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The Will of the Many (1) (Hierarchy)

At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this new fantasy series by internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington.

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The Catenan Republic—the Hierarchy—may rule the world now, but they do not know everything.

I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilised society in allowing my strength, my drive and my focus—what they call Will—to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.

I tell them that I belong, and they believe me.

But the truth is that I have been sent to the Academy to find answers. To solve a murder. To search for an ancient weapon. To uncover secrets that may tear the Republic apart.

And that I will never, ever cede my Will to the empire that executed my family.

To survive, though, I will still have to rise through the Academy’s ranks. I will have to smile, and make friends, and pretend to be one of them and win. Because if I cannot, then those who want to control me, who know my real name, will no longer have any use for me.

And if the Hierarchy finds out who I truly am, they will kill me.

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640 pages

Average rating: 8.27

192 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Dakota peacock
Apr 18, 2025
10/10 stars
This book is too good
QuanaRAGE
Apr 09, 2025
10/10 stars
This book is perfection!
rhiandmoi
Feb 26, 2025
7/10 stars
Really good YA fantasy. It’s book one of a planned trilogy and sets up the world well. We aren’t sure exactly how the magic system works so there is a lot to uncover in the next 2 books when they come out!
Ali Nurmikko
Aug 02, 2024
9/10 stars
Whewwwww You know that meme of the little kid ā€œdid you ever have a dream, where you, and, and you-ā€œ that’s how I felt in the early stages šŸ˜‚ maybe I’m just dumb, but the world building, the scenery, the names of characters, the cities, the Hierarchy, sappers, will…. My brain was not computing šŸ˜… BUT WOW. This was a great fantasy read; so different from many I’ve read. I love a competitive academy premise and this was perfection. The characters were all so strong and had so much personality-even the ones you hated, you loved. It felt eerie the whole time, trying to figure out what was going on. And the magic in this novel was unlike any that I’ve read l- using will of others for power. In terms of the end…what did I just read? Questioning everything.
BookishMish
May 30, 2024
10/10 stars
Wow, all right. This world enraptured me. Not always easy to imagine exactly what was happening, but I just went with it lol. I need a movie or TV series so I can visualize the Labyrinth, the Transvects, etc.

Can’t wait for the rest of the series, however far away that may be.

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