This was a great read from start to finish--immediately captivating. I loved the world-building which was unique and sprinkled throughout the book versus giving me an info dump. This magic system was insanely cool and the fact that RJB added science made it that much cooler. The characters were extremely likable and I feel a found family coming on as we progress through the trilogy. Overall the start of Foundryside was fast-paced, immersive, and just plain fun. Heists, magic, talking objects, what's not to love?

What an amazing story! I was a little intimidated, but all my friends raved about this book. I must admit they were right. I loved the characters in here - so well-written. The plot moves right along. If you haven't tried it yet, pick it up soon. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

When THE Brando Sando says it's good, it's damn good. Trust Brando Sando. And trust Robert Bennett! He's indeed a brilliant writer who knows what he's doing! Damn, this was so good!

Is a bad plan better than no plan?
To fight or not to fight? That is the question posed by the characters in this book. Sancia, a master thief who resides in the commons, specifically, Foundryside, is hired to steal a valuable box from the safe of one Berenice, fabricator of Orso, the Hypatus of Dandolo.

When Sancia manages to access the safe in the waterfront, things don't go as planned. The best laid plans often go awry and to call the master thief's plan "best", is an overstatement. Things obviously go wrong but Sancia does manage to get away from the waterfront. Eventually, she finds out that what she stole is a sentient sarcastic key called Clef who is unlike any other key in all of Tevanne.

This is also a unique world where things run on sigils, scrivings. Objects get marks written in a special language created by gods from a bygone era. Scriving is also a skill reserved for the wealthy and well-educated, and in most instances, men. When Sancia realises she's in over her head, she goes back to her boss, the man who gives her odd jobs and finds that he is missing. His employer had killed him and they were now after her. So too is the official, a Campo prince, in charge of security at the waterfront, Gregor. A man with binary visions of what is just and what is not. Eventually, he and Sancia become uneasy allies with a common goal. At its heart, to save all of Tevanne, but for Sancia, the needs are more immediate. She even gets into an argument with Gregor when bargaining for him to forget about her measly theft in the face of the bigger picture,
"So I help you get this... this justice of yours, and then you let me go?"

"In essence."

She shook her head. "Justice... God. Why are you doing all this? Why are you out here risking your life?"

"Is justice such an odd thing to desire?"

"Justice is a luxury."

"No," said Gregor. "It is not. It is a right. And it is a right that has long been denied."
See what Gregor hopes to accomplish when they uncover what the bigger thief of the key was up to, is lasting change. Sancia is against this plan because justice, according to Gregor's vision, only changes things for the middle class (our worldly equivalent) and not the poor and unseen in the commons. Eventually, Sancia comes around because the big bad they're going against wants to make themself a god, at the expense of multiple lives.

This book also covers themes of class exploitation, slavery, sexism and what they all wrought in the unilateral destruction of men. When the gods died out, it was because of a war. When Sancia and her friends set about to save the world of men, they start a chain of events that, while it saves the lives in Tevanne, could lead to another war. Clef does warn her about her choices, about how short-term plans can lead to long-term loss.

The characters and the plot were easily the best part of this book. They are fleshed out and given heart that gives the impression Bennett cares deeply about them. Its only weakness is how exposition is doled out. It's a delicate balance to manage exposition and action. And this book fails rather often and even self-awarely at times. One character would ask for an explanation and the other demands that there's no time and they should make haste and drop the tools of destruction. If the book is aware that it can drag, I wonder why it didn't decide to let all the preamble happen prior to the action. It's unfortunate really because otherwise, it would be a perfect book.

The world-building is one of the most unique I've ever come across and I'd even go as far as saying it's the best magical steampunk I've read. I can't wait to read more from Bennett.

It's my birthday today and it feels nice that I've just finished the first in a trilogy that's very promising.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book.

This was crazy. I don’t read many books like this but it was awesome. I couldn’t put it down and it really made you think. Definitely recommend this.

