/lit/ - Literature

Has anyone else read this? I just finished it and thought it was pretty good, will definitely finish out the rest of the series. I liked all the social/political maneuvering.

The Will of the Many released some days ago. It's holding up well so far at 4.69/5 on Goodreads. I liked it and here's what I thought about it: >>/lit/thread/S21635354#p21636452

My current whim is that I'll post a reminder once about the books I've read in advance and liked around when they've released.

>>21635354
The Will of the Many, Hierarchy #1 - James Islington (2023)

The Will of the Many was a wild ride of fast paced action-filled events from beginning to end. That's impressive considering its length. The story was often ridiculous and sometimes unbelievable, though that's what made it so fun. I was expecting it to be somewhat more serious, but it was enjoyable enough to where I could overlook my concerns.

Three-hundred years ago the Cataclysm wiped out 95% of the world population. Over time technologies were rediscovered from the ruins, the foremost among them being the Aurora Columnae, which allow for the usage of Will. I wouldn't describe Will as magic or psionics, but rather more like a technological substitute that also grants the same set of superhuman enhancements. The Catenan Republic, an Ancient Rome stand-in, uses Will to form a world government, or close enough anyway. Their rule, and Will itself, is literally powered by the subjugation and oppression of its citizenry. To me this book had much to say about our times, though I felt there was a mixed message between its statements and actions, so I'll reserve judgment until the series has concluded.

Vis, the seventeen year old protagonist, was a prince whose nation was conquered and family was slaughtered three years ago. He's overcome by rage and usually solves his problems through berserk violence, but not always. He refuses Will and therefore society in general, as his dream is to one day escape Hierarchy and live where exploitation isn't omnipresent. Multiple parties have his life planned out for him and he doesn't have a say in the matter, which made it feel more plot than character driven.

If you've read the synopsis, you may be thinking this is an Academy Novel, so it may surprise you that Vis doesn't enroll into the Academy until later than you may expect. A lot happens before that, and I felt that the academy was more where he was much of the time, rather than necessarily what it was about. Vis does interact with many of his classmates, though mostly only a few in-depth, there's a bit of romance, and there are various activities both on and off campus. Personal Will usage isn't allowed on campus, so there's less of it throughout the book than you might think there'd be.

This book has a scene that may become infamous and memorable and that could get a lot of people talking about it, but I don't know in what way. I thought an early fight scene would be as outrageous as it gets, but I was wrong. I considered not mentioning it, but it's probably what I'll remember the book the most for, and I don't know how to feel about that.

I will definitely be reading the next book, especially considering the astounding ending that if the author manages to do well, will be awesome, and also divisive. I may end up retroactively rating this five stars if the series overall delivers this level of sheer enjoyment. I await the glorious absurdities to come.

Rating: 4/5