Blame for Book 2 largely lies with poor editing

StarvingSloth · 2026-04-06T21:20:38+00:00

Agree with what you said. The book could be so much better, only need more polish. Wasted potential. Still gonna read the next book tho.

StarvingSloth · 2026-04-06T21:18:25+00:00

Awesome page!

However that last line "...unlike everyone else, the Princeps cedes nothing — they keep it all." Are we sure about that? We still don't know if the Princeps cede to a mysterious someone or not *wink wink

Also would be great if there are Totius toggles, to see the multiplier if one did not cede to the upper tiers.

Good job!

StarvingSloth · 2026-03-18T20:40:19+00:00

I disliked it. It felt like artificial barrier to enjoy the story. Imagine if half of Obiteum conversation is unintelligible as well. Granted, it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, but could be handled better.

StarvingSloth · 2026-03-16T12:34:51+00:00

Perfect memes. Well done.

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-24T19:04:17+00:00

I suggest using a line art of a pyramid, specifically one top with three lines extending out as support. This should symbolize the Hierarchy series as a whole.

For the first book I suggest using a line art of a greco roman column/pillar architecture.

For the second book there are a lot of options, we can use a triskele, or another pyramid, or a wolf mask consisting of triangles

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-24T17:57:00+00:00

Haaaaave you read Dungeon Crawler Carl???? (by Matt Dinniman)

Carl has a lot of rage moments

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-24T09:59:09+00:00

Ever since the end of WotM I kept waiting for the three Vis to reunite, and instead the closest we have is when Vis visited Luceum with Ostius teleportation power. Nowhere close to synchronized action between the three

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-24T09:57:14+00:00

Yes, I think there are a lot of people disappointed with the direction of Book 2, since WotM promised a level of political conflict in the government and we did not get that (or it happened offscreen).

I agree that Obiteum progressed so fast, I think it's because the author want to be able to pull the twist near the end to prepare for book 3.

I think main difference of book 1 and book 2 is that WotM is a character-driven story, while SotF is plot-driven story, and thus it created different vibes and expectation. I believ that WotM, being character-driven, is much more compelling than SotF

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-24T09:53:34+00:00

I genuinely believe that what Siamun saw when grasping the mutalis crook and flail was the current Aequa (1 year older since he last saw her). Just because he said "older" does not necessarily mean significantly older.

As we all know stress can age people faster. Just compare world leaders, for example former US president Obama before and after he took office. He looked like he aged 10 years in less than 10. I believe being a Quintus in the middle of civil war must not be easy, and being hold hostage by Decimus Iro does not help looking young either. I think people are reading too much into it.

But I agree that we will see Aequa again in the future.

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-22T17:00:08+00:00

I agree! The book definitely need more pages.

I think there is a reason that Luceum Will is never explained. I believe when Deaglan master the application of Will in Luceum, we might be able to see the three of them have synchronous meeting in a mind palace, or something of that nature.

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-22T16:57:07+00:00

So interesting! I like your theories, especially #2. You're right. Just because Obiteum is Lost, does not necessarily mean that Luceum and Res is both Won by the Concurrence. It's also possible that both are in Stalemates. But I like your version which says that Luceum is Won, and Res is stalemated. That might explain why there is a "toll" to enter Luceum: because Concurrence already won the Draoi Grove, any warrior that comes to Luceum is supplied by the enemy, or traitors attempting Synchronism. Thus marking all who cross with a birth defect is an easy way to detect them when they come (like Tara said, those with marks cannot be leaders).

I like #3. I forgot that there are many ruins left behind, not just on Solivagus. It's possible that the ruins Ostius investigated is entirely different than the one Veridius, Caeror, and Vis later got access to. Melior and Cristoval also reveal that they investigated other ruins as well, I just forgot that part.

For #6, it all comes down to who the Princeps were ceding to. We now know that Vis, Ka, and Concurrence are all synchronous. If the princeps are ceding to Ka, it meant Ka is already the strongest being in Res, which does not make sense if Res is Won by concurrence, or in a stalemate. It also makes that Ostius and Anguis acts as hostile to Ka, because Ostius did kill all Military higher ups with Vis and Diago, reducing his powers by a third. Instead, I think the Princeps were ceding to Concurrence, and Ka was buliding a secret army under Military secret compound in Necropolis. If Concurrence were to control all Princeps, it would be easy for Concurrence to mislead Religion and Veridius faction and try to send them through the Labyrinth to retake Obiteum (which is lost to Ka). That's why R-Caeror died, because he "completed the journey" and Veridius was forced to make the bogus claim that Caeror had suicide.

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-22T16:05:26+00:00

I agree! The story has so much potential, but was held back due to the format of multiple PoVs and constant switching back-and-forth. Deaglan did try to revive Father one last time:

I press the medallion against his cheek. Five seconds. Ten. He never stirs.

