Locklands is the thrilling conclusion to the Founders Trilogy. An evil being is trying to control the world in this excellent computer programming-based fantasy tale. Just as Lord of the Rings depicted the menacing pre-WWII world at the time of its publishing, so this series depicts our QAnon blockchained world of today. Let me explain.

Berenice, Sancia and Clef are back and fighting evil rather than planning a big heist. Their world is controlled by scribing or instructions causing inanimate objects to carry out commands (like a programming language). Tevanne, an evil being, has discovered how to use scribing to make people bend to his will too. Twinning is used to link people’s minds together, which is how blockchain works on data. Through twinning an enemy can be a spy within a person seeing what they see and controlling the person’s actions.

I admire the creativity of the Founders’ world. It dreams of a world in the future that harkens back to the castles and keeps of the Middle Ages. It envisions a new programming methodology that doesn’t use a computer to control objects but controls the objects directly. I already miss this world and definitely see myself reading the entire series again every few years. 5 stars and a favorite!

While you can read Locklands as a standalone, don’t because you will miss the extensive world and character building of the first two books. By the way, the books can be read simply as a fantasy tale without the analogies with today’s world and it’s still an imaginative, exhilarating read.

Thanks to Del Rey Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

The four star rating is being generous. Several times through I felt things were padded with needless exposition and repetitive action. That action is exciting, I like many of the characters, and I still recommend the series as a whole. But while some of the conclusion was satisfying, other parts were frustrating.

Following the events in Foundryside and Shorefall, things have gone very, very badly for our protagonists, who are now trying to keep one step ahead from a force that threatens to enslave and consume everyone in the world. In the eight years since the events of Shorefall, the hivemind construct Tevanne has been expanding itself by shooting magically scrived plates at its enemies, which take over the victim's mind and give Tevanne an additional set of eyes and hands through which it can engage in espionage and sabotage before it launches its main assault. When Sancia and Clef get an unexpected glimpse into Tevanne's plans, they plan one final mission to turn the tide of their losing battle and end things once and for all.

This book was darker in tone than the first two, full of despair at trying to fight an implacable, overwhelming force. Our protagonists are tired from fighting a war that they've been slowly losing for the past eight years. They've experienced profound loss. Even though it's not a pandemic book per se, one can definitely tell that it was written during the pandemic, because even as our protagonists experience a very different reality from our own, the emotional core echoes so much of what people have been feeling for the past couple of years. Despite that bleakness, though, there's a deep sense of care running throughout the novel for characters wrestling with complicated feelings, both in terms of how Bennett allows these characters to explore those feelings as well as in how those characters belong to communities that work hard to care for each other.

With each book in the series, Bennett explores the social consequences of significant technological change, as that technology enables new ways of relating to each other and shapes interaction. Locklands takes that to extreme new ends, both in terms of the technological leap between Shorefall and the beginning of Locklands, as well as changes over the course of this novel. I like that Bennett takes the time to explore certain forms of magical technology and how they change society through a lens that allows the technology to be both good and uncomfortable at the same time. It's a thoughtful kind of messiness that I think captures a lot of the reality around how people respond to significant changes that they aren't prepared to fully embrace.

I love this series very, very much. I love the world building, with its unique take on magic-as-technology. I love the thoughtful plotting and the way it grapples with themes of technological and social revolution. I love the characters and the complex ways they and their relationships with each other have evolved throughout the series. And even as the series does so many smart, thoughtful things with how it explores the world and the characters' place in it, it's still an action-packed adventure full of clever heists and explosive battles. This is easily one of my favorite series to come out in recent years, and it absolutely nails the landing with its finale.

This is a book that I really wish I could of re-read the rest of the series. It took a bit to get back into the story, even if it is a good one. Sancia, Clef and Bernice are fighting to keep the world from being completely controlled by an immoral being. They’ve created a society unlike anything seen before. But they are still losing. They find one more chance that could turn the tide. This is a dark and kind of sad book, but written so well. Plus the end wraps it up nicely. His is a fantastic series and would recommend it to anyone.

