The Will of the Many & The Strength of the Few | Winter Book Club

Summary

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Podcast Episode Summary

I'll Read What She's Reading

Episode Title: The Will of the Many & The Strength of the Few | Winter Book Club
Hosts: Reggie, Mikayla, and Kennedy
Date: March 4, 2026

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Episode Overview

This Winter Book Club episode dives deeply into the first two titles of James Islington’s Hierarchy series: The Will of the Many and The Strength of the Few. The hosts, Reggie, Mikayla, and Kennedy, break down their reading experiences, favorite and least favorite aspects, and the complexities of Islington’s dense, multi-layered world. As always, the group refrains from discussing their reactions to the book until recording to keep the conversation spontaneous and insightful.

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Episode Structure & Major Segments

• [00:15] Introduction and episode road map
• [02:00-33:00] Deep dive into The Will of the Many: ratings, likes, dislikes, favorite moments, character discussion
• [33:45-84:00] Discussion of The Strength of the Few: more detailed breakdown, major plot points, worldbuilding challenges, emotional reactions, character arcs
• [79:08-87:54] Movie adaptation speculation and dream casting
• [87:55] Teasers for next book club pick and outro

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. General Impressions & Ratings

The Will of the Many

• Reggie: 5 stars – “I felt like I was really fast-paced, gripped from the start… I don’t think I ever got bored.” [08:17]
• Kennedy: 5 stars (on reread, originally 4) – “This series is a series that warrants a reread. The more you read, the more you pick up on and the more you understand.” [03:02]
• Mikayla: 4.5 stars – “Academic side of it was really fun… steady, action-packed throughout.” [04:44]

The Strength of the Few

• Kennedy: 4 stars – “I think what he did has to be commended… but at the same time, I’m still confused.” [34:46]
• Reggie: 3.75 stars – “I don’t feel like I got really invested until almost 60% of the way through.” [36:49]
• Mikayla: 3 stars – “I had a terrible reading experience… I genuinely would not have finished it if it was not a book club book.” [39:31]

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2. Complex Worldbuilding & Reader Confusion

• The challenge of understanding “Will:” “I hyper fixated on the fact that I didn’t really understand what will was… Is it pure energy? Power? Magic?” – Kennedy [03:02]
• Over-explanation and dense details: “Sometimes he would describe things and it would be really vivid, but it would almost be too much description… too much for my brain to handle.” – Kennedy [03:02]
• Roman-inspired with tech twist: Hosts discuss the blend of Roman architecture/Latin with advanced fantasy technology (“transvect”). [07:45]
• Symbolism and language barrier: “The amount of symbolism… Latin phrases or just imagery… goes over my head.” – Kennedy [06:32]

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3. Character & Relationship Analysis

• Vis/This as protagonist: All hosts appreciated his character depth, moral compass, and the “classic” trope of dismantling the system from within.
• Realism of skill progression: Debate over whether things came “too easily” for Vis; hosts defend that his background and hard work are underplayed, not absent. [10:54]
• Pressure to mature: “This world forces them to grow up a lot faster… I found it quite refreshing with how mature his thoughts were.” – Mikayla [13:13]
• Favorite character moments: Most hosts highlight Callidus’s friendship with Vis and the emotional devastation of his death.

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4. Pacing, Plot Twists, and Memorable Moments

The Will of the Many

• Standout ending: “I never could have guessed how this book would end… Jaw on the floor.” – Kennedy [24:52]
• Udicium trial sequence: All hosts call out the tension and excitement of the academy’s final test sequence as a highlight.
• Emotion and foreshadowing: The group was collectively shocked by Amisa’s betrayal, Callidus’s death, and the subsequent unraveling.

The Strength of the Few

• Multiple POV struggles: Hosts found the jump between three world settings and many characters hard to follow, especially on audio. [39:31]
• Emotional moments: Vis’s reunion with his father is a consensus favorite: “He goes to lay down, and he falls asleep with a smile on his face. I just thought that was very tender.” – Reggie [49:40]
• Diego the wolf: Universally loved secondary character; his near-death scene caused audible distress among the hosts. [47:47]
• Favorite action: “I love a good ‘get up’ scene, where the hero is down and has to rise again.” – Mikayla [53:18]

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5. Critiques & Frustrations

• Death and aftermath: Some felt character deaths (Aqua, Callidus) are brushed by too quickly and have reduced impact in book two, especially with later resurrections.
• Bringing dead back debate: “Having [Callidus] come back… gives Vis this closure that kind of defeats the purpose of his death.” – Reggie [63:45]
• Major worldbuilding confusion: All agree that crucial plot mechanics (concurrence, will pyramids, the three worlds) remain murky.
  • “Should you have to read a book multiple times in order to understand the world? Probably not.” – Kennedy [42:21]
• Audio/reading accessibility: Pronunciation, similar sounding character names, and symbols made following multiple POVs hard, especially for dyslexic readers. [39:31]

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6. Community & Additional Insights

• Shared confusion: Many readers in their Fable book club group echoed hosts’ feedback – overly descriptive prose, rushed sections, and difficulty feeling close to secondary characters.
• Appreciation for ambitious structure: Despite confusion, hosts credit Islington’s ambition and depth, noting a likely need for a reread before the next installment.

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7. Adaptation Speculation & Dream Casting

[79:08+]

• All are excited/anxious for the Sony Pictures adaptation.
• Imagined settings:
  • Res: Roman/Colosseum-like grandeur.
  • Obitium: Red desert and pyramids, “Dune style.”
  • Lucium: Lush, possibly Norse/Scandinavian, “Viking-esque.”
• “You gotta have a big budget for that movie.” – Reggie [80:27]
• Casting:
  • Mason Thames (suggested as Vis, though may not physically match).
  • Oscar Isaac (imagined as Okie Score or Vis’s father).
  • Preference for mostly unknown actors for authenticity.
• “If you cast Jacob Elordi… it’s Jacob Elordi. Not going to be Vis.” – Kennedy [87:29]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This is a doozy.” – Mikayla [00:59]
• “The more you read, the more you pick up on and the more you understand.” – Kennedy [03:02]
• “I feel like I was making time to read this book, which I don’t do that with every book…” – Reggie [08:43]
• “It felt like I was studying for a test I was doomed to fail no matter what.” – Mikayla [45:00]
• “I would be excited to read the first book again, but I would not be excited to read the second book again.” – Reggie [43:55]
• On deaths/revivals: “I just struggle with moving forward with this next book, knowing that he is technically reunited with his mom and his sister and Callidus.” – Reggie [62:32]
• “There’s so many things I don’t understand… It’s a long book.” – Kennedy [43:48]
• On fan feedback: “Someone said their favorite moment of the book was when they DNF’d it. And I just thought that was funny.” – Reggie [28:22]
• “What a time, what a ride that was.” – Reggie [78:47]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:15 - Intro and episode agenda
• 02:00 - Start of The Will of the Many discussion, ratings, and academic setting
• 13:13 - Character maturity and world’s pressure on youth
• 24:52 - Praise for unpredictable, explosive ending
• 33:45 - Entry into The Strength of the Few, ratings, confusion disclaimer
• 39:31 - Mikayla’s frustration with audio + dense narrative
• 47:47 - Diego the wolf scene, rescue, and animal devotion
• 53:03 - Favorite “get up” action scene
• 63:45 - Debate on bringing dead characters back
• 68:02 - Reddit theories and big-picture confusion on world mechanics
• 79:08 - Adaptation talk, casting, settings, and budget
• 83:06 - Fan casting ideas and the importance of "unknown" actors

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Tone & Atmosphere

• Candid, self-deprecating, and conversational; the hosts openly share confusion, laugh about their struggles, and validate listeners’ experiences.
• Relatable and informal, e.g., “I’m just dumb” [06:30], “My last brain cell.” [76:14]
• Balance of critique and celebration, especially recognizing the ambition of Islington’s work despite frustrations.
• Interactive and community-focused, referencing reader feedback from Fable and encouraging listeners to explain what they figured out.

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Conclusion

This episode provides a vibrant, honest, and deeply detailed exploration of Islington’s complicated but rewarding Hierarchy series. The hosts exemplify the true book club spirit—sharing opinions, puzzling through confusion, and holding space for opinions from “this book melted my brain” to “I want to see the movie now.” If you're debating jumping into these books (or the podcast’s next pick), their recap is required listening for the spoiler-curious or those seeking solidarity in being a bit lost in a labyrinthine fantasy world.

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Transcript

[A]

Foreign. Hello, everybody. Welcome back to I'll read what she's reading. I'm Reggie.

[B]

I'm Mikayla. And I'm Kennedy.

[A]

And today is the long awaited winter book club episode where we're discussing the Hierarchy series, the first two books, the Will of the Many and the Strength of the Few by James Islington. What a ride. What a ride. I can't wait to discuss this because as always, like when we do book club books, we don't discuss much with each other until the episodes to just kind of make it a little more exciting. And so I feel like the only thing we have really discussed is just how confused we maybe were at times.

[B]

So if you were also confused, welcome to the club.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Because this is a doozy.

[A]

Yes. So if you haven't read the Strength of the Few yet, these, this episode is going to just be like our previous book club episodes where we share our ratings, our likes, our dislikes, just like general thoughts over the plot and book. And then we'll do a fan cast and then we will jump into the next book. So we'll start with Will of the Many and then transition into the Strength of the Few. So in the show notes we will have where you need to stop listening if you haven't yet finished the Strength of the Few. So, yeah, shall we start with the Will of the Many, which I hope you guys enjoyed reading two books with us. I know they were pretty hefty, some thick books, but it was fun too.

