty pages, and is a continuation of a PGP epic from Horizon 17. Servalan rules the Federation, Avon controls the Federation bank, and Tarrant is Supreme Commander. What I dislike about Ros's stories is not the plots, but the characters' reactions. I always feel that the characters are being manipulated to fit the plot, rather than vice versa. For instance, Servalan becomes pregnant by Avon. "In that moment his passion for her died. It was over, it was finished. He would never touch her again nor even want to." We're never given any clues as to why he feels like that. Because she tricked him? Because he loathes children? Because he hates pregnant women? Or simply because the plot requires them to fall out?

"Narrowboat" by Judith Proctor: A short silly story in which Liberator passes through a massive improbability field and turns into a barge floating down a canal.

"Legend" by Russ Massey: A short story in which we see the Liberator crew and their exploits as handed down through the oral tradition. "Black Avon was half man and half computer." I quite liked this one.

"Not the Man We Thought" by William J. Morrison: A hard hitting little AU story in which Blake really was a child molester and the Federation are covering up for him. Another one that I liked.

"Inscriptions" by Brad D. Black: Extracts from the diaries of Anna Grant and others around the time of Avon's arrest.

"Revenge of a Dead Thief by Heather Whitney: Avon really did push Vila out of the airlock. What happens when the rest of Scorpio's crew work out what happened?

"All the President's Men" by Neil Faulkner: I nearly always like Neil's work, and this is no exception. A short vignette giving life through the eyes of a Federation trooper.

Overall, I rate this zine as middling. I like most of the short stories, but don't care much for the two longer ones. 104 pages, 39,900 words. (That, for once, is an accurate count and not an estimate.)

Issue 19

Horizon 19 was published in August 1995 and has 112 pages.

The art is by Tim Pieraccini (front and back cover), Richard Farrell, Wendy Ingle, Whitby27, and Ivan Smith.

cover of issue #19, Tim Pieraccini

back cover of issue#19, Tim Pieraccini

The zine is online here.

• Just For One Day, fiction by Judith Rolls (2)
• Eyes of the Betrayer, fiction by Helen Horswood (46)
• Queen of the Ships, fiction by Russ Massey (52)
• Metamorphosis, fiction by Wendy Ingle (65)
• At the End of the Day, fiction by Shaan Butters (80)
• A Woman's Prerogative, fiction by Deborah Marshall (82)
• Passable Features, fiction by Ellen A. Rufkin (86)

• 

  from issue #19, Richard Farrell

• 

  from issue #19, Richard Farrell

• 

  from issue #19, Wendy Ingle

• 

  from issue #19, Whitby27

• 

  from issue #19, Ivan Smith

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 19

I got my 'trib copy of Horizon 19 this morning, so I thought I'd post a review for the rest of the world.

I think this is one of the best collections Horizon have produced for some time. It's got a much higher word count than the last one and has some really meaty stories.

"Just for one day" is a very bleak story by Judith Rolls which concentrates heavily on Avon and Vila. This presents an Avon strongly concerned with self-preservation who feels a lot closer to the Avon of the series than the almost automatically heroic Avon of so much fan fic. If Avon does something selfless in this story, then you know that it is a real struggle for him. A long story, and well worth reading.

"Eyes of the Betrayer" by Helen Horswood. Another twist on Anna Grant. Not a favourite of mine, but not a bad story.

"Queen of Ships" by Russ Massey. A sequel to "Legend" in the previous issue. A fascinating look at Jenna and Avon long after Gauda Prime. Well written, and the saga isn't over yet. A nice intelligent Jenna, and some mysteries to be resolved.

"Metamorphosis" by Wendy Ingle. Cally's experiences on Saurian Major and how they affected her.

"At the End of the Day" by Shaan Butters. Short story about Avon's final thoughts on Gauda Prime.

"A Woman's Perogative" by Deborah Marshall. I really liked this one. A short AU (alternative universe) discovering what would have happened if Jenna had agreed with Avon to abandon Blake on Cygnus Alpha. Very clever, as we see what happned to all the other characters like Soolin and Dayna.