Robert Jackson Bennett’s Locklands, the concluding book of the Founders Trilogy, gives the Fast and Furious movie franchise a run for its money. The high-speed chase scenes, (though in this case the chase involves the editing and rewriting of reality), the jury-rigged turns on a heartbeat maneuvers, the impossible stunts that impossibly succeed, and the shifting agendas of major characters, all recall a self-contained universe of relentless thrills and sudden shifts of position, power, and circumstance.

Foundryside, the first book in the series displayed particularly fresh and ingenious world building in Tevanne, a land with an uncomfortably familiar history of exploitation, slave owning, and greedy merchant houses built on the blood and toil of those in bondage or in slums, aka “campos.” But the similar history spirals off in a different direction when it intersects with the practice of scriving, which is a way of swaying reality by convincing objects that the laws governing their physical space can be manipulated, such as the rules governing density, light, and gravity. Scriving can only be used on inanimate objects, such as lamps, buildings, weapons; attempts on living creatures have been fatal, with the one exception of Sancia, a foul-mouthed, living by her wits, daredevil thief, and former slave who can communicate with scrived things. She stumbles on an ancient key in a botched heist, which turns out to be the key to everything. And the equally profane key, Clef, can understand and talk to Sancia-in one of the best dark comedy “have your back” friendship hacks of recent sci-fi lit.

Of course if there is a key, there is a door or doors and those who will waste lives and futures to possess it, which Sancia learns the hard way. But along that way she also discovers and joins an odd entourage: Orso, an impatient cynical virtuoso former merchant house scriver and innovator; Gregor, a highly principled, highly placed warrior who always seems to defy death; and Berenice, Orso’s reclusive, brilliant assistant who becomes the beacon and love of Sancia’s life. This unlikely indie group, with its vision for a more equitable future, pits itself against the merchant houses and their mysterious millennial-old mysteries and strange mythological entities. The risks and stakes get higher and the game gets larger and darker in fast-paced book 2, Shorefall, which brings the original godlike heirophant and destroyer of nations, Cresedes out from the shadows of legends and into Tevanne. But along for the ride, in another restored ancient artifact, is Cresedes’enigmatic archenemy and creation, Valeria, and they begin to face off in battle for control of not just the scriving empire, or possession of Clef, but of the future of humankind itself.

Bennett deftly alternates between the terror and unknown of the divergent agendas of Cresedes and Valeria and the deepening buddy bond of the indie four forged through their scriving discoveries, exploits, and shifting alliances, as they are pitted against the failing merchant houses and the competing deities. Ultimately though the breathtaking love story of Sancia and Berenice, pumps as much power into the storyline as any magical rewriting of events. And Sancia, who allies with Valeria, finds that she got quite a bit more than bargained for as Tevanne explodes into chaos. Throughout the series, Bennett conjures up eerie, detailed and brutal landscapes of Tevanne from the interiors of the nauseatingly lavish merchant houses, to the grimy campos surrounding Foundryside to flashbacks and ruins of the ancient heirophant world, also built on human conquest. The war and landscape broadens in Locklands, the concluding book, which takes place 8 years after Shorefall, where we are introduced to Givens, an island city entirely composed of ships populated by refugees escaping from Tevanne and other territories as Valeria, now known as Tevanne, marches through and repurposes the inhabitants and lands in a most ghoulish manner and/or edits them out of existence.

But Givens is more than an shelter outpost for those on the run; it has created a pathway for residents to voluntarily join minds and merge personalities in vocational “cadences,” such as design, and empathy. There is something gained, something lost in Locklands for along with the narrative advantage of a mutually telepathic village, some major characters that provided the brio and especially enlivened the action of the previous books are now MIA, and rather summarily dismissed in service of the plot. I missed them and their hilarious and droll camaraderie, and spent much of Locklands waiting for their return. Still, there are other new characters to explore and new explorations for some of those previously on the periphery. The self-contained scholarly master scriver Berenice, emerges as a military captain and major badass in one of Bennett’s clever storyline twists, as Sancia’s accelerated aging takes its heavy toll on the talents of agility and strength, which have defined her. Her attempts to come to terms with this and its effect on her wife Berenice, is nuanced, bittersweet and unforgettably poignant.

