This book was too high fantasy for me. However, it is a complex world that is well-developed with strong characters that will surely find its audience.

This was probably more like a 4.5 for me. Highly engaging, action-packed read with a unique world-building and characters. I grew more in love with this book the further I got.

For me, the book started off a tad slow (hence the 4.5). It begins with a heist in progress, but it's a complex one because it involved the magic of "scriving," which can be bit hard to understand at first, with concepts based on scientific principals. Basically the world in which this story takes place isn't simply "magical." (Thank goodness, as that's been a bit overdone.) There is rational, logical, scientific thought behind the otherworldly things the characters experience and explore. I felt like the scriving added some nice depth and complexity to the story.

Don't worry though, even if you have totally blocked out all memories of high school physics, you'll still be able to understand scriving. At one point, Sanica, our heroine notes that scrived objects basically behave as if they were neurotic. (If you keep that concept in mind, you'll be able to follow along just fine.)

Sanica, our heroine, is immediately likeable and someone you'd want to root for. Her character and journey is clearly the strongest part of the book. Gregor...not as much. Although he becomes a key character in the story that follows, the book doesn't devote much time to his interior life. In fact, that's true for most of the characters who become Sanica's default "Scooby Gang" that helps her pull off her quest(s), (with the exception of Orso, who has some important backstory.) I would have liked to have gotten to know "the crew" a bit more and have more "rooting for the team to win" kind of vibe throughout the book. Instead, you end up mainly rooting for and caring about Sanica (but that's ok since she's pretty bad ass.)

I guess you could classify this book as NA--new adult (which is a category I find absurd, but whatever, that's what the publishers use.) Sancia is a young woman, not a teen. There is some violence in the book and people say "shit" a lot. There are some scenes of torture. There wasn't anything particularly gory (I mean, someone implodes, but it's not described in graphic detail) or sexual either (although someone gropes Sanica without her consent), but it didn't really feel as sanitized as you'd expect with YA.

Overall this was a fun read. Bummer we now have to wait for the next one, but I'm sufficiently intrigued enough to wait around to check it out.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview Foundryside.
Wow - this is just a magical book - normally I don't get too excited about this type of novel, but this book will keep the reader engaged all the way thru.
A young woman, Sancia, has quite a talent...she's a thief. She gets a job to get a box - but she decides that this must be special and doesn't hand it over. The series of events that follow will keep you on the edge of your seat. Lots of action and intrigue.
Very good book.

Foundryside was brilliant! The author's inventiveness is awe-inspiring, creating a whole world that's a bit steampunk yet wholly original. Sancia is a young woman of unique talents-- she can touch a wall, a floor, etc and learn its construction and who else might be around her. She uses these abilities to support herself as a thief, until she's hired to steal a box that ends up holding an amazing artifact.

The writing is excellent, and the character development makes the reader care about Sancia and her cohorts. This is a book people will be raving about in the very near future.

This is an action-packed, entertaining, and adventurous story.

We follow Sancia Grado, a young thief trying to survive in a poverty-ridden city as she tries to steal a powerful device. In this world, objects have been modified with a mystical process called scriving. When an object is scrived it forces it to behave in a way different that it was designed to.

The author did a great job with the world building. He took the scriving concept and created a very imaginative story with compelling characters. My favorite person in this book was Clef, and I loved his interactions with Sancia. I will not explain who Clef is because I want you to discover it by yourself by reading this book (and also because I don’t want to reveal too much, it’s all about the journey).

This is the first book I’ve read from this author but it won’t be the last. Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this book and recommend it to readers of fantasy, YA, and contemporary fiction.

Received ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

I wasn't sure when I requested this on Netgalley that I would like this as it didn't seem like what I normally read but in the end I really enjoyed it. This mostly follows Sancia who makes money for stealing things. She ends up being hired to steal something that is very valuable that will lead her into danger.

I really enjoyed reading about Sancia and all the other characters in the book. I even liked the characters that were the villains. villains. Sancia is gifted in a way most people are not and it was interesting when it was realized why she is the way she is.

I liked reading about the background about all of the different merchant houses and how scriving came to be. I am definitely interested in continuing this series as it looks like it's going to be really good.

