kgajos reviewed The Will of the Many by James Islington (The Hierarchy)
Interesting world, enjoyable story
5 stars
I found the world very interesting. The core idea is that people have Will -- a life force -- that they can cede to others or use for other purposes like powering machinery. The use of Will is at the absolute core of the day-to-day functioning of the society and its political structure. The society is organized into pyramids, where the higher you are, the more people cede a part of their Will to you. Of course, the more Will you command, the more powerful you are (physically, politically) and the greater tasks you can accomplish on behalf of the society.
The main character is an interesting mix of underdog and privilege: he was a prince when he grew up but his society was conquered and now he is hiding in an orphanage. He has grit, and smarts, etc, but the knowledge and training he received in his early …
I found the world very interesting. The core idea is that people have Will -- a life force -- that they can cede to others or use for other purposes like powering machinery. The use of Will is at the absolute core of the day-to-day functioning of the society and its political structure. The society is organized into pyramids, where the higher you are, the more people cede a part of their Will to you. Of course, the more Will you command, the more powerful you are (physically, politically) and the greater tasks you can accomplish on behalf of the society.
The main character is an interesting mix of underdog and privilege: he was a prince when he grew up but his society was conquered and now he is hiding in an orphanage. He has grit, and smarts, etc, but the knowledge and training he received in his early days give him a substantial edge. So it is another book where the main character is special through the accident of birth but at least this character is aware of of his privilege.
Even though the mechanics of the world are interesting and essential for the book, most of the story occurs at the Academy (an elite educational institution) where the use of Will is forbidden. So the plot depends on the protagonist's cleverness and character more than any of the special features of the world. Until...
This is book 1 of a planed trilogy. According to the author's home page (www.jamesislington.com/updates.html), the second book is already in the editing process and the third is being written.
