Book Review: A Brilliant, Addictive Fantasy

 The Will of the Many, by James Islington (Saga)

The Will of the Many sets a heroic coming-of-age talein a richly imagined, magically imbued empire. The Catenan Republic has manyechoes of our own Roman Empire in names, language, conquests, politics andrivalries, and powerful families, but with a crucial difference. Itsoperational principle is the Hierarchy, in which masses cede their “Will,”their strength, drive, and focus, to those above them, with each successivelyhigher rank accumulating more power. This kind of moral and physical slavery isan engraved invitation to abuse.

Within this cauldron of oppression, a young man callinghimself Vis ekes out a living working by day in the orphanage that houses himand at night in the underground of street fighting. Vis has a secret: he’snever ceded his Will, and the whip scars on his back show the price of hisdefiance. But he harbors an even deeper secret, one that means his death if itwere discovered.

Vis's life takes an abrupt turn when a Senator, very high inthe Hierarchical ranks, recruits him into his aristocratic family to solve amurder and ferret out a secret in the elite Academy, one that can tear theRepublic apart. It’s an all but impossible task and the price of failure isworse than death.

Vis is an engaging character, at once courageous, beset bythe overwhelming nature of his task, desperate to protect his identity, andtouchingly fallible. He’s perfect for bringing the reader into theoften-bizarre, often-familiar world of the Academy. His friends, allies, andenemies within the school, as well as his patrician adopted father, are allbeautifully drawn. Best of all, the dramatic tension and action scenes arehands-down some of the best I’ve read.

Beware, though, the book is addictive. And just when youthink it’s got to wrap up, you find out it’s the first of a trilogy.