The Will to Battle
The Will to Battle is the third novel in a science fiction quartet called "Terra Ignota," written by the American author Ada Palmer. It was published on December 19, 2017. It was a finalist for the 2018 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. It is preceded by "Too Like the Lightning" (2016) and "Seven Surrenders" (2017). It is followed by "Perhaps the Stars" (2021). Set in the year 2454, the Earth of the "Terra Ignota" quartet has seen several centuries of near-total peace and prosperity, but is preparing to go to war. "The Will  to Battle" presents itself as a chronicle of those global escalations and preparations. It is narrated by self-confessed unreliable narrator Mycroft Canner, a brilliant, infamous, and paroled criminal who often serves the world's most powerful leaders. After the events of "Seven Surrenders", the world is experiencing escalating tensions, threatening to burst into war at any provocation. Sides are formed: Sniper's Hiveguard and J.E.D.D. Mason's Remakers. All sides agree to a truce until the Olympic Games in August, in order to prepare and reduce the lethality of the war. The novel ends with a ceremony, an attack , and the world newly at war. Setting. Advanced technology has led to the advent of a near-utopian golden age. However, the tensions among political groups, such as over distribution of land, population, and income, has escalated into preparations for a global war. Though there were initially seven Hives, they have each shifted into new governance systems or collapsed. "The Will to Battle" takes place over a much longer timespan than the previous two books combined. The events occur between April 8 and September 6, 2454, and were written between July 6 and September 14, 2454. Gendered language. By default , almost all characters use gender-neutral language, with "they/them" the predominant pronoun used. Mycroft, the primary narrator, finds his world's obsession with gender-neutrality oppressive, so often uses gendered pronouns to refer to other characters, assigning genders based on the characters' personalities and roles, as they relate to traditional Western gender roles. For instance, Chagatai is referred to using "she/her" pronouns because of their fierce, lioness-like strength when protecting their nephew from attack. The author has explained that Mycroft frequently "misuses" gendered pronouns, just as people in real life often make mistakes when using gender-neutral  pronouns. Also, in its chapter at the start of "Seven Surrenders", Sniper advises the reader to not "trust the gendered pronouns Mycroft gives people, they all come from Madame". Mycroft sometimes varies the gendered pronouns he gives characters. For instance, Carlyle is mostly referred to using she/her pronouns starting with "Seven Surrenders", whereas in the first book Carlyle is referred to with he/him pronouns. Style. The "history" of the first two books were written for contemporaneous public release; this volume has been written for posterity. Thus it is ostensibly less closely edited by the Ninth Anonymous (9A). This  is marked by several stylistic changes, including the presentation of more conversations as simple dialogues, as if in a script. The Ninth Anonymous, Mycroft's apprentice, narrates the final chapter. The novels make frequent direct addresses to a "reader", inspired by eighteenth-century literature. However, the reader is not the actual reader of the book, but an imagined in-universe reader whom Mycroft supposes is either his contemporary or someone in his future. Mycroft's sanity is waning and throughout the text he has numerous dialogues with deceased friends, such as several of the Mardi bash', Thomas Hobbes, the reader , and sometimes conversations among these. Plot. April. Ten days after the events of "Seven Surrenders", newly elected Humanist President Vivien Ancelet visits Ockham, now Prospero, Saneer in prison. They discuss the legal details of O.S. and plan for Prospero to plea "terra ignota": uncertainty over whether or not the O.S. assassinations were a crime. Achilles, transformed from the toy known as the Major into a human by Bridger's suicide, helps world leaders prepare for war, stockpiling food and increasing medical facilities so that the upcoming war is as humane as it can be. Mycroft and Saladin even recruit black  market traders to keep supplies flowing to civilians if mainstream channels fail. At a second emergency session of the Universal Free Alliance Senate, urgent matters are chaotically negotiated: Achilles, watching with Mycroft and the Servicers, notes that the bull's eye symbol marks the moment when sides in the conflict take clear shape. Over a hundred thousand Servicers choose to swear loyalty to Achilles and begin military training as Myrmidons. The next day, Julia Doria-Pamphili and J.E.D.D. Mason go to the Sensayers' Conclave. A sensayer attempts to kill J.E.D.D. Mason but is prevented by Utopians wearing Apollo's Delian  sun symbol, signaling their readiness for conflict. Dominic and Madame kidnap Mycroft to lure Sniper. An unknown assailant attempts to kill Mycroft. Sniper and Tully rescue him. The war almost breaks out when all Humanists are indicted on O.S.