[B]

It's.

[A]

It's going to be fun to discuss because there's a lot that we can chat about. But starting with the Will of the Many. This was Kennedy's re. She got to reread this. Yeah, you start.

[B]

Okay, so the first time I read this book, I rated it four stars because I'm not going to lie, when I finished it the first time, I had no idea what happened. Partly because I would listen. I listened to it. Like I remember driving in my car finishing it and I didn't fully comprehend what happened. I had to pull over and Google and search on Reddit to understand what had happened. I didn't even understand that he was copied three times. I was shook by that. And also reading it the first time, I was really confused and I was really. I hyper fixated on the fact that I didn't really understand what will was. I didn't understand. Was it just like, were they giving part of their soul? Were they giving just pure energy? Was it power? Was it magic? I didn't really fully understand. And Honestly, I still don't really understand exactly what Will is. I think it's just raw power. It's never really explicitly stated in either of the books, but I do remember reading this, and I feel like this is the closest book that I have read that's giving me the same vibes as Red Rising, partly because it's almost an identical plot, the first book. And it's funny because I feel like a lot of people say that in their reviews or just in the discourse on Book Talk. But after my reread, I decided to rate it 5 stars because I think the second time I picked up on so much more. And I think this series is a series that warrants a reread because I think both books, the more you read, the more you pick up on and the more you understand. Because I think James Islington does such a good job at providing such a dense and expandable world. But also that is the downside because I don't know if you guys feel like this, but sometimes he would describe things and it would be really vivid, but it would almost be too much description. It almost was too much for my brain to handle. But this first book was just so good. I loved it. I feel like there were so many plot twists that I wouldn't have ever guessed. I really loved the college aspect. I'm always such a sucker for an academy or for a college. And I think that the dynamics and relationships in this book were really interesting to me because I feel like from the beginning of the book to the end, there was a lot of character development and relationship development. And also I find the politics in the world to be really interesting. So overall, I just think this first book is so good and I loved it and it was even better the second time around.

[C]

So this is my first time reading it. So not a reread, but a lot of to the same. A lot of what Kennedy said I also very much enjoyed Academic side of it was really fun and I don't know, I really actually enjoyed this as a character a lot. And I found their relationships and dynamics, like Kennedy said, very interesting. Just because, you know, he was hiding a lot of himself. And I feel like this world is a lot of like half truths and so like it was just very interesting to know that about him, but then him say otherwise and just like, I. I don't know, it was just really interesting. That part was really interesting to me. So what did I. Did I say what I rated it? Oh, I rated it 4.5. It was really great and I felt like, steadily throughout the entire book. There were a lot. It was, like, action packed, I will say, like, kind of like what you said. It was a little, like, overexplained sometimes, and it made things a little bit more confusing, in my opinion, where I'm like, maybe he thought, like, it would be better to explain it more in depth, but I was, by the end of something, like, even more confused, so. And that's a me thing. Like, I think it's really amazing what he has done with this world and this book.

[B]

I just.

[C]

It's a me thing. I'm just dumb.

[B]

So it's crazy to me. And when I want to talk about this a little bit later on, but the amount of symbolism he has in his books, between the Latin phrases or just imagery he uses goes over my head. So I can't even fully appreciate everything that he does in his books because it's so well thought out.

[A]

But, yeah, a lot of you in the fable were picking up. I didn't even think of that.

[B]

So I did watch both of the

[C]

Gladiators and that made it really fun when reading the Will of the Many. Just because I feel like watching the Gladiator also helps me with the, like, governing system a little bit and, like, understanding how, like, power works in that kind of society. Because at first I was like, I have no idea what's going on, but, like, it was.

[A]

It.

[C]

It just made things click more. While watching that, I didn't think that was, like, a possibility, but. And I know that's not completely the same, but I know he, like, based a lot of it on the Roman Empire and the. There's a lot of symbolism from, you know that.

[B]

So it's such an interesting thing to picture the Roman Empire, you know, the architecture, the clothes, whatever. But then also having the. This high technology of a trans. Vect.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Intertwined in there. It's such a cool idea. Yeah. Anyways.

[C]

Yeah, it was very interesting. Then we're like togas.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And stuff. But I was like, that is not like.

[A]

Yeah. Then there's like, these fancy weapons.

[B]

Yeah, it was.

[C]

Yeah, it's very interesting.

[A]

Yeah. I rated it 5 stars. I. Similar to Kennedy, Like, I think I was only even a chapter in. And I was like, this is giving me the same feeling I felt when I picked up Red Rising. Like, I was so excited. I felt like. I honestly don't think I ever got bored. Nothing ever felt slow to me. Like, I read it pretty quickly,

[B]

which

[A]

says a lot for me because it was a pretty big book and I Like, was making time to read this book, which I don't do that with every book that I pick up. So I felt like, in my opinion, I felt like it was really fast paced. I was gripped from the start. I also just felt overall, and I know this is kind of along the same lines of what you guys were saying. There was just a lot of exciting things. I was intrigued by the political system. I was intrigued by the will. I was intrigued by the characters. And it felt like there were these so many different things going on in the plot, which can sometimes feel overwhelming, but it was exciting to me. I didn't feel super overwhelmed because each plot point with, like, you know, his secret of where he came from and trying to figure out what happened to his family and why, but then also going on this mission to figure out everything with, you know, his adopted father. And, like, it was just so exciting. But then also adding that element of the Academy and just seeing him find this, like, found family and his friends at the Academy was just so fun to see unfold. And then it was also devastating at the same time. So all in all, just a very fun, exciting read. And the end of that book, man, I was like, it was a lot. And there were a lot of elements to it that, yeah, surprised me. There's not a ton I really disliked, but yeah, I also really liked this as a character. I honestly was forgetting a lot of the time how young he was because he had a pretty good head on his shoulders. So, yeah, lots of depth. I felt like.

[B]

Do you guys feel like I was kind of looking at people's reviews and just kind of looking online and a lot of people found that everything just came way too easily for him. Oh, just like Golden Boy, you know, the classic trope.

[C]

Like, not at the same time. Because he put in so much work.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I feel like. Whereas James. James Islington over explained. He under explained how much work he put in.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

For things like he was staying up every single night studying or he was working with for weeks with.

[B]

Why can't.

[C]

I think, like, I. I think, yeah, there. I feel like. But also there's just some people in life where they're, like, more naturally athletic, you know, like, I think about the Olympics. Like, those people are more naturally athletic people and human beings. And like, that thing came obviously naturally easier than them. Easier to them. But they also had to put in work for sure.

[B]

So, like, I don't know, I probably

[A]

felt that more at the second book than I did the first book.

[B]

Okay. But I mean, I also He's a. No, he was a nobleman's son. He was a prince.

[A]

He had a great education.

[B]

All growing up. He had such a great education and he. From a young age, he established the studying habits, the training habits. So, I mean, it's not like it came from nowhere.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So while, yes, I do see why people say that, I also think you're right. He puts in so much time and effort and it's maybe just not emphasized. Yes. In the book.

[A]

I also think maybe where people think that too is because of how young he is and how much he knows and is, you know what I mean, at like maybe that age.

[B]

But also, then you have to take into consideration everybody's young in this book.

[A]

Yes. Yeah. That's the thing is like when I realized that, like, you'll keep. You'll Q score. Is in his late 20s and he's not like 40.

[B]

Me picturing a 50 year old.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So crazy. Everyone is working really hard in this book.

[C]

I also, Yeah. I feel like this world forces them to grow up a lot faster than a lot of other fantasy books or like the normal world, because I found it quite refreshing with how mature his thoughts were and like, his actions. Like you said, he had a good head on his shoulder. And I was just thinking, I was like, is that just him? But I was like, I think the world forces them to have to grow up a lot quicker than we're used to. Because when you're like 17, you're just like high school. Like, they make stupid decisions, but in this world, you. You can't make stupid decisions. You. You have to be like, yeah, you're crap.

[A]

Life depends on it.

[B]

Especially if you're Viz, who's hiding his secret identity. Yeah. Whose family was murdered basically in front of him. Of course he had to grow up really quickly.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He had nothing left to lose.

[B]

I don't know. I just really love. I know this is how it is in a lot of fantasy books, but I just really love a character who's been wronged and wants to just take down the system from inside.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

There's just something so satisfying. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Likes or dislikes first?

[B]

Let's do dislikes first.

[A]

All right.

[B]

Am I going. Am I going to go first?

[A]

Sure.

[B]

It's so hard because really. And honestly, I love this book so much. I don't have anything that's sticking out to me. I would say if I had to choose something that was maybe uncomfortable for me to read and maybe my least favorite moment, not because just because it made me uncomfortable was the nea when the Inguas come and murder all these people, they basically missed them all. Oh, yeah. Made me super uncomfortable. And it just was so brutal that if I had to pick a least favorite moment, I would probably choose that just for the sake of the horrific imagery that was in my mind while reading that chapter. My heart was racing. It just. I also think that while it's my least favorite moment, I think it says so much about Viz's character and how he really does have a moral compass. You read some of these books, and I can think of one character from the top of my brain that has, like, no moral compass and just murders, has no remorse. But I think that's one thing I really appreciate about Viz, is that he does have a strong moral compass. And I think it's because of his dad. His dad really established that. So when he's meeting the Anguis and he comes to find out that the leader is one of his dad's closest allies, he won't join them because he doesn't agree with what they're doing. And then they go and mass murder all these people. And Viz takes it upon himself to stop this mass murdering. It just says so much about him,

[A]

but also, it made me really uncomfortable.

