FOUNDRYSIDE
ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT *****
Sancia Grado is a thief by necessity, but after an elaborate heist lands a peculiar object in her lap that a lot of people seem to kill for, she realises she may have bitten off more than she can chew…
Foundryside is easily my favourite fantasy book of 2018 and I think it can also go in my top 5 books of the year as well. Everything about it is brilliantly done – all of the characters are believable and have depth – from thief with a past Sancia to warrior Gregor and even more unlikely characters such as Clef and the inanimate scrived objects – every part of the story has been carefully detailed.
I really enjoyed the magic/technology system (not sure which one scriving fits into), it’s nicely described and you learn more about both it and the history of Tevanne at such a nice pace that the progression is a joy to read. It’s an introduction to a fantasy series that neither patronises nor leaves the reader too much in the dark and expects us to catch up. It is part of a series and so does leave the ending open to another story but actually it could perhaps be read as a standalone – it certainly doesn’t end suddenly halfway through the plot. Foundryside wraps up the current story but leaves an incoming threat open for a new one to begin and I cannot wait to read it.
Overall, I can’t really expand on ‘in my top 5 favourite books of the year’ – I can’t wait for the next one and I will certainly be keeping an eye out for more books by Robert Jackson Bennett. Thank you to NetGalley & Quercus Books – Jo Fletcher for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Foundryside-Founders-Robert-Jackson-Bennett-ebook/dp/B076H5WGYZ/