The Will of the Many — One Third In

General notes to get into the habit of writing a bit more. I’ll share some thoughts even if I’m not finished with the book yet. Bear with me—it might not be that interesting, but it’s what I’ve noticed so far.

First Impressions

It’s always interesting reading something by a new author. You never really know where they’ll take you. But if they hook you, it can be fun. Or maybe not always fun, but at least you come out the other side not worse for wear.

World-building is something I always find fascinating—getting a peek into new systems and how much thought has gone into fleshing out the world around the protagonist. Here it still feels like we’re just scratching the surface, and I’m looking forward to learning more.

The Setup

We’re more or less tossed into the world as it’s already spinning too fast for our narrator, Vis. Over time, we learn he’s grown up as part of a rich family—the governor of a neighboring state that was taken over by the country he now lives in.

I think it works well. It scatters breadcrumbs of worldbuilding that tell us small things about how this world operates. The small touch with his coworker’s health problems—if noticed by the wrong person—could very well be the end for him. These hints are spread throughout and hinted at, giving the world a very dark tone.

We don’t have a solid grounding for why Vis can do everything he can do. It’s a bit hand-wavy at this point. But hopefully that gets cleared up as he starts meeting the top tier of students.

Questions at the Third Mark

I wonder where this will go. While typing this, I’m remembering comparisons to other series, and Vis gives me some vibes of another protagonist I’ve read about. I’m hoping it diverges in interesting directions, but we’ll see.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how the class system develops and learning more about how the government works, along with more details about the magic and casting system.

Next Steps

Vis is arriving at school, and I hope he meets at least someone decent. So far, everyone we’ve encountered seems like a terrible person—though I suspect that says more about Vis and the personal ghosts he’s chasing. We have to remember the world is bent through his perspective, and that colors everything.

As for me, I’m hoping to finish this over the weekend. I feel like I haven’t read as much as I should.

Follow along at: shelfwise