This 2025 Fantasy Epic Sequel Fails to Live Up to the Original’s High Standard
James Islington's The Strength of the Few, the 2025 sequel to his acclaimed 2023 fantasy novel The Will of the Many, has been reviewed as an ambitious but flawed follow-up that fails to match its predecessor's quality. The book continues protagonist Vis Telemus's story after he was "split" across three parallel worlds, but the review argues it spreads its plot too thin across too many characters and settings, resulting in an uneven and often frustrating reading experience despite not being outright bad.
The novel is structured around 80 chapters split between three settings: Res (32 chapters, continuing the original story), Obiteum (23 chapters, an Ancient Egypt-inspired world), and Luceum (23 chapters plus two crossover chapters, a Celtic-style druidic realm). Rather than grouping chapters by world, Islington interweaves them unpredictably, which the review says creates severe pacing problems and unsatisfying cliffhangers, as storylines are frequently interrupted for several chapters before resuming. While the Res chapters are said to effectively advance the overarching plot as the second book in a planned four-part series, the newly introduced Obiteum and Luceum sections reportedly feel like a step backwards, slowing momentum rather than building on the first book's strengths.
- Sequel to The Will of the Many splits story across three worlds
- Chaotic chapter structure causes pacing and cliffhanger frustrations
- Res chapters work well; new Obiteum and Luceum sections feel weaker
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James Islington's The Will of the Many, published in 2023, became one of the most talked-about fantasy debuts in years, praised for its inventive magic system based on people "willing" away their strength to a ruler, and for its complex young protagonist, Vis Telemus. Its sequel, The Strength of the Few, arrived in 2025 as the second instalment in a planned four-book series, continuing the story after Vis's identity was split across three parallel versions of himself in different worlds.
The new book expands the story well beyond its original setting, weaving together chapters set in three distinct worlds: the familiar Res, an Ancient Egypt-inspired realm called Obiteum, and a Celtic-style druidic world called Luceum. This broader scope marks a significant structural departure from the tightly focused first novel, raising questions among readers and critics about whether spreading the narrative across so many settings and characters serves the story well.
Because expectations were set so high by the acclaimed original, how this sequel is received matters for the series' overall reputation and for readers deciding whether to continue with it. The book's reception also feeds into wider conversations about the challenges authors face when following up a breakout debut, particularly one built around a distinctive and well-loved core premise.