James IslingtonBesprekingen

Slow start but amazing!!

4.75/5

My enjoyment of this book was over the top. I loved just about every page. I found it to be a fast-paced but complicated read. There were several times in this book that I was on-the-edge-of-my-seat excited to get through to the next scene and find out what was happening or going to happen or did happen (as much of this story involves the characters discovering their forgotten pasts as well as determining their futures).

The only thing for me that kept it from a 5-star rating were actions/reactions by a few characters which were not what I expected. I won't go into any details because it would be spoilerish, but it is also a personal preference thing - nothing that takes away from the overall awesomeness of this book. If I rated it on my enjoyment level alone, it would get an 8 out of 5.

I have been looking forward to seeing the final instalment of The Licanius Trilogy since I finished the An Echo of Things to Come almost two years ago. As appears to be the case for many others, I didn't get around to re-reading both the previous books before starting with The Light of All That Falls, so even with the helpful summary of previous events, it was a bit of a cold start, and took me a few chapters to get back into. I think this series could definitely do with a top-to-tail reread in the future to come to fully appreciate the complexity of the plot and how it fits into the world crafted by James Islington.

Speaking of the complexity of the plot, I felt that this was one of the best, but at the same time the most problematic, elements of both this book and the trilogy as a whole. On the one hand, the intricacies of both the individual storylines of the main characters as well as the ways in which they interconnected was extremely well done, and made for good pacing as well as character development. On the other hand, the complexity meant that some plot points and decisions were difficult to follow without the reader's complete and utter concentration, and together with the smorgasbord of secondary characters, outlandish names and time travel thrown into the mix, I found myself having to double back in a few places to make sure I had understood what was happening.

The other things that greatly impressed me about Islington's writing were his ability to bring out the driving themes of the book, while also showing great attentiveness to maintaining internal consistency and the details of his magic system. I particularly enjoyed the treatment of the driving themes of destiny and fate vs freedom of choice, and the importance of being the person that one wants to be rather than being governed by how one is perceived by others, both of which are convincingly engaged with by the characters in their thoughts, choices and interactions. The improvements in the use of Essence and kan were also creatively developed and realistically required attentive study and practice. Although I did feel that the last battle did fall a bit flat in terms of displaying the full extent of the characters' abilities, the epilogue was nevertheless a satisfying way to wrap up the series.

Ultimately, I think this is a 4.5 for me - an engaging and immersive final book which ticks the majority of the boxes, definitely merits a re-read, and makes me interested to see what the author will come out with in the future, but didn't quite have the X factor to top it off.

I kept getting Stormlight Archive vibes, which is a compliment to Sanderson, but thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series. It did take the oh-so-excellent narration by Michael Kramer to fully get me engaged, but once I did, the storyline set its hooks in me.

The only problem that I had was the seemingly utter stupidity of the teenaged protaganists. Maybe I'm too far removed from that age, and just don't remember how stupid I was, but it seems to be my new pet peeve in books.

I've already purchased the audio and Kindle versions of book #2, An Echo of Things to Come.

Apparently the magical school setting is so big now it's a subgenre in its own right. This one had a lot of hype online.
If you're going to set a book in a first person perspective (with no change of views either) you'd better have a sensational character to follow since it's the only voice the book will have. Vis ain't it. Islington makes a lot out of some basic knowledge of latin and has an interesting magic system in the form of "ceding will" - it just doesn't spring from the written page like it does in an outline. It's not particularly distinctive in the novel and might as well be any other handwaved magic explanation. As the first book in a series there's no satisfying conclusion (in fact in ends on a cliffhanger), and nearly all of it is just setting up future mysteries.
Could have used a shifting POV like ASOIAF to get some variety of character. Could have used a different structure with more definite concluded stories as the first part of a series (compare with something like the Expanse series).

Seems interesting enough, at least enough to read the next book.

Whatever it is that I just finished reading, was freaking AWESOME. It's rare to run across something that starts out feeling a little too familiar (Red Rising) and ends up being unlike anything I've ever read before. But this book was that, in spades. Completely new magic system that reads both fantasy and sci-fi, a class system that is also brand new but recognizable, and tropes I thought I'd tired of, but which are presented in an exciting new way or turned completely on their heads. (orphan to royalty).

