The Will of the Many
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4.7 • 147 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this “brilliant and gut-churning masterpiece” (Library Journal, starred review) by the internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington.
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 civilized 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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Strap in for the towering first installment of a Roman empire–inspired fantasy series, where a disguised prince becomes entangled in a web of political conspiracies. Ever since his country was conquered, teenage Prince Diago has lived as Vis Solum, a hardened, abused orphan in the Catenan Republic. He refuses to perform the ritual that will join him to the country’s magical political system, in which the lowly cede part of their Will to the upper ranks of society, granting their betters enhanced physical and magical power at the expense of their own life force. A senator who appreciates Vis’ refusal—as well as his intelligence, strength, and expendability—adopts the young man and enrols him in the elite Catenan Academy. There, Vis is tasked with spying on the school’s leader, who’s supposedly searching for a particularly dangerous ancient weapon. Epic fantasy fans will instantly be caught up in Vis’ impossible situation, as he literally refuses to bend his Will to multiple people who seek to pressure him into various courses of action. It’s an exciting and emotionally gripping read.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Maintaining suspense for almost 700 pages is a tall order, but Islington (the Licanius trilogy) makes it look easy in his staggering Hierarchy series launch, set in a world dominated by the Roman Empiresque Hierarchy. The Hierarchy maintains its power through an insidious scheme: those at the top draw energy, or Will, from those beneath them, who "voluntarily" cede some of their strength to benefit from the system. Against this backdrop, prison worker Vis, 17, must conceal that he's really Diago, the prince of Suus, a kingdom vanquished by the Hierarchy when it executed Vis's family. Vis gets an opportunity for revenge when he's adopted by a powerful senator, Ulciscor Telimus, who wants him to join the Catenan Academy, where the next generation of Hierarchy leadership is trained. Ulciscor's brother, Caeror, died there under suspicious circumstances, and Ulciscor hopes Vis can find the truth. But Vis's options change after an encounter with violent rebels seeking to topple the Hierarchy. Islington's worldbuilding is exceptionally detailed and thoughtful, making suspending disbelief effortless. Perfectly balancing character development and plot momentum, this will have fantasy fans clamoring for more.