What is also highly developed and eventually explained is the great mystery of Clef aka Clavides, his son, Cresedes, and the puzzle of Valeria/Tevanne, which together deliver some big whopping revelations. But before this happens, and for the bulk of the book, Cresedes takes center stage with his battles with Tevanne, enlisting the help of Sancia, Berenice, Claudia, and other members of the Givens community, such as the cadences. The battle scenes for the future of the world and for free will (and flawed but hopeful human nature), are written in epic language: cinematic in detail and action, with outcomes are at the top of the thematic thriller roller coaster. They are dazzling and very exciting but also abundant, sometimes at the expense of deepening the narratives of both major and minor characters and the world that Bennett has so splendidly created.

At various times, particularly near the end of the book, I began to worry that there was not enough time to resolve all the conflicts and questions. There is a resolution, though not at all expected; those who delight in the unexpected will be satisfied here.
Oddly one of the most satisfying and moving parts of the book was in the Acknowledgments, as the author described his mental process of writing and unfolding the tale during the pandemic and the effect it had on the narrative. I kind of wish this was included at the beginning because of the deep resonance it cast on the story. I am still thinking about the book, and though it is a nonstop buzz ride, it is also one of the finest love stories I’ve recently read.

Sancia, Clef, and Berenice are up against an enemy that can not only scrive objects but human minds as well. Gathering an army that the country has never seen before isn't enough, and the enemy is looking for the doorway to the center of creation itself. To stop their foe, the trio must understand the origins of scriving and make the ultimate sacrifice.

Locklands is the third book of the Foundryside Trilogy. The amazing worldbuilding in this series continues, now pushing into creation itself.

We open in the midst of war, eight years after Shorefall ends. Trevanne hunts Sancia, Berenice, and their allies, with devastating weapons and terrible scrivings to do their work. The scrivings on Sancia have stolen years from her, and Trevanne has similarly stolen years and lives from the people they use to power their weapons. Sancia and her allies have done their best to free those people, to create a new society of people that aid each other. They share thoughts and information with scrivings, rather than try to make things to isolate or dominate. It's fascinating, how different collectives were created, how the constituents function in unison and apart, and how the people communicate with each other so effortlessly.

In trying to understand Trevanne, Clef soon gets memories of his life before he was a key, why he created Clevades, and the misery that led to creating him and Clef itself. Trevanne is searching for the door leading to the world behind the world, hoping to reset reality and start over. Of course, it's frightening and every action taken is to fight them off. The anguish the characters go through, particularly at the end, had my heart in my throat right along with them. It's an amazing conclusion to a fascinating trilogy, one that I'm glad for the opportunity to read. I feel like I've learned important lessons along with the characters and come out better for it.

4.5 stars. This was such a stunning conclusion to the end of this trilogy. I am a sucker for found family and for anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist sci-fi settings. I found the drastic time jump to be a good choice for this book. The world is very different from where we last left off in Shorefall and all of the characters had grown so much since we saw them. I loved that Sancia and Berenice were already married and had been married for quite some time so their relationship had already blossomed and we just got to see them working together. I of course loved Clef and his snarky remarks. And boy do I love a good villain redemption arc. Some of the technical aspects of the story were a bit lost on me. I definitely didn’t understand half of the descriptions of what the characters were doing or building, but that’s okay! I was just along for the ride and boy what a ride it was. The ending also made me ugly cry.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for gifting me an advanced copy of this novel. Below you'll find my honest review.

Clef is such an interesting character and I'm glad we got to know more of his backstory, and the history of how this world got to the point it is at in the novels.

