Foundryside
Published on 23. August 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
512 pages
978-1-78648-786-5 (ISBN)
Description
'The exciting beginning of a promising new epic fantasy series. Prepare for ancient mysteries, innovative magic, and heart-pounding heists' Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of Oathbringer
She thought it was just another job. But her discovery could bring the city to its knees . . .
The city of Tevanne runs on scrivings, industrialised magical inscriptions that make inanimate objects sentient; they power everything, from walls to wheels to weapons. Scrivings have brought enormous progress and enormous wealth - but only to the four merchant Houses who control them. Everyone else is a servant or slave, or they eke a precarious living in the hellhole called the Commons.
There's not much in the way of work for an escaped slave like Sancia Grado, but she has an unnatural talent that makes her one of the best thieves in the city. When she's offered a lucrative job to steal an ancient artefact from a heavily guarded warehouse, Sancia agrees, dreaming of leaving the Commons - but instead, she finds herself the target of a murderous conspiracy. Someone powerful in Tevanne wants the artefact, and Sancia dead - and whoever it is already wields power beyond imagining.
Sancia will need every ally, and every ounce of wits at her disposal, if she is to survive - because if her enemy gets the artefact and unlocks its secrets, thousands will die, and, even worse, it will allow ancient evils back into the world and turn their city into a devastated battleground.
'Robert Jackson Bennett deserves a huge audience' Brent Weeks
'An altogether terrific read' Sebastien de Castell
'Intricate worldbuilding, fascinating magic, and engaging characters. More please!' Felicia Day
'Inventive, immersive, and thrilling . . . Do yourself a favor and pick this up!' Kevin Hearne
She thought it was just another job. But her discovery could bring the city to its knees . . .
The city of Tevanne runs on scrivings, industrialised magical inscriptions that make inanimate objects sentient; they power everything, from walls to wheels to weapons. Scrivings have brought enormous progress and enormous wealth - but only to the four merchant Houses who control them. Everyone else is a servant or slave, or they eke a precarious living in the hellhole called the Commons.
There's not much in the way of work for an escaped slave like Sancia Grado, but she has an unnatural talent that makes her one of the best thieves in the city. When she's offered a lucrative job to steal an ancient artefact from a heavily guarded warehouse, Sancia agrees, dreaming of leaving the Commons - but instead, she finds herself the target of a murderous conspiracy. Someone powerful in Tevanne wants the artefact, and Sancia dead - and whoever it is already wields power beyond imagining.
Sancia will need every ally, and every ounce of wits at her disposal, if she is to survive - because if her enemy gets the artefact and unlocks its secrets, thousands will die, and, even worse, it will allow ancient evils back into the world and turn their city into a devastated battleground.
'Robert Jackson Bennett deserves a huge audience' Brent Weeks
'An altogether terrific read' Sebastien de Castell
'Intricate worldbuilding, fascinating magic, and engaging characters. More please!' Felicia Day
'Inventive, immersive, and thrilling . . . Do yourself a favor and pick this up!' Kevin Hearne
Reviews / Votes
The exciting beginning of a promising new epic fantasy series. Prepare for ancient mysteries, innovative magic, and heart-pounding heists * Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of Oathbringer * In Foundryside, scriving magic is the cheat code to reality, and Bennett is a master gamer. A refreshing look at magic - featuring a heroine every reader will root for - from one of the smartest writers I know * Peter V. Brett, New York Times bestselling author of The Demon Cycle * Complex characters, magic that is tech and vice versa, a world bound by warring trade dynasties: Bennett will leave you in awe once you remember to breathe! * Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author of Tempests and Slaughter * A compelling treatise on power and its misuse -- Eric Brown * Guardian * An absolutely riveting secondary world fantasy that grounds its magic in industrialized processes, heavy machinery and capitalist dystopia . . . When I say I couldn't put "Foundryside" down, what I mean is this: I felt fully, utterly engaged by the ideas, actually in love with the core characters for their differences and the immensely generative friction between them, and in awe of Bennett's craft. I went to bed late reading it and woke up early to finish it . . . A magnificent, mind-blowing start to a series I'm hungry for -- Amal El-Mohtar * New York Times * Funny, exciting, pacy and gory, this terrific debut promises greater things to come * Daily Mail * Inventive, immersive, and thrilling, Foundryside is a fascinating look at how our best intentions can be corrupted - and how wickedly awesome and terrifying gravity belts can be. Do yourself a favor and pick this up * Kevin Hearne, New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles * Robert Jackson Bennett deserves a huge audience * Brent Weeks, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Black Prism on City of Stairs * An absolutely riveting secondary world fantasy . . . I felt fully, utterly engaged by the ideas, actually in love with the core characters for their differences and the immensely generative friction between them, and in awe of Bennett's craft . . . A magnificent, mind-blowing start to a series I'm hungry for -- Amar El-Mohtar * New York Times * Intricate worldbuilding, fascinating magic, and engaging characters. More please! * Felicia Day, New York Times bestselling author of You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) * Foundryside will not disappoint. It's a world like no other, a concept like no other and a read like no other * The Book Bag * An irresistible, fast-paced adventure that welcomes even non-fantasy fans into its pages, unveiling a remarkable and sophisticated world of magic and intrigue. With non-stop twists, a compelling