Review: The Will of the Many by James Islington

Blurb:

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.

Review:

“If all you’re trying to do is change who’s in control, then you don’t really want to change anything.”

The Will of the Many by James Islington was an instant favorite for me! Islington drops us into a Roman-inspired, science-fiction epic with deep fantasy roots that mesmerizes and intrigues with twists, turns, and mysteries. 

The Will of the Many is a single POV, first-person story told through the eyes of Vis, a hyper-competent underdog who has been banished from his homeland of Suus and raised in an orphanage where he participates in cage fights to make money. Vis is running from the Hierarchy, the governmental ruling body that literally derives its power from the people, forcing them to cede a portion of their Will, ultimately creating pyramids of power with the rulers at the top obtaining this powerful Will from hundreds or thousands of people at the base, endowing them with god-like powers. Vis is recruited and sent to the elite Catenan Academy where he quickly becomes entrenched in political intrigue and secrets with mortal implications.

While this story is much deeper and darker than Harry Potter, I haven’t loved an “academy story” as much since first reading Harry Potter as a kid. Vis is an underdog in some ways, but overly, hyper-competent in other ways. I found myself constantly yelling and cheering encouragement as he bulldozed his way through the Catenan Academy. Secret ruins and ancient secrets set within the mysterious training island that he needs to uncover during his training? Count me the freak in! This story hit on everything that I love about the academy trope. It was brutal and bloody and no-holds bar. 

The magic system revolving around the ceding of Will is fascinating. Islington demonstrates the complexity of the system through Vis’s eyes as we travel with him throughout the Academy. However, so much of Will remains a mystery at the end of the book. Islington has done a masterful job of presenting a world and society that almost feels familiar, but when the reader takes a step back, we realize we know almost nothing about what’s going on. There is so much that is still unknown. The ending is a jawdropper. I re-read the last few chapters 2-3 times after picking myself up off the floor upon finishing.

I literally cannot wait for Islington to release the next book in the Hierarchy series. It has moved soundly into one of my most anticipated sequels for 2025. The Will of the Many is a brutal, Acadamy-based story with enough ankle-breaking twists to keep even the most experienced fantasy/sci-fi reader guessing until the final pages.

“They know the system is wrong, but they choose not to think or speak up or act because they ultimately hope that in their silence, they will gain. Or at the very least not have to give more than they have already given.”