Foundryside - Robert Jackson Bennett

Paperback, 503 pages

Expected publication: August 23rd 2018 by Jo Fletcher Books (first published August 21st 2018)

Founders #1

Fantasy

For review

My thoughts:

Bennett certainly do not have your typical fantasy world. No, I do not know what I would call it. It's more like industrialized fantasy (now you think do you mean steampunk? No, I do not.) Here he created a world were well basically it's kind of like computers and coding. They use magic and sigils and get objects to do what they want. Like having a door not open. Like having carriages drive themselves. And there is even a "super computer", but at the same time not. Because all magic and writing. This is a city ruled by Merchant Houses and they hold the keys.

First, the history of this place sound so interesting! There used to be this "race" of people that destroyed the world and now they know nothing. But of course being foolish as they are they have reinvented the wheel and use magic again. Basically going down the same road again. But hey, life is so much easier that way..right?!

To the story. Sancia is a 20 year old thief who has lived a hard life and this score will settle her for life. What could possible go wrong? Like she could know that she is about to steal something incredible powerful. Which of course will have many hunting for her. And no, I could not really figure things out, the what is happening at the ending threw me for a loop. Actually make that three things. I never saw them coming.

I liked Sancia and her, ahem, friend. She had heart. As for other characters, well I do not want to ruin it all, but this one person really grew on me. And omg that twist! I should have seen it coming, but did not. This other person stood out more at the end and it will certainly make for more interesting things to come. Ok, can I be more vague ;) I just want to let the pieces come together without you knowing. No one is really bad or good, they are humans, they are grey. 

The ending was one of those, calm before the storm. It was very calm, but this huge storm is brewing. And I did like that I could leave the book like this without dying this instant for more. I mean of course I want more, but cliffhangers are too evil. I want to breathe and then jump back in. As for what the future has in hold for this series....I honestly do not know. With some books you can tell, but with this one, nope. He keeps those secrets close.

This truly is a book to read and discover for your own, words fail me to describe this intricate world and magic system.

Conclusion:

Great new and interesting world with hidden depths.

Blurb:

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.

City of Miracles - Robert Jackson Bennett

Sigrud je Harkvaldsson is back, and this time he's out for vengeance. 'Astonishingly good ...a deep, powerful novel that's worth reading and rereading - Publishers Weekly The awesome climax to the fantasy thrillers City of Stairs and City of Blades: perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman, Brent Weeks and China Mieville. Shara Komayd, once Prime Minister of Saypur, has been assassinated. News travels fast and far, even to a remote logging town somewhere northwest of Bulikov, where the silent, shaven-headed Dreyling worker 'Bjorn' picks up the newspaper and walks out. He is shocked and grieved and furious; he's been waiting thirteen years for Shara, his closest friend, to reach out to him - to tell him to come home. He's always believed she was running a long operation, that there would be a role for him at the right time. Now he has no one else in his life, and nothing to live for - except to find the people who did this. Sigrud wasn't there for the death of his daughter Signe, and he wasn't there when Shara was murdered. Now Bjorn is dead and Sigrud is back. And he will find answers, for Shara, and for himself. He's made a promise ... 

My thoughts:

These books do connect, the same players are there. It's just stretch out over a longer period of time. I can't remember exactly how much time has passed since the events in the last books. They said it, and I forgot it. Was it 10 years? Less? The previous books have been about strong women, now we get a man, but he sure is surrounded by women still. The book does have some great side characters.

Shara is dead. What? Come on. That was not nice. I liked her and she did so much for this country! This is a revenge book. Sigrud is a wanted man but he sets out like the devil is behind him. He is gonna kill those bastards that took her down. Nothing stops this man, he is pretty awesome. But there is also something strange about him.

The mystery of who killed her takes him on another route. To find her daughter, to find who the player behind it all is (that person grrrrrrr.)

And what would the book be without a few revelations. And that end! Ha, I did NOT see that coming. Omg, so many, Oh I can not say a thing without spoiling it. It was an epic conclusion. I could leave it at that. But it also showed how the world will continue to grow and change. Epic.

I like how the world is created. Those dead or hidden gods. The miracles they created that crumbled or still stand. It's a fascinating world. Not a medieval fantasy, but a world with magic and industrialization that now has brought us cars. It's such a nice mix of things and the books has taken the reader to different cities, all strange, all interesting.

Book 2 is still my fav cos that one was intense! This one had a different but excellent vibe. An I do recommend this series. I am sad to see the trilogy end, and I hope, hope, he will write more in this world.

Conclusion:
Mystery, danger, revenge and quite a few miracles. A good series ending.

