The Will of the Many

You know those ski jumping events at the Winter Olympics where skiers zoom down a slope before launching in the air and then basically fly for a hundred feet? Reading this book felt like the first bit - racing forward with incredible forward momentum - and the very ending felt like a launch into the unknown where we won't know if we'll stick the landing until the next book. And I sure hope we do!

This audiobook got me through a roughly 20-hour road trip in the American Southwest/Four Corners region, which is ironic because the desert scenery around me was nothing at all like the settings in this book. What I originally thought would be your standard fare medieval fantasy actually ended up being an Ancient Roman-flavored society that was a little heavy-handed at times ("The olive fields of your villa aren't doing too well this year, Magnus..."), but it made sense for all the senatorial political machinations going on. There was also some kind of underlying "magic" system going on, for lack of a better word, but we actually don't directly interact with it much because of our protagonist's (justified!) aversion towards it.

Vis was probably my biggest issue with the story. He's an unusually shrewd teenager who can read the most subtle social cues of the people around him to craft perfect responses for any given situation: something I don't believe any 17-year-old is capable of. He has a wide background that is given ample explanation before parts of it become relevant so for the most part nothing feels out of left field, but I felt it afforded him too many strengths. I don't throw the term "Mary Sue" around lightly, but I wish he was allowed to fail more frequently; the stakes started to feel lower when he was consistently meeting each challenge without consequence. There was also a weird unexplained animal companion of his that conveniently shows up towards the end that I was not rocking with.

Still, there are a lot of moving parts here and multiple side characters that clearly have their own goals and plots churning in the background that we only get glimpses of, so this felt like a lived world. I'll likely continue the series, but more to figure out the larger story than because of any attachment to the protagonist.

Loved this book to bits! 5 out of 5 stars
Red Rising (first book) meets The Name of the Winds meets Hunger Games. Doesn't feel derivative though, it feels fresh.
Normally, I don't like the first person limited and present tense, but it works here. One would think this is trope gallore, but strangely it isn't. Yes, all the tropes are there, but they are worked out really well and believable.
Vis and Darrow could be twins. Same simmering anger. Vis is Kvothe, but without the Gary Stu vibe. Maybe because we're seeing him work at things, failing at things, even though that is as flimsy as it can be? I don't know.
The last part has Vis as Katniss, but without the whining and pathetic love triangle.

James Islington doesn't leave too many Tjechov's guns on the mantle piece unused, which is nice after reading Martha Wells Murderbot Series. I did expect Cyrol (audiobook, don't know the spelling) earlier in the book though, maybe as an eyeless helper in the Labyrinth. This was better though. Glad he could make it :-D
The ending was a bit confusing. I may have to re-read that part to understand. I get that Vis was copied. I understand now the writing on his arm. But what was it with the snowy world? There seemed to be three of him, not two. Confuzzled.

Can't wait for the sequel!