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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A unique world with inventive magic and led by compelling characters, FOUNDRYSIDE is a great story about a thief who steals the wrong item and must fight to uncover its secrets before they get her killed.
Sancia is the perfect sort of hero for this kind of plot. She is tough, resourceful, witty, and has a complex backstory that adds to the plot and other characters. She is joined by other characters, such as the haunted but well-meaning Gregor to unravel the mystery of her surprisingly chatty artifact.
Not only are the characters layered, but the plot also has a good deal of depth. What seems like a simple mistake at first steadily grows to an incredibly dangerous situation. It never feels forced and is filled with both danger and twists. I really enjoyed seeing where the story ended up going and how the characters were forced to think outside the box.
The pacing and prose are solid, allowing for readers to be immersed in the world. And the world is quite deep, allowing for detailed immersion.
I had a great time reading this series and think it will appeal to fantasy readers looking for a bit of steampunk, and anyone who enjoys construction or science. A smart book that is not to be missed!
Sancia is the perfect sort of hero for this kind of plot. She is tough, resourceful, witty, and has a complex backstory that adds to the plot and other characters. She is joined by other characters, such as the haunted but well-meaning Gregor to unravel the mystery of her surprisingly chatty artifact.
Not only are the characters layered, but the plot also has a good deal of depth. What seems like a simple mistake at first steadily grows to an incredibly dangerous situation. It never feels forced and is filled with both danger and twists. I really enjoyed seeing where the story ended up going and how the characters were forced to think outside the box.
The pacing and prose are solid, allowing for readers to be immersed in the world. And the world is quite deep, allowing for detailed immersion.
I had a great time reading this series and think it will appeal to fantasy readers looking for a bit of steampunk, and anyone who enjoys construction or science. A smart book that is not to be missed!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was mid...
I like Clef and Sancia. All the characters were decently interesting, and the plot was cool at times. However, this was just too long and exhausting to read. Still quite good though, just long.
I like Clef and Sancia. All the characters were decently interesting, and the plot was cool at times. However, this was just too long and exhausting to read. Still quite good though, just long.
Taking a break from it. Will return to it.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was really pleasantly surprised by this book! Not because I expected otherwise, but because I chose the book from the library shelf at random when I was trying to get a stack of books to occupy me for a while. I liked the title and the inner flap seemed like something I'd like so I picked it out without thinking much of it or doing any research into other reviews on the book.
What I found was a book and characters and a plot I thoroughly enjoyed!
"Foundryside" is about Sancia, a thief who works out of the city of Trevanne. This city has four distinct campos/companies inside who only protect and rule over their own territories, leaving the rest of the city lawless and without much in the way of progress. The campos are mostly responsible for the magic technology of the world, scrivings. Scrivings are basically runes etched onto objects that persuade them reality is different from what it actually is. For example, floating lanterns might believe they are attached to a balloon when actually they're not.
The characters all have distinct personalities and motivations, and more than that there's a surprising amount of representation. Most of the characters are POC, and the main character is a woman who is interested in women (or one woman in particular). I actually was surprised when this occurred because I'm so used to the formula of "the first person of the opposite sex you meet is the love interest" and I'm used to having to seek out LGBT+ fiction specifically when I want it. Coming across it naturally is still new and exciting.
The plot was tightly written and has a good cliff hanger ending while still wrapping up the events of the first book satisfactorily. I'm very much looking forward to book two!
What I found was a book and characters and a plot I thoroughly enjoyed!
"Foundryside" is about Sancia, a thief who works out of the city of Trevanne. This city has four distinct campos/companies inside who only protect and rule over their own territories, leaving the rest of the city lawless and without much in the way of progress. The campos are mostly responsible for the magic technology of the world, scrivings. Scrivings are basically runes etched onto objects that persuade them reality is different from what it actually is. For example, floating lanterns might believe they are attached to a balloon when actually they're not.
The characters all have distinct personalities and motivations, and more than that there's a surprising amount of representation. Most of the characters are POC, and the main character is a woman who is interested in women (or one woman in particular). I actually was surprised when this occurred because I'm so used to the formula of "the first person of the opposite sex you meet is the love interest" and I'm used to having to seek out LGBT+ fiction specifically when I want it. Coming across it naturally is still new and exciting.
The plot was tightly written and has a good cliff hanger ending while still wrapping up the events of the first book satisfactorily. I'm very much looking forward to book two!
This, my friends, is the very definition of “smart fantasy”. Fans of Robert Jackson Bennett’s previous works will be pleased. I won’t try to rehash a plot summary because I really wouldn’t know where to begin. I can say that if you are looking for traditional fantasy with wizards, elves, etc. you will need to look elsewhere.
Bennett has developed an innovative magic system along with some exquisite world building. The city of Tevanne has hints of a great past of imperial dynasties ruling the land and now profits through the sale of magic. Merchant houses compete against each other and is the primary source of political intrigue in the novel. The magic system is truly unique. Through a process called ‘scriving’ various products, machinery, and devices are imbued with special magical scripts which tell objects how to defy reality. Imagine an elevator in a mine shaft which is scrived to ignore gravity and naturally “fall up”. Part of the fun in reading Foundryside, is discovering how these rules work. While the merchant houses grow wealthy due to selling and controlling scrived products, there is an active underworld which operates by manufacturing knock-offs of their own. All of this creates an impressive world for the characters to play in.
