This is the second book in the Future Earth series. Seek is a powerful visualizer and can change her form and her surroundings, but those with gifts can be imprisoned or exploited. It's a dangerous world. Ruler Grettison, who used to be in charge of the city of Mizair, wants his city back, but he was cruel to the people who lived there, letting them starve. Can Seek help win the war and help the people of Mizair find peace?
Book 1 in the Future Earth series, The Truth Finder, was Vrail’s story, and he appears again in book 2, as do many other familiar characters. However, the tale centred on the battle for the Kingdom of Light is told by Seek, and her mother, Autumn.
For me, there are two tests of a good sequel. It can be read as a standalone – even if I have read the previous book, it is likely to be months ago if I have been on the lookout for the next publication – and not all readers will have read book one, and the story is equally strong. With The Visualizer, yes and yes; it’s been worth the wait for an even more captivating exploration of Earth in an all too believable post-apocalyptic future.
The people live, the settings are vivid, and the machinations of the evil-doers and their motives are clear, but can Seek prevail over her own grandfather and his self-seeking wife?
Since man first walked the planet there have been disputes over possessions, whether they be territory, objects, or people. Here we have a futuristic Earth where some of those with power choose to abuse it through selfishness. Yes, that is reminiscent of many news reports of the present day. The theory behind this tale gives credence to the idea that we as a race really do not learn from our mistakes. This author first introduced some of these characters in The Truth Finder, an entertaining tale of a future generation of mankind who have developed mental powers we could only imagine. Reading minds, shapeshifting and all sorts of skullduggery evolves and is used by both sides of the struggle. Good versus evil is rightly a common theme in fiction, but the key to making it work is originality—like in this story. One of the aspects of Penny Luker’s work which appeals to me is that the female of the species is seen to be an equally important partner in how the world functions. Whether it be planning or physical conflict, there are young and old, male and female participants. Truth, deceit, heroism, love, hate, success, failure, faith and hope are all in here.