Foundryside
Sancia Grado is a scarred, hardened thief who survives in Tevanne, an industrial city ruled by four rival merchant houses and powered by scriving—the magical art of convincing objects to disobey the laws of physics. Hired for what looks like a simple job, she breaks into a heavily guarded warehouse and steals a small case, only to find it holds Clef, a sentient and talkative magical key unlike anything she has ever encountered. The theft draws the attention of Captain Gregor Dandolo, the closest thing Tevanne has to real law enforcement, and pulls Sancia into an investigation alongside the eccentric master scriver Orso Ignacio and his assistant Berenice. As the powerful House Candiano moves to reclaim Clef at any cost, Sancia begins to uncover a forgotten, far more sophisticated form of scriving buried in the city's past—one that could remake Tevanne, and the world beyond it, for good or ill. Foundryside is the first novel in Robert Jackson Bennett's Founders trilogy.
A scarred, resourceful thief in Tevanne who can hear and communicate with scrived objects. Hired to steal a case that turns out to hold a sentient, talking key, she is drawn into a conspiracy over the forgotten, ancient origins of scriving.
A Merchant House captain and the closest thing Tevanne has to real law enforcement. He becomes Sancia's uneasy ally after her heist draws his attention.
An eccentric and brilliant master scriver who mentors Sancia and Gregor's investigation into the key's origins, driven by intellectual curiosity and old grudges.
A sentient, talking magical key of ancient and forgotten origin, discovered by Sancia during the opening heist and central to the conspiracy she uncovers.
Orso Ignacio's sharp, methodical assistant, an expert at crafting and interpreting scriving definitions.
Foundryside features LGBTQ+ characters. One of the main characters is a lesbian.
Foundryside is the first book in The Founders series, and while it introduces the world and magic system, the subsequent books build directly on its events and character arcs. Reading them in publication order is recommended to fully appreciate the overarching narrative.
The magic in Foundryside, known as 'scriving,' involves rewriting the fundamental properties of objects. This allows for highly creative and often surprising applications, as characters can alter gravity, texture, or even the perceived identity of an item, leading to intricate heists and battles.
Foundryside is the beginning of a distinct series, The Founders, and is not directly connected to the world or characters of his earlier Divine Cities trilogy. However, readers familiar with his previous work will recognize his signature intricate world-building and exploration of power structures.
Foundryside was nominated for several major awards, including the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, the British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel, and the Dragon Award for Best Fantasy Novel, but it did not win any of them. The Founders trilogy as a whole was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Series.