The Will of the Many by James Islington

“The released bellowing of the crowd is a wave hitting the stage, crashing down from the surrounding darkness.

Exhilaration courses through me at the sound. They’re unique, these eternal moments before a match truly begins. Blood pounding. Fighting to keep my breathing steady. Not sure whether it’s excitement or fear that’s heightening every sense, making my skin tingle and hands twitch in anticipation. Every second seems to draw out, every minor detail of the stage and my opponent seems to be brighter, clearer. These are the spindly cracks in the faded white stone underfoot, several spaces coated in fresh splashes of red. The warm heaviness of the air from a night of bodies packed together. The way the Sextus’s lip almost imperceptibly curls as he stalks forward, green eyes fading to black and glittering in the light of the torches arrayed around the stage. 


Ellanher asked me what it’s all for. I tell myself that it’s for the coin, for the practice. For survival. And none of that’s a lie, but as the shackles on my mind fall away, I acknowledge that there’s another truth beneath it all.


This is the only place in the world where I don’t have to pretend to be friendly. Or dull. Or servile or weary.


This is the one place where I don’t have to hold back.”

The Will of the Many by James Islington

Every once in awhile, I come across a book that consumes me. A book that grabs my attention from page one and sets my mind on fire with excitment, intrigue and sheer need to keep reading. These are my favorite kinds of books. The ones I can’t put down, stop thinking about. My husband had to listen to me rant and rave about how amazing The Will of the Many was for the entire week I took to read it and all the days after. (I’m going to bug him to read it until he does).

This is one way of saying that this book is hands down one of my favorite books ever, and of the year, too.

Set in a Roman-eqsue time period, The Will of the Many follows Vis as he lives a pretty tough life in the Catenan Republic. He is orphaned, working in a prison by day and fighting in underground fights for coin at night. In the prison, he watches over prisoners that are attached to Sappers. These devices draw out their Will and makes them emaciated husks of who they once were. This Will feeds the powerful of the Republic with power, and it’s not a job Vis would have ever chosen for himself. But he’s trying to keep his nose down and get by long enough to leave the city behind, hoping to keep a secret who he really is.

But one night, a high ranking member of the Hierarchy, Ulciscor needs to interrogate a prisoner and Vis must assist him in waking up the prisoner and putting him back under the Sapper when he’s done. Ulciscor speaks a language to the prisoner that Vis shouldn’t know and as much as he tries to hide his understanding, it doesn’t fool Ulciscor. 

The next day, Ulciscor arrives at the orphange Vis lives out to adopt a child. But what surprises everyone is that he chooses Vis. He needs Vis, and Vis realizes he has little other option. Vis agrees to become his ward and attend a presitigous and grueling academy in order to spy on the branch Religion and what they’ve been hiding for decades. Ulciscor believes that Religion and something hidden at the academy is responsible for the death of his brother, and he’s determined to find out what happened, regardless of whether or not Vis’ life is at stake. 

What follows is an amazingly tense and intriguing story full of political intrigue, mystery and magic. I want to shout about this book from the rooftops. It is a stunning masterpiece and I am DYING for book 2. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. I’m not crying about the wait or anything…

Anyway, while I wait I have started James Islington’s Licanius trilogy. I’m on book two and it is so amazing! More reviews to come!