[B]

So if I had to choose a specific moment that I didn't love, it's gonna be that one.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Because other than that, I was gripped from the beginning. The pacing was there. I. Yeah, I don't.

[A]

I really. I've been trying to think all morning of what I disliked. I would probably say just.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The overall imagery that he just wrote

[B]

so well

[A]

that I was like. I probably. Honestly, I think there's just things I would have liked to see more of because I do feel like there were so many things that went into so much detail, and I was like, is this important or is this not so? I was, like, trying to, like, overanalyze everything I was reading. And it would have been nice to have some things a little more simplified and some things a little more flushed out. I'm trying to think of, like, specifics of what. I guess I'm having a hard time coming up with, like, anything I really dislike.

[B]

I actually have another dislike really quick.

[A]

Oh, go for it.

[B]

And this is a me problem because I don't know how to read Roman numerals.

[A]

Oh, that's a good one.

[B]

You know, I get it because it's inspired by Roman, you know?

[C]

Yeah, that was really hard.

[B]

The Roman numerals. When I'm trying to Listen to the book and then go to read it and they say it in normal numbers on audio. That's such a picky thing and that makes me sound so stupid. But I do think I have a better grasp on Roman numeral numbers now.

[C]

I don't. Besides x10.

[B]

B is 5L, they got L. Is it 20?

[A]

I don't even know.

[C]

I don't know.

[B]

Anyways, I have a better grasp. That's going to be a stupid little dislike. But obviously if he's writing. Writing a Roman inspired book, he's not going to use normal numbers. He's going to use Roman numerals anyways. Sorry.

[C]

No, that. That's a. That's a good dislike. That's probably a dislike. I will. I don't know.

[B]

I don't know if this is more

[C]

towards the second book. So, um, the thing is I.

[B]

Okay, this is like I have like

[C]

a love hate relationship with it. So like it can be a hate and it can be a love is like I love how brutal it was, but I hate it at the same time. You know, I feel like it makes it more high stakes but like, selfishly I'm like, when those characters die, I'm like, bruh. Like, I hate it but like I love it at the same time because I feel like James got balls.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[B]

He's got big cojones.

[C]

He's got balls and like he's not afraid to

[A]

snap his fingers.

[B]

And yeah, this is along the same lines. We had some people in our fable who said that they felt like Kalidis's death was pointless. Do you guys feel like it was?

[A]

No, I don't either. I have more I can say on this later, but I felt like. And this maybe goes along with one of my dislikes.

[B]

I.

[A]

That. That I'm coming. That's coming too. I wish I would have cared about more some of the characters a little bit more. I felt like I really cared about this. I really cared about Callidus. There wasn't anyone else that I felt like a really strong attachment to. And I would have. And maybe that's just a me thing, but I would have liked to have been a little more attached to some of the characters in the book. But maybe that was like a me thing. But I felt like we got really attached to Kalidis. So I was like, something's gonna happen to this guy. I had a feeling, but I didn't feel like his death was pointless.

[C]

I don't think it was pointless. I think death is breezed by a little too quickly. In these books.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I could see why people would think it was pointless because I feel like not getting spit on this later,

[B]

but I know I shouldn't have asked that question. I'm so sorry. No, it's okay.

[C]

I just feel like he died and that was sad. Like you said. I think it's honestly writing. I don't think it's a you, because I feel like I liked the characters, but I wasn't like, you know.

[A]

Yeah, see, I disagree.

[B]

But I almost wonder if it's because I've read the book twice.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. I felt like, as in not. This is not anything to spoil the next book. But I do feel like I attached onto his characters a little bit more in the next book.

[B]

But,

[A]

yeah, I think I. It would have been nice to feel more attached to some people because I just felt like everyone was just against him a lot of the time, which I can understand why, but it would have been nice to kind of be sharing more people on than just this and Callidus, which I feel like is how I felt for most of the book.

[B]

So it's funny. So we put out a form for you guys to fill out. And a lot of people are kind of feeling the same way as us. Like, the super descriptive details and everything was great, but they just kind of

[A]

rushed through those parts.

[B]

So many words they didn't know. Writing was fabulous, but a little hard to read because it was too descriptive at times. It's funny that a lot of people feel the same way. Something that somebody said that we haven't mentioned yet. As far as Elise, favorite moment was when leaks are. Oh, key score. Thank you. Score Threatens to put Viz in a sapper if he doesn't further, like go

[C]

into the maze again.

[B]

Yeah. If he doesn't further himself in the academy and if he doesn't learn more information. They felt like it was kind of out of left field for his character, which I can see. But also at the same time, I think Ul Kiscore was a desperate man. And at the time, Viz isn't his real son. So of course he's going. Yeah.

[A]

I kind of started the book thinking. I'm like, oh, they're gonna. He's gonna have this newfound family. No, he's gonna. Yeah.

[B]

No. Nah. Something. I mean, do you guys have any other least favorites that you guys want to talk about?

[A]

I mean, maybe just the overall. Just trying to have to figure everything out. Like, nothing against James and everything, but I just feel like for me personally, it was an even more so in the Second book, but it was just a lot to try to wrap my brain around, but that's just kind of a me problem. But as far as the plot, I can't think of anything that I had any more of an issue with. So, yeah, amazing. But faves.

[B]

I think something that's really cool about this book is that I truly never knew who was good and who was bad.

[A]

Mm.

[B]

I, I, I literally don't know because at some at one point I was thinking, what's the princess name? Verius. Verieus thought he was the bad villain. And then at one point I was like, maybe Ulkiscore is the bad villain. I just feel like there's so much gray area in this book which makes things that much more interesting, and it keeps you guessing. So I love that about this book. But if I had to choose a specific moment that was my favorite, obviously it's going to be the ending. I. As I previously said, the first time I read it, I didn't fully appreciate the ending because I truly didn't understand what was going on. But reading it the second time around, it was just as satisfying. And there is no way. And maybe you guys disagree. I never could have guessed how this book would end. And I remember when this book first came out, people would be like, this ending blew my mind. It's the craziest ending I've ever read. And then I read it and I didn't understand understand it. And I felt stupid. But the ending is so good. Just that last moment where he interacts with Ulkiscore's brother. Jaw on the floor.

[A]

And his dad.

[B]

His dad. Yeah. But you don't know it's his dad

[C]

until the second book, don't you?

[B]

I mean, it's like context clues. He has a dream of his father, and then when he wakes up, he sees the ship on the side.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So people theorized that his dad, it was actually there because of the ship on the side table.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, I see the ship.

[B]

But he. He had a dream. I think the way it was written was that he was having a dream about his dad.

[C]

Oh, I remember.

[B]

And then he wakes up and the ship is there.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So then it's like, oh, is his dad alive?

[C]

Was that really his dad? But that's killer because he had visions of his dad before. Yeah.

[A]

Like he would have. Yeah.

[C]

So, yeah, it's in it. It's before synchronization, and I think it is.

[B]

It's like the last. The last real chapter.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Dang. I'm just trying to find. Because I want to say I thought I highlighted something his dad says to him. Anyways, it's fine. You liked the end of the book.

[B]

I liked the end of the book.

[A]

Okay. I would say I. The ending of the book was my favorite, too. And not even just, like, the very end, but from the moment I'm trying to remember. Does Callidus die before Amisa stabs him?

[B]

No. Well, it could have happened, but Viz doesn't know about it until after she stabs him.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Basically, that whole ending of. What's it called that they're doing. They're participating in. What's it called?

[B]

The.

[C]

The.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

What is it called?

[C]

It's not the uticium. No. Is it?

[B]

Yeah, actually, yeah.

[A]

Yeah. The utkium.

[C]

Is it the uticium?

[A]

I think that's what it's called.

[B]

There's a glossary.

[C]

Hold on.

[A]

There's so many terms that I'm like, there's. Yeah.

[B]

Udicium. The final test.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

That's audiobook.

[B]

I mean, there's. This is udiseum.

[A]

Oh, unless the audiobook pronounce it in there.

[B]

Yeah, it has a little.

[A]

Oh, nice. Anyway, the udiseum. Uticium.

[C]

I don't know.

[A]

The very ending of that.

[C]

It is.

[B]

Is. He literally says, Y O U dash D I S S dash E E

[A]

dash U M an audio say uticium.

[C]

Udacim.

[A]

It does say uticium in the audiobook. Yeah. Anyways. But the ending of that there was. From there until the end of the book was like I was holding my breath. Yeah. I was sobbing when Callidus died. I was literally gasping when Amisa stabbed him. There was just so much that happened, and I was very emotional because it was like this. I was. It was a lot of feelings.

[B]

He lost his arm.

[A]

I just was like, james, the entire ending. And I just felt like to go along with what you were saying, it was. I started this book having no idea where it was going to end. And even a page before the book ended, I still was like, how is this going to end? So I feel like that's my overall love of this book, is that it kept me guessing in all aspects, and I didn't get bored of that. I feel like sometimes in books you're kind of like, where's this going? And it feels kind of. It can get boring or pointless. But I never felt that with this book.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I feel like that's my overall love. I was laughing because I was looking at the responses from some of you guys, and someone said, Their favorite moment of the book was when they DNF'd it. And I just thought that was funny. But most of you guys were saying that the ending. What about you, Mikaela?

