I'm new to James Islington and if the first book in his latest fantasy series is any indication, I will be reading more of his work pronto. The Will of the Many is the first in the Hierarchy series. It's a mashup of Roman Empire-inspired politics, gladiator action, orphan rising through the ranks of an elite school drama/intrigue, and more well-worn but well-employed fantasy tropes. The world building is fascinating, as is the magic system, which is based on will. The more you have, the more powerful you are, and you gain will by earning tribute from those lower than you in the pyramidal sociopolitical structure. I found myself totally and immediately invested in the main character's stakes, and as with the best series opener books, The Will of the Many effectively ended one volume of the saga and set up the next level of stakes for the second volume. I'm waiting with anticipation for book 2, The Strength of the Few. 

[Thanks to Gallery Books/Saga Press and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

This book is getting incredibly high praise. Reviewers have already said this will be in there top 3 reads of the year. So I went into it with high expectations, as one would for a book by this author. You can’t help but get excited when you here adult magical school setting, though I’m actually not the biggest fans of school settings, I don’t dislike them, I just don’t sought after them like a lot of others do.

This book is like a pizza, the dough is Roman era time period, the stuffed crust is gladiator, the toppings are Red Rising, name of the wind and every fantasy trope in existence, this is the pizza you’d get. And I ate that pizza. It honestly is a great book for the summer because my god it’s going to last you, this thing is chonky. The magic system here involves the usage of will and the more will you have, the stronger you are. Our main characters family is murdered by the bad guys and he’s now an orphan and wants to reinvent himself when he decides to run away and find a way to get revenge by joining this elite academy run by the bad guys basically.

There is so much to love here. But I’ll be honest, This took me a while to get into. You really don’t know what’s happening half the time, it’s a lot of piecing together yourself. Where I stand is I didn’t care for the very beginning, loved the middle and didn’t care for the ending. It’s book you need to where you need to reread some passages to fully comprehend the scene. Overall I gave this 4 out of 5 stars.

This one took me a lot longer than I normally spend on a book, but it was worth it. The characters and world are pretty well developed, the story is interesting and kept me engaged. The start is a little slow, but the last half really speeds up.
Vis, the main character, is a fresh take on a young protagonist in a fantasy novel. He is calculated and angry rather than reckless and foolhardy like many young MCs in fantasy novels. The friends he makes along his journey add and compliment his character while being well developed characters on their own.
The magic system is interesting and I look forward to understanding it more as the story progresses through the series.
Fans of fantasy and good story telling will enjoy this newest work by James Islington
I cannot wait for book 2.


Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

One of my favorite books of 2023. I had never read Islington's work before but this book hooked me immediately. A fantasy set in a Greece/Rome type of world with a really interesting magic system and fascinating characters. I loved all the characters. I'm very excited for the sequel and hope it comes out quickly.

This is fantasy done right! This book offers a refreshing perspective on the traditional magical school setting, steering clear of typical coming-of-age tropes, and having a lot of fun with the complexities of its magic system. Vis is a captivating character and the plot is simply fantastic, but the ending is the best part and really sets up the next book well. Some of the politics are a big hard to digest, but overall it's a wonderful book that left me excited for the next one.

It’s been a really long time since I’ve gotten sucked into a new series, but THE WILL OF THE MANY is an engrossing start to a new epic fantasy world from James Islington. This is getting a lot of hype on the fantasy side of Booktube, and I think for good reason. I see the similarities to RED RISING and THE NAME OF THE WIND (including the incredibly gifted, can-do-no-wrong main male character), but THE WILL OF THE MANY has a unique Roman influence and magical system that makes this better than those comparisons. I thought the world-building was excellent - Islington would frequently drop words and phrases that made no sense, but slowly context and conversation would reveal their deeper meaning. And yet, perhaps my favorite thing about this book is Islington’s ability to keep me on my toes - multiple times the plot deviated from what I was anticipating, and in a really good way.

I’m eager for the next book in the series (THE STRENGTH OF THE FEW) but in the meantime will binge through Islington’s older (but completed) Licanius trilogy!

Thanks to Netgalley and Saga Press for the advanced readers copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery / Saga Press for giving me an eARC of THE WILL OF THE MANY in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: 5/5 Stars! (I would give it a billion stars if I could)

The Will of the Many is without a doubt one of my favorite reads of 2023, and quite possibly one of my favorite reads of all time. 