Foundryside is an enjoyable start to a new series by the author of City of Stairs. Compared to that series, this is a little bit less complicated, plot wise. On the upside: it isn't as bleak as those books. I'm afraid that's relative, as this certainly has plenty of bleakness, it just isn't as relentless. It's also less heavy on the gods, which I liked, and what gods we do get are of the man-made variety, leading to interesting speculations of the nature of machines and divinity.

By far the most interesting aspect of this book is the magic system. I found it new and interesting and considering how many books with magic I've read in my life, that is quite a feat. I'm sure some may find the descriptions too detailed, but I really liked those parts. The plot was a bit simple and quite repetitive, with numerous break ins, upping the stakes on each one. However, given how this book ended, I have high hopes for the sequel when it comes to that.

Wow! What a book! "Foundryside" is an epic fantasy that begins with a bang and keeps you page-turning through the night to finish this enthralling book! We begin with Sancia, a thief and former slave, who is set out on a complicated mission to steal something for a great deal of money. While she was a slave, she was altered and wants the money to undo what was done to her. She lives in Foundryside which is the poorest and unincorporated part of Tevanne.

Tevanne is separated into campos, which are controlled by 'Founders' who take care of the people within who work for them. They are all fighting to increase their technology through scrivings. Scrivings are marks that you can put on objects to alter their sense of reality. For instance, you can scrive on wood to convince it that it is stone and so will not rot and can hold greater amounts of weight. The scrivings are proprietary and so there is a lot of espionage to try to steal other house's scrivings. The scrivings are powered by large machines called Lexicons, which hold the meaning for the scrivings and can power them over some determined distance (if you go far enough, they will stop working).

Sancia is a scrived human who can connect with the scrived objects around her and so is an ideal thief- if the lock tells you how to pick it, you can get into or out of practically anywhere. This theft with a large payout is unlike the others, and Sancia works hard to obtain the item. It turns out to be one of the items leftover from the hierophants, god-like beings that could control the world around them and who no longer exist but created the basis for scrivings. By stealing the item, she ends up in the midst of a war- or several wars- and she must enlist the help of the people she encounters to survive.

I was completely caught up in this amazing story and loved Sancia's character- she was perfect for exploring this unique world. It takes a bit to really understand what is going on in this world, but once you get it, it's absolutely fascinating. Actually, all the main characters were really engaging, and easy to like, despite their flaws. I also really enjoyed the objects' "minds" (for lack of a better term) and how they react to things/what they "say." I believe this one is sure to be a big hit, and I will definitely be eagerly waiting for the next installment.

I will say that although the flow is like a YA fantasy, this is not young adult, and is definitely intended for an adult audience. There are mentions of child sex trafficking, domestic abuse, slavery, violence, and other adult situations which would not be appropriate for younger readers.

Overall, I have become a huge Foundryside fan, and I highly recommend lovers of fantasy give this book a try! You won't regret it! There's epic thievery, inventions, and even a hint of romance that give this book broad appeal (plus a diverse main character). Although the main story is wrapped up, there is a lead-in for the next book, and I can't wait!

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Beginning of Sancia's story. There's a mystery at the end so I'm really looking forward to the next book and the continuation of the story.

Review Copy

FOUNDRYSIDE had so many good things going for it. I love books that build slowly giving you a chance to getn to know the characters. And it has plenty of unusual characters. However, rather than using some of it's hundreds of pages fully fleshing out and explaning the land and its people, pages and pages were set aside for fight scenes and the like. Ten pages of fighting is roughly nine pages too many for me.

This is a world of magic. Rather than explain how it came to be, the author kept coming up with one idea after another without finishing his first thought. While it's made clear from the title that this is the start of a series, a good series does not end with a cliffhanger. It ends with an ending with the knowledge that there is plenty more to come.

Read this at your own risk. Too many authors have gone years without finishing their series.

Looooved this! Fantastic world building and great characters. I mean Mr. Bennett made me care about a key named Clef. Amazing world and characters that I can’t wait to learn more about.

Foundryside is a delightful mash-up of science fiction/fantasy, and heist adventure. We always buy him for our library. I use him all the time for Readers Advisory for patrons who are looking for smart fun sci/fi. Perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson.