[C]

The eudicum was my favorite part.

[B]

It's giving Hunger Games. Yeah.

[C]

Or the school system thing.

[A]

Him, like, gradually climbing the ring, climbing

[C]

the ranks was cool. Saving Equa.

[B]

I also loved the. I don't know why, when he's in the fighting ring and he almost kills the sexist. I think it's a sexist. And he's just so mad. I don't know why I ate that up. Just his rage bubbling over.

[A]

I also loved when they. When I found out they were going to Seuss, I was like, leaping out of my chair. I'm like, oh, this is gonna get interesting. Loved. I guess this maybe is one of my favorite moments actually, in the book. When he's sitting in the tunnels with. I can't remember his name.

[B]

Hold on.

[A]

The housekeeper butler guy. Oh, actually, I don't think his dad's right hand man. I was so unwell just having him having. He had to ask, like, those hard questions and get some of those answers about what happened after he left. And I just felt for him so much. That was a really tender moment for me. It was, like, hard to read, but it was also so tender at the same time. So. Yeah. His whole time on Zeus and, like, him going to the little restaurant and the guy just, like, bringing him all that food and, like.

[B]

Because they recognized him.

[A]

Yeah. And him saving Emisa. Like, there was just. There were a lot of very. There were a lot of standout moments for me. They have to stay overnight in the cave. And he kisses her and she's like, finally. And then they have their little fling. And then that's why when she stabs him, you're like,

[B]

the irony is, I didn't. I was never very invested in the love story for some reason. I just never really.

[A]

I will say about it, a lot of things that I've been seeing about. I've been seeing so many Tiktoks. I haven't really watched them because I was just still finishing Strength of the Abuse. So I was trying to, like, scroll past them, but I feel like a lot of people were kind of mad that there wasn't more romance in these books, but it didn't bother me. But I do think that because of the way he wrote certain characters or things, it had you thinking, oh, there's going to be more romance than there actually was. I didn't mind It I would have liked maybe. See, I don't know. I was really excited for that because I'm like when you're in school, like you have. I'm like, he's this, what, 18 year old, 17 year old boy. Like, I loved seeing his little crush unfold. I wasn't like expecting this big romance in the book, but I feel like a lot of people from what I've seen online were kind of like expecting it. To me, I was just like a little crush.

[B]

I was rooting for a different relationship to happen, which I'll talk about later. Anyways, do you guys have a favorite character from specifically. Let's keep it to the will. The many times that we're discussing. I mean, mine was Callidus. Unfortunately, other than Vis, I just think that their friendship was so tender and special. Just the way when Viz found out that was it Indul who was holding the pages over her?

[A]

Ikwa.

[B]

Equa was holding them over.

[C]

It's not Ikwa.

[B]

No, I don't think it was her.

[C]

She's dead. It's Belly.

[A]

Oh, Belly. Sorry, Belly.

[C]

It was Belly. She died in the Utahitum.

[B]

Oh, yes. How Belly was holding those pages over Callidus's head. And then Viz helps him. He didn't have to do that.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

I feel like he just. He fights so hard for the people that he loves because he's just scared to lose. And Aiden, I really liked Aiden. I liked seeing the relationship of him and this.

[B]

He taught him the language.

[A]

They had this little bond that was starting to go. Yeah.

[B]

Anyway, anything else we want to say about the will of the Many before we move on to the Strength of the View? I'm sweating now, you guys. I feel like before we move on to the next book, I feel like we need to give a little bit of a psa. Okay. If you were confused reading the Strength of the Few, just know. We also were confused reading the Strength of the Few. And there are still things. I'm going to speak for myself and maybe they can agree with it. There are still things that I am very blurry about when it comes to this book. I do think that giving myself a reread when the third book comes out, a lot of things will be a lot more clear. But this book was freaking confusing. I think it's one of the most tough books that I have read. Yeah. To keep track of everything and understand everything. So if we get some things wrong or if we're a little hazy on some subjects, please don't come at us. We're doing our best. We've tried to research, we've tried to understand, but this is really confusing.

[A]

Yeah, it was a lot. I was telling Mikayla. It felt like, you know, when you start a new book and you have to. There's all the world building. Like you got to get through the first 200 pages of the world building. In a lot of fantasy books, it's hard to feel that in a second book. But then it's not only that. It's like you have three worlds here and one of them you're already like pretty familiar with. But then you're having these other two worlds that are like similar but not. And then all these characters. It. It was a lot.

[B]

But then the other two worlds are making you question what you know about the original world that you found out. And it's. Is everything. Is everything you learned actually true? And is that actually how it works? Yeah. Should we start off with our star ratings?

[A]

Oh, yeah, I'm. Mine's gonna just be a super of the moment rating, I think.

[B]

I think I'm gonna give it four stars. Yeah, I'm gonna settle on four stars because it's not a five star read for me. I'm sure once I reread it, it might be. I had a really, really hard time with the first 45% of this book. The only point of view I cared about was the viz and res because the other two, I. It took so long to set up what was actually going to happen. And then at that point you have a whole entire first book that you love the characters, so of course you want to see more of them. And then these other two point of views, we didn't know any of the characters and so it's hard to be emotionally attached to them and want to hear the story. I think that what he did with this book has to be appreciated and commended because as we previously said, there's so much symbolism, there's so much that went into this book that you have to appreciate. But at the same time, I'm still confused and I still have so many questions about things. Obviously there were so many great plot twists. There were so many jaw dropping moments. I cried, I screamed, I felt so many emotions. But I just. That first 45% really was hard for me and I just can't rate it higher than four stars. The thing I did appreciate though is that I liked how I feel like sometimes when authors switch to multiple point of views, they tend to like give even amount of time to the point of views for some reason. But I did appreciate how it didn't feel like there was even amount of time. I felt like the switch between point of views was at good times, although really frustrating at times because we would end on a cliffhanger on one point of view and then switch to the other one. And I'm like, okay, I don't want to hear about him sitting in a field with these people. Let's go back to where he's being attacked by these flying dead people, you know? But it was just a lot.

[A]

I can go. I'm gonna settle right now with, like, 3.75. For me, I don't feel like I got really invested and felt super into it until, like, almost 60% of the way through, I. Yeah, and I think it's just because it was a lot. It was really dense with understanding what's happening in these other worlds and having to keep track of, okay, wait, who's this character? There were so many characters introduced. And that's what was really hard for me, is I was like, okay, wait, is this person the one that's helping him find the pyramid? Or. Like, there was a lot to keep track of that. Like, my brain was hurting. I was exhausted. Every time I put the book down, I was like, I gotta take a deep breath. But then when I'd go to pick up the book, I'm like, okay, I gotta, like, buckle up. It was just a lot of. Took a lot of willpower, if you will. I know Mikayla made an update in the fable that was like, give me the will to finish this book or something. Like, I felt that really hard. So, yeah, lots to keep track of that was hurting my brain. And so I think that's what I struggled with the most. I also really like. And maybe this is a dislike, but I feel like this affects. My overall review was I had a hard time figuring out how much time had passed. And I don't know why I was, like, so stuck on that sometimes while I was reading, but that was really confusing to me. And so I think that made it hard. Every time I picked the book back up, I had to be like, okay, where are we at? And how much time has passed? So I guess overall, just a lot to digest. But I feel like the last, like, 40% for me made up for my frustration with the first, like, 60% of the book because so much more was happening. I was kind of getting a better grasp on what was going on. I can go into more detail with my likes and my dislikes, but, yeah, overall, just a lot to to digest that a good chunk of the book felt. I mean, honestly, the whole book felt that way. But I feel like I can't give it four stars if I'm struggling that hard with the first 60% and that a lot of it is probably just a me problem. But. But it was exhausting. I don't know. It was exhausting. You know, I was tired. Michaela.

[C]

I had a terrible reading experience. It was not fun. I did not have fun reading this book. I did not have a good time. I think what was also hard, I had to listen to 95 of it, and I wasn't reading it. So I didn't see the symbols in front of all the chapters. So I was so freaking confused because I didn't know when it was, like, switching point of views and, like, where they were at. And so I was, like, having to get context clues, especially with, like, the beginning. I was like, what the freak is going on? I genuinely would not have finished it if it was not a book club book. I would have DNF'd it. And I think it's because also, with the first book, it took me two weeks to finish it, and I finished this book in five days. And it was like. It was an awful experience. I was like, I did not have fun reading it. And I really contemplated, like, if I'm going to even continue with the third book, because I was like, this is not freaking worth it to me. Like, I don't know. It was just a really. It was a really hard experience for me to have to, like, read it. And I AM rating it 3 stars. The ending was really good. And I was like, that intrigued me to want to read the third book. But if it's gonna be as long and as boring and, like, mundane as the beginning of this book. And I know I'm being harsh. I just don't think me and his writing style jive very well. Especially also, like, I have dyslexia. And so, like, all of the names were so confusing for me. Like, them sounding similar and then, like, them being in different worlds. Like, it was a lot for my brain to handle. It was a lot. It was a lot. And I just, like, I didn't really enjoy the book at all.

[A]

So that's okay.

[C]

Yeah, I'm sorry.

[B]

I'm being.

[C]

I'm really. I'm being really harsh for it. But, like, I. Yeah, well, your reading

[A]

experience plays a big part in that. That's mostly my fault, and I'm feeling really bad.

