James Islington

Prior to becoming a writer, Islington ran a tech startup.^[1] Though he always liked the idea of becoming an author, he only began writing seriously at the age of 30.^[2] Islington originally self-published The Shadow of What Was Lost in 2014. He signed a deal with Orbit Books less than a year later. He has published two sequel novels, entitled An Echo of Things to Come (2017) and The Light of All That Falls (2019).^[3] Islington stated that writing the second novel was much more stressful than writing his debut novel, in part because of the increased pressure that comes from being signed by a major publishing company.^[4]

The first book in the series - The Shadow of What Was Lost - generally received positive reviews. Critics praised the novel's complex magic, political intrigue and varied cast of characters. Some critics, however, argued the premise was somewhat unoriginal.^[5][6][7][8]

The Will of the Many is the first book in the Hierarchy book series. It is an epic fantasy novel and was published by Saga Press in 2023. The audiobook edition of the second book, The Strength of the Few, narrated by Euan Morton, reached #1 on Audible's bestseller lists in three categories on its release day, November 11, 2025: Historical Fantasy, Action & Adventure Fantasy, and Epic Fantasy. ^{[9] [10] [11]} That same month, Sony Pictures purchased the rights to adapt the series to film.^[12]

Islington was born and raised in Victoria, Australia. He and his wife live on the Mornington Peninsula. They have two children.^[13]