THE SEER

Newly sighted Jacob discovers the world of Seers in this sequel to Truesight (2004). Exiled from Harmony, the all-blind community in which he was raised, Jacob treks through the wilderness until he finds Melville, the city of sighted people. There he is befriended by Xander, retired mercenary with a tragic history. Exploring Melville with Xander, Jacob finds his also-exiled friend Delaney, who has become an overnight sensation as a pianist. But the glory of Delaney’s stardom and the shine and polish of Melville conceal corruption and selfishness. Delaney needs rescuing from the same soulless corporation responsible for Xander’s solitary grief. Meanwhile, Jacob’s been having visions of a terrifying future. The overlay here between metaphorical and genuine blindness is so heavy-handed as to lead to occasional inappropriate linkages between the two. Luckily, it’s only blindness that Stahler handles ham-handedly, and this volume of Jacob’s trilogy focuses on non–vision-related themes. These newer mysteries compel; perhaps the trilogy’s conclusion will continue along this route. (Fiction. 11-13)