The Will of the Many - James Islington
Book 1 in 'The Hierarchy.' Followed by 'The Strength of the Few.'
Recently, I came across some "Book-Tok" style videos on YouTube, and this book was one that I began seeing reviewed favourably. I kept an eye out for it, wondering if I could borrow it from the local library, but finding it consistently on loan (perhaps others had been watching the same videos).
Then, one Saturday morning, I went to get coffees for Elise and myself, and on the book-swap shelf of that particular cafe, this book was proudly displayed.
So, I took it.
Hooray!
And, now having read it...
...I can see what the fuss is about.
This is a well-written high fantasy book set in a Roman-Empire-style society called Caten. The Catenan Empire has conquered the known world, with the help of their 'Will-infused' magic system/social hierarchy. Lower ranked individuals 'cede' half of their available 'will' (both mental and physical energy) to those in the rank above them, who in turn cede half of their will to those above them. This is done in a pyramid structure, meaning that the number of people ceding to highly ranked individuals vastly outnumbers those ceding to lower ranked individuals, with the lowest, of course, only ceded from, resulting in lives lived in a slight stupor. Those at the top of the pyramid, on the other hand, end up with super-hero levels of strength, intelligence and charisma, as well as the ability to "infuse" objects with will, creating other magic-based technological marvels.
Wow. That whole paragraph is just explaining the system, not even the plot. No wonder this book is over 600 pages long.
Our point of view character, who introduces himself as Vis, starts the book in an orphanage and on the run in some way. He is also refusing to cede any will. We soon learn that Vis grew up as the prince of an island that has now been conquered by Caten, and fears that if anyone learns his true identity he will be executed - the way his entire family was. Vis is (understandably) bitter and vengeful, hating the Caten Empire and wanting to find a way to escape from its influence altogether.
His first opportunity to do so comes in the form of Senator Ulciscor, who wants to use Vis's natural talents - honed both in the palace and on the street - to infiltrate the Catenan Academy and find out what happened to Ulciscor's brother, who was 'accidentally' killed there. To do this, Ulciscor adopts Vis, although it is clear that this adoption is only for convenience. Ulciscor also has no idea who Vis really is.
If this wasn't enough, Vis is also approached by a mysterious woman named Sedotia, who wants to use Vis for her own purposes - supporting the dangerous rebel group known as Anguis, who aim to bring down the Catenan Empire altogether! Sedotia also has learned the true identity of Vis, and threatens to expose him if he doesn't go along with her wishes.
This set up (as well as training, etc) takes a long time to get through, though is never boring, and it isn't until a few hundred pages in that we finally reach the Catenan Academy, where Vis must work his way up through the ranks while never allowing himself to fully trust anyone around him.
There are twists and turns (some obvious, some legitimately surprising), allies and enemies, potential love interests, mysterious ruins and artifacts, espionage and intrigue, occasional moments of gore, and always questions about the true reasons behind the various manipulative characters.
It's a lot of fun.
The book also ends with both a resolution and a clear set up for a sequel (which was only recently published).
A really good read.
The Book-Tokkers were right!
Completed 2 December 2025.
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