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Foundryside cover art

Foundryside

Written by: Robert Jackson Bennett
Narrated by: Tara Sands
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Publisher's Summary

"The exciting beginning of a promising new epic fantasy series. Prepare for ancient mysteries, innovative magic, and heart-pounding heists." (Brandon Sanderson)

"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)

In a city that runs on industrialized magic, a secret war will be fought to overwrite reality itself - the first in a dazzling new fantasy series from City of Stairs author Robert Jackson Bennett.

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 - the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience - 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.

Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves. And in the city of Tevanne, there’s nobody with the power to stop them.

To have a chance at surviving - and at stopping the deadly transformation that’s under way - Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifact’s power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined.

©2018 Robert Jackson Bennett (P)2018 Random House Audio

What the critics say

“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. 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 Book Review)

“An excellent first novel in what promises to be another home-run series for Bennett [featuring] expert writing, complicated and distinct characters, and an intriguing, deadly, wonderful new city where reality can be shuffled like a deck of cards, provided you can justify it.” (Tor.com)


“An epic, breathtaking novel that’s as much cyberpunk as it is fantasy...Bennett lays out a fantastic story ladened with fantastic characters, but it’s his take on magic that stands out here.” (The Verge)

What listeners say about Foundryside

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Fresh Fantasy World

A unique world with inventive magic and led by compelling characters, FOUNDRYSIDE is a great story about a thief who steals the wrong item and must fight to uncover its secrets before they get her killed.

Sancia is the perfect sort of hero for this kind of plot. She is tough, resourceful, witty, and has a complex backstory that adds to the plot and other characters. She is joined by other characters, such as the haunted but well-meaning Gregor to unravel the mystery of her surprisingly chatty artifact.

Not only are the characters layered, but the plot also has a good deal of depth. What seems like a simple mistake at first steadily grows to an incredibly dangerous situation. It never feels forced and is filled with both danger and twists. I really enjoyed seeing where the story ended up going and how the characters were forced to think outside the box.

The pacing and prose are solid, allowing for readers to be immersed in the world. And the world is quite deep, allowing for detailed immersion.

I had a great time reading this series and think it will appeal to fantasy readers looking for a bit of steampunk, and anyone who enjoys construction or science. A smart book that is not to be missed!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Superbe narrator

Cool world and great narration. I have enjoyed every bit of it. Looking forward to the next book!

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captivating

very interesting, nice concepts and immersive story that kept me wondering up until the end

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1 person found this helpful

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Fun Rogue story

It took me a bit to get into but proved to be worth the effort.
The characters are compelling and the action is well done. It's relatively fast paced. The world building and magic system make sense and are interesting without the need for lots of detail or explanation.
I disliked the narrator at first but within an hour or so I grew comfortable with her. She does a good job making characters sound distinct and infusing emotion and tension into the right moments. Male voices don't sound forced or awkward.

-(Content warning for a couple instances of threatened sexual assault. I guess it made sense for the situation and the world etc, but still came across as a cheap lazy way to add tension to a scene. Your take may vary. Both instances are fairly brief. There is also some fairly gory action in parts.)-

I liked it enough to want to get the sequel and see how things play out. This one is satisfying on it's own though, you don't have to worry about a mean cliffhanger. The main stuff is wrapped up while also setting the stage for what's to come.

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Brilliant worldbuilding.

I got lost in this. Such an amazing title. Reminds why I love fantasy. Great book & narrator

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