try not to giveup until reading 2nd Arc of kingdom, after 1st arc the story is not focused on Children saving the kingdom but on military structure, strategy and real life politics. when i read the 1st arc i also thought it was a manga for kids but after this it changed my mind. try not to give up until 2nd arc
@@420jturnerI'm assuming it's a function of moving. We saw him dismantle his old shelves when he moved out and I'd guess he doesn't have ones for the new place yet.
I almost can’t believe he’s actually reading it. I saw the thumbnail and was like “is this real?” Lol I’ve been hoping he’d get around to it one day for like the past 5 years. I just started rereading Kingdom for the third time and am just getting to “that arc” (ch267)
The Will of the Many is such a great book. As someone who liked his first trilogy, this book is such a delight. All of his strengths are amped, and the weaknesses are shed.
frankly been ongoing since 4 years ago and never loved kingdom, it's good, it's ok, but never amazing. and the too much unnecessary dialogs problem goes on.
@@donnybuoy i don’t know it could be that the sequels Are that good that is worth it. (Random example with a Blockbuster i know it’s not the best example of Fine Arts hahahaa) if you have to Surfer 2 Hours watching avengers 2 and you don’t Like it but than you can understand the 3rd and you love that one than it was worth it
The Will of the Many makes me feel like I felt after reading The Way of Kings, I am so fucking hyped for the next book :D I was getting a bit jaded with the fantasy genre and this book has revitalized my love for it and I have read like 5 more fantasy books after it.
Orconomics and sequels are hands down some of the very best books I've ever read. I've spent months talking family members into picking them up, and received stunned and raving reviews from all of them when I finally succeeded.
Seconding the praise of the Will of the Many's opening. Best I've read in a long time. Perfect example of how to deliver worldbuilding, story, and character together seamlessly and harmoniously. The fact the reminder of the book lives up to the opening, in my view, is an absolute triumph.
Same here, I am so excited for it ! I hope he can go on to at least read the 2nd arc. I would argue that the first one is more a prologue to what Kingdom is really about !
One of my favorite themes in The Will of the Many was how you might DESERVE something, but that doesn't mean it will be handed to you. Vis had to strategize other ways to getting what he wanted rather than JUST working hard to be the best.
Thanks to this Video I read "the Will of the Many" and my god is this book good. I basically loved everything about this book and the epilogue left me so pumped for the next book.
in the Western community you mean. because in Japan Kingdom is very popular and one of the best selling Manga ever, and still to this day keep a pretty high up Manga sales.
I'm really hoping this video shines a spotlight on 'The Will of the Many' because it totally deserves a huge fanbase online. Reading it was an incredible journey, hands down the best book I've picked up this year!
Loved the book! It seemed so basic in the start, using very well established tropes… and then adding his own flavour and view and then surprising you again and then again! Can’t wait to read more! Congrats to the author, amazing story!
Just finished Will of the Many as well, and I’ve been telling absolutely everyone I know about it. I haven’t felt this way about a book in a long time, what a banger.
You got it spot on with the Will of the Many. For such a chunky boi, I sped through it so quickly. I don't think I've been quite so invested in a character journey with a single POV
Orconomics was a fantastic read. I just started Son of a Liche. I agree it started a bit slow but once you get through it then was fantastic. Though the bit with the hero explaining his bill to the farmer was fantastic.
You've got me so hyped for the Will of the Many and Orconomics! They were both already on my TBR, but I've never heard anyone else talk about them with such enthusiasm. 😊
Will of the Many is so fantastic I cannot even conceptualize it effectively. I think you did a great job of covering the disagreement piece. I keep wanting to judge the main character and then I fall back on “well, I guess it makes sense in context.” Over and over again. Good empathy generator for a character you might otherwise get annoyed with.
Hi Daniel as a huge fan of your channel it was so great to see you review Will Of The Many it was such a great read and a refreshing step up from Licanus imo. I’d like to recommend In The Shadow Of Lightning. It’s the new entry from powdermage author Brian McClellan and it’s definitely my favorite from this year. Much like Islington’s new work this is leaps and bounds better than his previous work. Great characters, impressive magic system, clever military tactics, and a truly surprising Lovecraftian twist. I cannot wait for book 2 ! Much love n keep the content coming !