4.25/5 Stars

Foundryside is an incredibly interesting book. I found it a bit hard to get into at first, and I thought about putting the book down for now, but I’m beyond gland that I kept reading, because the second half absolutely sold me on this book.

The magic system is complex and yet incredibly logical in a way that reminds me of Brandon Sanderson’s writing (especially Mistborn) which I absolutely love, because it gives a fantastical world a sense of reality. The story itself took a while to really get going (yes, things are happening, even at the beginning of the book, but for me it took about half the book for me to get really hooked), but once things really start happening, I couldn’t put the book down. With some of the characters, I took some time warming up to them, but I love the bits of development we see them go through, even just in this first book, which makes me very excited for what is to come in the following installments of this series. Lastly, Sancia and Berenice are obviously my faves, I love them with all my heart and if anything bad happens to them I will cry (something bad will most definitely happen to them, cause this was only the first book in a trilogy… :) )

Mixing a wonderfully complex and intriguing magic system with a heist plot and a lovely cast of characters, Foundryside is a great start to this trilogy. I can’t wait to pick up the next book, because now that I got through all the character introductions and the explanations of the magic system that made the first half of this book a little tedious (for me), I have no doubt that the second book could easily be a five star read.

When I tried to find an elevator pitch for this book for a friend it eventually became: “Imagine a heist movie. But with magic. But actually not bad. No, seriously.”

It hits all the marks of the fantasy-heist-movie genre book. A ragtag bunch of characters, a plucky fierce protagonist with difficult past, frequent snarky banter just light enough to give chuckles in quite hairy situations. (And a plus for me — a hint of romance so light that thankfully it might as well not even be there). (And a minus, unfortunately — the frequent use of made-up swear words that are ridiculous in keeping supposedly salty language very PG-13; that’s just silly.)

Set in the fantasy vaguely late-medieval-ish to early Renaissance city-state run by four major merchant houses that built their fortune on “scriving” magic left over from an earlier godlike now-extinct race of Hierophants, the book introduces us to a plucky thief (because of course, it’s a heist book, so romanticized thievery is where the money is) Sancia, who has unexpected magical abilities of her own even before she comes across a magic sentient key that seems a lot like AI (but has a pretty tragic backstory) and gets herself tangled up in events much bigger than her initial desire to make some fast cash, aided by a virtuous ex-military policeman with tragic past and a couple of magical scientists. And although you can see plot twists coming from a mile away, it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment.

(See what I mean about it being a heist movie?)
————

“All things have a value. Sometimes the value is paid in coin. Other times, it is paid in time and sweat. And finally, sometimes it is paid in blood.
Humanity seems most eager to use this latter currency. And we never note how much of it we’re spending, unless it happens to be our own.”

This is a book with constant action, a few scenes with literal mist of blood splatter which somehow ends up funny, and constant supposed peril for the protagonists where you still not even for a moment can doubt that they will come out even of the most dangerous situations perfectly fine, mostly unharmed and full of snarky banter, and ready to jump full speed headfirst into the next fun deadly peril as though nothing had happened - a bit younger-seeming than I’d prefer. And you know what, it’s alright if you’re in the mood - and I was, after about 20% mark finally letting this story take me along on its ride despite the gripes.

But it also periodically stops to think - between blood splatters - about more serious things. About exploitation and control and treating people as things. And that grounds the snappy banter and makes this stand out a bit among similar heist books by serving as something of a serious counterweight.

“Every innovation—technological, sociological, or otherwise—begins as a crusade, organizes itself into a practical business, and then, over time, degrades into common exploitation. This is simply the life cycle of how human ingenuity manifests in the material world.
What goes forgotten, though, is that those who partake in this system undergo a similar transformation: people begin as comrades and fellow citizens, then become labor resources and assets, and then, as their utility shifts or degrades, transmute into liabilities, and thus must be appropriately managed.”

Could Bennett have gone deeper into the serious stuff? Absolutely, although this may come from the part of me that just finished yet another Ursula K. Le Guin reread. But that would be sacrificing the fun heist stuff for grim reflection, and I sense that his preferred balance here was towards the former.