This was a pretty satisfying ending to the trilogy, but boy was it hard to read that last bit. You always know in war that not everyone will make it out alive, but sometimes you just hope that the plot armor kicks in!

I deducted a star because, for me, the first quarter of the book was really hard to get into.

All in all, a really good trilogy that I highly recommend, but please start with Foundryside and not this one.

This was the perfect ending to a perfect trilogy—so amazed it took me this long to discover Jackson Bennett—wishing him all the best in his career and hoping readers find this trilogy!

We’ve been waiting two years for this final book, and it does not disappoint! This book takes place eight years after the previous one, which was a little jarring, but in the grand scheme it makes sense. I was a little thrown off by the role that Berenice and Sancia play in this book, but I loved seeing how they have grown even closer in the years that I’ve gone by. The world and magic are well explained, like they always are from this author, and the introduction of the Cadences was really interesting. But my favorite part by far of this book (and I don’t think this is too much of a spoiler) is the greatly expanded role of Clef. We see a lot of things from his perspective, from his voice and his memories, and it was just wonderful to read!

Something I didn’t expect going into this one was the added humanity, for lack of a better term, that brought up so much emotion for me. I cried pretty much nonstop while reading the epilogue, and I had to stop a couple times to try to calm down and catch my breath. I tear up on occasion while reading books, but it’s a rare occasion for outright sobbing. The ending was just so well done and broke my heart to read.

Please do yourself a favor & read this trilogy, it’s just *chef’s kiss*

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

June was *the* month for anticipated fantasy sequels and rounding out my reading selection was Locklands, the finale of the Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett. I fell in love with Foundryside and the unique magical coding that was used to power all sorts of things from the mundane to the exquisite. Shorefall was an upping of the stakes and I rated it at 4.5 stars thanks to the amazing characters and worldbuilding. Unfortunately, as you can see by my rating of Locklands, I found the grand finale to be somewhat of a disappointment and here’s why.
First of all, while I don’t mind a timeskip when more of the same ol’ thing is going on, I DO mind one when it leaves me feeling like I’ve started a whole new series. Locklands has an eight year time skip and dumps you right in the action, surrounded by new characters, loads of new technology, and one hell of crisis. It was jarring and it got info-dumpy when it came to so many of the new terms, technology, characters, and even the new “country” Gizeh. So, right from the start I was put off, but the war against Tevanne (Gregor/Valeria combo) was interesting and it was easy to chug along despite my annoyance.
I found I didn’t connect with the new characters well - Delia was given the bare bones of a backstory and Greeter and Design, the hivemind characters, were fascinating in concept but I never acquired that emotional connection. It’s hard not to love Sancia, Berenice, and Clef though so that certainly redeemed things. Clef in particular was given his chance to shine in this installment and we get a great deal of his ancient past, long before he became the key. Long before there were hierophants, there were Namers who saw the sigils that make up the world and the dwelt in an ancient city. Clef, or Claviedes as he was known then, was one such Namer though the tale that led him to his current state is one of tragic proportions. I did get a little teary eyed during the latter portion of the book thanks to some rather touching/heartbreaking moments.
I ended up being satisfied with the conclusion of the trilogy, but found myself disappointed overall by Locklands. It was a jarring change of pace and I’m of the opinion a short novella (Founders Trilogy 2.5, if you will) would have been the perfect transitional piece to ease readers into the harsh new world in Locklands. For those interested in picking this up, please don’t let me scare you away from the series or this book in particular - I seem to be in the minority, as many other reviews are quite positive and it’s sitting at 4.12 stars on Goodreads!