The thing with Kingdom is that it's based on real history, which it does take some major liberties with, but still. Something like the brother being spared is something that actually happened, so I don't know if you can ever say that reality has bad writing or if that's always the case... But it does lend a certain weight to the events depicted.
I don't agree with "if you can ever say that reality has bad writing" there are moments in Kngdom that are clearly fabricated for the story which I'm fine with. So I think it is fair to say that the manga has poorly written moments because it isn't an accurate telling of history.
@@neutral_narrthe thing about the brother being spared though was strictly because of the power gap between Sei and Ryo Fui. Sei explicitly states that he must not execute Ketsu’s faction because they need all the power they can get to beat his other rival (Ryo Fui) and only then can he truly become king. He doesn’t do it out of kindness for a person like that
I don't think there is any recording in the historical records that lil bro rebelled in the first place. Think this entire first arc is basically the author taking liberties to introduce the characters and connect Shin (Xin) and Ei Sei (Ying Zheng)
@@bachelorgoosy9145 You're right, after checking again that rebellion happened later. Apparently there was a rebellion at that time that wasn't described in any more detail in the historical record and the author connected Sei's brother to that earlier rebellion, maybe to make that character more important and make the later rebellion more interesting with that recurring character playing a role.
I loved his first book series. Recently re-read them, and man do they still hit me hard. Will of the Many lived up to the expectation and I loved seeing Islington's creative world building and magic systems in this new setting. Additionally, he always packs a fantastic and sincere twist into every story. Love seeing his writing get more attention.
First time I started reading kingdom I dropped it half way through the first arc. Later when I reread it again after the 1 and second arc it also starts to pick up and it goes from an internal conflict to full campaigns against other kingdoms, assassinations, last stands and more and also has quite a bit of cool tactics.
The thing for me with The Will of the Many is that even the smaller conflicts, now that we know abt the bigger scope of the story, are SO important. Book 2 will be wild. I cannot wait. That's one of those I'll definitely dive into right away.
I was surprised to see you'd picked up Kingdom! It definitely picks up after the first arc and it improves from there. There's one arc in particular that is just a masterpiece. it's honestly in my top 3 manga of all time. I hope you continue reading it!
Whoa! The Will of the Many AND Kingdom in one video. Glorious surprise. Both are amazing works. I will say though, be a little patient with Kingdom, it only goes up and up and up. I can't wait for book 2 of TWOTM though
Saying its a blend of first law and realm of elderlings was the best way to sell it to me. It was on my list many moons away, and just jumped up loads!
General ouki is one of my favourite character from kingdom. What I personally like about kingdom is its battles and badass character's who later becomes inspiration for our main protagonist, In the arc zhao vs qin you will be introduced to a antagonist who is VERY VERY cunning , and later becomes our main villian of the story.
I haven't read the manga but I randomly started watching the live action kingdom on Netflix now and I love that! I was super surprised when I watched them, really good and I can't wait for the newest that just went to theaters in Japan
Orconomics isn't for someone who is looking for the ultimate reading experince, it's for people who just enjoy a fun ride with very real life satire for the modern day- and it has amazing humor. You hit the nail on the head with the Malazan part, I read Orconomics in between my Malazan read and it was such a refreshing experience before I returned to Malazan. I plan to read the second book "Son of a Liche" later during my Malazan reads.
I really liked "The Will of the Many". More than about the tropes i had to chuckle a little about just how much Islington has lifted from Roman history. But no harm, no foul, it's an interesting story, interestingly adapted.
I am so stoked you love Will of the Many so much! It's my top favorite of the year and I completely agree regarding Islington's craft. The improvement is so clear and it was so much fun experiencing his growth from Licanius (which I also really enjoyed but definitely saw its flaws). Imma bout to go relisten to Will because I miss Vis so much.
Totally agree with all your opinions on Kingdom's first arc. When they start with the politics and the wars arcs though, I think it starts getting fun. Hope you give it a chance; it slowly ramps up and when you get to the "Coalition Invasion Arc" that's when every piece of the puzzle meshes in.
I felt the exact same way about re reading the will of the many right away. Immediately the chapter where he first sees the scarred man meeting Relucia. There has to be something in that chapter. At first reading it, I saw alot coming in the first act but then the reveal in the middle and then the smack at the end were amazing. I need someone I know to read it so I can exchange theories IMMEDIATELY.
