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Foundryside
by Robert Jackson Bennett
Bennett introduces us to the city of Tevanne with its four ruling merchant families and the more poverty stricken outsiders residing in the slums of The Commons.
Tevanne, which reminds me strongly of Venice or Florence in the early industrial period (less about art and more about industrialization and its toxic byproducts in the race for innovative weapons and gadgets) runs on magic through the use of scriving, an art involving coding to program not just gadgets but stone, wood, doors, locks, etc to work in specific ways. Thus there is a fascinating mix of industrial grime and anthropomorphics, as everything has at least some sense of self.
The most gifted scriveners endow wealth and power to their particular merchant house, with some dreaming of the ability to scriven like the legendary and mythical hierophants of the past, reputed to be nothing less than divine.
It is a world in which there is little in the way of law enforcement despite the best efforts of Captain Gregor Dandolo, a soldier and war hero, who is determined to impose a rule of law.
And his current target is Sancia Grado, a girl thief who has a whole lot of secrets . . . and the most powerful scrivened . . . thing . . . of all.
Jackson keeps the action brisk and the images vivid as he develops these two characters before slowly widening the cast to include Orso, the irreverent and insouciant inventer, Berenice, a talented scrivener, and a host of others, many of whom are outright villains, and others, you’re not sure.
Betrayal is in the wind as power shifts about, building to a gripping climax. It’s a terrific kickoff to what is sure to be another great series.
In full disclosure, I did fine the second half less polished than the first, but that might just be the ARC, and it’s all smooth for the final book.
In any case, a terrific story, a terrific world, fascinating characters, leaving me eager for more.
ARC provided by publisher.
Tevanne, which reminds me strongly of Venice or Florence in the early industrial period (less about art and more about industrialization and its toxic byproducts in the race for innovative weapons and gadgets) runs on magic through the use of scriving, an art involving coding to program not just gadgets but stone, wood, doors, locks, etc to work in specific ways. Thus there is a fascinating mix of industrial grime and anthropomorphics, as everything has at least some sense of self.
The most gifted scriveners endow wealth and power to their particular merchant house, with some dreaming of the ability to scriven like the legendary and mythical hierophants of the past, reputed to be nothing less than divine.
It is a world in which there is little in the way of law enforcement despite the best efforts of Captain Gregor Dandolo, a soldier and war hero, who is determined to impose a rule of law.
And his current target is Sancia Grado, a girl thief who has a whole lot of secrets . . . and the most powerful scrivened . . . thing . . . of all.
Jackson keeps the action brisk and the images vivid as he develops these two characters before slowly widening the cast to include Orso, the irreverent and insouciant inventer, Berenice, a talented scrivener, and a host of others, many of whom are outright villains, and others, you’re not sure.
Betrayal is in the wind as power shifts about, building to a gripping climax. It’s a terrific kickoff to what is sure to be another great series.
In full disclosure, I did fine the second half less polished than the first
Spoiler
there were pages on which we had characters “talking softly” or “talking quietly” almost as often as Jim Butcher’s characters. OTOH considering Butcher’s phenomenal success, maybe that’s a feature, not a bug?In any case, a terrific story, a terrific world, fascinating characters, leaving me eager for more.
ARC provided by publisher.