70 pages • 2 hours read
James IslingtonThe Will of the Many
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Genre Context: High Fantasy
High fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy, characterized by “secondary world” (non-real world) settings that are magical or governed by rules that are different from Earth’s. High fantasy is characterized by the epic nature of plots, characters, and themes. It often includes a heroic main character and an enormous cast of secondary characters entangled in large-scale plots of war or other world-endangering scenarios, and moral themes such as good versus evil (Stableford, Brian. The A to Z of Fantasy Literature. Scarecrow Press, Plymouth. 2005).
High fantasy has recognized tropes. For instance, high fantasy settings are often inspired by real historical places and events. The Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) series by George R. R. Martin is heavily inspired by the medieval English Wars of the Roses (1455-1487). Similarly, The Will of the Many draws on the Roman Republic (509-27 BC). High fantasy plots often focus on a noble boy whose family dies or loses power, with the plot focusing on his maturation and heroic deeds, such Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune. This is often combined with the magical school trope, in which the main character attends a special school where they must compete and collaborate with other students. The magical school trope is seen in books like Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin and the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.
Combining these tropes is the 2007 novel The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, which James Islington has explicitly referenced as a major inspiration. The Will of the Many bears many similarities to The Name of the Wind: Both follow an orphan boy who is the last surviving member of his clan, who must keep his lineage secret, and who attends a magical school and proves himself the best/most powerful among the students while navigating complex politics and deadly situations.
Historical Context: The Roman Republic
The setting and sociopolitical structure depicted in The Will of the Many is heavily inspired by the Roman Republic. The Roman Republic, dating from approximately 509 BC to 27 BC, describes the period of expansion of the small city-state of Rome into the largest empire of the time, covering the majority of the Mediterranean and stretching far into Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East (Wassan, Donald L. “Roman Republic.” World History Encyclopedia, 7 Apr. 2016). The time of the Roman Republic was one of constant war as the Romans expanded and defended their territories.
The Roman Republic was an elective oligarchy, ruled by elected officials who came from a select group of wealthy and powerful families. This system of government included the Senate, regional magistrates, praetors who administered civil law, and the military. The sociopolitical structure of the Republic was highly stratified, with a small number of wealthy, land-owning senatorial families ruling over a large landless citizenry, plus a huge disenfranchised non-citizen and enslaved population. Social norms were conservative and patriarchal, making the oldest male the head of the family.
Islington draws directly on Roman sociopolitical structures, culture, and linguistic forms for the world-building of his novel. Catenan political structures like the Senate and the wealthy oligarchy of senatorial families directly echo the Roman system. The patriarchal, hierarchical, and disciplinarian systems and culture of the novel draw on Roman ideals of austerity, militarism, and duty to the Republic. Many names and words borrow from Latin. For instance, the Catenan Republic comes from the Latin word catena, either a noun meaning “chain, bond, restraint, imprisonment, or captivity,” or a verb meaning “to chain or bind together.” The rebel group, the Anguis, is derived from the Latin anguis, meaning “snake or dragon.” The island Solivagus is the Latin word meaning “solitary, alone, or wandering alone.”