"Passable Features" by Ellen A. Rufkin. This is another long story and is an absolute scream. The author (a pseudonym, but only an anagram) has happily taken every fan cliche and taken the micky out of it. Read it for Ellen's version of the original Comissioner Sleer, Orac playing Happy Families with itself, Cally's dying request for a shrubbery, Avon's problems with a fluffy pink rabbit in Dorian's cellar, Blake's secret plan for producing rebels "I have to breed each one myself" and many more totally tasteless twists on the series we know and love. The actual storyline is a touch hard to follow in places, but in essence, Avon has decided that he is far too nice, and has determined to offload all his good qualities onto Dorian's creature - so instead of looking like a monster, it now looks like a fluffy bunny. the main problem is that he has to feed the rabbit, and this necessitates carting bigger and bigger carrots down into the basement. If only he could think of something totally nasty to do, the creature would stop growing, and he wouldn't have problems feeding it...

It would be worth getting the zine just for the last story alone, but the rest of it is good too, especially Judith Roll's story.

There isn't much artwork. The cover is a reasonable Tim Pieracinni picture of Avon, Blake and Vila, inside artwork is by Richard Farrell (pretty good), Ivan Smith (nice Jenna), Tim Pieraccini, [Whitby27] and Wendy Ingle. Most of the pictures are reasonable, none exceptional apart from Richard's picture of a Federation trooper.

The zine is A5 (digest) size with a red card cover. It's been very carefully proof read and is probably as close to typo free as it's possible to get. Longer staples would have helped. My copy is holding up so far, but I won't be surprised if I lose the centre pages eventually.

A5 zines always have the problem of whether you guillotine the edges after folding the zine. If you don't guillotine, then you get an untidy looking edge to the zine with he centre pages sticking out slightly. If you do guillotine, then the outside margin can look oddly small on the centre pages. Just for the record, this one has guillotined edges.

Issue 20

Horizon 20 was published in October 1996 and has 114 pages. The zine is online here.

cover of issue #20, Sarah Brophy

The art is by Sarah Brophy (front cover), Tim Pieraccini (back cover, interior), Ivan Smith, Sandra Schales, and Sarah Brophy.

• A Peculiar Alchemy, fiction by Judith M. Rolls (1)
• A Night Off, fiction by Max Dufall and Ali Reynolds (51)
• Living Forever (to be continued), fiction by Russ Massey (84)

• 

  from issue #20, Tim Pieraccini

• 

  from issue #20, Tim Pieraccini

• 

  from issue #20, Tim Pieraccini

• 

  from issue #20, Sandra Schales

• 

  from issue #20, Sarah Brophy

Issue 21

Horizon 21 was published in March 1998 and has 100 pages.

cover of issue #21, Kathy Hanson

• Second Chances by Judith Rolls
• Deadly Illusion by Nina Lynch
• Retracing the Past by Pam Crispin
• In the Name of Justice by Andrew Phillips
• Perspectives by Shaan Everson
• Long Odds by Gillian F. Taylor
• Test of Loyalty by Kathryn Davis
• Taking Chances by Judith Rolls

Issue 22

Horizon 22 was published in October 2000 and contains 108 pages. The cover is by Nick Spender. It contains no interior art.

cover of issue #22, Nick Spender

The zine is online here.

• Immolation by Josie McCall (1)
• The Bargain by Marian de Haan (65)
• The Price You Pay by Andrew Williams (reprinted from Enarrare #9) (79)
• The Palace of Shadows and the Prince of Screams by Judith M. Rolls (84)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 22

The cover is lovely to begin with ... a captivating composite of a late fourth season Avon and two women, one of whom is Soolin, the other attractive but unknown, superimposed over a bleak, winter landscape of snow and mountains on a torn, dark fragment depicted on glowing yellow-gold card. The illustration very much heralds the first of the stories contained within.

Immolation: the title sums up the essence of the story very accurately. It is set close to the end of S4, after the near tragedy of Malodaar, during the unscreened events when Avon and his colleagues are attempting to enlist the support of the surrounding planets in an anti- Federation alliance. Quite simply, it catalogues - in enthralling detail - a chain of catastrophic events that transpired prior to Warlord: a set of sacrifices that Avon is called upon to endure - such that it is certainly no wonder if his emotional stability was decidedly suspect by the time of the encounter on Gauda Prime. The story is both powerful and exciting and contains some lovely interaction between Avon and Vila in the wake of the horrendous visit to Egrorian. It concludes with the timely involvement of Soolin, providing just sufficient hope to prevent depression. A thoroughly enjoyable tale.

