by James Islington ★★★★★
Despite its popularity, I have yet to read author James Islington's Licanius Trilogy, so I came into The Will of the Many blind to his talents and unfamiliar with his style. However, like with Fourth Wing last year, I noticed a startling high 4.8 average rating on Amazon with over 3000 reviews. Something good must be going on here, right?
I can confirm that is the case. The Will of the Many is excellent.
The fantasy novel centers on a teenager named Vis, a former prince of the island nation of Suus, who is hiding out in a remote southern town after his nation was overthrown and family was murdered by the government (and he was presumed dead). He's living under that assumed name in an orphanage and working nights at Letens Prison, while moonlighting as a fighter in nightly gladiatorial fights to earn extra cash, biding his time until he can enact revenge.
He is discovered at the prison and later at the fights by a Senator, Ulciscor Telimus, traveling undercover, who knows there is more to Vis than his manufactured backstory. Ulciscor arranges for Vis's adoption, but not out of benevolence -- Vis has the right mix of advanced education and skills that Ulciscor could never find in another orphan. He needs someone he can use to infiltrate the Academy, an elite school where Ulciscor's brother died years prior. Ulciscor is convinced that his brother's death, ruled a suicide, is far more suspicious, and Vis will be his tool to uncover the truth.
The title of the trilogy -- The Hierarchy -- refers to the societal structure that is in place, in which there are eight levels or classes of people, structured like a pyramid with a small concentration in the upper tiers and a large concentration at the bottom. The lowest classes cede "Will" upwards through the pyramid, which is essentially anything from physical strength to intelligence, making even those at level six incredibly powerful, since they are buffeted by the Will of 56 people below them. Society is divided into three primary pyramids -- Religion, Governance, and Military -- and the subplot of the novel revolves around the power struggle that is growing between them. Layer in a rebel group called the Anguis that are fighting to overthrow the government and halt the use of Will, and there's plenty of political machinations underpinning the story.
There's so much good here! Multi-faceted characters, multiple plots and mysteries, well-rendered action sequences, and some significant surprises along the way. The majority of the novel takes place at the Academy, a cutthroat school for the children of high society that produces the next crop of senators and leaders for the government, and so there are some similarities to schools in other fantasy novels, like Basquiat War College in Fourth Wing (albeit without the steamy romance). Some reviewers have drawn parallels with Red Rising, and I can see that, especially when it gets to the "Iudicium", the finishing test at the Academy for the top students to determine their final class ranking. The characters have believable motivations, and there is nuance and growth among most of them.
I'm happy to have stumbled on this one, and I will absolutely be continuing with the series. Of course, now I'm stuck in the dreaded waiting game for the next book to come out, but the lack of instant gratification should hopefully just make me appreciate Book 2 even more. As days continue to pass since I finished the book, I'm finding I'm appreciating The Will of the Many even more -- this is highly recommended if you're in the mood for a really well-crafted new fantasy series.
Comments