Hey daniel, have you ever read the web serial worm, based on your will of the many review I think it may be something you like a lot, and the whole thing is available in a fan made audiobook on youtube
You have convinced me that The Will of the Many should edge ahead of Godkiller on my TBR (To Buy and Read). I hope it'll get me out of my current reading slump. (The NIghtmare Painter didn't.)
Its been a long while since I read kingdom, but it was a very bizarre experience for me, It felt like someone took a grounded fantasy world with complex medieval politics from something abercrombie would write and then executed it with the exaggerated adventure vibes of one piece. But I do remember it getting better over time, I remember being especially impressed with the large scale fantasy battles that actually put thought into tactics rather than people just hitting eachother in a line. I remember really liking it but then again I could be biased because Ive always had a weak spot for the setting of historical china.
Will of the Many and Orcanomics sound great. I'll order them asap. As for Kingdom, I've read a large part of it, and it does get better, but it also gets so much worse later on.
Does anyone else make their own strategies or try to guess how the battles will go in Kingdom. I honestly feel so intelligent reading kingdom. Plot and main characters kinda suck imo, but the world building, and 5d chess battles are so unique and interesting.
Great stuff!! Loved the vid and how your awesome personality shines through in your reviews. Do you think your appreciation for different aspects of story telling: specifically theme, plot, and characters- has changed at all since you have gotten more outside of western media? If so, how?
I read Little Heaven by Nick Cutter, which I think is a solid horror book if it tickles your fancy. Next up is Night Shift by Steven King and Book 2 of The Bound and the Broken by Ryan Cahill!
I LOVED The Will of the Many but for different books connecting to the tropes - I'm a Classics student and the Roman Empire-esque setting was amazing, the found family was awesome, the plot twists had my jaw DROPPING and this is the only ending on par (personally) with the ending of Words of Radiance!
Ooo, excited to see how you will find (the rest of) Kingdom. Something to keep in mind is that it definitely falls within the traditions (and therefore tropes) of more classical Eastern works; characters somtimes have and take the time to exposit while on the battlefield, and the big named personages are treated more as myths than real people. Reading Jin Yong's Legend of the Condor Heroes series introduced me to the state of mind which I think is beneficial for enjoying Kingdom, but it's definitely not necessary. Additionally, the comparison with Vinland Saga is interesting. I think Vinland Saga is trying to be a deeply personal story with occasional larger set-pieces, while Kingdom at its core is a continental story - the story of the first unification of China - as told through the lens of the rise of Xin as a mythic personage, so Kingdom often has set-pieces first and personal moments second, but as the story goes along it's less and less to the detriment of the personal connections, as they are built up better (and the author gets better at telling the deep personal connection bits). Like any super-long story it grows better as it goes along, but there's a lot of those out there, and I think a 6-ish is fair for the first bit of Kingdom; I think I rate it somewhere around 8.5 overall for me, though it's a long time since I read it all and I haven't reread it even once.
I read Will of the many and then the book that wouldn’t burn. I cannot recommend both more. Very different but both hit you right in the that oomph spot.
The thing about Kingdom is that i started slow... because I didn't like the art so much, it was too much politics and text at the start... then, when I got to the next arcs... i finished the 600+ chapters launched at the time in 2 days and it became my favorite manga. Specially when you're introduced to the generals, ally and enemy, and to the way they think and see war, just amazing.
Kingdom is amazing. Don't worry about not liking the first arc, it soars from there. The repetetive aspect will always be there because it's a story about wars for unification so you will see many battle arcs. Just like in a sports manga you will always see games of the same sport. However the arcs definitely have elements that distinguish them and many of them are great. The Battle of Bayou arc will definitely give ypu hype for the series and the Coallition arc is garantied to blow you away.
Literally just caught up with the manga for Kingdom and I can say it is an amazing story. Something to keep in mind is that it's based on actual historical events so the author has to do things a certain way to line up with things to come. The historical texts the author uses as a guide for the story aren't as detailed as the manga so the author does have to fill in a lot himself but he does a great job doing that.