I’ve been eager to pick up a book by James Islington for a hot minute—I’ve heard nothing but great things about his Licanius trilogy—but when I read the synopsis for TWoTM, and that it’s ideal for fans of Red Rising, I had to read it as soon as possible. 

While I definitely recognize why the comparison of this books to Red Rising exists, I think the two series are uniquely their own. Like Darrow, our main character, Vis, is the underdog archetype who is infiltrating a corrupt society. He has his own motivations for wanting to take down the governing system he refers to as The Hierarchy, but there are also others in his life who would like to use Vis to their own advantages. 

In TWoTM, James Islington creates a world where they’ve developed the ability to harness “Will” (like a person's willpower, drive, motivations, etc) and use Will as a source of energy to power their entire society. From high technology and weaponry, to modes of transportation, to even the most rudimentary things, Will fuels everything. Not only that, but a person can harness Will for themselves to increase their strength, energy, and abilities. The cause and effect of the use of Will is intricately laid out, but not unnecessarily complicated, and I found it very, very cool! 

Some other features in this book that are worth noting are:
» magical prestigious academy 
» political espionage 
» lots and lots of secrets and conspiracies 
» hidden identities 
» a deadly tournament 
» betrayal 
» deaths that MATTER
» and a MIND BLOWING ENDING that I had to reread three times!

The Will of the Many by James Islington is an ambitious and lengthy book but every single page was warranted and necessary. I never felt overwhelmed by any of the world building or exposition, but Islington kept me fully engaged and excited to learn more. I loved every single second of it and can’t wait to read it again. 

I NEED BOOK TWO LIKE YESTERDAY.

I preferred this first book of the series to Islington's Licanus series - not as dense and with a plot that keeps on pushing until the very end. A fun take on the magical school setting that doesn't get bogged down into tween adolesence but rather enjoys fleshing out the magic system and the political factions. An interesting take on the power of Empire and the suppression of the people for the elites gain - structured out as a ponzi scheme. Or is it just reality?

Without a doubt my favorite book of the year so far. This is absolutely fantastic!

Vis hates the Heirarchy and everything they stand for. He wants to tear them apart. Maybe the best way to do that is from within.
He tells them he's an orphan which is true, but everything else he tells them is a lie. If he reveals his true identity, they will kill him.
So far his story is working. He's adopted and sent to an elite academy. All he has to do is move through the ranks quickly, and be at the top of his class to get a high ranking position in the Heirarchy. Then he can make them pay for what they've done to him.
He needs to survive the academy first, and that is looking more difficult every day.

I cannot say enough great things about this book. This is a must read for anyone who likes fantasy.

What the fuck? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, THAT ENDING!!!

My God, this book was absolutely brilliant! I loved every single thing about it, the writing, the pacing, the magic system, the political intrigue, the characters, EVERYTHING.

For an almost 700 page book, I was never bored. Vis is a character you can't help but root for and it's fascinating seeing how his mind works. Loved the training sequences he had with Lanistia (Also might have a bit of a crush on her, not gonna lie), and the plot moved along at a very brisk yet even pace.

I can't believe I have to wait until God knows when for the second book. I absolutely NEED it. Definitely moving this author's previous trilogy higher up on my TBR. I loved this book and just found a new fave of 2023

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for this advanced copy.

WHAT A RIDE!!!

This book was my best book in 2023 (so far). All characters were solid, the plot was amazing. Not to mention the ending of story which left me longing for the second book.

The Will of The Many also had such a unique magic system. This book had advertised for Red Rising fans and The Name of The Wind fans. Well, That was true.