I’m a bit torn on Bennett’s worldbuilding. I liked the magic system, but the society setup seemed odd and not quite logical — again, like something I’d expect from a heist movie. But my brain did kinda love the whole gravity rig scene — just define the damn mass and density already! — to let it go.

Overall, I was entertained enough to stay up till stupid o’clock to finish it (and not because it was due back to the library or anything), so that must count for something other than the resultant groggy headache. 3.5 stars, and I may check out more Bennett later. Maybe City of Stairs?

——————

Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so glad I got to finally read this series. I finally understand all the hype. I loved the fantastical element in this. I can’t wait to continue the series.

Good worldbuilding and interesting characters, This isn't my genre and I likely won't continue in the series but I'm sure this will have many enthusiastic readers.

Highly enjoyable book with great world building and strong characters. The story follows a young thief who we quickly find is meant for much more. The start of a promising series, will be keen to read the next instalments. 4 out of 5. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Foundryside features extraordinary world building and an awesome magic system that I found mesmerizing!

My ARC was approved very late, so there isn't much I can say about this that hasn't already been said.

The magic system here is something I very much enjoyed. It involves the scriving of objects to defy the laws of nature, such as space, gravity and time.

The world itself is dreary unless one happens to live in one of the campos, (family houses, somewhat like the Game of Thrones books.) If not part of a campo, then you're part of the area connecting the campos, the Commons. Life is difficult there, with very little food or safe places. This is the place from which Sancia emerges, master thief and all around smart cookie.

During Sancia's latest heist, she burns down the entire waterfront in error, and so begins this tale of magic and the epic battle between good and evil.

With lots of surprises all the way through, FOUNDRYSIDE kept me enthralled until the very last minute. At which time, I immediately downloaded book 2!

Highly recommended for fans of dark fantasy and magic!

*Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

This is an interesting book that is far far far too wordy. I found myself reading the center paragraph on each page and skipping ahead even from that when too many pages were about the same event or conversation. I don't think I lost any substantive info with those jump. Eventually I looked down and saw that I had gotten to only 22% and I quit.

Again, it's not that the story isn't interesting, it's that there is too much of it. If you need to read a long book for some reason, this one would do nicely.

foundryside has great world building and was a fun read. It has a strong heist component so if you liked that in Six of crows this book might be worth a try.

Do we as humans deserve dogs? They're the best so I would hope so. I too would go to the end of the world for my dog. This book was a sweet and sad story of the end of the world and going lengths to save your dog. I found parts to be so sweet and some so sad. I enjoyed this one as a good little palate cleanser.

4.5 stars

Foundryside was great!! I went through a wide range of emotions while reading this, from laughter to tearing up for my bbs. I’m glad to say that this lived up to the hype!

Starting off this review with: SANCIA MY GIRL 🥺 She went through SO MUCH and still came out the other side. Her “ability” led to some very interesting characterization for her, and Bennett really thought about how it would affect all facets of her life. And then seeing where she ended up at the end of the book was so rewarding. <spoiler>I LOVED seeing her push back against Estelle trying to make her an object by asserting her own worth after a lifetime of being objectified.</spoiler> (Also she kind of reminded me of one of my favorite characters of all time, Korra from LoK, so that’s a bonus too ❤︎) I also loved seeing Sancia’s interactions with Clef, which ended up being both hilarious and wholesome. I also liked her shy interactions with Berenice and look forward to seeing more. Orso and Gregor were less interesting to me (especially since Gregor started off as very “I’m a noble man following all the rules” kind of character that felt like a random insert at first), but they did grow on me near the end.