Because kingdom does not have an official English translation, you will notice that the names of characters and places change around ch 50. The translators switched from the Chinese pronunciation to the Japanese pronunciation for names. They have stayed with the Japanese pronunciations since. For example: Xin->Shin Ying Zheng->Ei Sei Just wanted to warn you about this as you continue
With how much you liked Will of the Many, I think you should give Licanius another shot. While this book was a step up, I don't think it was as drastic of a jump as some people make it out to be. There were definitely some issues in Licanius, but the world and story were really fantastic and I find it hard to believe anyone who liked Will of the Many enough to give it a 10 would not find it worthwhile to read Licanius. I hope you give it another shot, and if you get it on audiobook, you can listen to the comforting voice of Micheal Kramer.
Love love love this video format. I stopped watching at 13:09 to go buy and listen to the book immediately. Thank you for the exceptional quality review! Can't wait to come back and finish this vid!!
I read will of the many and loved it, and I thought that it was very similar to red rising, at least in the beginning, and vis and Darrow are very similar
My bookclub read the Will of the Many and we’ve all instantly agreed to read the sequels when they come out. Absolutely my favourite book of the year so far!
Once I finish my WoT reread (started a year ago and paused for several months whilst within The Slog) I will be looking for something else to read. I too remember reading Islington's first series, and similarly do not remember very much about it. That was back when I was reading as many books as you BookTubers do all the time, and yet made no money from it. 🤣
Thank you campfire 🔥 www.campfirewriting.com/reading-app?DG_Q4_23
try not to giveup until reading 2nd Arc of kingdom, after 1st arc the story is not focused on Children saving the kingdom but on military structure, strategy and real life politics. when i read the 1st arc i also thought it was a manga for kids but after this it changed my mind. try not to give up until 2nd arc
Just finished Will Of The Many... Dude... Duuuuuuuude!!!!!
*me remembering Daniel make fun of stacking books and not putting them on the shelves*
“You’ve become the very thing you swore to destroy.”
Thank you. I've been wondering about that!!! Did he ever explain it?
@@420jturnerI'm assuming it's a function of moving. We saw him dismantle his old shelves when he moved out and I'd guess he doesn't have ones for the new place yet.
@@ThexImperfectionistprobably busy setting up parts of the home, work and possibly renovations
You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
Had the same thought when I looked at that dust collecting monster behind him .
The Will of the Many and Kingdom are both ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. God, Kingdom is a masterpiece of a manga! So happy to hear you've started this manga!
I almost can’t believe he’s actually reading it. I saw the thumbnail and was like “is this real?” Lol I’ve been hoping he’d get around to it one day for like the past 5 years. I just started rereading Kingdom for the third time and am just getting to “that arc” (ch267)
The Will of the Many is such a great book. As someone who liked his first trilogy, this book is such a delight. All of his strengths are amped, and the weaknesses are shed.
I think most people start to LOVE kingdom with 2nd arc if i remember it right. One of the smartest character is introduced there.
I hope he make it to Coalition army arc. GREATEST arc I have ever read. I want to forget it all over so I can read it again even
frankly been ongoing since 4 years ago and never loved kingdom, it's good, it's ok, but never amazing. and the too much unnecessary dialogs problem goes on.
If I have to get through an entire book I don’t enjoy to really get into it… it isn’t worth it.
@@donnybuoy i don’t know it could be that the sequels Are that good that is worth it. (Random example with a Blockbuster i know it’s not the best example of Fine Arts hahahaa) if you have to Surfer 2 Hours watching avengers 2 and you don’t Like it but than you can understand the 3rd and you love that one than it was worth it
I’m pretty sure that’s the 3rd arc if I remember right
The Will of the Many makes me feel like I felt after reading The Way of Kings, I am so fucking hyped for the next book :D I was getting a bit jaded with the fantasy genre and this book has revitalized my love for it and I have read like 5 more fantasy books after it.
Orconomics and sequels are hands down some of the very best books I've ever read. I've spent months talking family members into picking them up, and received stunned and raving reviews from all of them when I finally succeeded.
Just wait until you get to the explosive end + epilogues for Will of the Many. Sensational.
Seconding the praise of the Will of the Many's opening. Best I've read in a long time. Perfect example of how to deliver worldbuilding, story, and character together seamlessly and harmoniously. The fact the reminder of the book lives up to the opening, in my view, is an absolute triumph.