Oh my god!!!! Absolute favourite fantasy of this year!!!!! This book was tailor made for me. Like every single trope I love in the perfect proportion along with a hero with all the best qualities I need to root for him along with amazing side characters and a school setting!!!! Gimme more!! I don’t even know how to write a review for this. I just know I loved this, I loved Vis and the ending just about killed me and now I have an interminable wait in front of me for book 2 😭😭

This is a book about a magical school done right! I enjoyed the slower introduction to the world before it became all about the academy, and I felt that the plot had enough intrigue to keep me hooked. There are layers and layers of political scheming that are complicated but not confusing. The history and magic system of this world are very mysterious and of course I wanted to know more about it, but this is still a book one after all!
I am interested in a lot of the characters, more so than in the Licanius trilogy.
The ending is incredible and a bit shocking!
Can’t wait for more.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

The Licanius Trilogy is one of my favorite trilogies, and I'd been anxiously awaiting something new from James Islington ever since finishing the The Light of All that Falls that could fill that void of having finished one of the best series. And fortunately, The Will of the Many more than delivered. This book blew my mind in all of the best possible ways, and I still can't believe some of the things that happened. I genuinely still think about this book almost daily and have the worst book hangover ever trying to find something else to read after.

The Will of the Many follows Vis Telimus, an orphaned young man who is currently working at a prison when we first meet him, regularly fights in tournaments on the side for extra money, and vows to never let the empire take his Will from him to power their Hierarchy (don't worry, I'll explain what this is later in the review!). Vis' entire family was killed by the Hierarchy and now he is set upon a path to uncover truths of the Catenan Republic, and along the way he is forced into a variety of different paths to undertake and additional mysteries to uncover, all of which make for a story that has something new to discover on nearly every page.

Vis has to be one of my new favorite protagonists. I feel like so many fantasy stories that follow young adults portray them as reckless, naïve, or otherwise just not quite as mature as they are implied to be and I end up very frustrated with them. Not so in The Will of the Many! Vis is my dream come true. Vis is angry, determined, and ridiculously sharp. He knows that there is no room for mistakes at just about any step of the way towards his goals. He is not shy and is not afraid to put himself out there when necessary to make a mark or achieve what he knows is needed. Even when Vis does make mistakes, there is a calculated coolness to him that is so captivating and admirable to watch. While reading The Will of the Many, I quite literally kept remarking to my husband at various intervals how much I loved Vis. He's almost ruthless in a way that I love, but still very much has strong convictions and a moral compass that I found admirable in how he did his best to never step over the boundaries he set up for himself.

There are a lot of moral quandaries and issues that pop up in this book, from the rebels to his own struggles at school, and I appreciated the way Islington shared his inner monologue and the frustrations he went through in his thought process to decide what was the next best step in his journey. I could see where Vis maybe seems "too good" at times at everything he does, but I think I would disagree only because it's very clear he has trained and worked hard to be as good as he is. From his youth until this point, he has constantly pushed himself and studied to be where he is, which makes things fit for me--not to mention that he does make some costly mistakes at times. Vis is a wonderfully complex and multidimensional character that I cannot wait to meet up with again in the sequel.

There are also a variety of supporting characters that were just as multi-faceted and well-developed, such as Ulcisor, a mysterious man who completely derails Vis' plans and subsequently sets Vis on a new path; and Callidus and Eidhin, two friends Vis acquires along the way. I loved Callidus and Eidhin about as much as I loved Vis, and I thought the two brought so much balance to Vis' own personality, as well as added much-needed color and interest to his journey. Both Callidus and Eidhin come from very unique backgrounds compared to each other and to Vis, and I really appreciated getting to learn about their own experiences and how they have been shaped into who they are today, and how those experiences also influence their current actions. Also, they were both hilarious in their own ways with their personalities and how they all interacted with one another and it brought so much joy to my reading of this book. Ulcisor is much more enigmatic and I still genuinely cannot decide if I trust him or not, but I appreciate his consistency and ability to really focus on getting done what he needs to get done.

The magic system is both very simple and a little bit confusing, but I'll do my best to explain it as accurately and succinctly as possible. The Catenan Republic is ruled and ordered by the Hierarchy, a powerful group who control the Republic via pyramidal systems of power. People have what is known as Will, which is essentially like a life force consisting of your energy and abilities, and Will can be ceded to more powerful figures in society to in turn make them more powerful. There is an entire system based on this that starts with the lowest ranking, Octavus, which is where most civilians stand. An Octavus cedes half of their Will to a Septimus, who receives will from eight people at Octavus ranking, and so on and so forth all the way up to the Princeps, who receives will from a total of over forty thousand people and is considered the most powerful. It's still taking my brain a little bit of work to really ground myself in how this all works, but I have no doubt that future books will play with this system much more and we as readers will really have a chance to dive deeper into this magic system to learn more about it and all of its implications for how it works. There are a lot of aspects of the Will and the magic system to explore and that I could talk about in more depth, but for the sake of brevity in this review (brevity which I'm sure has already been surpassed, sorry!), I'll hold off an let you explore it for yourself when you read this book.