[B]

No, don't feel bad.

[C]

Like, I don't know if it would have gotten better if I would have taken longer to read it, but I don't know.

[B]

I can attest there would be. So I would go back and forth between listening to it and reading it. I would say I probably read at least 60% of it. Yeah. However. So I started reading it. Like, I didn't start listening to it until probably about 20% in, even though I had listened to 20 or read 20% of it at the beginning of every chapter. It would take me a good minute and a half to figure out which point of view it would be in.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And it would be some name or, or something that I would finally be like, oh, that's where he is. So strictly listening to 95% of it would make this book horrible.

[C]

Like, truly.

[B]

So I totally understand where you're coming from. And the names are hard. It's just. And then the fact that he has three different names because of it, it's a lot to comprehend. And I feel like when you're sitting at the end of a 700 page book and you're still so confused about basic world building stuff. Yeah, that's a problem. Once again, I think if I were to reread this book, I think a lot more, I would understand a lot more. But to that point, I think we've talked about this before on other podcast episodes. Should you have to read a book multiple times in order to understand the world? Probably not. So yeah.

[C]

The thing is, I just like, don't know if I want to, like, pick it up again. Like to have to reread it to like before the third book because I'm like, that took so much of my time.

[B]

Good news. He does have summaries. And it's funny because I didn't have the exact same experience reading the first book as you, obviously. But when I finished the first book originally, when we picked this Far Winter Book Club book, I had no intention of rereading the book again because I didn't want to. It was long. I just was confused at the end. I didn't want to reread it, but I decided to because I felt like I probably should if we're going to do a whole podcast episode on it. And I'm glad that I did. Don't know if I'll have the same experience with this book. But also, if you decide you don't want to continue, that's fine. We'll tell you how it ends.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

It's a long book.

[A]

I. I feel like I would be excited to read the first book, but I would not be excited to read the second book again.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, I, I try to. I'm trying to imagine had this not been a book club book, and I just picked this up on my own. I'm trying to decide how I would feel about the second book. Like, it would probably take me months to finish it, or I would probably have been like, okay, I'm gonna just have somebody else, like, tell me how it ends. Because that's how much I struggled with the first, like, 60% of the book. Yeah. So, like, majority of it, but. So I can totally see where you're coming from, Michaela.

[B]

Because

[A]

it is a lot to digest, like I've said, but also with, like, the amount of time you read it and how much you listen to it, that's totally warranted.

[C]

Like, no, I feel bad being so harsh, but, like, the entire time I was like, this is three stars. This is three stars. This is three stars.

[A]

Well, three stars, yes. And three stars is still not a bad rating.

[C]

No.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I thought you were gonna rate it, like, two.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Straight up. I knew you were not gonna rate this very high. I, I, I already knew that.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I, Yeah, I just. Yeah. Just was not. I did not have fun. I was like, I'd rather read literally anything else right now. Like, it felt like I was studying for a test that I was doomed to fail no matter what.

[B]

Well, and I think it's also hard because there's also. And we don't need to, like, really get into this. There's also an innate pressure for a book club book, especially like this.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because as you guys are sitting here listening to this, there's so many people who are sitting here listening to us discuss this book. And so there's this pressure of us to completely fully understand something, and in reality, we don't understand it. There's so many things I don't understand. And so just the thought of people maybe not being super nice towards us because we're not fully understanding things, that makes the reading experience harder. Because there's a pressure to understand things.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, I felt that.

[B]

So reading. And that's why we made the disclaimer. You know, we're trying our best, and this is a really hard book to understand without an audience of people hearing you discuss it.

[A]

Also, I, I'm not someone who wants to sit and take notes while I'm reading, because it totally takes me out of my reading experience. I know there's people that enjoy that, and there's a lot of podcasts out there that that's what they do. They take notes and they have, like, their big wall of, you know, this.

[B]

The crime scene piece of yarn goes

[A]

to here, and everything connects here. And they got, like, the crazy eyes because they are committed to piecing everything together throughout the reading experience. And that's just not something that I enjoy doing because it takes me out of the book. But I think with, like, all of that said, like you said, Kennedy, I can appreciate what James Islington. I'm sure if I were to reread it, which I do not think I will, but I think I would appreciate a lot more things as I'm reading. It was just. Yeah, it was just a lot. So maybe with that, we just do. We want to do our. I'm trying to decide dislikes or like,

[B]

let's do our favorites.

[A]

Let's do our favorites, and then we can jump into some lease faves. I guess I can start with favorite. I mean, I really can't think of anything that was my favorite moment in the first 60% of the book, other than just being like, ooh, I wonder where this is going to take us? And then it was like, okay, where is this taking us? It was kind of my. How I was feeling. But as far as favorite moments, I would probably say I love Diego. That's my favorite. A shining star.

[C]

Y'. All.

[B]

Y'.

[A]

All.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

I was. Okay. I was sitting reading the chapter where

[A]

he gets stabbed with the dagger. Oh, you guys.

[B]

I chucked my book across the room, and I said, if this. If this wolf dies, I will be burning this book. There's something about Diego we don't know. The fact that he didn't die. There's something.

[C]

Well, it's like when he was a pup, I know he, like, completely survived.

[A]

There's something.

[C]

I. I didn't think he was gonna die. Oh.

[B]

I thought I was sobbing. My hands were on my head.

[A]

I said, no. Anybody? Your cable updates were killing me. But, yeah, love him. A shining star. Also, just once again with James Islington's description. The things that dog. That wolf did to those people. You guys, I was, like, getting a little queasy, but what a round of applause for Diego. Love him.

[B]

I was laying in the sauna during that chapter, and literally, just all the things you find out. The fact that there's this theory that these three princeps are ceding will to ka and just all these things that are being. Find out. Found out my job was on the floor. And then Diego goes and just eviscerates all these people insane. And also, I'm like, how many people has. What is his name? Otitis? Is that you say his name?

[A]

I think that's.

[B]

How many people is he drugged into the other world? Because he's killed them. Because that's exactly what he did with the bodies. Didn't he just drag them into the other world?

[A]

Yeah, something like that. I don't know.

[B]

I don't know. Anyways, that was. That was insane. That, to me, is where the book started. Took a turn and started to get really. Was that moment.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I also really loved his reuniting with his dad. Just everything with that. I'll say a little something in my dislikes about that in a minute, but that was really tender. And from what we're gathering from this form that you guys filled out the.

[B]

Which.

[A]

Thanks for doing that, by the way. That's what most of you are saying was your favorite part of the book. I just feel like that's something his character really needed, I guess, specifically in that world, because his dad was dropping bombs on him, like, oh, and this, like, he. I really loved, too, how he had that moment with his dad. He also learned a lot of, like, devastating things with. Oh, like, I'm not. He finally had that realization, which I think we were waiting for the entire book of. Like, when is he gonna figure out that there's these different worlds and he's a copy and whatever. Like, there was so much he learned that was really devastating. But the fact that he got to see his dad and, like, there's a. It says at the end of the chapter, he, like, goes to lay down, and he, like, falls asleep with a smile on his face. I just thought that was very tender and that his dad was, like, looking out for him as long as he had. There was just his. There were so many quotes, too, from his dad.

[B]

Dad was dropping bars. Yes.

[A]

And I just felt that was like, a really big moment for me in reading, because I feel like, you know, we were, as we were saying, the will of the many. He works so hard, and he. Everything that he does is a lot because of his family and more specifically, his dad. But you really got to see that in that moment with his dad, with everything that he shared and the way he just was taking care of him and all of those. Like, that was just a really big moment for me and a big moment for this. Obviously. I really liked that a lot.

[B]

I mean, when his dad tells him. I'm pretty sure he tells him something like, you grew up to be everything. I. I Like, thought you would be in more. It's just such a sweet moment. And.

[A]

And also it gets really sad. Like, I remember reading that and being just like, oh, that's so sweet. Like, I'm so happy for this. And then I had to remember that's not like the OG vis. Like, the OG vis didn't get that.

[B]

Well, yes, kinda sorta. But not to that extent.

[A]

But yeah. Anyways, I really liked that Pending was kind of exciting. I was like, oh, I'm excited to see where this goes. But, yeah, those are my. Those are my loves. Did you have anything that you loved, Mikayla?

[C]

Yeah, I liked it when it ended.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

My favorite part was when the book was over. No, I liked the moment with his dad. I really actually liked the moment when he is fighting Tara and he like, he, like. My favorite part was like, I'm gonna break your finger.

[B]

And he says. He says, do it.

[C]

And she does. I'm like, are you stupid? I was like. I was laughing at that part.

[B]

I didn't.

[C]

I. I really like that part because I liked the part where it's like he grabs onto this sphere. No. What is it called?

[B]

The amulet. No. The sword.

[A]

No, it wasn't a sword.

[C]

His is staff.

[B]

Leer.

[A]

Staff.

[C]

And it was like he got this, like, feeling of, like, get up. You have to get up. And I. I really.

[A]

I really like that.

[C]

I love a good, like, get up scene.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Meaning, like, they're down bad, and then they have like a flashback or like, just like someone telling them to, like, get up and they get up. I love those scenes so much. And Diego Dial. I just loved him. I just loved him so much. He was the Shining star.

[B]

Like I said, when him and Aqua first meet him. Oops. Well, when Aqua first meets him and he's growling at her and then they drop their will and he's just like, snuggling. Yeah. Just. What a sweet baby. And also just imagine Viz walking around. Catnin.