I opened this review by saying this was a “smart fantasy”. By that, I mean that it is very complex, both in terms of the environment as well as the characters and the plot. The reader needs to be fully engaged with their brain turned on. Bennett is not content to let the magic system simply be what it is and just ignore how it works. Many large portions of the narrative are devoted to delving into its nuances. A healthy dose of science is injected into the magic and the characters’ understanding of it drives the plot. For me, it was a bit too much. Almost as if the author was more excited about his magic system than the characters. I can’t say that I fully understand all of it after one reading but then again, that’s part of the overall effect.
Although this novel is the first of a trilogy, this volume can stand alone (if one doesn’t read the last two pages which opens up a whole other can of worms). If you enjoy strong fantasy in an industrial/merchant setting, then I recommend you give this a try.
Bennett has developed an innovative magic system along with some exquisite world building. The city of Tevanne has hints of a great past of imperial dynasties ruling the land and now profits through the sale of magic. Merchant houses compete against each other and is the primary source of political intrigue in the novel. The magic system is truly unique. Through a process called ‘scriving’ various products, machinery, and devices are imbued with special magical scripts which tell objects how to defy reality. Imagine an elevator in a mine shaft which is scrived to ignore gravity and naturally “fall up”. Part of the fun in reading Foundryside, is discovering how these rules work. While the merchant houses grow wealthy due to selling and controlling scrived products, there is an active underworld which operates by manufacturing knock-offs of their own. All of this creates an impressive world for the characters to play in.
I opened this review by saying this was a “smart fantasy”. By that, I mean that it is very complex, both in terms of the environment as well as the characters and the plot. The reader needs to be fully engaged with their brain turned on. Bennett is not content to let the magic system simply be what it is and just ignore how it works. Many large portions of the narrative are devoted to delving into its nuances. A healthy dose of science is injected into the magic and the characters’ understanding of it drives the plot. For me, it was a bit too much. Almost as if the author was more excited about his magic system than the characters. I can’t say that I fully understand all of it after one reading but then again, that’s part of the overall effect.
Although this novel is the first of a trilogy, this volume can stand alone (if one doesn’t read the last two pages which opens up a whole other can of worms). If you enjoy strong fantasy in an industrial/merchant setting, then I recommend you give this a try.
Ah, I loved this book! I absolutely scrumming loved it! There's this little place in my heart that begs for gritty Fantasy. The kinds of stories that feature more than their fair share of backstabbing, and unbelievable twists. The kinds of stories where characters that I already love come to be characters that I can't dream of living without by the end of the book. That, my friends, was Foundryside. I'm smitten, and I don't care who knows it.
This story is heavily character focused, and I think it just works. Sancia Grado, our main character, is so much more than that just an epic thief. Bennett slowly, gently, draws the reader into Sancia's past, her present, and then leaves this beautiful opening for what will happen to her in the future. I was so attached to this proud woman after the first few chapters, that I actually legitimately cried when her backstory was revealed. Her character is an opportunity to showcase the damage that being someone's property does to a person, and Bennett weaves that whole story arc masterfully through the story. Sancia is definitely someone that you'll care about.
Further kudos go to the author for walking that really thin line between epic world building and forward plot movement. I never felt like I wasn't fully settled in Tevanne, but I also never felt like the book dragged to allow me to feel that way. I basically learned my surroundings by following along with Sancia, and seeing through her eyes. The dark alleys, the ramshackle homes, all stood in stark contrast to the shining campos. Bennett manages to say so much about equality, and the concept of self worth, without every actually saying anything at all. I can't even explain it to you, only promise you that it's a beautiful thing.
So, if it wasn't glaringly obvious, I have fallen in love with this series. I don't know what I expected from this book, to be honest with you. All I know is that it blew everything I have been feeling about cookie cutter Fantasy books completely out of the picture. This is good fiction. I absolutely cannot wait for more.
This story is heavily character focused, and I think it just works. Sancia Grado, our main character, is so much more than that just an epic thief. Bennett slowly, gently, draws the reader into Sancia's past, her present, and then leaves this beautiful opening for what will happen to her in the future. I was so attached to this proud woman after the first few chapters, that I actually legitimately cried when her backstory was revealed. Her character is an opportunity to showcase the damage that being someone's property does to a person, and Bennett weaves that whole story arc masterfully through the story. Sancia is definitely someone that you'll care about.
Further kudos go to the author for walking that really thin line between epic world building and forward plot movement. I never felt like I wasn't fully settled in Tevanne, but I also never felt like the book dragged to allow me to feel that way. I basically learned my surroundings by following along with Sancia, and seeing through her eyes. The dark alleys, the ramshackle homes, all stood in stark contrast to the shining campos. Bennett manages to say so much about equality, and the concept of self worth, without every actually saying anything at all. I can't even explain it to you, only promise you that it's a beautiful thing.
So, if it wasn't glaringly obvious, I have fallen in love with this series. I don't know what I expected from this book, to be honest with you. All I know is that it blew everything I have been feeling about cookie cutter Fantasy books completely out of the picture. This is good fiction. I absolutely cannot wait for more.