Take a photo of a barcode or cover
tshepiso 's review for:
Foundryside
by Robert Jackson Bennett
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Read 2: September 8th, 2021
Foundryside, unfortunately, didn’t hold up upon reread. While I loved its plot and magic system in 2019 Robert Jackson Bennett’s writing style impeded my ability to enjoy the story this time around.
It's hard to say exactly why Foundryside didn’t work for me the second time around when I loved it so much in 2019. My running theory is that a lot of my initial admiration for this book came from the novelty of the reading experience. I remember being amazed at the magic system on my first read and that feeling of wonder and fascination just couldn’t be reproduced when I was already familiar with it.
I also gained a new frustration with Bennett’s writing style this time around. I recall appreciating Bennett’s cinematic style in my initial read and I stand by the fact that his writing style is particularly well suited to dynamic action scenes. But, his dialogue fell short. It was often cheesy and overwrought with banter that felt forced. His constant use of the silly fabricated swear “scrum” in place of fuck didn’t help the prose feel more natural. These initial quibbles only grew as time passed and I began noticing other issues with Bennett’s writing, like his excessive use of similes, that would have otherwise passed me by if I had been enjoying the story more.
My issues with Bennett’s writing style have put me off continuing with the series. Foundryside stands alone pretty well and I’m not all that interested in reading more of this series when its plot and characters just didn't intrigue me as much on this reread.
Read 1: November 15th, 2019
4 stars
Foundryside had everything you could want for a fantasy story: good characters, interesting magic, and a well-developed world. I feel like this is the beginning of what could possibly be a stellar fantasy series.
Our story kicks off in the slums of Tevanne, our protagonist Sancia Grado has a stable career as a thief, however, her world is upended when she steals a magical sentient key named Clef from one of the powerful merchant houses of the city. From that point on everyone, from the head of the Waterwatch, Gregor, to a shady guild of assassins, and the city’s merchant houses, are after Sancia and are especially keen on unravelling the mystery of Clef.
The plot of this novel was high-octane fun from the first page. Bennett has a real skill in creating compelling action. His descriptive, clear prose made me feel like I was a part of the action. I could easily visualize each fight and chase in the book and the interesting magic system within the novel only worked to elevate the tension in each fight.
Speaking of the magic system in this book, I found it fascinating. In this world, objects can be imbibed with the property of others and this simple concept is explored in detail throughout the novel. I loved learning about the different ways the magic functioned in Tevanne and seeing the different ways both the powerful and regular citizens utilized it was super engaging.
I had a lot of fun with the characters of Foundryside. By the around halfway point of the book Bennett establishes a motley crew for a heist and that’s one of my absolute favourite fantasy tropes. I loved the dynamics between all of our characters and their banter was hilarious. The standout relationship in this book was between Sancia and Clef. I have a thing for sentient inanimate objects, so I was already primed to love these two. I was deeply invested in their friendship because the seamless development from snarky banter to ride-or-die bond was done excellently.
The other characters in this book were great too. Ignatius and Berenice’s platonic partnership was such fun. If you liked Varrick and Zhu Li in Legend of Korra you’ll love these two. I also adored the mutual disdain and begrudging respect Gregor and Sancia had for each other led to the best wacky shenanigans. One thing I would have loved more of was Berenice and Sancia’s romance, the romance in this book is definitely a subplot so I'm hoping its sequel, Shorefall, will have more cute romantic scenes. No joke their first kiss melted my heart and I need more
Foundryside was a great read. It had all I could ask for in a story, genuine fun great characters in an interesting world. I am anticipating Shorefall’s release next year and I can’t wait to see what the crew gets up to next.
Foundryside, unfortunately, didn’t hold up upon reread. While I loved its plot and magic system in 2019 Robert Jackson Bennett’s writing style impeded my ability to enjoy the story this time around.
It's hard to say exactly why Foundryside didn’t work for me the second time around when I loved it so much in 2019. My running theory is that a lot of my initial admiration for this book came from the novelty of the reading experience. I remember being amazed at the magic system on my first read and that feeling of wonder and fascination just couldn’t be reproduced when I was already familiar with it.
I also gained a new frustration with Bennett’s writing style this time around. I recall appreciating Bennett’s cinematic style in my initial read and I stand by the fact that his writing style is particularly well suited to dynamic action scenes. But, his dialogue fell short. It was often cheesy and overwrought with banter that felt forced. His constant use of the silly fabricated swear “scrum” in place of fuck didn’t help the prose feel more natural. These initial quibbles only grew as time passed and I began noticing other issues with Bennett’s writing, like his excessive use of similes, that would have otherwise passed me by if I had been enjoying the story more.
My issues with Bennett’s writing style have put me off continuing with the series. Foundryside stands alone pretty well and I’m not all that interested in reading more of this series when its plot and characters just didn't intrigue me as much on this reread.
Read 1: November 15th, 2019
4 stars
Foundryside had everything you could want for a fantasy story: good characters, interesting magic, and a well-developed world. I feel like this is the beginning of what could possibly be a stellar fantasy series.
Our story kicks off in the slums of Tevanne, our protagonist Sancia Grado has a stable career as a thief, however, her world is upended when she steals a magical sentient key named Clef from one of the powerful merchant houses of the city. From that point on everyone, from the head of the Waterwatch, Gregor, to a shady guild of assassins, and the city’s merchant houses, are after Sancia and are especially keen on unravelling the mystery of Clef.
The plot of this novel was high-octane fun from the first page. Bennett has a real skill in creating compelling action. His descriptive, clear prose made me feel like I was a part of the action. I could easily visualize each fight and chase in the book and the interesting magic system within the novel only worked to elevate the tension in each fight.
Speaking of the magic system in this book, I found it fascinating. In this world, objects can be imbibed with the property of others and this simple concept is explored in detail throughout the novel. I loved learning about the different ways the magic functioned in Tevanne and seeing the different ways both the powerful and regular citizens utilized it was super engaging.
I had a lot of fun with the characters of Foundryside. By the around halfway point of the book Bennett establishes a motley crew for a heist and that’s one of my absolute favourite fantasy tropes. I loved the dynamics between all of our characters and their banter was hilarious. The standout relationship in this book was between Sancia and Clef. I have a thing for sentient inanimate objects, so I was already primed to love these two. I was deeply invested in their friendship because the seamless development from snarky banter to ride-or-die bond was done excellently.
The other characters in this book were great too. Ignatius and Berenice’s platonic partnership was such fun. If you liked Varrick and Zhu Li in Legend of Korra you’ll love these two. I also adored the mutual disdain and begrudging respect Gregor and Sancia had for each other led to the best wacky shenanigans. One thing I would have loved more of was Berenice and Sancia’s romance, the romance in this book is definitely a subplot so I'm hoping its sequel, Shorefall, will have more cute romantic scenes. No joke their first kiss melted my heart and I need more
Foundryside was a great read. It had all I could ask for in a story, genuine fun great characters in an interesting world. I am anticipating Shorefall’s release next year and I can’t wait to see what the crew gets up to next.