The Strength of the Few

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 8. SEPT. 2025

Returning to a richly drawn fantasy world in which the elite wield a magical force called Will tithed from people in lower castes, bestseller Islington's brilliant middle volume of his Hierarchy trilogy clears the high bar set by the first installment. Following the events of The Will of the Many, Vis, a student at the academy designed to develop the Hierarchy's next leaders, has been replicated twice. Now versions of him exist in three separate worlds—Obiteum, Luceum, and his home world, Res—all of which face the impending threat of the Cataclysm, an extinction-level event. Due to this three-way split, Vis may be the only person able to avert the devastation, as prophesied in an ancient text, though he has doubts that he has been told the whole historical truth. Evocative prose and nuanced ruminations on the nature of power and sacrifice enhance Islington's complex multiverse worldbuilding. Readers will be on the edge of their seats—and impatient to learn how Islington pulls off the saga's conclusion.