The setting of the Will of the Many is fascinating. It takes place in a post-Cataclysm world where the people seem to still somewhat be picking up the pieces form the previous age and have yet to attain the levels of advancement and technology that previously existed. As you can probably tell from many of the terms in this book, this is a very Roman-inspired setting that shares many similarities, and just as many dissimilarities. There are so many details provided for this world, many of which probably have meaning we don't even understand yet, and others that serve to cement the world-building in order to successful create a grounded, fully-realized world. We get a lot of hints of other influences as well, such as with Eidhin and Vis' ethnicities and cultures hinted at being less common at the Academy compared to the rest, and I'm very curious to find out more about how all of that will continue to be interwoven into future installments.

We don't travel to too many different locations in this book, but of the places that we do get to travel to with Vis I found there to be a lot of variety and potential for future books to explore more. Every time the story did take a turn into a different location, I found myself craving to learn more about that location or what it's history was and it's current status within the Hierarchy. I am assuming the future installments will explore much more of this world and I can't wait for that because of how rich the world feels, as well as the fact that I feel like there are so many secrets and mysteries to uncover. And that's truly one of the most exciting things about this book–I know there are endless ancient mysteries lurking and the foreshadowing and hints of things to come that we get in this first book having me dying to keep uncovering more.

Although a good amount of time is spent in locations other than the Catenan Academy, the majority of the time is spent at this Academy on the isolated island of Solivagus, and I really enjoyed our time spent there. As much as I've loved school settings in the past, I have admittedly found myself get a little fatigued of them and the consistent tropes (the bully, the gruff teacher who ends up aiding the student, the mean teacher, etc.), and I was so thrilled when I found that this book didn't really follow those tropes in the ways I'm used to! Sure, there are always school elements that are going to be present, but this school has such a unique setup for the levels of students within it that nothing really felt like any other book I'd read, and I loved that so much.

The pacing of this book is genuinely, in my opinion, as close to perfect as you can get. There's a near-perfect balance of action, character development, world-building, and dialogue sprinkled throughout. I had a hard time putting this book down when I had to do other things in my life, and I was almost constantly counting down until when I got to pick it up again. That being said, it was also one of those books that I think I inadvertently read extra slowly because I wanted it to last as long as possible, and even doing that I never felt that the book moved too slowly or rushed in any place. I really think there's a little something for everyone: a magic systems that has a lot of different ideas and concepts to unpack, strong, careful characterization and development, world-building that tied into the narrative effortlessly and did not feel like excessive info-dumping, and high-intensity moments that included both action-packed events and moments that weren't necessarily high action, but still very intense. All of these together created such a consistent flow of movement along the narrative that it felt like a truly distinctive read that I was utterly engrossed in.

Lastly, I just have to say that this does end on a bit of a cliffhanger. It's not like literally hanging off a cliff style, but it's enough that I'm chomping at the bit to get more. It's absolutely worth it though because the way it leaves us is one of those places where it'll lend itself to so much fun discussion and theorizing in the interim period between now and getting our hands on the sequel.

The Will of the Many is a resounding success in the fantasy genre and is sure to become a classic. I would love to rave about this book more, but rather than continuing to read my words about it, I would highly suggest you go pick up a copy of The Will of the Many and read those words about it instead! Overall, it's an easy five stars from me!

I really enjoyed this book. It is definitely mystery filled while still being a fantasy book. We follow a young man trying to escape his former life because he could be killed if anyone found out who he was. But then he gets an opportunity to rise to the highest levels in the empire while also getting a chance to learn more about the underpinnings of it. What I appreciated about Vis is that he isn’t out for revenge, which is a refreshing change. There are also more secrets that set up the next book in the series. I’m excited to continue with this one.

The Will of the Many is one of the best books I’ve read in quite awhile! By the last quarter I had that magical feeling you get when you’re reading something that you think might just be your book of the year. If I hadn’t finished Realm of the Elderlings this, I think The Will of the Many might have done it! It’ll be in the very top group for sure!

