The Will of the Many follows a displaced boy just trying to survive in a world where his home is no more. It’s a story of finding the balance between adjusting to the world you live in and maintaining who you are, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It walks the line perfectly and the main character, Vis, has such a distinct way of thinking that I was captivated by his observations and adaptation skills. He can seem a bit too powerful, or perhaps lucky, at times, however, I was always on his side because of the Hierarchy. They are the nation of Caten and their government perpetuated the raid on Vis’ homeland and killed his family. Their government is structured specifically as to not give any one branch too much power, (checks and balances) but they are constantly politicking against each other behind the scenes. Each one is powered by the citizens directly with their Will (kind of like life essence or soul). Here’s a brief outline for your understanding.

The government is split into three main factions: Military, obviously the nation’s soldiers; Religion, in charge of upholding faith and education; and Governance, which of course upholds the law. People are forced to cede Will to those in a higher caste than them or they’re not recognized as citizens. Giving your Will to another reduces your overall strength and increases the one you cede to’s. It keeps the powerful families in power and the lower rank citizens on the bottom. They are arranged like a pyramid where the bottom cedes to the one above and so forth. It’s an unjust system where the underprivileged are used as a power source for the elite (now where have I heard that before?).

Vis hates the Hierarchy as his island nation was free from this system of oppression (and they killed his family). He’s not the only one though as a previously conquered nation of radicals, the Anguis, are also anti-Hierarchy. Their methods of attack result in blood and Vis is all for the preservation of human life, so he doesn’t approve of their methods. He does have some clashes with them throughout the story and each instance is intense as you never know which way the scenario will go. The Anguis are a looming threat to the entire nation, but they want the same thing Vis does. To take down the Hierarchy. Vis is a realist though and doesn’t believe he can do anything to dismantle the system of oppression they have built. All he wants is to live a life where he doesn’t have to cede his Will to anyone and he struggles to see a way towards that goal.

Vis is an orphan, obviously, and lives at an orphanage. No one knows his true identity and he makes enough as a prison guard and pit fighter to get through to the next day. It’s a hard life, but he lives on as he’s only seventeen and has to grow up fast. As more details about his past unfold, he becomes a character that I truly empathize with. He lost everything, but he honors the memories of his people by continuing onward. Though he wishes the Hierarchy would fall, he doesn’t get caught up in it. At least, initially.

Without getting too many spoilers, he doesn’t stay at the orphanage long and goes on a journey of even further subterfuge. Multiple different groups and children of powerful people come into play and the background politics become the forefront. Everything slowly unravels to reveal a complete mess behind the facade of a strong, united government.

While there are definitely moments where Vis has main character syndrome, I still enjoyed the story. The people he meets are just as complex as him and I couldn’t predict what any of them was going to do next. All of the political backstabbing, within the government and society, gave me the impression that no one is satisfied with the power they currently hold. It’s all built on greed and enough is never enough. Like Vis, I became invested in the downfall of it all. The plot unveils in a gradual way, presenting ideas that felt like a steady progression of the narrative, rather than a haphazard introduction or unnecessary lore. It’s a well-crafted tale with so much depth that I was drowning, in a good way. This is definitely a series to get invested in and I’m really excited to see where it goes. If you’re a fan of any of the ideas mentioned or just enjoy a coming of age story, albeit with way more layers, this is a necessity.