Though I think the dramatic personae could benefit from being presented up front (I spent half the damn book trying to figure out how to pronounce these names, and I took three years of college Latin), the rest of the story was beyond reproach. Incredible depth of character, world-building, geography etc... fast-paced but not too fast to miss the details that really make a story shine, plot points that are impossible to predict, but thrilling all the same, and world-building unlike anything I have ever read.

And another thing I appreciated? This book had some fantastic editing.

Definitely read it. And you'll definitely want to read it again!

Great story, iffy execution. Parts of this read more superhero than fantasy, which I didn't particularly mind, but my biggest gripe is that it was just hard to follow. Abrupt POV shifts that didn't flow well, plot points that are vague, at best, and a lack of character depth, especially in comparison to the first book. Solid writing. Solid story, but I think I'll be reading something else before I finish this series.

3.5 stars, rounded up because that was such an entertaining read. While the character depth in this book is strong, the interpersonal dialogues and interactions are pretty flat. I know Islington improves this skill significantly in future writing so I was willing to accept it in this installation. What started off as a run-of-the-mill hero's journey fantasy opening quickly developed into a fast-paced intricate plot with excellent world-building and a really interesting magic system.

Read it; just know that the first few chapters are not indicative of the rest of the book!

One of the most satisfying conclusions to a trilogy I've ever read.
The first book is good-ish, the second is even better and this final one is just a perfectly wrapped up gift. You will be hard pressed to find a better ending in epic fantasy.

While it's derivative and starts slow, it picks up a quarter of the way in and finishes quite strongly.

adventurous dark tense slow-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

An amazing read. I started this book thinking it would be predictable and perhaps not as deep as I would hope. I left it slack jawed and wishing I could read the sequel immediately. I am eagerly awaiting the next book.

great ending

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Will of the Many is a fun, compulsively readable, and action-packed Roman inspired epic fantasy that had me staying up way past my bedtime. It is a wonderful addition to the “magical academy” subgenre (with all of your favorite tropes!) as well as being a carefully nuanced critique of colonialism and the project of empire. Whether you are in the mood for something fun and breezy or something deeper and more contemplative, Islington has you covered.

The Will of the Many tells the story of Vis, a young orphan who is adopted by one of the sociopolitical elites of the Hierarchy. Vis is tasked with entering a prestigious magical academy with one goal – ascend the ranks, figure out what the other major branches of the government are doing, and report back. However, that isn’t quite as easy as Vis or anyone else thought it was going to be…

I really enjoyed Islington’s worldbuilding. It’s actually shocking we don’t have more fantasy books set in a Roman-esque setting, and Islington uses the setting to its full potential. The main thrust of the world is the Hierarchy itself, a powerful, colonizing empire that has pretty much wiped every other independent nation out. The Hierarchy is socially divided…hierarchically. Most people are at the bottom with fewer people at the top, and the people at the top can pull magical energy from the lower people. What results is essentially the magical equivalent of a pyramid scheme – each Rank 4 person has a few Rank 5 people they pull from, the Rank 5 people pull from Rank 6 people, etc. etc. This gives most people access to some kind of magic, while the people at the top can do the most powerful stuff because they are drawing magical energy from the most people.

This magical energy, the Will, is not only a cool magic system to explore, but it has social and thematic resonance as well. Islington’s magic system is a condemnation of both his fictional Hierarchy and the world that we live into today. While the people in the Hierarchy are deprived of their magical energies, in our world people are deprived of their money, health, and happiness to those at the top of the social hierarchy; those that take and never give. I always love when magic systems are thought out in this way. I am always down for a magic system that is cool just because it’s cool, but when a magic system is so nicely integrated into the book’s setting and theme like The Will is, it makes it all the better.

More than anything else what I loved about Islington’s worldbuilding is that he has carefully thought about how magic would actually impact the world. While it is definitely Roman inspired, Islington’s world doesn’t look exactly like Ancient Rome. For example, flying trains and mass transit are common in this world because of course it does. Magic makes it really easy to transport objects and people, so why wouldn’t an efficiently run empire have this? I don’t see this kind of thinking enough in epic fantasy, and I loved how it was used here.

