What if the future of humanity rested in the hands of a fourteen-year-old girl?

In 2060, the unthinkable happens. The Earth is submerged beneath sixty meters of water as Antarctic volcanoes erupt, melting the Southern ice cap. Cities disappear. Countries fall apart. Millions of people are uprooted.

In order to survive, twelve-year-old Xin-yi and her mother must flee their house and seek safety among rice farmers on higher ground. The life she once knew is gone, and she is devastated by the loss of her brother.

Two years later, Xin-yi is recruited into the Visionaries, an international group of young intellectuals assigned to creating a new world for the millions of people who have been displaced. In her training to predict the future of humanity, Xin-yi encounters problems that go well beyond creativity and engineering.

Still grieving her brother and battling sudden feelings for a friend, Xin-yi must try to find balance. And yet, she can’t lose focus – she has a planet to save. Within the Visionaries, all is also not what it seems to be. Is it possible for Xin-yi to overcome her heartache and misgivings about her group? Or will she be prevented from shaping the future by the weight of the past?

Set in a vividly imagined future, The Visionary is a tale about courage and the power of young minds to change the world. The epic Tion series, in which humanity’s future is at stake, is set in motion by this short novel by J.C. Gemmell. It is a powerful and emotional story.

Jennifer Aquino

Voice