Review: Vision in Silver

Author: Anne Bishop
Series: The Others, #3
Released: March 3rd 2015
Publisher: Roc
Length: 368 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

The Others freed the  cassandra sangue  to protect the blood prophets from exploitation, not realizing their actions would have dire consequences. Now the fragile seers are in greater danger than ever before—both from their own weaknesses and from those who seek to control their divinations for wicked purposes. In desperate need of answers, Simon Wolfgard, a shape-shifter leader among the Others, has no choice but to enlist blood prophet Meg Corbyn’s help, regardless of the risks she faces by aiding him.

Meg is still deep in the throes of her addiction to the euphoria she feels when she cuts and speaks prophecy. She knows each slice of her blade tempts death. But Others and humans alike need answers, and her visions may be Simon’s only hope of ending the conflict.

For the shadows of war are deepening across the Atlantik, and the prejudice of a fanatic faction is threatening to bring the battle right to Meg and Simon’s doorstep… 

Three five-star ratings for three books in this series, that’s pretty much all you need to know before running to the bookstore to get your own copies of all three available books. But if you need more convincing (as I usually do), I’m more than happy to sing praise until I go hoarse. Or lose a finger typing. You get my point.

Here it is in no uncertain terms: The Others, Anne Bishop’s fantasy series, is brilliant, no two ways about it. Her worldbuilding is extraordinary, her characters fascinating, and even the tiniest details of her plots are thought through. So many things happen at once, but nothing is random and nothing is without significance for our Meg and the terra indigene. Bishop has many successful novels behind her and her experience is evident on every page, her control over her story absolute.

Vision in Silver brings us back to the wonderful (albeit violent) world of Thaisia. Meg faces new challenges while adapting to her life in the Courtyard, and she needs to be strong enough to help not only herself, but the other blood prophets as well. Luckily for her and the rest of the cassandra sangue she has both determination and Simon’s unwavering support.

The human police are working more closely with the Others despite facing repercussions from the Humans First and Last movement. The HFL is becoming stronger by the day, constantly working to turn the public against the Others (not that they have to work very hard), spreading lies and bold misinterpretations of events, blaming the terra indigene for everything from hunger to bad weather. Being a so-called Wolf lover is becoming more and more difficult in Thaisia, and the humans working in the Courtyard are going through a very tough time.

Simon, being the progressive leader he is, certainly won’t allow the Courtyard humans to suffer for their allegiances. After all, his Meg needs her human pack, and everything Meg needs, Simon doesn’t hesitate to provide.

With her childlike view of the world, Meg is a very interesting character, but I found Simon even more fascinating this time around. He has the instincts of an animal and the astuteness of the most successful businessman, but he often fails to understand the human way of things. He tries, though, mostly because understanding humans means understanding and helping his Meg, but the process is slow and often hilarious. These two are slowly finding their way to each other. They are, for all intents and purposes, in a relationship, even if they don’t seem to realize it. They practically live together and mostly act like an old married couple, but the way they show their affection is somewhat different from what we’d expect.

And that is precisely what I adore about the series. Bishop never lets us forget that Simon Wolfgard is wolf and only wolf. His kind has learned to live in human skin, at least temporarily, but they find it extremely uncomfortable and tend to avoid it if at all possible. Simon thinks like a wolf and acts like a wolf, and his understanding of humans is minimal. He sees the monkeys, as he calls us, mostly as prey, with only a few exceptions in the Courtyard itself. This series is basically about the clash of two cultures. Two species that have a history of horrible violence to each other are trying to find a way to live together in peace. Their differences are huge, but if there’s enough common ground, thanks to Simon Wolfgard and Meg Corbyn, they might just succeed.

Read this. That is all.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.