The Bargain: a shorter but delightful yarn, very much in the style of the original series in that it tests the reader's faith in the rather suspect cohesion of Blake's little band before settling the matter to everyone's satisfaction:

veryone except Servalan, that is... Set early on in S2, Servalan begins to feel the magnetism of the engimatic Kerr Avon and decides to place temptation in his path!

The Price You Pay: a fascinating new slant on a quote by Vila from the episode Rescue. This is an insight into the internal dynamics of the recreated group following the demise of both Cally and the monstrous Dorian. It is in this tale that the reader discovers that Orac is quite capable of telling lies!

The Palace of Shadows and The King of Screams: the final story, this was the most dramatically told. Set well after the events of Gauda Prime, Avon has been incarcerated under treatment for criminal insanity, unable to stand trial unless he recovers. However, if he does so, he will undoubtedly be executed, whereas if he does not at least show definite signs of improvement, he will be condemned to a soulless prison where he will inevitably die in misery. From this dilemma, Soolin is required to become the catalyst to help him ascertain his future. This is a compelling story written with insight into Avon's shattered mind and is thoroughly riveting right until its end.

I ordered this pretty well as soon as I saw it was available, and it arrived within a few days. Surprise No 1 - it's a real eyecatcher! A lovely daffodil yellow with a superb cover by Nick Spender, certainly the best illustration I can remember fronting a Horizon zine, it made me want to pick it up and get started at once, featuring as it does a careworn, older Avon, a pensive Soolin and - er - well, I thought the third one was Cally, but I had to start reading in order to positively ID the lady with the foxy eyes looming large over the other two There are four stories, one fairly long, and I was delighted that Soolin features prominently in three of them as she's my personal favourite of the female crew members by quite some margin - to quote another fan with whom I've been corresponding, "She really kicks arse"! I was hoping she'd kick some in the zine, but the pensive looking cover Soolin turned out to be indicative of some good ol' Soolin angst!

The standard of the writing is high, and the further you go through the zine, the better it seems to get. I liked the clean new sans-serif font, too. To mention the stories in the order they occur: Immolation is the longest tale, and purports to fill in the time between the end of Orbit and the beginning of Warlord. Although I don't think it was supposed to be ABOUT Vila's response to the former, it does produce a logical reason as to why he seemed to be able to co-exist so well with Avon after nearly getting shoved out of the airlock by him, a reason which doesn't involve Vila's cowardice/inertia. It certainly packs in a full plot, at any rate, as Avon dashes from planet to planet endeavouring to interest various rulers of the need to collaborate in the face of Federation expansion. So fast does it move that it would be hard to say whose point of view it's written from - certainly Vila's in places, probably Soolin's in the main. My, doesn't Avon suffer??!! Whipped, burned, betrayed to the Federation, trying not to get addicted to painkillers.... yup, it's all in there for Avon. Oh yes, and he gets the girl. The cover girl, that is. She certainly isn't Cally. She's kind of Avon's version of Zeeona, and as Zeeona herself comes into the story by the end, I felt a sense of deja vu, and quite a sense of irony when Avon is snide about Tarrant's feelings for his host's daughter; pots and kettles, Avon... The highlight for me was a lovely description of Avon's preoccupation as he goes off to give a presentation to some planetary bigwigs - oh, that rang true! The lowlight was the treatment of Soolin and also to some extent Dayna. There are too many references to them crying! The usual provocation for this uncharacteristic weepiness seems to be Avon's sharpness (although he's in rather unusually heroic mode himself). They obviously need an assertiveness course...

The Bargain is the only story featuring Blake - and Rontane, Bercol and Carnell also get a look-in, although as this story seems to be set prior to Weapon one wonders quite why Servalan would have retained Carnell's services after this? This isn't meant as a major criticism, however, as it's a short and enjoyable romp, opening with a hold-up by Blake's crew of some Federation luminaries as seen through the lens of a security camera, some wonderful Carnell flannel about the formation of cohesive teams, a fab new Avon gadget, and perhaps a double- cross on the Liberator? It also sets up in part the events in Rumours of Death. All in all, a real package of goodies.