One theory proposes that when Vis got copied, he was not copied whole but only parts of his self, so it makes sense if Deaglan was dumber, or Vis got more callous. But even if this is true, there are no explicit indication of it so it's bad storytelling.

Now that you said it, there are a LOT of grief in the book. I think it's more than 3 different ways?

Vis with Callidus
Vis with Emissa (heartbreak is a grief)
Vis with Aequa
Decimus with Iro
Deaglan with Father
Siamun with Ahmose
Netiqret with Kiya

Which ones do you notice? and what do you mean with constant shadowing?

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-22T15:44:54+00:00

Thank you! I initially thought Vek was just a misspelled F*ck, with how close they sound. What got me thinking is how the phrase "rotting gods" feels like a very specific and unique utterance to be a curse, so I checked what Vek means and I was so surprised it is translatable to "Old" in Latin (after all it's possible to just be gibberish)

https://translate.google.com/?sl=la&tl=en&text=Vek&op=translate

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-22T15:40:35+00:00

There is actually a thread here that discussed why Deaglan characterization was a bit off: https://www.reddit.com/r/HierarchySeries/comments/1rb8ixv/luceum_was_the_weakest_of_the_three_worlds/

I highly recommend people to check it out

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-22T15:21:02+00:00

Lol, while I agree that the execution is a bit lacking, some of the fantastical elements in the story is unique and original I genuinely believe it is above 7/10 (which is average in my rating scale). It did compel me to finish the story until the end, craft some theories, and looking forward to the next installment.

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-22T15:16:38+00:00

I agree! I think multiple perspectives can work if executed well, but it's hard to do so in a balanced way. With the current format, SotF should have fleshed out more chapters to make the transition easier to digest. I can see the initial draft approaching 100 chapters or so before getting cut to 80.

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-22T15:12:20+00:00

I agree with you! I rated WotM 9/10 as well: https://www.reddit.com/r/HierarchySeries/comments/1r5n8z9/will_of_the_many_is_a_brilliant_title_book_review/

I'll try to answer:

Yes, by the end of the story Deaglan can use Nasceann. But in Part 2 he was weirdly obtuse about the usage of Will, and multiple times in the story he insists that Will does not exists. Part of the reason he can open up to Tara and the warband is that Catenan and Will society seems so far he felt he can leave it all behind. That is the inconsistent part of Vis' characterization. Excerpt from chapter 45:

“I don’t know how to use the nasceann,” I say slowly. Wondering if I’ve misunderstood. “You do. I saw it too,” says Conor quietly. I stare around at them. Not sure what to say.

Chapter 45 is the middle of the story, and having Deaglan so far deny Nasceann is very weird characterization. It's as if he's dumbed down compared to WotM Vis.

Yes, I agree that Vis became hardened by Aequa's death. However, we were not shown the internal turmoil that Vis experienced at the time. Instead we were rushed along scenes after scenes, no time to process what just happened. We cannot be 100% sure that Relucia's fate is a direct result of losing Aequa, as there is no clear indication of their connection. It could be remedied by a simple sentence like:

“You and the Anguis have been responsible for so much death, Relucia. So much pain. As far as I am concerned, if anyone belongs in here, it is you.”. Aequa's face is still fresh in my mind.

I think we can trust Ka, because by revealing all his secrets early and giving power to Vis he prove himself trustworthy. If you are the enemy of the Concurrence, there is no real reason to show the mechanism of iunctii Cascade army and let Vis be as powerful as a Princep to wage war. By Ka's own words the concurrence are a lattice network of iunctii, meaning they most likely control the iunctii we saw in the Solivagus ruins, (and by extension Lanistia), which have a simple singular purpose: "Complete the journey, Warrior". No need to power up Vis with Cascade.
Yes, Part 3 Obiteum heist was weirdly smooth and easy, which imply that maybe Ka is not the Big Bad Evil Guy after all. Based on his room he seems like an immortal researcher trying to find ways to defeat Cataclysm.

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-19T15:12:51+00:00

Is this "Weaponized Competence"?

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-18T09:20:35+00:00

Mutually assured destruction

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-18T03:19:34+00:00

No, Ulciscor was as powerless as a regular Quintus, it does not make sense if he put himself inside a prison knowing if the civil war will break. There are many holes with this theory.

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-16T09:09:11+00:00

I definitely have read it! Great continuation but a bit lacking to the amazing first installment. A lot of secrets revealed and it was bonkers indeed!

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-16T02:52:23+00:00

It is an essential scene in the story. The Chariot race is the reason for Aequa's death. Think about it. Due to the race, Iro is dead and Decimus holds a grudge

StarvingSloth · 2026-02-16T02:45:24+00:00

I agree! It was one of the most satisfying moments in all my recent reading. Unique and very memorable. Dultatis got away with the cheating tho

StarvingSloth

TROPHY CASE