Wow. Where do I start? With the detailed, satisfying world building? With the complex, flawed characters? The magic? The politics? The society? All of it was brilliantly approached in this book. You start with a thief, a girl who knows she's truly, profoundly messed up. What does she want? Why does she do what she does? HOW does she do what she does? The answers to these questions lead us down the path to more questions, lots of action and loads of intrigue.

I really wasn't dissatisfied with anything in this book. Other than I have to wait HOW LONG for the next one?? I found myself invested in the characters, including a talking key. Especially the smart talking, supportive, mysterious key that pretty much took the lead in my list of what I liked most about this book. With no false steps, this is a fabulous read and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. Brava.

ARC PROVIDED BY CROWN PUBLISHING THROUGH NETGALLEY FOR AN HONES REVIEW!


Am I allowed to cuss on a review that’s being sent to a publisher because fuuuuckkkk meeee

This book just took my world, flipped it upside, dropped me on my ass and then picked me up

This was the most in depth magic system I have EVER read! EVER and I understood it!!! Every single thing was explained but in such a way where I was super intrigued and not bored. The world took me a minute to understand until I googled some of the words used like a dumb dumb but then I figured out exactly what everything was and I loved it

The characters are amazing, they are deep and funny yet troubled and dramatic and just omg.
AND THE FREAKING FEMALE FEMALE ROMANCE THATS BUILT IN THIS THAT I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT BUT I AM FREAKING LIVING FOR YYYAAAAAASSSSS!


This is a story you want I go in knowing nothing and let it just take you away. Seriously. It’s so fantastic and just freaking jaw dropping amazing. Shit man. What am I gonna do with my life now? Book two is gonna be epic. I can just feel it!!

A lovechild of Sanderson, Lynch, and Gladstone as I have heard it described would be an apt comparison indeed.

What a book. This one will make it big, mark my words. It has something for everyone. Fans of high-paced, action fantasy? Check. Those looking for likable characters? Check. Magic system enthusiasts, those who want (mild) social critique, those looking for heist books, female characters with agency (who are not all fighters!)…there’s so much to love.

Sancia is a thief with some mysterious abilities. Living in the lawless area between the merchant house enclaves (or campos), she makes her living by stealing various objects…until one day, after what was supposed to be a particularily expensive job, curiosity gets the better of her and things get complicated.

And what a ride it is. It’s intense and fast-paced from start to end, and I was swearing like a sailor with a broken leg. I am not used to such a pace. It’s full of twists and turns and surprises and things with massive implications. And the ending. Tying up the storyline nicely, yet leaving enough open for the sequels. And, again, intense, even moreso than the rest of the book.

The characters are likable enough. Sancia’s stoic and pragmatic and capable and somewhat snarky, but not unrealistically so. She, Orso (the cranky old fart he is), and Clef were my favourites. Berenice as well. Only Gregor and the final villain fell a bit flat to me. And the romantic subplot, while very minimal, was pretty damn cute (and casually LGBTQ+ <3).

The setting’s a dystopian mix of unrestricted capitalism taken to a logical extreme with a dash of colonialism, in dire need of a revolution. Unless you live in the walled parts of the city owned by corporations (or Foundries), you’re screwed. There are no laws, almost no magitech amenities people inside enjoy, not much of a living to make.

Scriving is pretty much magical programming. As a compsci student, I appreciated the attention given to how disastrous a bug could be when dealing with real objects, as well as the magical equivalent of hacking, but it could get somewhat infodumpy at points. The basic concept of how it works in particular was repeated very, very often at the start, and I generally prefer vaguer magic, but it was well done regardless.

I haven’t read any books by Robert Jackson Benett before, but now I certainly will.

Brilliant, although not surprising - Robert Jackson Bennett is excellent. The magic in this world really spoke to me, as did the depth of the characters, the strong female lead - it was all so good. I loved Sancia, Berenice, Orso, and I especially loved Clef, the scrived key. This tale made me wonder why I don't read more of his books - which is something I feel every time I finish one of his. You'd think I'd learn.