The standard keeps getting higher with the wonderful The Price You Pay, which takes the events at the end of the episode Gold and has some fun with them. Wicked fun. Two great turns in the plot, a breath-taking development for Orac, some snappy dialogue, and Soolin back to her smart self again. All in five pages. It settles all sorts of practical questions about Scorpio's financial arrangements which may have bothered you, too.

Which brings us to - and I do not exaggerate - the climax of this zine. The Palace of Shadows & The King of Screams is a masterly ending, one of the best B7 stories I have read in my action-packed first year as a fan, one of those post-"Blake" treatments which has you hoping against all reason that with just a l-i-t-t-l-e luck, Avon and the others can get the show back on the road... The premise is that ten years after Gauda Prime, Soolin is taken from incarceration at the Federation's pleasure and flown across the galaxy to a correction centre for the criminally insane. There she has to help doctors rehabilitate Avon, suffering the long-term effects of Servalan's version of lobotomy, or worse. Her reward for this? A fresh start on one of the more upmarket penal colonies. But first she has to collude with Avon's psychiatrists...

When I looked back over it, I was surprised at how short it was, as its impact is so huge. I admire the restrained power of the writing - the emotion is there, but builds steadily and is unleashed sparingly, heightening the impact when major incidents occur. If you like your stories to feature rich symbolism, then Avon's parallel world will appeal, and the denouement was rather like that of the best Mahler symphonies - tragic, cathartic, yet threaded through with a joyous optimism... I have no complaints at all about this Soolin - she was spot-on, shrewd, genuinely tough, complex, and with that marvellous capacity for long-term endurance in evidence once again. I would love to see a follow-up to this story, it cries out to be written. (Ed: Everyone who's read this story agrees, and Judith's arm has been mercilessly twisted to encourage her to write the sequel).

With one's appetite so whetted by the cover illustration, it is a pity there was no further artwork, but again that's a minor niggle. Along with Horizon 11, this becomes a firm favourite - hmmm, maybe I should be looking forward to No 33?

Issue 23

cover of issue #23

Horizon 23 was published in 2002 and contains 110 pages. The art: Nick Spender, cover - Rob Emery, photo montages, title page for each story.

The zine is online here.

• Mitri by Marion Edwards (S4; A-ocm) (1)
• Swansong by Harriet Bazley (S4; J) (16)
• A Perfect Balance by Marian de Haan (S1, post-Web; A) (25)
• Regeneration by Marion Edwards (sequel to "Mitri;" S5; A-V-Se) (90)

• 

  from issue #23

• 

  from issue #23

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 23

Comments from a fan in 2016:

For the longest time, I wasn’t sure this even existed. Most lists of the Horizon fanzine stop at issue 22. When this popped up with no photo on eBay, I thought the odds were good that it was a mis-listing (either the wrong issue number given, or issue #23 of the Horizon Magazine.) But as you can see, it’s real. Horizon is one of the most highly regarded of the Blake’s 7 fanzines. Produced in Britain, most issues are digest-sized and professionally printed, with good-quality gen fanfic. #23 has four stories: Mitri by Marion Edwards, Swansong by Harriet Bazley, A Perfect Balance by Marian de Haan, and Regeneration by Marion Edwards.

Horizon in general is worth getting. Some of the stories are meh, of course (tastes vary from fan to fan), but it’s usually not terrible. Probably the only thing to watch out for is the fact that the earlier, A4 sized issues tend to have fading, making reading an exercise in eyestrain.

#Blake's 7 #vintage fanzines #Horizon #I'm posting this on the same day it arrived #before I even have a chance to read it #because it's not even listed on Fanlore #nor does the cover scan seem to be anywhere online #And I've recently noticed that my Tumblr posts are being added to the appropriate Fanlore entries! #Surprising #but I guess it's adding information to the pages #so whoever is doing it has my official blessing #Please go ahead and put the cover scan up there. #I'm sure fans would like a more complete list after all. #I certainly use the site all the time in my fanzine buying decisions #and I doubt I'm the only one