I’m going to pitch this as Red Rising (but make it more political) meets the magic of Warbreaker in a dark academia setting. It’s lightly dystopian with a fascinating sci-fantasy, Roman-esque society.

That may sound like a lot to pull off. But Islington pulls it all off seamlessly and the tone and vibes are consistent and pretty flawless despite the impressively large number of different locations and plotlines covered in this book. I also enjoyed our characters and how Islington slowly revealed backstories and motivations and schemes. Vis is a character who is flawed and a bit stupid at times but is incredibly motivated and clever and he’s a great MC I can get behind.

My only negative is that it does have a slower start and it took me awhile to feel settled and really get into the story. This is going to feel like Red Rising a bit at the beginning. But it really blossoms into its own thing quickly so don’t get bogged down in that first part if it feels familiar. I still enjoyed the first third but the second two thirds had me on the edge of my seat and fully immersed.

And that ending shook me. If you’ve read Licanius you’ll have an inkling of what Islington is capable of to subvert expectations. And this one’s at least as good as Licanius! I’m devastated I have to wait for the second book.

Thanks to Saga Press, Gallery Books, and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Euan Morton and he did a fabulous job!

The Will of the Many is the best book I’ve read all year!

A fantasy set in an empire inspired by ancient Rome, this book has so many things I loved:

– elite academy
– great characters
– deadly competition
– critical lens of imperialism
– magic system that strengthens the theme of the book

It’s like the Farseer trilogy, Babel, Hunger Games, and Red Sister blended into something incredible. I can’t wait to read the next one. Absolutely excellent.

Thank you so much to Gallery Books and Saga Press for the opportunity to read this ahead of release via NetGalley!

I loved it so much that I bought the hard copy too.

Like many readers here, I'm here because I loved, wait scratch that still love, The Licanius Trilogy. I've read through those big books and listened to the audio books and was obsessed with them. I can truly say they are the best stories I've ever read. Saying that, this will be a different world entirely from the Licanius Trilogy. The story takes place in a pseudo Roman Empire which is fun because its tangible. I wanted another carbon copy of Licanius because I loved it so much but I know that's not what I really truly wanted I just wanted another amazing behemoth of a story and that's exactly what we got. Islington is such a master story teller his writing is so very smooth and fluid without being pretentious. Easily this will be in best of lists at the year's end. As I write this Islington's most recent email says book two will be done by the end of 2023 and we should have book two, The Strength of the Few, sometime in 2024, which means you won't have to wait too long to enjoy the continuation of the trilogy.

DNF 27% in.

I found myself struggling to get through THE WILL OF THE MANY, and I ultimately did not finish reading it. I enjoy doorstoppers and I like long books, the length is not the issue. I can like a slow burn story when I have an idea of what the slow burn is building to, but while I mostly understand why Ulciscor is doing what he's doing, I don't understand what Vis (the protagonist) is doing or what his goals are.

The character's background is conveyed mostly through his thoughts, and at first I thought it was going to be gradually revealed in bits and pieces. Having made it a quarter of the way through the book before stopping, it doesn't really seem like more is forthcoming (at least not in time for it to feel meaningful).

The Will system is interesting, it's well-described and has some fascinating implications for the world. I appreciate how the exploitative nature of this power is combined with a colonialist empire. It's a synergy between the political and magical in a way that makes sense as to why things are as bad as they are for almost everyone in the system, with the magic and the exploitation feeding into each other in a horrible self-reinforcing loop.

Ultimately the pace was slow enough that it broke any sense of momentum that I had while reading, and I'm just not interested in finishing it.

A skillful author builds worlds, communities and characters that become real to the readers. James Islington has accomplished this to the nth degree in THE WILL OF THE MANY. The first book in a new series, as this is in Hierarchy, often has a slower pace as it builds the story line, not so here. The "fantasy" evolves quickly as we learn the MC is torn between two worlds, working to build one at the same time as he tears one down. Alone in an environment designed to destroy individuality, he will gather to him the people and information needed to accomplish his goals. Reading this book will pull you into the Academy with all of it's twists and turns. I eagerly await book #2.