Sancia, Clef, and Berenice have been waging the war that started at the end of Shorefall for 8 years against the hierophant Tevanne. The trio have essentially started their own new people, all scrived and connected to each other to allow for telepathic communication. However, the adventure, pacing, and overall tone of the the final installment of the Founders Trilogy was not at all what I had hoped for. Sanica and Clef, the two main and most beloved characters do not have much in the way of their own narrative. Instead, we read a lot from Berenice's point of view. While Berenice is a good character, she is not the main character that the readers are showing up for. As Clef struggles to remember who he was as a man, and how he fits into the grander scheme, we get only the barest hints of those memories, too few and far between. Sancia's thoughts are largely hidden from us, and the witty banter between Sancia and Clef is non-existent. Gregor Dandolo gets little in the way of a resolution, especially considering how much time we spent with him in the first two books, there is no chapter from his point of view at all. Overall, I'm glad to have finished this series, but the 3rd book lacks the magic and charm that the first two have, and I am left disappointed.

Sancia, Clef and Bernice have one final task to save the world from a god who can control minds and blink you out of existence. Using their scriving skills they have created a society that is a formidable opponent. However, it is not an easy job to take down a god and help is sought from a less than ideal recruit. Will it be enough to save the world as they know it?

The conclusion of the Founders trilogy, like the previous two novels, is well written and engaging. Characters are multifaceted and real. Humanity and human nature are a driving force throughout the narrative and I truly enjoyed experiencing the decisions and choices the protagonists make, both good and bad. The concept of scriving is further explored in this novel and continues to be a interesting and cool aspect of this world. Very happy with this series and final novel. 5 stars.

Review based on an Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley. Thank you!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it held up to my high expectations. This is a spoiler-free review and I want to talk a bit about the series as a whole. The Founders Trilogy was a ride, a strange amalgamation of fantasy, sci-fi and at times horror. The book has a unique and sometimes confusing magic system. It focused on plot primarily, but did not sacrifice good characters in its efforts to create a smart, layered story that felt wholly connect across three books and four (five?) years. It developed from a local heist run by a bunch of some-what funny low-lives to a national war led by deeply broken people. It had villains I sometimes found myself agreeing with on one page and absolutely detesting the next. This series took so many chances and I think, for me at least, created a well-written, memorable fantasy trilogy. Amazing.

Locklands, individually was not the best in the series, but it was the perfect conclusion to this decade long (plot-wise I mean) journey that our characters have embarked on. I loved every minute of it and devoured this 500 page novel in two days.

Things I Compare This To:
1. It really stands alone for me, but this series as a whole really compared well to Full Metal Alchemist, the manga/anime. The themes, pace, and even some of the "magic" really overlapped nicely for me.

Awesome Things About This Book:
1. The dark bit were very emphasized and fit perfectly in this book.
2. I loved all of the twists and turn. The characters really dealt with a lot of bullshit.
3. The dialogue was, as always, very smart.

Things That Could Have Been Better:
1. The explain-y parts dragged a little, but thats part of the deal with these books--you need the explain-y bits.

Would I Recommend?
YEP. Read it please if you're an adult that is. Please.

I loved the first book in this series, the second one was pretty good too but the third? It felt off. The change from book 1 to two was like linear growth, the natural progression of oh it's a people problem to oh it's a little more than that was excellent. But in book three, man, the change was exponential, making it hard to push through this book. The overwhelming influx of new things right away just left me confused and sad, of the things I was expecting from this book I can't quite say it was what I got. The time gap is reasonable but so many new characters, technologies, and a "change" in villains had me wondering what is going on. Bring about the new locations too it was all very stunning world-building but I felt like I was 3-4 steps behind the book the entire way. Just trying to catch up on what I was actually reading. I reread the series a lot and I know I will reread this series again this year most likely. When that happens I will read this book again with a fresh pair of eyes and a brain less confused. I really wanted this to be an amazing third book but it just missed the mark for me.

Thank you to the author, Del Rey/Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this free digital ARC. My review is voluntary and spoiler-free.

I loved the 1st two books in Robert Jackson Bennett's Founders trilogy and had been looking forward to the conclusion. I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint. The evolutions in the use of scriving made sense and I enjoyed the contrast between how the protaganists wove it into their lives in contrast with how the antagonists used it. Most of the POV focuses on Berenice, Sancia and Clef with smaller focus on other characters including Tevane and Crasedes.

