The Will of the Many

Hardcover, 720 pages

English language

Published Nov. 19, 2024 by Saga Press.

ISBN:: 978-1-6680-9329-0
OCLC Number:: 1503537679

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

I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned three years ago, and that only good fortune has got me into their most prestigious school. I tell them that, when I graduate, I will allow my strength and drive—what they call Will—to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as everyone must do.

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

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

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

To survive, though, I will have to rise through the Academy's ranks, and …

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

I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned three years ago, and that only good fortune has got me into their most prestigious school. I tell them that, when I graduate, I will allow my strength and drive—what they call Will—to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as everyone must do.

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

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

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

To survive, though, I will have to rise through the Academy's ranks, and win. Because if I cannot, those 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.

6 editions

enne📚 reviewed The Will of the Many by James Islington (Hierarchy)

4 stars

joke tagline: a secret former prince struggles to move up the ladder at magic school for future senators in post-apocalyptic fantasy Rome

It's grippy. It's bloody and violent at times. The fantasy worldbuilding was fun. I wouldn't quite say it's YA, but it is also a young protagonist in a school setting where some moments resonate with the Hunger Games. It was enjoyable in a childhood need for fantasy book with a young protagonist in a capitalist-metaphor magic dystopia sort of way.

What this book does especially well for me is how many different directions it pulls the main character in. He's keeping his past a secret and trying to follow his own goals while simultaneously investigating a mystery, being suborned by rebels, and trying to succeed at school. There's a lot of lying and sneaking that's delicious. Being overconstrained by external forces helps balance out the plot …

joke tagline: a secret former prince struggles to move up the ladder at magic school for future senators in post-apocalyptic fantasy Rome

It's grippy. It's bloody and violent at times. The fantasy worldbuilding was fun. I wouldn't quite say it's YA, but it is also a young protagonist in a school setting where some moments resonate with the Hunger Games. It was enjoyable in a childhood need for fantasy book with a young protagonist in a capitalist-metaphor magic dystopia sort of way.

What this book does especially well for me is how many different directions it pulls the main character in. He's keeping his past a secret and trying to follow his own goals while simultaneously investigating a mystery, being suborned by rebels, and trying to succeed at school. There's a lot of lying and sneaking that's delicious. Being overconstrained by external forces helps balance out the plot elements of Vis being too capable across multiple disciplines.

It's also got some excellent plot twists (more like twist of the knife for Vis) as well as some wild worldbuilding at the end setting up for who knows what book two (or three or four) will look like.