The Will of the Many
The Catenan Republic runs on Will — the life force its citizens are compelled to cede upward, strengthening the privileged few at the expense of the many. Three years after the Republic conquered his homeland and executed his family, a young man known as Vis Telimus survives by burying his past and refusing to surrender his Will to anyone.
When a powerful senator offers Vis adoption in exchange for enrolling at the Academy — the ruthless, competitive institution that grooms the Republic's future rulers — he accepts, knowing it means walking into the heart of the empire he hates. To hold his place he must climb its cutthroat rankings, endure its trials, and quietly investigate a death the Republic would rather leave buried, all while concealing who he truly is.
Loyalty, ambition, and conscience pull Vis in different directions as he learns just how deep the Hierarchy's secrets run. The first book in James Islington's Hierarchy series is a dense, Roman-inflected epic fantasy about power, complicity, and the price of resistance.
A young man whose family was executed by the Republic, secretly infiltrating its ruling Academy.
The senator who adopts Vis and sends him into the Academy to uncover the truth about his brother's death.
A sardonic fellow student who becomes one of Vis's few genuine allies at the Academy.
A talented Academy student whose closeness to Vis complicates his mission.
A high-born rival competing against Vis in the Academy's brutal rankings.
The first book in the "Hierarchy" series concludes with a significant unresolved plot point, leaving readers eager for the next installment to discover how the protagonist's journey continues.
This novel is the beginning of a new series, "The Hierarchy," and is not directly connected to the author's previous "Licanius Trilogy" in terms of plot or characters. It explores a distinct world and magic system.
The magic system, known as 'Essence,' is intricately tied to a person's life force and can be drawn from others, creating a compelling dynamic where power is literally a currency. This system influences social hierarchy and combat in unique ways.