-related charges. J.E.D.D. Mason and Sniper negotiate to cool things down and give both sides more time to prepare and reduce the danger of the war to come. Cornel MASON and King Isabel of Spain come to conflict over J.E.D.D. Mason's possible succession to Europe's monarchy. The Cousins and Greenpeace faction of the Mitsubishi form an alliance to lessen war 's impact. Dominic and Cornel MASON negotiate to end the Mitsubishi strike, kill the set-set ban, and pass the Blacklaw motion to declare Sniper an enemy of the Alliance (though this immediately gets held up in court). May. J.E.D.D Mason is invited to Hobbestown to discuss whether he can still serve as a Hiveless Tribune. While there, news breaks that someone has broken into the Masonic "Sanctum Sanctorum". The thieves broadcast that J.E.D.D. Mason is the heir to the Empire and also steal the top-secret Masonic Oath of Office. Cornel MASON threatens to go to war right then , but is talked into waiting. J.E.D.D. Mason, Spain, Madame, Mycroft, Felix, Dominic, Carlyle (now a despairing Dominican Blacklaw), and Achilles go to the Vatican Reservation to get permission for Madame to marry the King and to discern J.E.D.D.'s next action. J.E.D.D. Mason goes back to the Rostra in Romanova and declares that as his enemies predicted, he intends to takeover and re-make global system to build a version that does not need the O.S. assassinations to maintain peace. However, he proposes that all sides wait until the end of the forthcoming Olympic Games, as was the tradition in  Ancient Greece. A statement attributed to Sniper agrees. J.E.D.D. Mason, Mycroft, and Achilles meet Aesop and Papa during a visit to Antarctica's capital Esperanza City. Throughout the visit, Mycroft receives calls from leaders both alive and dead. The group meets with Lesley, disguised and ghostwriting as Sniper because it has been missing since the it and Tully rescued Mycroft. Lesley gets J.E.D.D. Mason to agree to search for and free Sniper, because if it does not compete in the Olympics it would break the truce. Back at Madame's nunnery in Burgos, J.E.D.D. Mason demands the Cousins' unconditional surrender , refuses Dominic's on behalf of the Mitsubishi, and makes a temporary alliance with Cornel MASON. Achilles makes a permanent alliance with MASON. The Cousins, Europeans, Mitsubishi, and Humanists submit their proposals for government reform (or lack thereof) to the Alliance Senate. June. Throughout April, May, and June Martin Guildbreaker endeavors to deduce and trap Mycroft's second attacker, whom he believes may also be Sniper's kidnapper. Mycroft and Achilles separately visit Thisbe in prison. Ockham Prospero Saneer's "terra ignota" trial begins. Judges recommend that no charges should be brought against Prospero or Humanist Hive leader(s), homicide charges  should be brought against Mitsubishi and European Hive leaders, and the Alliance Senate should figure out the limits of lethal force one Hive can use against another. Though Prospero goes free, Papa immediately arrests him for concealing and aiding the murders Thisbe committed against her lovers. August and September. The Hive and Hiveless leaders, sans Madame, are called to Romanova by the Utopians. Faust mentions that Cornel and Achilles are having an affair. The Utopians, represented by Huxley Mojave, announce that in order to prevent the destruction of the planet, they have destroyed all facilities capable of creating Harbingers, weapons  capable of great destruction, including viral laboratories and nuclear facilities. They have also kidnapped all people with the knowledge of how to create them, except Cato Weeksbooth. As this affects all other Hives, they offer reparations in the form of assets and intellectual property. Furthermore, they give the Hives the means to spy on each other to ensure that no further Harbingers are created. They know this will turn the Hives against them, but judge the risk worth saving all life on Earth. All begin racing to capture Cato at Klamath Marsh Secure Hospital. Martin tries to set another trap  with Mycroft as bait, but is double-crossed. The assailant is revealed to be a surviving Merion Kraye/Casimir Perry, assisted by Croucher. Sniper is returned days before the Olympics. It seems traumatized but does not reveal where it had been for four months. During the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, J.E.D.D. Mason completely lowers his defenses but Sniper declines to attack him. A war ceremony is held at the Temple of Janus in Romanova. Immediately, the Utopian undersea city Atlantis is destroyed and thousands killed. During the rescue efforts, Mycroft's tracker indicates his death (though a note in the text  reveals otherwise), necessitating the Ninth Anonymous' narration of the final chapter. The novel ends with the world officially at war. Characters. "These are charactes who figure significantly in this novel. For a full list of the entire quartet's characters, see the main article for Terra Ignota." "The ◎ symbol is used to denote Hiveguard. The Ⓥ symbol is used to denote Remakers." Hiveless. People who, either by choice or by youth, are not part of any Hive. Humanist Hive. The Saneer-Weeksbooth bash'house (family). A Humanist bash' which invented the global flying car system and has run it for  almost 400 years. Their home and headquarters is in the "Spectacle City" of Cielo de Pájaros, Chile. The current members' parents and predecessors all recently died in a white-water rafting accident. Reception. Publishers Weekly praised the novel's, "wry humor and the ingenious depth." Paul Di Filippo of Locus said readers will, "enjoy the mental and emotional workout." The Washington Book Review praised the book as "Innovative, mesmerizing and full of fun." Barnes & Noble wrote that it is, "transformative, challenging, and engaging." Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Still intriguing and worth pursuing, but the strain may be beginning to show." Liz  Bourke of Tor.com suggested the book is more a philosophical/political exploration couched in novelization, writing, "Ambitious, certainly. Interesting? Yes. Successful? Not, at least, as a novel."