The book is compulsively consumable and readable. I didn’t even realize the book was nearly 700 pages long because I flew through it. Islington’s writing style is a bit more interesting than say, Sanderson’s prose (this is not a hit against Sanderson, his prose is just utilitarian), but still fades into the background as you race through the pages. The story also moves. I thought that a chonky first book in a series would be a lot of set up, but Islington keeps the story progressing at a fine pace. And while there are definitely reveals to come in future books, he also gives the readers a lot of information so it doesn’t feel like this book only exists for the set up.

There isn’t a magical academy, coming of age, epic fantasy trope that Islington doesn’t put on display here. I’m not sure this is necessarily a criticism, but my feelings about the tropiness of the story did vacillate frequently as I was working my way through the book. Vis is a low class kid placed in magical academy to aid in the resistance (although the resistance here is another branch of the government rather than the resistance movement). There is a love triangle between Vis, one of the upper-class classmates, and one of the resistance fighters. There is a cruel professor and a professor that supports Vis. A lot of the worldbuilding is done through class lectures and grand speeches. There is a dangerous game (that isn’t really a death game, but death is possible) that all of the students need to participate in. I could keep listing them, but my point is that if you are looking for something that revels in these tropes, The Will of the Many has them all. However, if you hate these tropes you might want to look elsewhere.

No matter how many tropes Islington engaged in, I will say that he did them really well.

Between the prose style and the tropiness, this book sits nicely between YA and adult fantasy. Fans of either genre will feel right at home here. The young protagonists, magical school, and first-person present narration will appeal to YA fans, while the complex magic system, critiques of colonialism/power, and the political maneuvering will keep fans of adult fantasy interested. I’m not sure if I have read a book that so seamlessly draws in both audiences without alienating one or the other at some point!

One trope that Islington avoided that I really enjoyed was how he portrayed the villains. It often feel like authors want the readers to know how evil the antagonists are, and thus go out of their way to have the villains do the most heinous things. They are vile, arrogant, and cruel in all of the most horrifying ways. The villains in The Will of the Many aren’t like this. They act like normal people. Some are jerks, most are rather nice. Unlike most fish-out-of-water magical academy stories, Vis’ classmates are no nicer or meaner than what you would expect at any kind of normal school. Sure, there are bullies but Vis isn’t some kind of social pariah.

What is so brilliant about this is that these characters feel all the more natural, real, and human because Islington doesn’t feel like he needs to up the teen angst. To be clear, these people are vile colonizers. But the thing is that they have already won. The Hierarchy is the victor, its citizens are comfortable. There is no need for the characters to act out their villainy. This makes Islington’s villains all the more heinous; they are normal people, having normal conversations, and doing normal things all the while casually discussing how to perpetuate their colonizing ways. As I worked my way through The Will of the Many I was achingly uncomfortable (in a good way!) because I was being endeared to these people that…are not great.

Having said that, Islington does run into a bit of the problem that many similar stories run into, and that is that he does want some of the colonizers to be heroes. He doesn’t have them fully unpack their own complicity in the pain of others (including Vis’ family), but there will be plenty of time to hopefully do so in later books.

And speaking of villainy, I won’t say too much to avoid spoilers but I did really like that (outside of Vis) Islington does add some gray layers and nuance to all sides of the colonizer/colonized issue. He recognizes that simple binaries don’t work in the creation of and the resistance to empires. Good/bad and colonizer/colonized don’t always operate in those overly simplistic and binary ways. I wouldn’t but this book anywhere near the grimdark genre, mostly because Vis is such an example of a classic good-guy protagonist, but the world around Vis is much more complicated than your standard “heroic” fantasy epic.

The end of The Will of the Many sets up so many exciting directions for the series, for both heroes and villains, and I am definitely on board for wherever Islington takes me next.

Concluding Thoughts: The Will of the Many is an exciting start to a new fantasy series, full of political intrigue, magical academies, insurgence, death games and more. No matter what kind of epic fantasy you usually gravitate towards, you will definitely find something in Islington’s Roman-inspired world. Simultaneously a breezy, fun beach read and a deeper, more searing condemnation of colonialism and social inequalities, I could not put this book down and I am anxiously awaiting the sequel.