Cover
ok

Paperback, 448 pages
Expected publication: May 4th 2017 by Quercus Publishing
The Divine Cities #3
Fantasy
For review

City of Blades - Robert Jackson Bennet

The city of Voortyashtan was once the domain of the goddess of death, war, and destruction, but now it’s little more than a ruin. General Turyin Mulaghesh is called out of retirement and sent to this hellish place to try to find a Saypuri secret agent who’s gone missing in the middle of a mission, but the city of war offers countless threats: not only have the ghosts of her own past battles followed her here, but she soon finds herself wondering what happened to all the souls that were trapped in the afterlife when the Divinities vanished. Do the dead sleep soundly in the land of death? Or do they have plans of their own? 

My thoughts:

I was impressed. Maybe I have read too many series, that has had a first good book and then gone down. But here book 2 was even better! YAY! I love when the series gets better and better. 

I meant to write this review earlier, but I had one of those, how to express how cool this book was moments. I just do not know how to express it, but I will try.

This is book 2, our main character was in book 1, had a big part, but was not the main character. I really got to like Turyin here. First, she is smart. Second, she has her issues and third, well she is old. An older heroine. Yes, I liked that.

The book is about her retiring, but then they drag her back in! And she has a mystery to solve. Which I really liked. A mystery fantasy book. And I must stop writing in short sentences!

I am not doing a good job, I have so many things I want to say! Like how I felt like you could read this one without having read book 1, cos he just made it work. Sure you'd be a bit confused but he would just pull you right into the story.

And how I like that there used to be gods and now they are gone, all their miracles gone and the world left in chaos because of it. And the whole god thing was dealt with so well here.

The world is cool and made up from different cultures, and the place without a God is now the one ruling. I remember not liking them in book 1, but here, well they are trying to make things better.

Oh oh! And yes the whole flintlock fantasy thing. They have guns, they have railroads, they are modern, and getting more since magic is gone with the Gods. But the world still feels raw and dark, and so intriguing.

Conclusion:

I was impressed. It pulled me right in and I can't wait to see where the road takes us next, and who will be in charge of that book.

cover

 hmmm

Paperback, 448 pages
Published January 7th 2016 by Jo Fletcher Books
The Divine Cities #2
Fantasy
For review

City of Stairs - Robert Jackson Bennett

You've got to be careful when you're chasing a murderer through Bulikov, for the world is not as it should be in that city. When the gods were destroyed and all worship of them banned by the Polis, reality folded; now stairs lead to nowhere, alleyways have become portals to the past, and criminals disappear into thin air.

The murder of Dr Efrem Pangyui, the Polis diplomat researching the Continent's past, has begun something and now whispers of an uprising flutter out from invisible corners. Only one woman may be willing to pursue the truth - but it is likely to cost her everything.

My thoughts:

There once was a glorious empire where Gods rules different states. The Gods were all different, one was really really harsh and had a thousand rules to follow. To the south there was a slave colony, they had no Gods and they were angry and overthrew the empire and killed the Gods and all beings created or birthed by the Gods.

And now it's decades later. The colony is now the glorious one, and the empire fell asunder when the Gods died. The fabric of reality fell apart, whole cities disappeared. Plague decimated the states. Now they are poor and forgotten.

I felt for the conquerors, they had been used badly. But they destroyed a civilization. So f you guys. But then the former empire had been idiots too. Still now they were not even allowed to learn their own history, mention the Gods names or do anything that was "bad". And they really needed to be able to move on, but were held back.

I have not even talked about the plot yet! Ok, so this professor is murdered and Shara (who has her secrets) comes to investigate. There is something going on in the former holy city of Bulikov, but can she find out what? Bulikov is also a city that half disappeared when a God was killed there. And there are staircases leading into nothing and people going missing. A strange strange world.

I think I could go on and on about the world, it was just fascinating, and even more so when I learn more about the Gods of the world. A very cool world. It was a different sort of fantasy too. Set later in time, making it more modern, yet not.

Conclusion:

Politics, a mystery, set in a sort of Russian city. A cool heroine, a viking sidekick and all in all truly strong women characters. It was the women that ruled this book. I approve of that ;)

Cover

ok

Library Binding, 420 pages
Published October 2nd 2014 by Jo Fletcher Books
Fantasy
For review

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Psssst. I also want to mention that the publisher is holding a contest:

"We have five copies of the book to give away, plus one lucky winner will receive a £100 Red Letter Day experience.

All people have to do for a chance to win is let us know on our blog, Facebook page or Twitter - with #CityOfStairs - what tangible miraculous object they would create if you were a god of Bulikov.  A door which takes you to the past and a knotted cord that brings rain when untied are just some of the miracles the gods brought to Bulikov, but we want to know what other people would add to them. The competition is open until October 30th for your chance to win."