There Will be Thousands

by Alexander Rob

It's easy to sell slaves when you forget they're people. What happens when you're the one being sold?

Sitter has been a bandit for over a decade. He's killed, he's robbed, and he's burned homesteads to the ground with their families inside. For him, it's simply a lifestyle he's lived since he was a young man. The world will always have bandits and he may as well play the part. When his entire troupe is killed, however, and he's sold into slavery himself, he finds the people he must work alongside are the same ones he once sold for coin.

It would be easy to let them kill him and they rightfully deserve to do so. Yet Sitter has a secret, one that necessitates his survival. As he struggles to survive and hold to his purpose among those he once held so much apathy for, he finds there may be the faintest hope for redemption. But does someone like him even deserve it?

240 pages, Hardcover

Published July 19, 2025

Reviews

[James Harwood-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are vile men in this world. Those who value profit over humanity. Destroying thousands of lives.
In these mountains a beast of death will change all.

Grim, disturbing & thought provoking. This is some dark material. A gut wrenching tale of redemption with unexpected twists.

The way this book starts out is absolutely brutal. Following the worst of men as they murder and enslave. I was bracing myself for so much horribleness.

It really takes a 180 though as the script is flipped and the slaver becomes the captive.

I was pretty enthralled with this and finished it two days. There is some great magic, terrifying creatures (and men), mysterious pasts and some real heart within.

It’s not so much about forgiveness but it’s message of change. The impact it has whenever that takes place. I personally loved the writing and how it affected my thoughts as a reader.

There will be thousands.

It’s a pretty great message and one of hope. What started out as something so black felt quite inspiring at its end.

Much thanks to the author for providing this review copy.

[Nick Child · Rating 5 out of 5]

In recent years there has been a glut of movies where the villain takes centre stage and the tale is retold from their perspective. I’m thinking of Cruella, Maleficent, and Wicked. What these all had in common, though, was that they made you like the antagonist. They made you feel sorry for them and relate to the choices they made that shaped the hero’s journey in the original version. Several books have done the same — Circe by Madeline Miller or Heartless by Marissa Meyer, for example. Instead of presenting the antagonist as flatly evil, these stories dive into their psychology, background, or social circumstances, making them sympathetic or at least understandable.
So, when I picked up There Will Be Thousands by Alexander Rob and read the blurb, I expected a tale in a similar vein. Sitter was a bandit and a slaver, and the choices he made were cruel and callous. When he himself is captured and enslaved, he is forced to face the reality of what his victims endured. It sounded as though the novel would be a dark twist on the same formula — a story designed to make me pity someone I would otherwise despise.
I started the book hesitantly. Firstly, I’ve never been much of a fan of first-person narratives, and secondly, I assumed I was about to be manipulated into excusing the inexcusable. What I found instead was a thoroughly engaging and unexpectedly gripping read. From the opening, you are thrown into the action as Sitter murders the men of a family and enslaves the women. It’s shocking and brutal, yet it pulls you in. Here is a character you detest — his actions are repulsive — yet there is a subtle hint that not all is as it seems.
As the book progresses, Alexander Rob masterfully reveals fragments of Sitter’s story. What are his motivations? Where did he come from? Where is his path leading? Every decision Sitter makes forces you to recoil at the harshness, yet through his eyes you begin to understand the logic behind them. Unlike the stories I mentioned earlier, There Will Be Thousands does not sugar-coat its protagonist’s crimes. The book never asks you to forgive Sitter — and it is only at the very end that you finally understand what drove him into a life of murder and enslavement. The effect is far more unsettling than the glossy “villain origin” tales we’ve become used to, because the moral greyness is never softened for comfort.
The reading experience is immersive and surprisingly addictive. The pacing is tight — every chapter seems to end with a revelation or decision that makes you want to continue — and the grim atmosphere lingers even when you put the book down. Rob’s prose is clean, vivid, and never overwrought; he gives you enough detail to paint the picture without drowning the reader in description. In There Will Be Thousands, Alexander Rob has crafted a dark, powerful, and original story. His prose is fluid and immersive, the world he builds vast yet tantalisingly glimpsed in fragments, leaving the reader eager for more. This is no children’s tale — it is grim, unflinching, and utterly compelling. Rob Alexander is a writer to watch; if his future work is as bold and uncompromising as this, readers are in for a treat.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was exceedingly challenging to decide on a rating. I liked it well enough but it felt almost incomplete. I would rate it 3.5 stars.

First off, this is an imperfect story about an imperfect character. Sitter is someone whose actions are vile and their reasoning unhinged. Going into the story knowing that you aren’t supposed to endorse the MC’s behavior will get you far into the book. It is overall, a quick and easy story to read.

There were several typos throughout the books, but the story itself is still easily comprehensible. The magic that is demonstrated throughout the pages while lacked depth had a lot of creativity. It isn’t often that I can say this, but I wish the book was longer. There was so much lore that never got discussed and the magic system was barely delved into.

The part that made me really debate 3 stars versus 4 stars is the fact that since the lore and magic wasn’t fleshed out, often times Sitter would conveniently be like “oh yeah, I can do this with my magic”.

However, one of my favorite things about the book is the design. I am a sucker for a matte hardcover and it is so rare to find one where the image is printed on the hardcover itself and not the a dust cover. It looks great on my shelves.

[Lucas Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. Interesting characters and world. I feel it could have been quite a bit longer to flesh out some of the plot details and world to make for an even better book. All in all a good, interesting read.

[Evan Gould · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7 out of 5 Stars

[John Durrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply troubling, yet tragically beautiful. Pay close attention as you read, because not everything is as it seems. Best book I've read all year, by a mile.

[Tyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great coverage of a sensitive topic. Excellent prose. Good world building. Recommend.

[Albert Franklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, I really fell deeper and deeper as the story went on. I truly enjoyed how the story all pulled together and large ideas behind the story.

[Shakib · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than two typos or formatting issues in a book, and I start losing patience. Not because I’m pedantic, but because it pulls me out of the story. It breaks the rhythm, especially when the writing is otherwise good. And in the case of There Will Be Thousands by Alexander Rob, the writing is very good.

When the author told me it was about a slaver who himself becomes a slave, I was intrigued. The bold title and evocative cover hinted at a dark, weighty tale. I’ll admit—I was a little nervous. Grimdark isn’t usually my genre. But I was also honored. A real-life author had asked me, an ordinary reader, to review their book.

As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about.

Yes, the story is dark. Sitter’s journey and the choices he makes are raw and haunting, on par with characters from the world of Joe Abercrombie. But the writing is smooth, witty, and quietly powerful. It reminded me of Robin Hobb—especially the Farseer Trilogy—but without the unrelenting misery.

Alexander Rob, you’ve written a gem. A focused, immersive tale that hints at a larger world without ever losing its own shape. The mystery unfolds beautifully, with revelations timed just right. The characters breathe on the page, needing no elaborate backstories to feel real. I loved being thrown straight into the heart of the narrative.

Is this a perfect book? No. I don’t believe perfect books exist. But was it perfect for me? Without a doubt.

If you’re in the mood for a story about flawed people making hard choices, living through the consequences, and growing in ways that feel earned—this book is for you. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

A full, resounding 5 stars.

And Alexander Rob—put your name proudly on the cover. You’ve created something special.