From Near-Death to New Worlds: Luke A. Winter Turns Cardiac Arrest into Sci-Fi Story of Hope and God’s Love



FAITH NEWS SERVICE – When Luke A. Winter suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in 2020 — at just twenty years old — he thought his story might end. Instead, it became the spark that pushed him to finish a dream he had carried since high school — writing a novel.

Luke, a preacher, theology student, and document controller from Western Australia, had long kept his writing a quiet pursuit. “I never told many people about my writing, because I wanted to finish something first,” he admits. But waking up in a hospital bed changed everything.

“One of the first things I said was, ‘I can’t be here. I have to finish my book.’ My parents didn’t even know I was writing!” Luke recalls. By Christmas of that year, his manuscript was complete, and it went on to receive a high commendation in the 2021 Fogarty Literary Award.

That book has now become The Horizon Events: A Veil is Torn — a fast-paced science fiction adventure that blends cosmic conflict with timeless truths.

Set seven years after the galaxy’s Core Star Fleet defeated the dark Ebon Horde, peace appears restored — until Tomas Amets, commander of the elite Dirk Squadron, witnesses the murder of a mysterious alien. As rebellion stirs and trust begins to fracture, Amets must fight not only for survival but for justice itself.

For Luke, sci-fi has always been more than entertainment. Influenced by writers such as C.S. Lewis and Wayne Thomas Batson, he seeks to echo the beauty of God’s love through epic storytelling.

“This book is written for two audiences,” Luke explains. “I wrote to God to thank Him for His love and the sacrifice of His Son by retelling it in another form. And I wrote so that others might glimpse that love through the lens of adventure and imagination.”

He stresses that he isn’t out to preach, but rather to inspire. “I hope to engage readers with a thrilling story in an intricate universe. But if there’s one message I’d love them to take away, it’s this: hope is stronger than fear, love is stronger than hate, and even in the depths of space, you are never alone. There is a King who cares for you.”

The Horizon Events: A Veil is Torn, published by Ark House, is now available worldwide.