I wasn't expecting you to read my favorite manga (Kingdom). I have never cried so many times during a story (and I still cry during every reread).
Lets gooooo
Same here, I am so excited for it ! I hope he can go on to at least read the 2nd arc. I would argue that the first one is more a prologue to what Kingdom is really about !
Same..... It has some of the greatest Moments in Manga.......
I can't wait for him to read Coalition Invasion
@@nevergonnagiveupuntilibeco5690 Yep, the coalition war is absolutely stunning !
One of my favorite themes in The Will of the Many was how you might DESERVE something, but that doesn't mean it will be handed to you. Vis had to strategize other ways to getting what he wanted rather than JUST working hard to be the best.
Thanks to this Video I read "the Will of the Many" and my god is this book good. I basically loved everything about this book and the epilogue left me so pumped for the next book.
Kingdom is AWESOME. Sadly it isn't very renown in the manga community. Brace yourself, because there are A LOT of chapters.
It only gets better.
It is a masterpiece.
He’s read one piece so chapter length shouldn’t be too bad haha. I really hope he catches up to Vinland saga some day
It is renowned in the manga community. The first season of the anime and no official release is what actually hurts in my opinion
in the Western community you mean. because in Japan Kingdom is very popular and one of the best selling Manga ever, and still to this day keep a pretty high up Manga sales.
I recommended him that a few months ago, Kingdom is definitely awesome
I'm really hoping this video shines a spotlight on 'The Will of the Many' because it totally deserves a huge fanbase online. Reading it was an incredible journey, hands down the best book I've picked up this year!
Loved the book! It seemed so basic in the start, using very well established tropes… and then adding his own flavour and view and then surprising you again and then again!
Can’t wait to read more! Congrats to the author, amazing story!
For me The Will of the Many gave really strong Red Rising vibes more than any other comparison. Can't wait for book 2.
Also, Isle-ington.
I thought the same, but it's pronounced Izlington on the audiobook
@@JoshcoleIf you watch an interview with the author, he pronounces his own name as Eye-ling-ton
Just finished Will of the Many as well, and I’ve been telling absolutely everyone I know about it.
I haven’t felt this way about a book in a long time, what a banger.
As a fan of Kingdom, i'm very happy to see you talking about it, don't worry it's getting better and better.
Id never heard of either Will of the Many or Orconomics and now they are near the top of my tbr, thanks for the reviews!
You got it spot on with the Will of the Many. For such a chunky boi, I sped through it so quickly. I don't think I've been quite so invested in a character journey with a single POV
Orconomics was a fantastic read. I just started Son of a Liche. I agree it started a bit slow but once you get through it then was fantastic. Though the bit with the hero explaining his bill to the farmer was fantastic.
WILL OF THE MANY! IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS REVIEW!! ABSOLUTE BANGER
You've got me so hyped for the Will of the Many and Orconomics! They were both already on my TBR, but I've never heard anyone else talk about them with such enthusiasm. 😊
Will of the Many is so fantastic I cannot even conceptualize it effectively. I think you did a great job of covering the disagreement piece. I keep wanting to judge the main character and then I fall back on “well, I guess it makes sense in context.” Over and over again. Good empathy generator for a character you might otherwise get annoyed with.
Hi Daniel as a huge fan of your channel it was so great to see you review Will Of The Many it was such a great read and a refreshing step up from Licanus imo. I’d like to recommend In The Shadow Of Lightning. It’s the new entry from powdermage author Brian McClellan and it’s definitely my favorite from this year. Much like Islington’s new work this is leaps and bounds better than his previous work. Great characters, impressive magic system, clever military tactics, and a truly surprising Lovecraftian twist. I cannot wait for book 2 ! Much love n keep the content coming !
The thing with Kingdom is that it's based on real history, which it does take some major liberties with, but still. Something like the brother being spared is something that actually happened, so I don't know if you can ever say that reality has bad writing or if that's always the case... But it does lend a certain weight to the events depicted.
I don't agree with "if you can ever say that reality has bad writing" there are moments in Kngdom that are clearly fabricated for the story which I'm fine with. So I think it is fair to say that the manga has poorly written moments because it isn't an accurate telling of history.
