The Will of the Many by James Islington is a 630 page novel that is the first in a planned series, Hierarchy. It was published by Saga Press in 2023.

Genre:

Fantasy

Synopsis:

At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this new fantasy series by internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington.

AUDI. VIDE. TACE.

The Catenan Republic – the Hierarchy – may rule the world now, but they do not know everything.

I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilised society in allowing my strength, my drive and my focus – what they call Will – to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.

I tell them that I belong, and they believe me.

But the truth is that I have been sent to the Academy to find answers. To solve a murder. To search for an ancient weapon. To uncover secrets that may tear the Republic apart.

And that I will never, ever cede my Will to the empire that executed my family.

To survive, though, I will still have to rise through the Academy’s ranks. I will have to smile, and make friends, and pretend to be one of them and win. Because if I cannot, then those who want to control me, who know my real name, will no longer have any use for me.

And if the Hierarchy finds out who I truly am, they will kill me.

Opening Line:

I am dangling, and it is only my father’s blood-slicked grip around my wrist that stops me from falling.

My Thoughts:

This was quite good! Reminded me in some ways of Red Rising, but scaled a teensy bit more YA, and a tad of The Name of the Wind, but without the insufferable protagonist constantly singing his own praises as he recounts his past. (To be fair, our man Vis is pretty much the best at everything he tries in this story, but that can be explained by the fact that he received a top notch education beginning early in life, and trains his buns off within these pages).

There is a Roman-inspired republic (AKA Evil Empire) taking over the world, dividing all of its citizens into a hierarchy in which the lower castes must cede their very will to their betters, granting the latter superhuman abilities. Vis is a teenager trying to survive in this new society after it demolished his old one. He winds up being sent to a school for the youth of the republic’s elite in an effort to send him in to infiltrate a very secure location and uncover its secrets. There was good world building and political machinations, both within the school setting as well as on the world stage.

This is a long book, and though it’s not necessarily longwinded or bogged down with extraneous material, it certainly could have been trimmed a bit in some areas. Additionally, it’s hinted at all along that there is going to be some mind blowing revelation of something with which most people in this world are unaware, and I was disappointed that the end only confirms this without actually explaining it yet, leaving readers with no actual answers to the questions we’ve been asking all along. Everything the story had been dangling in front of us from the start was left dangling. But still, I mostly enjoyed the journey and remain intrigued enough that I will likely pick up book 2 at some point, and it may even prove to be one of those sequels that improves upon its predecessor by bringing the story to an even bigger scale.

4.5 stars!