I received this book for free from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett is a Sci-fi/Fantasy novel full of humor, action, and completely amazing world-building. This is the first book I’ve read by Robert Jackson Bennet but after finishing this book I am definitely going to check out his other books.
The story begins with the main character, an extremely talented thief by the name of Sancia, stealing a box with an object inside of immense power. Handing the box over to the mysterious buyer would result in a rather large amount of money that she desperately needs. However, the thought of not knowing what she stole for such a large sum of cash doesn’t sit well. Defying the order that came with stealing the box, Sancia takes a peek inside and discovers it’s an ancient tool of unimaginable powers. When the people who hired her to thieve the box come looking for their prize, Sancia discovers that she might have gotten herself into something she did not want to get tangled up in. Teaming up with some unlikely allies, including the head of the waterfront police force (where Sancia had stolen the box from), Sancia joins forces to uncover the sinister schemes that are at play and determine how to put a stop to a potentially apocalyptic event.
The character development was excellent and I found all the characters to be very likeable. The author did a great job in creating this world in such a way that it feels as if you are right there in Tevanne. While being complex, the magic that is present in this was explained in such ways that I found it easy to follow everything that was happening.
I am eagerly awaiting the next book!

Amazing world-building, fantastic characters, and a book that is nearly impossible to put down! I really liked this creative and well-written book. Somehow Foundryside is the first book I have read by Robert Jackson Bennett, but after reading this one, I'm adding City of Stairs to my queue immediately. Everyone who loves richly imagined fantasy should read this book.

It has been a little over six years since I first read Scott Lynch’s "The Lies of Locke Lamora", but that novel has stayed with me in a variety of ways. On one hand, it has given me a reputation amongst my friends as a “life-ruiner” because I recommended the book to them, and the resulting emotional devastation was such that now, they always look askance at me when I say “Read this book! You’ll love it!”, fearing that I will just break their hearts wide-open again as I gleefully cackle over their pain. (They are not wrong.)

On the other hand, "Lies" has influenced the kinds of novels I like to read. I’ve always enjoyed genre fiction, but it was only after reading "Lies" that I developed an enormous soft spot for witty, clever characters; found-family narratives; and daring, complicated heists. While I still have a deep, abiding love for the noble, selfless characters that dominated fantasy for a long while, it is also true that I relate far less to them than I used to. Perhaps it’s grown-up pragmatism speaking, but I realise now that sometimes, it is necessary to circumvent, bend, or sometimes break rules entirely in order to do the most good.

As it so happens, Robert Jackson Bennett’s "Foundryside" features the elements that made me love "Lies", and more besides. First in the Founders series, it follows the story of Sancia Grado, a thief who makes a living by stealing money and precious items from the wealthy folk of the city of Tevanne. Assisted by special abilities that are both a blessing and a bane to her, Sancia is able to perform heists far beyond the capabilities of any other thief.

And it is because of those abilities that Sancia is sent to steal a special artefact that could reveal ground-breaking new information about the magical technique known as scriving: the art of imbuing inanimate objects with special properties using carefully-written commands. The use of scriving is controlled by the four Merchant Houses, who have used their knowledge to amass great wealth and power at the expense of the ordinary citizenry. But Sancia’s artefact could bring the whole system tumbling down, and when certain people learn that it has been stolen, Sancia becomes the target of a manhunt that could wind up with her being killed - or worse.

I first learned about Robert Jackson Bennett via the novel "City of Stairs", which was soon followed by "City of Blades" and "City of Miracles" to form the "Divine Cities" trilogy. I fell in love with "City of Stairs" when I first read it, so of course I devoured the next two books in the series as they came out. As a result, when I learned that Bennett was coming out with a new series, I was eager to get my hands on it as soon as I could, because I knew that, whatever it was Bennett wrote, it would be good. And "Foundryside" has proven me entirely correct in that assessment.

One of the best aspects of the "Divine Cities" novels is how rich and detailed their world-building is, and that is something that also comes out in "Foundryside". Aside from the obvious parallels (in terms of geography, architecture, and to some degree culture) to Renaissance Venice and Florence, what really stands out about this novel is how the magic system is described and then integrated into the rest of the world. It is as if the author has asked the question: What would humans do, if they had the power to program literally anything they wanted? For that is what scriving is: programming inanimate objects to do certain things. Descriptions of what scriving is and how it works are woven throughout the novel, allowing the reader to not only understand how the system works, but also to understand how the world of Tevanne and its people work, too.