@@neutral_narrthe thing about the brother being spared though was strictly because of the power gap between Sei and Ryo Fui. Sei explicitly states that he must not execute Ketsu’s faction because they need all the power they can get to beat his other rival (Ryo Fui) and only then can he truly become king. He doesn’t do it out of kindness for a person like that
I don't think there is any recording in the historical records that lil bro rebelled in the first place. Think this entire first arc is basically the author taking liberties to introduce the characters and connect Shin (Xin) and Ei Sei (Ying Zheng)
@@bachelorgoosy9145 You're right, after checking again that rebellion happened later. Apparently there was a rebellion at that time that wasn't described in any more detail in the historical record and the author connected Sei's brother to that earlier rebellion, maybe to make that character more important and make the later rebellion more interesting with that recurring character playing a role.
I loved his first book series. Recently re-read them, and man do they still hit me hard. Will of the Many lived up to the expectation and I loved seeing Islington's creative world building and magic systems in this new setting. Additionally, he always packs a fantastic and sincere twist into every story. Love seeing his writing get more attention.
YOOOOO! Kingdom is literally a 10/10 manga. definitely in my top 3 fave manga of all time
Glad that you're back to reading VINLAND SAGA looking forward to your reviews
Orconomics is straight up top tier reading... as you found out. :)
First time I started reading kingdom I dropped it half way through the first arc. Later when I reread it again after the 1 and second arc it also starts to pick up and it goes from an internal conflict to full campaigns against other kingdoms, assassinations, last stands and more and also has quite a bit of cool tactics.
The thing for me with The Will of the Many is that even the smaller conflicts, now that we know abt the bigger scope of the story, are SO important. Book 2 will be wild. I cannot wait. That's one of those I'll definitely dive into right away.
Just finished The Will of the Many. It was sooooo good. Agree with everything you say about it. Can’t wait for the sequel.
I was surprised to see you'd picked up Kingdom! It definitely picks up after the first arc and it improves from there. There's one arc in particular that is just a masterpiece. it's honestly in my top 3 manga of all time. I hope you continue reading it!
Whoa! The Will of the Many AND Kingdom in one video. Glorious surprise. Both are amazing works. I will say though, be a little patient with Kingdom, it only goes up and up and up. I can't wait for book 2 of TWOTM though
Kingdom is fantastic! Defs keeps getting better! This has some of my favorite battle scenes.
Saying its a blend of first law and realm of elderlings was the best way to sell it to me. It was on my list many moons away, and just jumped up loads!
The way I literally just got a thriftbooks order in yesterday with Orconomics and TWOTM! Couldn’t have come at a better time
General ouki is one of my favourite character from kingdom.
What I personally like about kingdom is its battles and badass character's who later becomes inspiration for our main protagonist, In the arc zhao vs qin you will be introduced to a antagonist who is VERY VERY cunning , and later becomes our main villian of the story.
I haven't read the manga but I randomly started watching the live action kingdom on Netflix now and I love that! I was super surprised when I watched them, really good and I can't wait for the newest that just went to theaters in Japan
The disheveled goblin making me want to buy more books when my TBR is already a mile long 😄
Its already long one drop dont matter in an ocean
Bro my TBR has 1523 books on it and he's making me add to it
I really like this format for the monthly wrap ups!
Orconomics isn't for someone who is looking for the ultimate reading experince, it's for people who just enjoy a fun ride with very real life satire for the modern day- and it has amazing humor. You hit the nail on the head with the Malazan part, I read Orconomics in between my Malazan read and it was such a refreshing experience before I returned to Malazan. I plan to read the second book "Son of a Liche" later during my Malazan reads.
Excited to read Orconmonics!! Thanks!!!
I really liked "The Will of the Many". More than about the tropes i had to chuckle a little about just how much Islington has lifted from Roman history. But no harm, no foul, it's an interesting story, interestingly adapted.
I am so stoked you love Will of the Many so much! It's my top favorite of the year and I completely agree regarding Islington's craft. The improvement is so clear and it was so much fun experiencing his growth from Licanius (which I also really enjoyed but definitely saw its flaws). Imma bout to go relisten to Will because I miss Vis so much.
Oh, man! I can't wait for a review of the Sai battle!
Totally agree with all your opinions on Kingdom's first arc. When they start with the politics and the wars arcs though, I think it starts getting fun. Hope you give it a chance; it slowly ramps up and when you get to the "Coalition Invasion Arc" that's when every piece of the puzzle meshes in.