[C]

Cat in Katnin. Katyn.

[B]

Anyways, the city. Just this big old wolf. As if he's not recognizable enough with his one arm. Yeah. Let's add a wolf into the mix.

[C]

I had a question. Did one of his clones have two arms? Right.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

I wasn't just making that up.

[B]

It's the Obadian one has both arms with a pyramid. Yes. Okay.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which I don't understand why one still has an arm.

[C]

I don't either. That's why I was confused about.

[B]

Like I said, there's still so many things that I don't understand, but I'm sure someone on Reddit has it. Has it fully fleshed out and explained. Yeah, I think you guys hit most of my favorite parts. I'm trying to think if there's anything

[A]

else I will say. I guess in the first 60%, there was something I did really love. I really loved that little moment of peace he had with the little. The family on the farm or the village or whatever. I thought that was really sweet. And him just, like, it just showed so much of his character, of how he's like, no, like, I want to help you. And he was doing everything he could to understand the language and how much the kids loved. How much the kids loved him. And at like, the end, when he has to leave him and the mom is saying to him, I just wanted you to, like, watch out for my kids. And how, like, the grumpy grandpa loved him. Oh, I really did like that. I was sad when he had to leave. They're like, oh, you gotta go. Peace out.

[C]

You gotta go.

[B]

Leave.

[A]

Like, these guys are taking you. I was really bummed.

[B]

It's a reunion.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Let me ask this question. Which viz do you think had it the worst?

[A]

Well, let's see here.

[B]

I'd say obitium.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

That mine was fighting, like, literal demons.

[A]

And the acid water. I have a lot of questions about that.

[B]

Yeah. I don't know.

[A]

How is it not like, I kept.

[B]

Wait.

[A]

He kept opening his eyes in the water. I'm like, how are your eyeballs not falling out of your head?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I was confused because the amulet protected him to a certain extent. I know.

[A]

But then it's like he had these open wounds, and they're like. Literally the way he's describing them is like they're burning off his arm or whatever, and he's in this horrible pain. But then he's like, I opened my eyes to look around, and I'm like, your eyeballs would be so toast. Be so for real.

[B]

They'd be gone.

[A]

I was having a hard time with that. And I know that it's like a fantasy, It's a book, whatever. But I'm like, you're telling me that this open wound on his arm is literally, like, about to kill him, but he can open his eyes and it's not burning his eyes. There was no comment of my burning eyes. I don't know. I don't know why I had a hard time with that. I was like, be for real. Come on, give him some goggles.

[B]

I put this in our fable update, but I'm Just waiting for the day when all three of them are together.

[A]

Spider man moment.

[B]

Yeah, the Spider man meme. I also, something that I think is so cool is how you take these three people who are literally the exact same. Right? Because they're copies at the beginning of the book. They're all the same. Right. Because they kind of diverged at this one given point. But at the end of the book, the three different Vizzes are so completely different. Rezviz is now in his. He's just. I feel like he's kind of lost his mercy, especially since he killed Ryleukia, however you say her name, just absolutely savage. He was like, nope, you're gonna die. And then you have, you know, the other two. But it's just crazy to me how circumstance really can change a character that much. And I think that's something that's so interesting about this book, is just the fact that it's the same person, but not anymore. Oh, I also want to talk about something that was crazy to me is I can't remember exactly the circumstances, but they're in the city or somewhere and Lanisa just goes bashes crazy on Viz.

[A]

Oh, yeah, yeah. When. Yeah. And then she gets put in the.

[B]

She gets put in the sapper. I saw this person on Reddit and let me just kind of read what they had said, because when I read this, it. Nothing really. I'm going to summarize it because I don't want to exactly read the whole thing. This didn't click in my brain.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And so basically the way that this person described it was essentially what they're trying to do is they're trying to raise an army in order to defeat the concurrence ray.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And because she keeps. Lannister keeps saying to him, like, complete the journey warrior. Complete the journey Warrior. And she's trying to kill him.

[A]

Right. Yeah.

[B]

So I didn't catch on to this, but apparently the whole rationale is that when you copy yourself, you reach synchronism in order to basically, like, fight the war against the concurrence. But the version of. Of you and Rez has to die. That's why they keep saying complete the journey warrior. And she tries to kill him because his. In order to complete his journey, he has to die on Rez, Which I never would have picked up on that ever.

[C]

But isn't that the original? Didn't they say at the beginning that we gotta save your original? Like, we have five minutes until your original dies? Right. I don't know.

[A]

Well, Then here's my question, is you've got Yokiscore's brother, Koror Ciror. He's alive in the two worlds, but not in rez.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

So that's why I'm like, wait, now I have questions.

[B]

Well, they're supposed to die on rez. Yeah.

[A]

And he did.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So is he. So now I have. Now I'm just trying to figure out how. Okay. Okay. Hmm. I fear I'm gonna be even more confused when the next book starts, but it's fine. Also kind of cool that Zero is good in, like, one world, and then he's kind of like the bad guy in the other. Did you guys see that plot twist?

[B]

Yeah. No. No, I didn't.

[A]

But he's the. What's his name Starts with R. Because I was, like, so confused for a second. I'm like, wait, who's he talking to? And then I had to go back, and I'm like, wait, who's this guy that. What's his name that starts with an R?

[B]

I'll tell you.

[A]

Rukor. What's his name? Is that how you say it? Ruark is the Druid member of the Grove who has convinced other Druids to break their vows and support the one king against Ronan.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Finding that out, I was like, oh, that was a plot twist I didn't see coming.

[B]

Well, it's also just interesting how each world uses. Utilizes Will differently. Eventually, it's all gonna make sense, and it's all gonna click together like a little puzzle piece. But in my head, I'm like, I don't understand how these all fit together exactly.

[A]

Think I'll ever fully understand it, unfortunately. But, you know, way to be for James for just having all these ideas.

[B]

And I hope in the next book there's, like, a diagram of how or an explanation of how each Will works in each world. I wish you just wanted a map

[A]

of each world, because I feel like while they're the same, they're different, you know? I feel like that feels. I feel good about sharing our likes.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Dislikes. I don't really know where to start. It's not that I have a billion, but, I mean, I don't want to sound like I'm like beating a dead horse here, but, like, it was just a lot to digest. Okay. I think my biggest gripe with this book is with the ending, with everybody kind of coming back to life, if you will. The Them turning into Inc that we call them. I'm kind of having a hard time with that. I Kind of felt like that defeated a lot of the purpose of a lot of things in the book. And I just. And I think I just struggle with this in books in general. The people coming back to life, dying and coming back. I just. Sometimes it's done well, and other times I just feel like it kind of ruins the book for me a little bit. And so I can't say for sure that it's ruined the book for me, because we literally got that, like, just right at the end there.

[B]

But they're not really back to life.

[A]

Yeah, true, technically.

[B]

So if this dies, all those other people will die as well?

[A]

Yes. I don't know. I just. I wish I could say more, but it just. I just struggle with moving forward with this next book, knowing that he is technically reunited with his mom and his sister and Callidus.

[B]

That's who I thought it was. See, I love it. I loved it.

[A]

I, like, I was excited at first, and the more I sit with it, I don't know what it is that just makes. It kind of bothers me. I just. I guess it's that I just have high hopes that with the next book, he. That's done well. It just sucks to, like, have this emotional impact of these character deaths and just like, oh, that really sucks. And then it's like, oh, but here they are again, and you might. We're probably gonna have to lose them again, or. You know what I mean? Like, with his dad, that felt very well done. And I just get nervous about seeing these characters that we've already seen let go come back, even though they're still technically dead. It just makes me nervous because I don't want to.

[C]

I don't know.

[A]

Do you see what I'm trying to say? I don't know how to, like, explain how I feel about it, but it can be done well. Like his dad. But I feel like sometimes it defeats the purpose of deaths when they're brought back again. So, like, everything with Callidus, as I was saying in the beginning of the episode with him dying, like, I thought his. His death was very impactful, but, like, having him get to come back, it, like, gives Bis this closure that kind of defeats the purpose of his death. You know what I'm saying?

[B]

Yeah, I just.

[A]

I don't know. I just think I've also just read enough books where people come back to life. After that, it's just kind of like, okay. Like, to me, it can sometimes feel really lazy. And so I would hope that moving into the next book, whenever that comes Out. I actually have no idea when, but I would hope that I don't feel that way. But my expectations are very low going into the next book because of that whole plot point now. It just. It's like, oh, that would be really nice for him to maybe get a little more closure and get to, like, see, like, I get the emotional impact of that reunion, but I just feel like it kind of defeats a lot of the previous plot, in a sense,

[C]

the purpose of him dying.

[A]

So I just had a hard. I had a really hard time with that. I actually wasn't all that excited to see that. Might be kind of fun to see. What if it's not?

[B]

I mean, yeah, everybody's just assuming. Yeah, I think it's hard because, see, it doesn't really necessarily bother me because, I mean, it does make deaths feel less final. However, it's interesting, though, the whole concept of, like, the dead being able to be revived is interesting to me because on Lucium or whatever, when they kill their dead, they chop off their heads. Did you guys notice that? For that specific reason, they don't know. That's why. But if you chop off their head, they can't be, like, brought back. So, for example, Aqua, she can't be brought because her little head was squished to a pulp. Ow.

[C]

That hurt me.

