The Will of the Many

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of illness or death.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did Islington’s Roman Republic-inspired setting shape your experience of The Will of the Many? What aspects of this worldbuilding did you find most compelling or problematic?

2. What was your reaction to the Will system in the novel, where power literally flows from the lower classes to the elite? How did this magical system enhance your understanding of the themes Islington explores?

3. The Will of the Many follows an orphaned boy with a secret royal heritage who attends a prestigious school while navigating deadly politics, similar to Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind. If you’ve read both, how do they compare? If not, what other books with similar elements came to mind as you read?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Callidus demonstrates unwavering loyalty to Vis, even knowing it might lead to his death. When have you experienced or witnessed friendship that required significant sacrifice, and how did that influence your view of true friendship?

2. Vis struggles throughout the novel with the question of when resistance becomes necessary and when complicity is unavoidable. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to decide between standing against a system or working within it? What guided your choice?

3. Eidhin tells Vis that everyone must have a line they will not cross, no matter the consequences. What principles or values do you consider to be your own uncrossable lines in your personal or professional life?

4. Throughout the novel, Vis must carefully decide whom to trust with different aspects of his truth. How do you determine when and with whom to share important parts of yourself?

5. Fadrique tells Vis, “Pride and self-respect may mean we never give in, but if they are all our enemies, we will never be happy” (483). How do you balance standing firm in your principles while still finding connection and happiness in a complex world?

6. The mysterious Anguis man warns Vis that “none of us get out without scars” (592), referring both to physical wounds and emotional trauma. What challenges have shaped your perspective and resilience in ways that still influence you today?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The Catenan Republic maintains power through a combination of military force, cultural assimilation, and resource extraction from conquered territories. How does this fictional empire reflect historical and contemporary power structures in our world?

2. In what ways does the novel’s treatment of dead languages like Cymrian and Vetusian comment on the relationship between linguistic dominance and political power? How do these parallels appear in our own world’s history of cultural assimilation?

3. Throughout the novel, characters debate whether the general population bears responsibility for the actions of their government. Estevan argues that “silence is a statement” and “inaction picks a side” (189). To what extent do you believe citizens in a democracy share responsibility for their nation’s policies and actions?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The epilogue reveals that there are three versions of Vis across parallel worlds (Res, Obiteum, and Luceum). How does this twist recontextualize earlier events in the novel, and what questions does it raise about identity and continuity of self?

2. How does Islington use morally ambiguous characters like Veridius, Lanistia, and Fadrique to complicate the novel’s exploration of right and wrong? What purpose do these characters serve beyond advancing the plot?

3. The power of Will serves as both a literal magical system and a metaphor within the novel. How does this dual function enhance the book’s themes of resistance, complicity, and governance?

4. The Will of the Many employs the “magical school” trope found in works like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and A Wizard of Earthsea. How does Islington subvert or reinforce this trope, and what does the Academy setting allow him to explore that might be difficult in other contexts?

5. Examine how the novel’s structure—divided into three parts with Latin titles—contributes to its thematic development. How do the titles “Imperium Sine Fine” (Empire Without End), “Deus Nolens Exituus” (Conclusion, God Unwilling), and “In Cauda Venenum” (Poison in the Tail) foreshadow the events within each section?

6. The novel presents three competing forces manipulating Vis: Ulciscor and Military, Relucia and the Anguis, and Veridius and Religion. How does this triple-threat structure create narrative tension and thematic complexity beyond a simple hero-villain dynamic?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine that you are a student at the Catenan Academy, and write a scene in which you navigate the school. What abilities or skills do you possess that would serve you best there? Which class do you believe you would ultimately achieve? What strategies would you employ to navigate its dangerous political landscape? 

2. The novel ends with three versions of Vis in different worlds. Choose one version of the ending and write the opening chapter in the novel’s sequel. Where do you see the version’s story headed?

3. Imagine that you have the opportunity to adopt a Will-powered ability from the novel’s magic system. What ability would you choose, and how would you use it without becoming corrupted by power?

Need more inspiration for your next meeting? Browse all of our Book Club Resources