The Vision centers around political struggles in a fictional country/region, centered largely around the main character, whose questionable parentage turns out to be extremely significant and dangerous for most of the characters concerned. It’s a fantasy setting with very little magic, although there is some indication that there will be more supernatural plot points later in the sequels.
A book like The Vision could have been handled very badly, and I’ve certainly seen fantasy novels try to tackle the same sort of things and fail miserably because their authors are too in love with the complex world they’ve created and overload their readers with details. The Vision comes close to this, especially in the beginning, but never succumbs.
Any reader of modern fantasy would have the “chops” to read The Vision unflinchingly. Anyone who isn’t used to reading books with glossaries and genealogies in the back may be put off by the dense plot webbing. My major complaint with the book is hardly a complaint at all: I wanted more. The Vision just lets the reader dip a toe into the larger plot of the series. I wanted to know what happens.
Reviewed by Susana Polo