A review by chantaal
Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett

5.0

I don't think I've ever read a trilogy ending book as audacious and massive in scope as this compared to where the first book started. And yet, it never felt like things were too out of left field. Every interesting world building route that Bennett took in the time jump here made sense, and it led to some wildly imaginative and exhilarating set pieces.

I read City of Stairs many years ago, and thought Bennett had an incredibly imaginative mind. The Founders Trilogy only increased my impression of him as a world builder and overall author. The world within these pages is just so impressive, blending fantasy and magic in a way that their growth together starts to morph into a steampunk fever dream of wild shit. Just great. 

While I think overall Bennett's character work was the weak point of the trilogy (the time jump did the character work a disservice here, a bit), I still felt enough and knew enough about the few main characters that my heartstrings were well and truly tugged as this series came to a close. 

If you're looking for some new and imaginative in the fantasy space, absolutely give this trilogy a try.