kgajos finished reading The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence
The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence
A boy has lived his whole life trapped within a vast library, older than empires and larger than cities.
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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 …
