The Hierarchy
#34.49 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Ongoing 2023–present Reading commitment Low James Islington Last reviewed 2026-08-25
Overview
The Hierarchy is a series by Australian author James Islington, previously known for the Licanius Trilogy, published by Saga Press and currently comprising two novels, The Will of the Many (2023) and The Strength of the Few (2025), with a third volume, The Justice of One, expected in 2027. In a sprawling, magic-suffused Empire modeled on ancient Rome, set some three centuries after a civilization-destroying Cataclysm, a hunted young thief is press-ganged into the Catenan Republic's brutal military academy, where students climb a strict social order by literally taking on the strength, skill, and years of those beneath them; at a cost he must hide his own forbidden magic to survive long enough to understand. The protagonist, Vis Telimus, is also tasked with investigating a mysterious death at the Academy. Reviewers such as Publishers Weekly praised the detailed worldbuilding, and the audiobook narrated by Euan Morton won an Earphones Award in 2023. In November 2025, Sony Pictures purchased the rights to adapt the series to film.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
The Hierarchy James Islington
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Will of the Many | 2023 | 1 | core | 4.57 (278,781 ratings) |
 | The Strength of the Few | 2025 | 2 | core | 4.30 (124,938 ratings) |
Planned trilogy; book 3 (The Justice of One, 2027) not yet published.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Hierarchy? The Hierarchy's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for The Hierarchy? Publication order, starting with The Will of the Many. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Hierarchy finished? Ongoing (2023–present).
- How much reading does The Hierarchy take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books).
- How is The Hierarchy ranked? #3 in this site's official ranking, based on 403,719 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #3?
Ranked #3 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.49 across 2 core books.
- Backed by 404k reader ratings.
- 0.04 behind #2, Harry Potter.
- Above the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 2 books · Ongoing · 404k ratings · Ranks #3 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment epic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- The Will of the Many (2023)
- The Strength of the Few (2025)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what The Hierarchy and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Kingkiller Chronicle Epic fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.53
- La Horde du Contrevent Epic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.42
- The Sword of Kaigen Epic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.42
- A Song of Ice and Fire Epic fantasy / Grimdark · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.41
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.49 across 403,719 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit The Hierarchy (James Islington) accepted 2026-08-25
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- The Will of the Many Wikipedia entry Tier 2
- Hierarchy series bibliography (specialised series-tracking site) Tier 2
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Islington
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26
Rule: Core Canon covers the two published novels, The Will of the Many (2023) and The Strength of the Few (2025), of a planned trilogy. The announced third book, The Justice of One (2027), is excluded as unpublished.