[B]

So I don't think it means that, like, anybody who dies can be brought back, per se. It's also interesting because if you think about it, these people that they had, they basically, where they had them, they were, like, tortured and questioned as war criminals. So that's like an underlying sad thing that, like, now we know. I mean, it makes sense. But Viz's mom and sister were tortured and questioned. So it was callidus after they died, potentially, because they were in that room. This Reddit thread that I found basically just kind of. And maybe I can post it to our Instagram story. It kind of goes through the reasoning behind why they have to. Why their theory. They're theorizing why they have to revive the dead in order to prevent the concurrence from happening.

[C]

What's the. What's the difference between a concurrence and the catalyst? Cat. Cattle. Catalyst.

[B]

The way that I understand it is like, the concurrence is kind of like a hive mind, and they're trying to. I don't know.

[A]

Actually, the concurrence.

[B]

No, the concurrent.

[A]

I'm just gonna shut my mouth.

[C]

I'm sorry.

[A]

I don't know what I'm doing. No, that was not a stupid Question. I was thinking the same thing.

[B]

So the concurrence calls. Okay, okay. The concurrence causes the cat cataclysms.

[C]

Okay, I see.

[B]

And so then at the end of the book, you're kind of like, oh, so was Ka actually a good guy trying to prevent the concurrence from happening? I don't know this person on Reddit because once again, my brain couldn't fully comprehend what in the world was going on. This person on Reddit says that humanity created. Basically created. Created the concurrence. What humanity was trying to do is they were trying to produce the cascades. Like what happens at the end with Viz, where you have one person on the top of the pyramid and then they're seating Will from other people. A massive pyramid of dead people. However, what resulted was basically this person explains it as like an intelligent AI that is the concurrence. And the concurrence causes a cataclysm which kills like 90% of people, is how I'm interpreting it.

[A]

Okay, I probably should have like refreshed my brain on that because that's still a little fuzzy to me.

[B]

Yeah. So there's also this person also is saying that what's happening is that in Obataum they lost, obviously, because the concurrence is currently winning. So they believe that Rez is the best option to produce soldiers who then go into the other worlds and then. Guys, I don't f. In.

[A]

No, it's okay. I just think that I wish I just would have finished the book understanding all of that a little bit more. Like there needed to be some sort of monologue, but I know that we're still trying to figure it out. Like he didn't want us to have everything figured out at the end of the book. I understand that, but I was just waiting for someone a monologue that was, you know, helped us understand a little bit more. And yeah, I'm seeing like lots of people explaining things on Reddit, but see, then their explanation is this like pages long thing. I've already read so many pages, I

[B]

can't even begin to try and summarize what this person put on Reddit.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And yeah, I, I wish you have that ending monologue with Kaw where he's like trying to explain and it went completely over my head. I had. I didn't understand what was going on.

[A]

So if you're feeling the same, you're not alone. But if you full. If you have a really good understanding of it, please message us. Honestly, I really appreciate that I feel like there's times when we record podcast episodes, we're like a little fuzzy on info of things, and someone always pulls through with a DM that's like, okay, let me help you guys understand this a little bit more, and I really appreciate it. So anyone really feels pretty solid with where things are kind of going, I'd love to hear it. I know we all would.

[B]

Okay, this person describes the cataclysms pretty well. Okay, so Ka believes that there has to be a mass extinction every few centuries to prevent the concurrence from winning.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

This person understands that the brighter the column A reflects, the more people in the world and a higher concentration of will. In turn, it weakens the barriers between the worlds. If the barrier is too weak, it makes it easier to cross between worlds.

[C]

This book was.

[B]

Okay, okay, okay. So, okay, the way I'm understanding, the way this person wrote it on Reddit, is that the more people on Res that there are, the higher chance that it blurs the lines between the worlds and that the concurrence can win. So the cataclysms happen every so many years to decrease the population, so that doesn't happen.

[A]

Okay, I still have questions, but that makes a little more sense to me.

[B]

What I don't understand is why. What I don't completely understand is the whole methodology of them. I'm trying to understand why we're bringing

[A]

the dead back to life.

[B]

Is it to send soldiers to the other two worlds to defeat the concurrence? What is. What is the purpose of that?

[A]

I think that's what we're trying to.

[B]

Is it. Is it to have you be able to seed Will to the top pyramid, like, for example, Viz, Are they trying to take all of this will from these dead people so that viz is really strong? So then. But then also, if Viz is strong and Res, does that mean the other two Vizzes also are that strong as well and can fight in the other worlds? Is that the rationale behind creating this. This pyramid of dead people? That's what I'm trying to understand.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I don't know.

[C]

I don't know. I'm trying to. Like, what I was trying to figure out towards the end was, is it good or is it bad? Yeah, because it was like, don't do it.

[B]

Oh, I didn't.

[C]

I didn't. Is that how you say. Yeah, I didn't. Yeah. So, like, I was confused at the end if what this was wanting is this like. Yeah, what is he wanting?

[A]

Well, I was reading that a lot of People think that it's going to be his villain arc.

[C]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking towards. Because he says like, fear is the something. Something like in I. He's the. The fear. Fear is a lack of control. And I'm tired of being afraid. I want to be able to see justice in the world again.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because this was saying, regardless, we're gonna die, so we might as well.

[C]

So he doesn't have.

[A]

Might as well go down anymore. Yeah, might as well go down. Swing. And that's why I was reading like a review that was saying that they felt like this didn't have good character development because this would not have done that to Relakia. But I do think that in a way it kind of makes sense because he's just seen everything just as defeated, defeated, defeated.

[B]

I mean, Aqua died in front of him like two seconds ago.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, if you think about it, that guy killed Aqua because his daughter died.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

In the Nia. Something that I briefly wanted to mention really quick. We've kind of touched on some of the symbolism. So obviously Res is Roman. Someone in our fable said that obitium is Egyptian and lucium because of the pyramid. Yeah. And then lucium is what's. What was the other one that they said?

[A]

Wasn't it Norwe or it was something European, wasn't it?

[B]

I can't remember. I can't.

[A]

Like Scandinavian.

[C]

I got Egyptian vibes.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[A]

And the. What did they call it? What's the word for like the Egyptian tombs? Not the sarcophagus.

[B]

Sarcophagus, yeah, Sarcophagus.

[C]

The dancers.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. I want to say they said it was something Scandinavian.

[B]

I can't find what.

[A]

Especially because a lot of the people, like, their physical description felt a little more Scandinavian.

[B]

I can't remember what it was. But something else I wanted to really quickly mention was that. So what I find really cool is that if you take some of the characters names and you translate it into English, it gives you like a really big insight on who they are as a character. So. So Ulquis Kor, for example, his translates to I avenge.

[A]

And then wasn't Viridius's like truth?

[B]

Aqua is equal lover, equal level, fair. Viridius is youthful, vigorous. Anyways, if you Google some of their names, their line translation is really cool. The fact that he went as far as to even do that for their names is absolutely insane to me.

[A]

My last thing I want to talk about was Aqua, because you wanted. You. I know you commented saying you wanted a like Romantic arc with them.

[B]

Yeah. So badly. Scott squashed no punishment.

[A]

Unfortunately, I spoiled it for myself before I even started the book.

[B]

That's unfortunate.

[A]

And it was the stupidest way too. Like, you know you can Google things on your Kindle. Her name was highlighted. My kids get into my Kindle. I need to put a lock on my Kindle. But I opened it and her name was highlighted. And then my Kindle was being slow. I was like, trying to exit out of it. It went to, like, the Google search page, because you know how you can, like, search a word. And then when I went to go exit out, it had like, the drop down of it literally said the strength of the few. I can't remember what it was. And then it was like, aqua death. And I was like, that's really sad. Maybe she doesn't die. But I. Because I kind of was anticipating that coming. So I don't feel like I got attached to that relationship because I was just like, eh, she's probably gonna die. So I spoiled it for myself through my Kindle. Google search on accident. Sounds so stupid, but I feel like

[C]

her death was breeze by way too quickly.

[A]

Yeah. But I feel like the clock was ticking.

[B]

Yeah, he had kind of had to, like, he had to go get them out, and then he had to go intercept Aiden.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Man with two broken leg. Two broken legs. One broken. That was crazy.

[C]

Two.

[B]

That was crazy. I think it's hard because I feel like in these types of books, death is always brushed by way too quickly. You never get to grieve, you never get to mourn because the next thing is already coming. And it's unfortunate and it sucks. Obviously what we talked about wasn't total, totally encompassing. There's some details we missed out on. There's some things that, you know, happened in the book that we didn't talk about. But there's a lot that happens in this book. And my brain hurts. My last brain cell.

[A]

Well, also, ka is going to be. Do we think that is ka? And he's going to be dead.

[B]

Oh, how he stabs him.

[A]

Yeah. Well, because I did read this. Reddit just comes through with theories. Someone was saying. I'm just going to say this real quick just to give some insights. And maybe this is obvious that Kahl locked himself in the pyramid.

[C]

Wasn't he, like, asleep? Mm.

[A]

Because he knew that only a sanctus could get to him. And he needs the Sinctus to. To help him. But they were saying that they think that the. The people.

[B]

The inktie.

[A]

The ink. Yeah, the dead people. Were manipulating him into going to kill him.

[B]

That, like, were manipulating Viz to go kill Ka. Well, if you catch at the end, I can't remember, I. I think it's the call in Rez. It says that one of. One of your selves made a grave, like, a huge mistake. And I think that's what it was.

