A compelling treatise on power and its misuse

- Eric Brown, Guardian

An absolutely riveting secondary world fantasy that grounds its magic in industrialized processes, heavy machinery and capitalist dystopia . . . When I say I couldn't put "Foundryside" down, what I mean is this: 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

Funny, exciting, pacy and gory, this terrific debut promises greater things to come

Daily Mail

Inventive, immersive, and thrilling, Foundryside is a fascinating look at how our best intentions can be corrupted - and how wickedly awesome and terrifying gravity belts can be. Do yourself a favor and pick this up

Kevin Hearne, New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles

Robert Jackson Bennett deserves a huge audience

Brent Weeks, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Black Prism on City of Stairs

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 . . . A magnificent, mind-blowing start to a series I'm hungry for

- Amar El-Mohtar, New York Times

Intricate worldbuilding, fascinating magic, and engaging characters. More please!

Felicia Day, New York Times bestselling author of You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)

Foundryside will not disappoint. It's a world like no other, a concept like no other and a read like no other

The Book Bag

An irresistible, fast-paced adventure that welcomes even non-fantasy fans into its pages, unveiling a remarkable and sophisticated world of magic and intrigue. With non-stop twists, a compelling cast of characters, and an innovative magic system, Foundryside is an altogether terrific read

Sebastian de Castell, author of The Greatcoats series

Fast-paced, intelligent, and fun with a fantastically cool magic system. I can't wait to read the next one

Brian McClellan, author of The Powder Mage trilogy

The best epic fantasy of the year is also the best cyberpunk of the year. How often do you get to say that?

Dan Wells, author of I Am Not a Serial Killer

Foundryside pulls you in with fast-paced heists, then knocks you down with its innovative magic system. Fun, thoughtful, and thrilling from cover to cover, it's sword-and-sorcery meets computer programming - a must for fans of Scott Lynch and Brandon Sanderson

James L. Sutter, co-creator of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game

Fantasy buffs will enjoy all the key ingredients of the genre, along with a good helping of magic and a story that picks up pace till it's running

Sunday Sport

Bennett spins a marvelous tale reminiscent of Sanderson. Foundryside is a gripping story with clever characters, intriguing plot, and spectacular worldbuilding

Charlie Holmberg, author of The Paper Magician series

Brings an intricate, sciencey magic system to the crime party . . . The action is energising, the story is self-contained, and the world is made of pure, gleeful imagination

SFX

Take a healthy slug of Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, add in the whip-smart dialogue of Jay Kristoff's Nevernight and sprinkle it with just a dash of China Mieville . . . Robert Jackson Bennett has given us a cracking adventure . . . Very highly recommended

Espresso Coco

I struggled to find another book that thrilled me as much

Terror Tree

This book featured prominently on my most anticipated releases list and I am happy to report that I enjoyed it a whole lot . . . What Bennett does best is creating these really unique worlds that feel lived in and plausible

I Have Thoughts on Books

One of my most-anticipated books of the year

Civilian Reader

A very good action-packed, cleverly written and thought out book that every fantasy lover should read

Breathing Through Pages

Epic fantasy at its magical, action fuelled best

Liz Loves Books

Does [City of Blades] live up to the Locus, World Fantasy, British Fantasy and GoodReads Choice Awards-nominated City of Stairs? Allow me to answer with an emphatic yes . . . Robert Jackson Bennett is one of the most talented authors writing in SFF today and this is his finest work to date

Fantasy-Faction on City of Blades

An exciting, believable world and a plot full of twists . . . I'm looking forward to seeing what the second book in the series has in store

The Book Bundle

Beyond the wonderful world-building, characters, and social commentary, there is also the undeniable fact that Foundryside is just damn fun . . . Bennett weaves an incredibly gripping plot that makes it hard to put the book down

A Fantastical Librarian

An amazing story combining some absolute fan favourites: daring heists, characters with a lot of depth, witty dialogue, a hint of steampunk, a dash of magic and a mysterious history to uncover . . . Believe all the rave reviews and the hype, this is one hell of a book and will go on many 'Best of' and 'Favourite' lists.

Draumr Kopa

Foundryside is a superb series-starter and another magnificent creation from the masterful mind of Robert Jackson Bennett. Like all good beginnings, it promises to bring his readers even more adventure and glorious excitement in future volumes, and the rest of this series is a journey I can't wait to experience

Bibliosanctum

Fantastically constructed and phenomenally executed

The Bookbag

A thoroughly enjoyable romp . . . A very original fantasy

SFCrowsnest

Foundryside was a fantastic beginning to a new trilogy, one that I immensely struggled to put down . . . I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a fantasy with wonderful characterizations, fascinating premise, intricate magic system, and to all the fans of Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jackson Bennett books

Novel Notions

I couldn't stop reading. The mysteries deepened, the characters deepened, the villains emerged from the shadows, and the stakes got higher and higher . . . Really, it's everything you could want from an Epic Fantasy

Fantasy Hive

I loved every minute of this book . . . Foundryside is a fantastic start to this series and I'm already desperately waiting for the next instalment

Feeling Fictional

Richly detailed and expertly plotted. A grand entertainment

Kirkus on City of Blades

As a whole The Divine Cities is simply that, Divine

SFFWorld on the Divine Cities trilogy

Beg, steal or scrive to get your hands on a copy, because it's certainly one of the most compelling and magical series openers we've read all year

Starburst

If you like action-packed, high pace fantasy books full of adventures, this one might be your style . . . A very entertaining fantasy read

Umut Reviews

Bennett has carved out his place in the world of fantasy . . . Foundryside is a great first book for what I hope to be a long running series. All of the pieces are there for an epic story about magic, rebellion, and friendship. It definitely scratches that itch that has formed while we wait for a number of other fantasy series to continue.

Storgy