The Will of the Many (Hierarchy)
4.7 | 24,777 ratings
Price: 16.99
Last update: 03-31-2026
Product details
- ASIN : B0BHTMBW5B
- Publisher : S&S/Saga Press
- Accessibility :
- Publication date : May 23, 2023
- Language : English
- File size : 4.4 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 640 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-1982141196
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Book 1 of 2 : Hierarchy
- Best Sellers Rank:#22 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Fantasy Action & Adventure
- Historical Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- Action & Adventure Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:4.74.7 out of 5 stars(24,762)
Top reviews from the United States
- C. ManninoExcellent and cant wait for book2!Just finished The Will of the Many (Islington) and damnnnn the book is amazing. Without spoilers, the ending clearly sets up a longer series, and book2 releases in Nov.
Overall:
World: fantasy version of Imperial Rome. The worldbuilding was perfect, and easy to dive right into. The "pyramids" of the magic system are integral to the world, character, and plot, and were also definitely social commentary on class structures. I loved the world and found it easy to picture. The magic system of Will was really unique. It was interesting that he had to sort of go to places without magic for more than half the book though, making me wonder how different future books might feel.
Pacing:
Perfection. It is intense, but with pauses... thats something a lot of new authors miss, and the variance between both is needed. Twists were very surprising. There was one moment near the end where I was like... thats IT? And no... it was not it.
Characters:
The main character is really great and is compelling. His homeland is Suus. I kept reading it as "sus" which is what my kids say, quoting Among Us. The other chatacters are mostly well developed with great motivations... but it is clear Islington prefers writing male characters. The females all felt a bit...less developed. But hoping to see that change in future books. The book straddles ya and adult, with the mc turning 18 at the books end. Quite a bit of violence. No on the page sex, and barely a hint of romance.
Highlights: the shift in book styles throughout was refreshing. I consistently had no clue where it was going. Theres a magic school part, a hunger games part, a Gladiator part... but the interweaving of these elements, with other completely new parts, left the book feeling exciting and unpredictable. Prose and mcs voice were spot on always.
Overall rating: 5 out of 5 easily. Cant wait for the next one. - Gabriella.booksBought this impulsively—zero regrets!The Will of the Many showed up on my suggested books on Kindle yesterday evening, and after reading the sample in record time (even for me), I decided to buy the full book. I’m so glad I did! The characters were well-developed, the worldbuilding was solid and detailed without overwhelming info-dumps, the themes were thought-provoking, the general imagery was fascinating, and the plot was twisty enough to surprise me. (And as a writer myself, that’s fairly rare!)
Go figure I mostly want to talk about the characters, but Vis is amazing! I really enjoyed having a competent—if slightly inexperienced at times—protagonist going into a new series. He’s intelligent, intriguing, courageous, and generally manages to avoid the stupid mistakes that most teenage protagonists tend to fall into so easily. He’s definitely not perfect, but I was rooting for him almost immediately.
Briefly described, the setting is a “Post-Cataclysmic,” Roman-Empire-reminiscent world with a strict hierarchy that is rather caste-like. Everyone in the empire “cedes” a portion of their “Will” to the levels above them in a pyramid-like structure, leaving the highest levels with tremendous power and influence. This raises interesting questions of autonomy, as well as leading readers to consider the impact (and tacit complicity) of staying silent and complying with “the system.” As one character says in the first quarter of the book, “—should we not hold others to the standards to which we hold ourselves? Anyone who does not resist them… is lending them their strength. Is complicit in all that they do.” Granted, we are not ceding actual tangible power in our daily lives, but the concept still made me think more deeply about how many things we lend our silent support to, simply because of our unwillingness to take a stand and risk the loss of our comfort zones and social popularity.
The last characteristic of this book that I enjoyed was its length. I strongly appreciate long fantasy books (when done well). At no point when reading The Will of the Many was I bored and wanting the story to end. On the contrary, my only fear while reading was that it would end before I was ready. As it was, the ending was satisfying and certainly a cliff-hanger, but not as bad a one as I’d feared. I will certainly be on the lookout for the sequel!
If you’re looking for an adventurous fantasy with fascinating, multi-dimensional characters, thought-provoking themes, and dark political academia vibes with fierce competition between individuals and classes, this book might just thrill you as much as it did me :) - Amazon CustomerFantastic story, but not a fan of the reversible coverI really enjoyed The Will of the Many (Hierarchy) — the world-building, characters, and plot kept me hooked from start to finish. The story is compelling and the pacing is excellent, making it hard to put down.
The hardcover quality is solid, but I’m not a fan of the reversible cover design. It feels unnecessary and a little cumbersome compared to a traditional dust jacket.
That aside, the book itself is fantastic. If you enjoy epic sci-fi with strong characters and intricate world-building, this is definitely worth picking up. Highly recommend. - Valentinahooked since page oneI absolutely loved this book! The plot is awesome, the pacing is perfect. I connected with the main and side characters
This book had me on the edge of my seat.
It’s distopian, sci-fi, magic and fantasy
The politics, the magic system the emotional stakes.
The author is so skilled and narrating the book that you can literally see the scenes playing out in your brain