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A review by victorsbookshelf
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
4.0
"Every innovation—technologically, sociological, or otherwise—begins as a crusade, organizes itself into a practical business, and then, over time, degrades into common exploitation." – Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
⚠️ cw: death, detail of injury, body modification, slavery, torture, sexual content, sexual assault, cannibalism (mostly implied)
First in a trilogy, this book follows a handful of characters, mainly Sancia – a woman with a painful past struggling to get by and working as a thief in the dark underbelly of the big city of Tevanne. When she gets hired for a very lucrative job, she takes it, hoping to use the money to change her life once and for all. But what is she stealing, who is it that's willing to pay so much for it, and most importantly, why?
This book was fun!!! A classic fantasy adventure with a unique premise, a mix of serious themes (including class conflict and anticapitalism themes) and lighter comedic moments, cinematic sequences, and a strong cast of characters (with queer rep!)
The world of Foundryside is one where special runes can be carved into things to make items behave according to rules that defy normal physics. Think Babel, but STEM instead of humanities. The result is a hybrid of magical and computer science-y mechanics that get more elaborate the more you go along.
There's a lot to love here – multiple characters with dark, mysterious pasts, a sapphic love interest, quirky and lovable sidekicks, and a whole-ass third act heist. Even if I'm not sure if I'll continue the series, it was a very fun time, and I'm glad I picked this up.
(I just wish the UK cover didn't suck THIS much, like geez...)
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
⚠️ cw: death, detail of injury, body modification, slavery, torture, sexual content, sexual assault, cannibalism (mostly implied)
First in a trilogy, this book follows a handful of characters, mainly Sancia – a woman with a painful past struggling to get by and working as a thief in the dark underbelly of the big city of Tevanne. When she gets hired for a very lucrative job, she takes it, hoping to use the money to change her life once and for all. But what is she stealing, who is it that's willing to pay so much for it, and most importantly, why?
This book was fun!!! A classic fantasy adventure with a unique premise, a mix of serious themes (including class conflict and anticapitalism themes) and lighter comedic moments, cinematic sequences, and a strong cast of characters (with queer rep!)
The world of Foundryside is one where special runes can be carved into things to make items behave according to rules that defy normal physics. Think Babel, but STEM instead of humanities. The result is a hybrid of magical and computer science-y mechanics that get more elaborate the more you go along.
There's a lot to love here – multiple characters with dark, mysterious pasts, a sapphic love interest, quirky and lovable sidekicks, and a whole-ass third act heist. Even if I'm not sure if I'll continue the series, it was a very fun time, and I'm glad I picked this up.
(I just wish the UK cover didn't suck THIS much, like geez...)