Davian finds himself with an awkward gift. He’s been touched with the mark that says he can use magic.
One problem.
He can’t.
No matter how hard he tries, how much he studies, he can’t use the ability he’s supposed to. And his final test is in a few days, and failure means severe consequences.
In order to avoid the test, he sets out on a secret mission with his best friend Wirr, leaving his life behind to start an adventure he never expected.
A debut novel by James Islington, the Shadow of What Once was Lost is the first in a series.
I’m doubtful this is the first book he’s ever written, or if it is than he’s one outstanding outliner. It is well thought out, well executed, and entertaining. Hats off to James with such a good story.
The book ponders what most fantasy books do.
What do you do with a special gift when confronted by a threat dangerous enough to destroy the world?
How deep do the ties of friendship run when tested to the limits?
The characters were solid, the world building realistic, and it kept me turning the page.
The emotional payoffs in the book are foreshadowed properly and hit hard. Only in retrospect did I see some of the curveballs coming. The biggest problem for me was convenience during the final battle. The narrative felt contrived at points.
Overall, the good far outweighs the bad, and I’d recommend this book.

The writing is very good, but the story is 100% YA - and does not "suffer" of any trace of originality. I've already read most of its parts before, in other books, but probably its intended public did not - and in here they are well crafted. So I would recommend it to under 20 yo readers, but not for me. And hopefully mr. Islington will also write for adults eventually, cause I would like to read that.

May not be a 5 star, but definitely one of my favorite reads of the year so far! It may have taken me over a month to read it, but its chunky (for me) and I read multiple other books on top of it. I'm not sure what it was about this one that I liked so much, but I liked the characters & the story line very much and the ending had me like "what!?" I think Islington did a great job and I can't wait to pick book number two! The book was easy to follow too! Overall great read!!

Winter 2021 (November/December);
Book Club - San Antonio Library

A sweeping fantasy novel, I can definitely see why has been rated so highly here on GR and in other places around the internet. I was deeply involved and interested in the twists, turns, and mysteries from the very beginning. I was pleased to see that while this on started off at 'a magical school,' it was not 'a magical school book,' and so much faster than I ever could have predicted we were out of the school and the school was out of anything but memory.

I'm definitely attached to Davian, Wirr, Asha, Caroline, and Caeden. The big twist reveals with the magic abilities, the double-crosses, and amnesia already have me well aware that I'll end up devouring this whole series because I absolutely must know what becomes of all our people involved.

A good, but not great epic fantasy novel. The book starts out (no surprise) following 3 teens in a magic school. Sound familiar? However, this is a school for people with magic talent who must be able to control it, if you cannot pass the test to control the Gift, you lose it and become a shadow. It isn't long before the action leaves the school and there are plots afoot. Good gifted, bad gifted, gifted we can't be sure about and beyond the Barrier looms a major threat. Davian is one of the people with the Gift who can't control it, he and his friend Wirr go on the road while his other friend Asha is left behind. There's a good amount of politics and action in this one. It felt like a cross between Harry Potter and Wheel of Time, really, but I enjoyed it.

Such a powerful ending is rare to see and it has to be appreciated a lot.
I'm glad, I was introduced to this beautiful world.

I couldn't get behind the characters' motivations. Death was far too cheap (killing way too easily, no repercussions for killing, and dead bodies were just...ignored). Characters were insanely trusting.


It wasn't terrible, but it was too long to be worth the effort.

I think this is the perfect book for someone who wants to get into epic fantasy, but wants it to be fast paced. This was an enormous book, but every part was important. It was such a fantastic book. I loved all the characters, the story progression was captivating and the magic system is super interesting.

I wanted to be able to give this 5 stars, but there were points in the book where I was so confused I wanted to just give up. In all fairness, Islington does give a synopsis of before delving into the tail, I thought that would do it for me-perhaps I should have read the first book again-it had been a while.
If it takes another 3 years for the last of the tale, then i will start from page one, book one and take the journey again. It will be worth the time.

If you liked Wheel of Time, this might be for you.