One thing that will quickly become clear to the reader, however, is that scriving is exclusive. Not everyone in Tevanne can scrive, and not everyone has access to scrived items. Scriving, therefore, is a privilege - one that not everyone in Tevanne can have. All of this comes through right from the very first chapter, and is elaborated upon as the novel goes on. It leads the reader to the most important questions of the novel (and perhaps of this series): Who gets to use scriving, and how do they use it?

This, then, lays the groundwork for the novel’s primary theme. Throughout the novel the characters come face-to-face with all the ways their world is wrong, how it is just broken, until one particular moment when one of the characters declares that the only proper reaction to a broken world is not to roll over and give up, but to fight back. It is this idea - resistance instead of acceptance, revolution instead of complacency - that forms the novel’s thematic backbone, that gives it its power and impact. And it is something that we, as readers, need to think about, something we need to remember when we are confronted by the seemingly endless ways that the world can and has done us and those we love wrong. This book tells us that the time for complacency is over. It is time to fight back.

The characters are important to developing the aforementioned theme. Sancia, in particular, is crucial since it is through her that the theme finds its fullest expression, even as it guides her character arc. But she gets there thanks to the other characters around her, both those who side with her, and those who stand against her. Those other characters are equally fun to read about, but the main villain is of especial interest because of said villain’s motivations, which will likely strike a chord in certain readers (it certainly did in my case).

While all of the above are traits I’ve come to expect from the author’s writing, the pace of the plot is something entirely new. The "Divine Cities" books tended to have a slower plot pace, thus enhancing their richness and depth because they gave the reader (or at least this reader, anyway) the feeling of really “living” in the story. "Foundryside", however, goes by so much faster - which is only appropriate, given that this is a story about thefts and heists. However, it seems that the breakneck pace has confused some reviewers into thinking that the fast plot makes "Foundryside" somehow less rich and complex than the series that came before it. While it is true that this novel goes by quite quickly, it still has the same kind of depth and complexity as the books in the author’s previous series. I suppose it just takes an equally quick mind to perceive that depth and complexity despite the pace.

Overall, Foundryside is a fantastic start to what already promises to be an amazing new series. The world of Tevanne is rich and fascinating, and Sancia and her friends (and enemies) are all intriguing, moving through a fast and twisting plot with quick wit and enough sarcasm to delight more cynical souls. Supporting all of that is a powerful set of themes that keen readers will find echoes the concerns of the contemporary world we live in. I am glad to see Robert Jackson Bennett back in action, and I cannot wait to read the next book of this series.

Many thanks to Crown Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC. This does not in any way affect my review.

From the publisher: Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne’s docks, is nothing her unique abilities can’t handle. But unbeknownst to her, Sancia’s been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifact’s secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims.

“Any given innovation that empowers the individual will inevitably come to empower the powerful much, much more.” (p. 493)

Foundryside is engrossing, inventive, and fun. The characters have depth and much room to be explored in later books, and the plot caught me by surprise a number of times. Not everyone is what they seem, and there are many gray areas to their personalities.

Although set in a fantasy world, Foundryside has things to say about life in our world. I particularly liked this quote:

“You have to understand, kid, that you’re wading into the depths of a war that has raged for time beyond memory – a war between those who make and that which is made, between those who own and those who are owned.” (p. 484)

One of the things I liked is that the author has more original ways than using and overusing the F word to show that his characters often swear and can be coarse. I also liked that when he sets up a surprise twist, he doesn’t hide that something is happening. Although I didn’t guess what was coming the author made it possible for me to do so. (I hate it when authors keep knowledge from the reader just so they can create a surprise twist.) Also, at least so far, there aren’t any ancient texts or prophecies proclaiming Sancia to be a chosen one.

There is a bit of insta-love – meh – but at least there is no love triangle. Although the ending is wide open for sequels, this particular book also wraps up neatly. I’ll be looking forward to book 2.

Foundryside reminded me a little of the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix, although I found it easier to follow. If you enjoy thought-provoking fantasy with a lot of action and interesting characters, you might want to read Foundryside. I read an advance reader copy of Foundryside; it is due out on August 21 and will be available at the Galesburg Public Library as a book and an ebook.