I was sad about the changes to the team and the more serious tone compared to the previous two, but it was fitting for the subject matter. Locklands focuses on the continued war between Tevane and humanity. It also illuminated Clef and Crasedes' beginnings. It was darker than the previous books, unsurprisingly, and had lots of action and tension especially in the last 20%.

There were some heartbreaking events. Some of them affected me less because they happened offpage, between books or involved characters that were new to the trilogy and to whom I had not much connection. Some of them moved me to tears.

I wish there had been a novel or novella to bridge the gap between books 2 and 3, but overall I enjoyed reading it and was bittersweetly happy with the conclusion.

“We are a dream. A half thing. An unfinished work. There must be other versions. Better ones. And then none of this will have ever been real.”

What a thrilling conclusion to the Founders Trilogy. This has been one of my favorites to read and certainly one that is unforgettable to me. This was darker than the others in the series but still so enjoyable to be back with the gang. I loved getting to see more about Clef’s life too. I highly recommend this series!

Book 3 returns us to the world with Sancia, Clef, and Berenice. They have been at war for years with an enemy whose knowledge and power grows at every turn. Will our heroes survive?

If you have the time I would recommend reading the first two installments again- this is not what I did, and there were so many details that I had forgotten or missed. There is a lot of action and detail but it moves along at a good clip. Some of the detail I was able to skim by in some smaller moments.

Overall I loved the finale of this series. The ending is certainly bittersweet! I truly felt Berenice and Sancia’s love; I think this is one of the great strengths of this author. The emotion is embedded in the text and it just transports you to those moments. I also really liked the note at the end by the author and their experience during the pandemic and writing this book.

Loved the overall ending to this book and so happy to have been able to read it. Thank you NetGalley!

That epilogue though!!!!!

The conclusion of this book broke my heart! And, with that being said, it was still a great book.
The evil Trevanne is trying to kill the world while resetting things and who knows what all, it's a bit confusing for me at times. I can just say the big baddie in the book is destroying things and made me sad.
The gang is doing everything in their power to stop the evilness and yes, this involves some deaths.
We also get a great look into Clef's life. He's my favorite and it's really sad as backstories are sometimes.
Overall, I loved the book. I didn't love it as much as the first two but it's still a great book. I'm happy-ish with this conclusion. Sorry......sad people, just sad!

*Thank you to Netgalley for a digital copy of this book.

The Founders trilogy finally concludes here. I had a little trouble getting up to speed, and wondered if there had been an unusual gap between the second and third books, but not really. It's about the same length as well, so that does not explain my occasional impatience with the pace of the story telling.

The story takes place eight years after the events of Shorefall. Sancia, Berenice and Clef escaped from the ruins of the city of Tevanne--which has now become a conscious entity with God-like powers--and founded the floating city of Giva. It opens with the prelude to a battle, so for the most part the reader is just thrown into the new status quo. It is a scary situation, which finds the team winning by the skin of their teeth, and not without serious losses. Tevanne's ability to edit reality seems almost unstoppable, and he commands an army of human hosts who are completely in thrall to his will.

In the aftermath the team hatches a bold scheme: they decide to rescue the hierophant Crasedes from his Tevanne prison and kill him, so Tevanne will be unable to learn his secrets. This involves an espionage operation that almost works...but leaves them on the run from Tevanne, with Crasedes as an unexpected ally. Their new goal is to beat Tevanne to a doorway which leads behind our reality, to prevent him from attempting a reset of all of reality. This is about as high as stakes get, so there is plenty of drama. In addition to huge battles there is even a bit of the heist action that was so central to the earlier books.

In the midst of the darkness and death this installment also explores the early history of Clef (back when he was human) and his family. In the end the whole story can be seen as a kind of family drama, on an epic scale. A final brief Epilogue shows the transformation of human society in the new world of intimate connection, and concludes with a surprising reunion.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance reader's copy.