I’ve been listening to the will of the many and damn is it a crazy ride
I felt the exact same way about re reading the will of the many right away. Immediately the chapter where he first sees the scarred man meeting Relucia. There has to be something in that chapter. At first reading it, I saw alot coming in the first act but then the reveal in the middle and then the smack at the end were amazing. I need someone I know to read it so I can exchange theories IMMEDIATELY.
I loved Orconomics. I think it is also a great example of the good that SPFBO has done to elevate the best Indie novels
OMG so glad you discovered Kingdom
Kingdom is my favorite manga. Really Nice that you started reading it 🎉🎉
I'm so excited that you have started Kingdom. I wasn't sold after the first arc. But Holy shit, it became an all time favorite for me.
Hey daniel, have you ever read the web serial worm, based on your will of the many review I think it may be something you like a lot, and the whole thing is available in a fan made audiobook on youtube
Love the book reviews!
Happy to see Kingdom!
Always appreciate these kinda vids, love finding new reads, thanks Daniel!
Really enjoyed your John Gwynne interview! Would love to see you interview James Islington about his newest book just finished and it was amazing!
You have convinced me that The Will of the Many should edge ahead of Godkiller on my TBR (To Buy and Read). I hope it'll get me out of my current reading slump. (The NIghtmare Painter didn't.)
It's a great book. Like Daniel said, despite it being a massive book it's written in a way that just makes you fly through it.
As a big fan of Robin Hobb and Joe Abercrombie you've sold me on the will of the many.
DO IT, amazing book.
I really enjoyed reading The Will of the Many, from start to finish! 5⭐
Its been a long while since I read kingdom, but it was a very bizarre experience for me, It felt like someone took a grounded fantasy world with complex medieval politics from something abercrombie would write and then executed it with the exaggerated adventure vibes of one piece. But I do remember it getting better over time, I remember being especially impressed with the large scale fantasy battles that actually put thought into tactics rather than people just hitting eachother in a line.
I remember really liking it but then again I could be biased because Ive always had a weak spot for the setting of historical china.
So glad my tbr is in digital. I feel like I'll have a breakdown if I see them in an actual pile
Will of the Many and Orcanomics sound great. I'll order them asap. As for Kingdom, I've read a large part of it, and it does get better, but it also gets so much worse later on.
I agree with Kayla, the 2 shirts don't go well together.
Since you read Berserk, the next recommendation I give you was Kingdom, I hope you love it. It's espectacular❤
You are going to LOVE kingdom it’s unbelievable. One of my favorite manga ever
I have to admit, the scene at the palace with his old father's adviser had me crying like a vulnerable teenager
Kingdom is amazing. You definitely need to keep reading. Once it gets going it becomes amazing
Does anyone else make their own strategies or try to guess how the battles will go in Kingdom. I honestly feel so intelligent reading kingdom. Plot and main characters kinda suck imo, but the world building, and 5d chess battles are so unique and interesting.
Great stuff!! Loved the vid and how your awesome personality shines through in your reviews.
Do you think your appreciation for different aspects of story telling: specifically theme, plot, and characters- has changed at all since you have gotten more outside of western media? If so, how?
The tropicification of the tropes really tropes on me as well but the trope in the tropes really tropered all over me and my tropes
I read Little Heaven by Nick Cutter, which I think is a solid horror book if it tickles your fancy. Next up is Night Shift by Steven King and Book 2 of The Bound and the Broken by Ryan Cahill!
YEEY! for a book review video :)
I LOVED The Will of the Many but for different books connecting to the tropes - I'm a Classics student and the Roman Empire-esque setting was amazing, the found family was awesome, the plot twists had my jaw DROPPING and this is the only ending on par (personally) with the ending of Words of Radiance!
Ooo, excited to see how you will find (the rest of) Kingdom. Something to keep in mind is that it definitely falls within the traditions (and therefore tropes) of more classical Eastern works; characters somtimes have and take the time to exposit while on the battlefield, and the big named personages are treated more as myths than real people. Reading Jin Yong's Legend of the Condor Heroes series introduced me to the state of mind which I think is beneficial for enjoying Kingdom, but it's definitely not necessary.