cast of characters, and an innovative magic system, Foundryside is an altogether terrific read * Sebastian de Castell, author of The Greatcoats series * Fast-paced, intelligent, and fun with a fantastically cool magic system. I can't wait to read the next one * Brian McClellan, author of The Powder Mage trilogy * The best epic fantasy of the year is also the best cyberpunk of the year. How often do you get to say that? * Dan Wells, author of I Am Not a Serial Killer * Foundryside pulls you in with fast-paced heists, then knocks you down with its innovative magic system. Fun, thoughtful, and thrilling from cover to cover, it's sword-and-sorcery meets computer programming - a must for fans of Scott Lynch and Brandon Sanderson * James L. Sutter, co-creator of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game * Fantasy buffs will enjoy all the key ingredients of the genre, along with a good helping of magic and a story that picks up pace till it's running * Sunday Sport * Bennett spins a marvelous tale reminiscent of Sanderson. Foundryside is a gripping story with clever characters, intriguing plot, and spectacular worldbuilding * Charlie Holmberg, author of The Paper Magician series * Brings an intricate, sciencey magic system to the crime party . . . The action is energising, the story is self-contained, and the world is made of pure, gleeful imagination * SFX * Take a healthy slug of Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, add in the whip-smart dialogue of Jay Kristoff's Nevernight and sprinkle it with just a dash of China Mieville . . . Robert Jackson Bennett has given us a cracking adventure . . . Very highly recommended * Espresso Coco * I struggled to find another book that thrilled me as much * Terror Tree * This book featured prominently on my most anticipated releases list and I am happy to report that I enjoyed it a whole lot . . . What Bennett does best is creating these really unique worlds that feel lived in and plausible * I Have Thoughts on Books * One of my most-anticipated books of the year * Civilian Reader * A very good action-packed, cleverly written and thought out book that every fantasy lover should read * Breathing Through Pages * Epic fantasy at its magical, action fuelled best * Liz Loves Books * Does [City of Blades] live up to the Locus, World Fantasy, British Fantasy and GoodReads Choice Awards-nominated City of Stairs? Allow me to answer with an emphatic yes . . . Robert Jackson Bennett is one of the most talented authors writing in SFF today and this is his finest work to date * Fantasy-Faction on City of Blades * An exciting, believable world and a plot full of twists . . . I'm looking forward to seeing what the second book in the series has in store * The Book Bundle * Beyond the wonderful world-building, characters, and social commentary, there is also the undeniable fact that Foundryside is just damn fun . . . Bennett weaves an incredibly gripping plot that makes it hard to put the book down * A Fantastical Librarian * An amazing story combining some absolute fan favourites: daring heists, characters with a lot of depth, witty dialogue, a hint of steampunk, a dash of magic and a mysterious history to uncover . . . Believe all the rave reviews and the hype, this is one hell of a book and will go on many 'Best of' and 'Favourite' lists. * Draumr Kopa * Foundryside is a superb series-starter and another magnificent creation from the masterful mind of Robert Jackson Bennett. Like all good beginnings, it promises to bring his readers even more adventure and glorious excitement in future volumes, and the rest of this series is a journey I can't wait to experience * Bibliosanctum * Fantastically constructed and phenomenally executed * The Bookbag * A thoroughly enjoyable romp . . . A very original fantasy * SFCrowsnest * Foundryside was a fantastic beginning to a new trilogy, one that I immensely struggled to put down . . . I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a fantasy with wonderful characterizations, fascinating premise, intricate magic system, and to all the fans of Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jackson Bennett books * Novel Notions * I couldn't stop reading. The mysteries deepened, the characters deepened, the villains emerged from the shadows, and the stakes got higher and higher . . . Really, it's everything you could want from an Epic Fantasy * Fantasy Hive * I loved every minute of this book . . . Foundryside is a fantastic start to this series and I'm already desperately waiting for the next instalment * Feeling Fictional * Richly detailed and expertly plotted. A grand entertainment * Kirkus on City of Blades * As a whole The Divine Cities is simply that, Divine * SFFWorld on the Divine Cities trilogy * Beg, steal or scrive to get your hands on a copy, because it's certainly one of the most compelling and magical series openers we've read all year * Starburst * If you like action-packed, high pace fantasy books full of adventures, this one might be your style . . . A very entertaining fantasy read * Umut Reviews * Bennett has carved out his place in the world of fantasy . . . Foundryside is a great first book for what I hope to be a long running series. All of the pieces are there for an epic story about magic, rebellion, and friendship. It definitely scratches that itch that has formed while we wait for a number of other fantasy series to continue. * Storgy *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Quercus Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 39 mm
Weight
646 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78648-786-5 (9781786487865)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
08/2018
1st Edition
ARCADIA
€6.49
Available for download
Person
Robert Jackson Bennett was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but grew up in the half-developed suburbs of Katy, Texas. He spent most of his time playing on construction sites and in drainage ditches, which would explain a lot. His interest in writing came from hearing about the books his older brother was reading and then attempting to mimic them. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and, like a lot of its alumni, was unable to leave the charms of the city and resides there currently.