katiequack's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
beeker006's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
dylangbar's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
So so much better than the first one. Pacing makes it engaging and a book you don’t want to put down. Story and magic develops in really interesting and cool ways. Like Foundryside, the writing and characterizations are not the strongest but that doesn’t detract from its strengths at all
backshelfbooks's review against another edition
3.0
First of all, I must say, I unabashedly love Robert Jackson Bennett's writing. I have only read two other books by him (Vigilance and Foundryside), but those books were both five stars for me and they solidly placed him on my favorite authors list. Though Vigilance was definitely my favorite of the two previous books of his that I read, I also really, really loved Foundryside - the first book in the Founders trilogy. Foundryside reminded me how much I actually do like fantasy novels - a feat that no other adult fantasy novel I've attempted to read has been able to do since :Lord of the Rings.
It has, admittedly, been a very long time since I read this sequel. I was fortunate to read a review copy of the book thanks to Netgalley and, given how much I loved Foundryside, I was *thrilled* to start the sequel early. Unfortunately, Shorefall didn't live up to my own expectations. That's not at all to say that this is a bad book - far from it. It was still extremely interesting, had lots of action, and managed to surprise the heck out of me with its ending. In the end, though, it just wasn't exactly what I was expecting and I left feeling a little let down. I will still 10000% continue on in this series, probably reread this book before the final book in the series, and I'll continue to pick up basically anything that Robert Jackson Bennett writes. Definitely pick up this series because it's an amazing world and Bennett's writing is fantastic - just maybe curb your expectations for this sequel.
It has, admittedly, been a very long time since I read this sequel. I was fortunate to read a review copy of the book thanks to Netgalley and, given how much I loved Foundryside, I was *thrilled* to start the sequel early. Unfortunately, Shorefall didn't live up to my own expectations. That's not at all to say that this is a bad book - far from it. It was still extremely interesting, had lots of action, and managed to surprise the heck out of me with its ending. In the end, though, it just wasn't exactly what I was expecting and I left feeling a little let down. I will still 10000% continue on in this series, probably reread this book before the final book in the series, and I'll continue to pick up basically anything that Robert Jackson Bennett writes. Definitely pick up this series because it's an amazing world and Bennett's writing is fantastic - just maybe curb your expectations for this sequel.
radioisasoundsalvation's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Shorefall is the second book in the Founders trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett. Released 21st April 2020 by Random House on their Del Rey imprint, it's 512 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This is a phenomenally well written book. Despite the fact that I hadn't read the first book, this book hooked me. The review has waited a few months because I fell in love with the writing, but found the plot so hard to follow that I needed to go back and read the first book. (It doesn't work well at all as a standalone and they're both doorstop chonky books (512+ pages each)). Getting to the point of being able to write a review was a bit of a commitment. I'm glad I took the time.
I found this installment much less of a rollicking fantasy magical engineering marvel (but not "steampunk-y in the slightest) and more of an exploration of created family, loyalty, pragmatism, good-vs-evil and general epic high fantasy. The magic system is subtle and believable. The author explores the ramifications of the system logically and well. There's an appealing f/f romance subplot which doesn't detract from the main adventure, but might not be *enough* romance for readers who prefer a little plot with their romance.
In some ways, Bennett's writing (and this trilogy) remind me most of Yoon Ha Lee (Machineries of Empire) and Seth Dickinson (The Masquerade) which is sort of weird because they're both really SF writers and this is definitely fantasy. The point is, he's a top shelf writer of speculative fiction and this book is *really* good, maybe one of the best SF/F offerings I've read this year, just don't try to read it as a standalone. I've intentionally avoided offering a precis of the plotline for 2 reasons: first, every other reviewer does just that and second, it's too complex to sum up in a couple of paragraphs.
Four and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Shorefall is the second book in the Founders trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett. Released 21st April 2020 by Random House on their Del Rey imprint, it's 512 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This is a phenomenally well written book. Despite the fact that I hadn't read the first book, this book hooked me. The review has waited a few months because I fell in love with the writing, but found the plot so hard to follow that I needed to go back and read the first book. (It doesn't work well at all as a standalone and they're both doorstop chonky books (512+ pages each)). Getting to the point of being able to write a review was a bit of a commitment. I'm glad I took the time.
I found this installment much less of a rollicking fantasy magical engineering marvel (but not "steampunk-y in the slightest) and more of an exploration of created family, loyalty, pragmatism, good-vs-evil and general epic high fantasy. The magic system is subtle and believable. The author explores the ramifications of the system logically and well. There's an appealing f/f romance subplot which doesn't detract from the main adventure, but might not be *enough* romance for readers who prefer a little plot with their romance.
In some ways, Bennett's writing (and this trilogy) remind me most of Yoon Ha Lee (Machineries of Empire) and Seth Dickinson (The Masquerade) which is sort of weird because they're both really SF writers and this is definitely fantasy. The point is, he's a top shelf writer of speculative fiction and this book is *really* good, maybe one of the best SF/F offerings I've read this year, just don't try to read it as a standalone. I've intentionally avoided offering a precis of the plotline for 2 reasons: first, every other reviewer does just that and second, it's too complex to sum up in a couple of paragraphs.
Four and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
thaumatologist's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
turrean's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A vividly imagined world & system of magic.
The multiplication of monsters made me impatient, though, as masks were flung aside to reveal misunderstood souls underneath, who would then reveal their secret evil intentions, but whom our heroes would later find contained some small spark of humanity, which our heroes would trust long enough for the rise of yet another supernatural opponent…
The multiplication of monsters made me impatient, though, as masks were flung aside to reveal misunderstood souls underneath, who would then reveal their secret evil intentions, but whom our heroes would later find contained some small spark of humanity, which our heroes would trust long enough for the rise of yet another supernatural opponent…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Death
emnp's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Really great sequel but I missed cleff and the wonder of the first book. Really enjoyed the mind melding aspect though to better understand each character and their relationships