The magic system of scriving is really fascinating and it was cool to see the applications. It definitely has a lot of potential. I’m also fascinated by the history and lore of this world and look forward to learning more about the hierophants, especially after that ending!! <spoiler>No lie, I kinda love the concept of releasing/relying on some evil to destroy another evil. Really curious to see what Valeria and whoever that prophet Ofelia has are going to do. And those MOTHS, wtf.</spoiler>

I’ve seen some people say the plot is predictable, but personally I did NOT see where it was going at all lol. I do think whoever wrote the blurb did a great job as it only describes the first like 10% of the book. I really enjoyed the twists and turns this book took me on, as the heists built and built to more intense endeavors. I do think the focus on plot put the characterization in the backseat (especially for the side characters, as Sancia did get a good amount of focus), but I still enjoyed it as a mostly character-driven reader.

The main reason I can’t give this 5 stars is alllll the info-dumping. It was incessant! The narrative took so much time explaining every little detail of scriving and it was just so silly and unnecessary. It was especially annoying during a scene near the end when I understood what scriving was happening just through Sancia’s dialogue and interactions, but the text took three additional paragraphs to explicitly explain what I had surmised indirectly. There were also quite a few scenes where characters (both protagonists and antagonists) spoke in such unnatural ways that were obvious attempts at exposition. I’m hoping that this will be better in the next book in the series now that we’ve gotten the basic world building down in this first book.

Like I said, that quibble was fairly minor and did not greatly reduce my enjoyment, though I am hoping I won’t have the same complaint about the next book. I am really looking forward to continuing in this series!!

5 stars

This book has been hands down one of my best ever reads.

I honestly don’t even know how to explain how phenomenal this book was. The world building, the concept of scriving, the characters and the storyline were all just so perfectly unique and executed, there is nothing I can fault this book on.

From a heist, to life-threatening circumstances to yet another heist but way more intense, I couldn’t get enough. And dynamic between the characters was something I could only dream of creating.

The concept of scriving really got me hooked in this book. It is such a unique, yet incredibly scientific but also slightly magical concept that absolutely blows my mind every time the scrivings were being described.

I honestly cannot flaw this book and will forever recommend it to anyone who wants the perfect fantasy read.

This was a re-read as I suddenly realised that the sequel was out and it was just as stunning the second time around. Foundryside is a clever and imaginative novel that displays some unique world building, excellent characterisations and a tautly written plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It's not traditional fantasy, and yet it has everything you love about traditional fantasy just with a very different spin on things.

Following Sancia, a quick witted thief with a very handy magical talent, what seems to be a simple job quickly goes wrong and what was a difficult but doable task becomes ever more complex. In some ways it starts as a simple heist tale, but quickly spirals with the magical world-building and wonderful characters. I particularly liked the way Clef, a particularly sentient artifact, becomes a character in its own right, even as Sancia is the one wielding it.

All in all, an excellent novel and I really ought to get round to reading more of Bennett's works.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I just couldn't get into it. I don't think it's a fault of the author (I liked the worldbuilding and the concept) but I could not relate to the characters for the life of me. I did not care what happened to them.
I hope to reread this sometime in the future and gain a better respect for it, but right now I don't have any desire to continue the series.
Actual Rating: 2.75/5

That feeling when you find an author’s work and absolutely love their writing. Robert Jackson Bennett is brilliant at creating a complex world with interesting lovable characters and an intriguing well developed magic system that effortlessly draws the reader in.

Foundryside is a heist style story with mystery and intrigue. The idea of making a magic system similar to computer programming was kind of brilliant and as characters described its potential and limitations and applications it was so fun and wild to explore. The characters are diverse, full of personality, and easy to become invested in, I loved them all! Sancia is a strong complex kick ass protagonist and I loved following her and Clef as the story escalated.

High stakes became seemingly impossible stakes with twists and turns and reveals leading to a lack of sleep as I found myself saying “just one more chapter and then I’ll totally go to bed,” as morning would creep closer and closer. And while this is the first of a trilogy and danger looms the ending is hopeful and feels satisfying.

I think this would really appeal to fans of Six of Crows or readers looking for a high stakes adventurous read with a fun charismatic motley crew.

I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to Robert Jackson Bennett, NetGalley, and Crown Publishing for a copy of this book.

The world in this book is so unique and engaging. The heist is thrilling. The characters were cool and well rounded. So much fun, but also tense.