I enjoyed this story immensely, but it could've been about 150 pages shorter. There are too many unnecessary or drawn-out side quests. About 1/3 takes place in modern-day Japan before transitioning to a 10-year-old boy's epic quest in a fantasy land called Vision. It's an ambitious novel with betrayal, death, religious conflict, and racism, It is also about love, friendship, & growing up. I was in tears towards the end, but patience is required.