[A]

Yeah. So that's when I read that, I was kind of like, oh, that's maybe where Shiz is gonna go down. Because maybe this whole thing with Ka, like, we're kind of theorizing potentially, they're not thinking that's. That's where they're gonna do wrong.

[B]

Well, part of me wonders then, if Searor has a larger part to play, because this entire time, is he lying to Viz in obitium? Because this entire time, he's feeding him this information about Ka. Ka is this bad guy, Ka this, Ka that. So is Sear actually a villain?

[A]

Well, maybe the one that we think is a villain is actually not. You know what I mean? I don't know, but I'd be kind of sad to see that because I feel like I really liked Seor in whatever world. The one where he was nice. I can't keep them straight, guys.

[B]

The one where he was nice.

[A]

Yeah, where he's alive. What one is that one called?

[B]

He's alive in two of them.

[A]

I know, but the one where he first meets him, what is that one called?

[B]

Obitium.

[A]

Oba tieum.

[B]

I think he's. What if he's lying to him?

[A]

I know, but I'd be kind of sad to see that, because I really liked him in that one. He seemed very sweet and kind. Betrayal. Anyways, I think we can probably leave it at that because I think we could keep going off on theories and trying to understand things. I'm sure no one perfectly understands it other than James himself, but what a time, what a ride that was.

[B]

And

[A]

is there supposed to be two more books or one? I thought there's supposed to only be one more, but I feel like I saw a few comments that said there's two more.

[B]

I don't. I don't know.

[A]

But yeah, we'll see what happens and see if we get any. I mean, probably not Updates on fourth, the movie.

[C]

You're kidding.

[B]

Book three is called the justice of One.

[A]

Interesting.

[B]

I don't love that there's going to be four books. I hope there's only three.

[A]

And it's already been picked up. Which it got picked up so fast.

[B]

Leads me to my next question to you guys. Let's chat about this. If you had to, how would you. In this adaptation, what would the setting look like for you guys? Like in each one, obviously Res is like Roman, you know, Coliseum, you know, that kind of stuff.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But the other two, Michaela sent us a really funny TikTok of the three worlds.

[A]

I mean I picture Obitium to be. Yeah. Just desert red and just like whack kind of dune style with pyramids and then the other one, Lucium. Yeah. The more green, like feel lush.

[C]

Well.

[A]

And yeah. Hearing like the symbolism with it maybe being like Scandinavian, I was kind of picturing Viking esque. Yeah, Viking esque. Like the fjord ship.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Norway.

[B]

So Frozen.

[A]

Frozen.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Just kidding.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You gotta have a big budget for that movie.

[B]

I mean, the good news is I feel like the first one is very doable.

[C]

Oh yeah.

[B]

Very, very doable. Not that your budget doesn't have to be high, but I mean most of it takes place in three locations. The school.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You got to have a labyrinth, like, you know what I mean? It's not. Yeah.

[A]

I mean still pretty forest. Yeah, I guess.

[B]

Yeah, that's what I picked. The ludicum is a forest.

[A]

I mean. Yeah.

[B]

Big budget.

[A]

The second one. Yeah, lots. Also so many characters. I didn't even touch on what I thought of the whole characters.

[C]

I think they're going to change it completely.

[B]

Really? In what way?

[C]

I don't know. I just feel like it will just be different. Like I feel like they. Instead of intermingling the stories will do each one fully fleshed out

[B]

and then

[C]

combining it when they are together. Whatever.

[B]

So you're saying like one season would be each world? Yeah.

[A]

Wait, is it gonna be a series?

[B]

I don't Sony Pictures.

[C]

Oh, then maybe it's a movie. I don't know. Movie. I feel like they're gonna have to change it.

[B]

The film rights.

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

I'm gonna assume a movie.

[A]

I'm just thinking if it's movies, it's gonna be a lot of montages. I feel like that's what they kind of have to do to fit it in a movie. It's gonna be a lot of. Yeah.

[B]

I mean, but if you really think like. Okay, let's. Let's. We're going back to the reason why we didn't. What large things really happen in the other two. Like in the first 40 of the book. It's just basically world building for the other two worlds.

[A]

Yeah. I think you can.

[B]

You can do that in way less time in a movie because you can show it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I don't know.

[A]

Yeah, I don't know. We do. We. We didn't have any really in depth fan casting, unfortunately. I mean, I pictured someone as this that I don't think they'd cast. I don't think he fits the actual physical description, but it's just who popped into my brain. What is his name? I told you guys, I cannot remember. His name is Mason Thames. Our Hiccup. Live action.

[C]

Yeah, that's right.

[A]

I pictured him because he's got the like long brown, darkish hair and he's young and I feel like he's kind of killing it right now in the movie world.

[B]

I feel like I could see him as Paladus. I don't know why.

[A]

Yeah, he could be. Yeah. But then also the girl in how to Train youn Dragon that plays Astrid, she'd be great as literally anybody.

[B]

Literally anyone.

[A]

Um, yeah, she would kill it. Maybe Emissa. I don't know. I hate that like when I think of a fan cast or someone like there's always someone in this movie with him that I can put with them. Anyways, I don't think he fits this description though because I think this is supposed to have more of like a olive V. I don't know.

[B]

Well, he's skin tone which is like a coastal.

[A]

And his dad, like everyone in his family has like dark, much darker features and like hair. I don't know. So maybe he wouldn't fit. But like I pictured him the entire time. Just because he's young and I feel like he could do it, I don't know. Doesn't mean he's the best pick, but.

[B]

Well, Michaela pointed out that the person I chose was 33 years old. So mine also is not a very good fit. But genuinely, this is who I pictured. If you pictured him, that's was Danny Ramirez.

[A]

I don't. I need a look up.

[B]

That's just immediately when I think of his. That's exactly who I think of. He is pretty old.

[A]

He doesn't look that old though.

[B]

I felt like he could play.

[A]

I mean, I don't think maybe 20 year old he could play someone in the movie for sure. Yeah.

[B]

Ok, score.

[C]

Maybe. Yeah.

[A]

Because everyone in these, like I for example, couldn't help but picture Oscar Isaac as Okie Score. But I'm like, he's way too old.

[B]

He could be dad.

[A]

Yeah, he could be business dad.

[B]

Oh, that would be a good one.

[A]

Yeah. It was really throwing me off when I caught on to actually how young lke Score is. But it's fine. But yeah, he could be good for his dad. I like that a lot.

[B]

Has red hair, doesn't she?

[A]

I thought it was Tara.

[C]

Tara has red hair, but don't ask me any questions. Nope.

[B]

She definitely has brown hair.

[A]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Tara does. Because a lot of the people there have more. Like, that's why you're kind of getting the Viking vibes. They kind of have more fair skin, like red hair. But I don't really have anyone else. I mean, unfortunately, the fan casting we got from you guys, we didn't get a ton.

[B]

We got Timothy Chalamet for Viz. I closed out of it. I can't remember.

[A]

We don't even need it.

[C]

I honestly would prefer more like no name.

[A]

Oh, for sure. Actors.

[C]

Maybe one or two bigger name. Bigger names for like the older characters.

[A]

No,

[B]

no, I love her, but no. Like, she can just throw in Oscar Isaac as his dad, have him have like five minutes in the film.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Boom. Have some big star that's like gonna help push the film, but then let everybody else kind of just.

[A]

Yeah, I like that.

[B]

I feel like that's how it is with all fantasy adaptations. You gotta have one or two big names and let everybody else. Let them. Let them shine, let them do the part.

[A]

I mean, some. Some fantasy films, though, have really big names for most of the cast, though. Like, that's the thing though, is I'm like, do you think that this story has the budget for what?

[C]

What some big names.

[A]

I'm just thinking, like, Dune. Like, literally everyone in that movie is kind of like iconic or even like, I feel like there's pretty big names in Gladiation has been out. Oh, yeah. It's not a new story. Yeah.

[C]

And so I feel like rapport behind it.

[B]

Same with Bigger. It just was in my brain. Tom Holland and Zendaya are in it.

[A]

Oh, the Odyssey.

[B]

The Odyssey. Same thing.

[A]

I mean, Christopher Nolan, it's got a

[B]

lot of big names.

[C]

Christopher Nolan.

[B]

But to me, you take the Odyssey in Dune. No offense, it doesn't even compare to the Will of the Many. Like, you know what I mean? In how iconic it is.

[A]

Will of the many is so new.

[B]

So to me, all of these fantasy adaptations, it doesn't matter what it is. I would prefer no name.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Let it put them on the map. Because the problem is if you cast Jacob Elordi, for example, it's Jacob Elordi. To me, it's not going to be a Viz or an ooh. It's going to be Jacob Elordi if

[A]

it's they do all four movies or split them in half or whatever. You can't have someone who's super booked and busy in Hollywood playing your main character in three different worlds.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So anyways, unfortunately we don't. That's most pretty much what we got as far as fan cast is concerned. Thanks so much for listening and thanks so much for reading along with us. We really enjoy getting to read these books with you guys on our fable so you guys can check that out. It's linked in our bio on our Instagram our TikTok and you guys can stay tuned to see what our spring book club book will be. We'll be announcing that on Instagram, if not today, within the next 24 hours of this episode going up. And we're excited to see what that book is going to be because we always appreciate your input and you guys help us pick what we're going to do next. So stay tuned and we will see you guys next week. Bye.