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Book Review
Apr. 2nd, 2024 01:03 pmFoundryside
by Robert Jackson Bennett
Foundryside is set in Tevanne, a city-state that resembles the late Renaissance Mediterranean with some steampunk aspects. Tevanne is dominated by four merchant houses that have a stranglehold on both the use of magic and anything resembling a government. The magic works via inscribing objects to alter their reality so that they act in certain ways, such as carriages that propel themselves, magical locks, etc. This inscribing involves ancient sigils and complex equations and logic, and is thus closely guarded by its practitioners. The story starts with Sancia Grado, a thief with unusual abilities, who has been hired to steal a mysterious artifact. This artifact turns out to be very powerful and somewhat sentient, and Sancia learns all too quickly that there are many people in Tevanne eager to kill her to secure it for themselves. She becomes increasingly embroiled with a much larger plot and a handful of scrivers and renegades as the stakes grow exponentially.
Foundryside is so very, very good. The story is very exciting and twisty, with plenty of surprises. It was really hard to stop reading because I always had to know what happened next and where things were going. The characters are also terrific. Sancia is scrappy, gritty, no-nonsense, and clever yet empathetic; I loved her. To say too much about Clef would spoil things, but he is my other favorite character. Orso and Berenice are two different types of mad scientist, both delightful. Bennett has a lot to say about capitalism, exploitation, the way the rich and powerful often treat people as things, and the role of technological advancement in all of this. I am very much here for these themes, as they make all the heist action and cool magic all the more meaningful.
by Robert Jackson Bennett
Foundryside is set in Tevanne, a city-state that resembles the late Renaissance Mediterranean with some steampunk aspects. Tevanne is dominated by four merchant houses that have a stranglehold on both the use of magic and anything resembling a government. The magic works via inscribing objects to alter their reality so that they act in certain ways, such as carriages that propel themselves, magical locks, etc. This inscribing involves ancient sigils and complex equations and logic, and is thus closely guarded by its practitioners. The story starts with Sancia Grado, a thief with unusual abilities, who has been hired to steal a mysterious artifact. This artifact turns out to be very powerful and somewhat sentient, and Sancia learns all too quickly that there are many people in Tevanne eager to kill her to secure it for themselves. She becomes increasingly embroiled with a much larger plot and a handful of scrivers and renegades as the stakes grow exponentially.
Foundryside is so very, very good. The story is very exciting and twisty, with plenty of surprises. It was really hard to stop reading because I always had to know what happened next and where things were going. The characters are also terrific. Sancia is scrappy, gritty, no-nonsense, and clever yet empathetic; I loved her. To say too much about Clef would spoil things, but he is my other favorite character. Orso and Berenice are two different types of mad scientist, both delightful. Bennett has a lot to say about capitalism, exploitation, the way the rich and powerful often treat people as things, and the role of technological advancement in all of this. I am very much here for these themes, as they make all the heist action and cool magic all the more meaningful.