Additionally, the comparison with Vinland Saga is interesting. I think Vinland Saga is trying to be a deeply personal story with occasional larger set-pieces, while Kingdom at its core is a continental story - the story of the first unification of China - as told through the lens of the rise of Xin as a mythic personage, so Kingdom often has set-pieces first and personal moments second, but as the story goes along it's less and less to the detriment of the personal connections, as they are built up better (and the author gets better at telling the deep personal connection bits).
Like any super-long story it grows better as it goes along, but there's a lot of those out there, and I think a 6-ish is fair for the first bit of Kingdom; I think I rate it somewhere around 8.5 overall for me, though it's a long time since I read it all and I haven't reread it even once.
YESSSS I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET PEOPLE ONTO KINGDOM FOR YEARS
I read Will of the many and then the book that wouldn’t burn. I cannot recommend both more. Very different but both hit you right in the that oomph spot.
The thing about Kingdom is that i started slow... because I didn't like the art so much, it was too much politics and text at the start... then, when I got to the next arcs... i finished the 600+ chapters launched at the time in 2 days and it became my favorite manga. Specially when you're introduced to the generals, ally and enemy, and to the way they think and see war, just amazing.
Amaranthine's Sherlock Holmes in the back there nice. Orconomics has or just finished a kickstarter recently.
I added Orconomics to my reading list. I'm reading Malazan right now actually so it'll be a good break!
I just caught up with Kingdom and it’s gotten to the point where I actually read real history in order to spoil myself. I NEED MORE
It takes a lot of time for Kingdom to find itself, but when it does... It is one of the greatest ancient war stories told.
Finished the Will of the Many two nights ago. It’s phenomenal and I can’t recommend it enough!
Can't wait for your review once you finish coalition invasion arc
Looks like we need to grab ourselves a copy of Kingdom. 👀
Yes you do. A MUST.
Kingdom is amazing. Don't worry about not liking the first arc, it soars from there.
The repetetive aspect will always be there because it's a story about wars for unification so you will see many battle arcs. Just like in a sports manga you will always see games of the same sport.
However the arcs definitely have elements that distinguish them and many of them are great.
The Battle of Bayou arc will definitely give ypu hype for the series and the Coallition arc is garantied to blow you away.
Literally just caught up with the manga for Kingdom and I can say it is an amazing story. Something to keep in mind is that it's based on actual historical events so the author has to do things a certain way to line up with things to come. The historical texts the author uses as a guide for the story aren't as detailed as the manga so the author does have to fill in a lot himself but he does a great job doing that.
Because kingdom does not have an official English translation, you will notice that the names of characters and places change around ch 50. The translators switched from the Chinese pronunciation to the Japanese pronunciation for names. They have stayed with the Japanese pronunciations since.
For example:
Xin->Shin
Ying Zheng->Ei Sei
Just wanted to warn you about this as you continue
That's truly absurd.
With how much you liked Will of the Many, I think you should give Licanius another shot. While this book was a step up, I don't think it was as drastic of a jump as some people make it out to be. There were definitely some issues in Licanius, but the world and story were really fantastic and I find it hard to believe anyone who liked Will of the Many enough to give it a 10 would not find it worthwhile to read Licanius. I hope you give it another shot, and if you get it on audiobook, you can listen to the comforting voice of Micheal Kramer.
Love love love this video format. I stopped watching at 13:09 to go buy and listen to the book immediately. Thank you for the exceptional quality review! Can't wait to come back and finish this vid!!
Will of the many also highly reminded me of the first red rising book
So excited for this, seriously getting impatient waiting for the 5th Stormlight Archive
I read will of the many and loved it, and I thought that it was very similar to red rising, at least in the beginning, and vis and Darrow are very similar
My bookclub read the Will of the Many and we’ve all instantly agreed to read the sequels when they come out. Absolutely my favourite book of the year so far!
Yesss book reviews
Somebody please tell Daniel to check Freiren, it's one of the most beautiful fantasy manga I have ever read .
So many feels
Once I finish my WoT reread (started a year ago and paused for several months whilst within The Slog) I will be looking for something else to read. I too remember reading Islington's first series, and similarly do not remember very much about it. That was back when I was reading as many books as you BookTubers do all the time, and yet made no money from it. 🤣