What should I read after The Will of the Many?

If you liked The Will of the Many, try Uglies (Scott Westerfeld), City of Fallen Angels (Cassandra Clare) and One of Us Is Lying (Karen M. McManus).

The Will of the Many by James Islington: what it’s like, who it’s for

Name: The Will of the Many
Author: James Islington
ISBN: 9781982141196

Fantasy Science fiction Contemporary fiction

In an empire where Will is drained from the many to power the few, a young man with a false name enters the academy that trains the empire's enforcers.

Feels like curiosity, defiance and dread. About power, society and identity.

A page from the book

Every fair system needs an impartial judge, and every judge is a person.

A fair system only works if there’s an unbiased means of assessing merit. When there is no pride or selfishness involved.” He gives a soft snort, shaking his head. “Which means that fair systems cannot exist where people are involved.

Excerpt from The Will of the Many, James Islington 2023. Quoted for discovery. Source Rights & removals

James Islington.Islington self-published his debut, The Shadow of What Was Lost, in 2014; it sold so well as an ebook that Orbit picked it up for a traditional release.

Books that feel like this

Uglies

Scott Westerfeld, 2005

Also identity and society.

City of Fallen Angels

Cassandra Clare, 2013

Also identity and dread.

One of Us Is Lying

Karen M. McManus, 2017

Also curiosity and society.

Golden Son

Pierce Brown, 2015

Also defiance and power.

The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins, 2008

Also society and power.

Behind Closed Doors

B.A. Paris, 2016

Also dread and power.

Where to get it

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Questions readers ask

What is The Will of the Many like?: Feels like curiosity, defiance and dread. About power, society and identity.
What should I read after The Will of the Many?: If you liked The Will of the Many, try Uglies (Scott Westerfeld), City of Fallen Angels (Cassandra Clare) and One of Us Is Lying (Karen M. McManus).

A taste of the feed

Every civilisation leans on one thing. What happens when it is taken away?
Maybe they didn’t want you to realize that every civilization has its weakness. There’s always one thing we depend on. And if someone takes it away all that’s left is some story in a history class.
Uglies · Scott Westerfeld
When the primal needs of survival turn against your own humanity.
But being hungry was worse. Being hungry meant that he could smell things he didn’t want to smell—salt on skin; the overripe, sweet smell of blood exuding from the pores of strangers. It made him feel hungry and twisted up and utterly wrong. Hunching over, he jammed his fists into the pockets of his jacket and tried to breathe through his mouth.
City of Fallen Angels · Cassandra Clare
What a parent’s ambition feels like from inside the child.
My hand hurts within minutes. It’s pathetic, I guess, but I can’t remember the last time I wrote anything longhand. Plus I’m using my right hand, which never feels natural no matter how many years I’ve done it. My father insisted I learn to write right-handed in second grade after he first saw me pitch. Your left arm’s gold, he told me. Don’t waste it on crap that don’t matter. Which is anything but pitching as far as he’s concerned.
One of Us Is Lying · Karen M. McManus
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