Locklands

The Founders Trilogy #3

by Robert Jackson Bennett

A god wages war—using all of humanity as its pawns—in the unforgettable conclusion to the Founders trilogy.

Sancia, Clef, and Berenice have gone up against plenty of long odds in the past. But the war they’re fighting now is one even they can’t win.

This time, they’re not facing robber-baron elites, or even an immortal hierophant, but an entity whose intelligence is spread over half the globe—a ghost in the machine that uses the magic of scriving to possess and control not just objects, but human minds.

To fight it, they’ve used scriving technology to transform themselves and their allies into an army—a society—that’s like nothing humanity has seen before. With its strength at their backs, they’ve freed a handful of their enemy’s hosts from servitude, even brought down some of its fearsome, reality-altering dreadnaughts. Yet despite their efforts, their enemy marches on—implacable. Unstoppable.

Now, as their opponent closes in on its true prize—an ancient doorway, long buried, that leads to the chambers at the center of creation itself—Sancia and her friends glimpse a chance at reaching it first, and with it, a last desperate opportunity to stop this unbeatable foe. But to do so, they’ll have to unlock the centuries-old mystery of scriving’s origins, embark on a desperate mission into the heart of their enemy’s power, and pull off the most daring heist they’ve ever attempted.

And as if that weren’t enough, their adversary might just have a spy in their ranks—and a last trick up its sleeve.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Adult, Science Fiction, LGBT, Queer

560 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2022

About the author

Robert Jackson Bennett is a two-time award winner of the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel, an Edgar Award winner for Best Paperback Original, and is also the 2010 recipient of the Sydney J Bounds Award for Best Newcomer, and a Philip K Dick Award Citation of Excellence. City of Stairs was shortlisted for the Locus Award and the World Fantasy Award. City of Blades was a finalist for the 2015 World Fantasy, Locus, and British Fantasy Awards. His eighth novel, FOUNDRYSIDE, will be available in the US on 8/21 of 2018 and the UK on 8/23.

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC was provided by the publisher—Del Rey—in exchange for an honest review.

Locklands is a truly inventive, emotional, genre-blending, and reality-defying finish to The Founders Trilogy.

“We’re all the result of countless actions and choices made throughout the centuries, and the odds of those actions and choices going the exact same way again are basically nil.”

There is no dancing through a monsoon. The stakes and villains of the series have reached a gigantic proportion, and our main characters will have to unleash everything they have and beyond in this final fight. Robert Jackson Bennett has done it again. Just as a reminder, I’ve been a fan of Bennett’s books since I finished The Divine Cities trilogy a few years ago. And to this day, I think he’s still one of the most (relatively) underrated SFF authors. This isn’t to say that Bennett’s books are generally rated low or something like that, but in the grander scheme of things, I think both The Divine Cities and The Founders trilogy are both series that needs to be talked about more frequently in the SFF community. Even more so now with Locklands being published.

“It’s like old times again... You and me against the whole goddamned world. There’s just a few more people on our side this time.”

The story in Locklands begins eight years after the end of Shorefall. This is a big-time gap, and I'm sure it won't work for plenty of readers, but overall it's a storytelling decision that clicked with me. Our remaining main characters are engaged in a Scriving War with the most powerful enemy they've ever encountered. And I will first note that I wish there was a recap section of what happened at Foundryside and Shorefall at the beginning of the book. Or somewhere, really. It has been two years since I first read Shorefall, and other than seven important characters in the series, I have to admit that it took me a bit of reading to remember who's who. Thankfully, despite the huge time skip and no-refresher, Bennett did a great job in revolving the narrative centered around Sancia, Clef, and Berenice. If it weren't for that, I think I wouldn't have been able to enjoy Locklands as much as I wanted to without rereading the series from the beginning. As it turns out, I ended up loving this one. This was a thoroughly bonkers and epic finishing volume. I wouldn't have been able to predict the scale of the series would ever reach this level of insanity and destruction. And I am incredibly satisfied by the ending.

“There are people in this world who learned the lessons I never did, the lessons that our son has learned all too late— that you are right. There is no magic fix. That a better world can only be bought by what we give to one another, and nothing more.”

You know the saying, the act of giving is better than receiving? This phrase is about to be heavily tested in Locklands. The main characters, Sancia, Berenice, Clef, and more, will have to be willing to sacrifice things precious to them in the war against Tevanne and the deadlamps. I loved how despite the significant increase in stakes and world-building scale, Bennett never sacrificed the characterizations of the main characters in favor of them. New characters like Greeter and Design played a crucial role in the final installment, but it did not feel like Bennett ever needlessly added these characters to complicate things. Never once I feel like Locklands did not deserve its volume. The Founders Trilogy is such a satisfying series, and looking back, I feel rewarded to witness how far Sancia, Clef, and Berenice have come since Foundryside. This last installment also featured a lot of food for thought. I am super limited in what I can say on this review to avoid spoilers. I can, however, say that Bennett dived deep into what it really means to truly know and access another minds and feelings all the time. No separation. No privacy. And the result? It is not all beneficial and positive, even if the person is someone you love.

“You’d swooped into my life like some kind of adventuring hero from a silly play, the woman said, all smiles and swashbuckling. You seemed bigger than anything I’d ever known.”

What the characters have fought in Foundryside and Shorefall were insane already, but they're nothing compared to how crazy the new enemy is in Locklands. For the lack of better comparison, if you have read or watched Dragon Ball Z, the kind of actions and battles there is exactly the kind of over-the-top battles you can expect from Locklands. Giant creatures, immortalities, flying entities, or advanced innovation leading to instant erasure; the reality-bending devastation is reached an unprecedented level in the series. Or plenty of other fantasy series, to be honest. Bennett continuously blends fantasy, horror, and sci-fi in his books, and it is honestly one of the things that made me love his books. It's all absolutely insane, unpredictable, and filled with revelations. I loved how immense the action and world-building get, and I am impressed by how they never felt out of place. I certainly enjoyed reading all the revelations regarding scriving and Clef in this book, and more importantly, I had a blast reading every page in Locklands.

“Yes. We have invented a new way to be human— one could possibly say that, yes. But we are still human. And watching those we love support us in our suffering… That is a trial for anyone, augmented or otherwise.”

I highly highly recommend this series. Locklands is one of my favorite books of the year; it's a bittersweet and satisfying concluding volume to The Founders Trilogy. With stories that circled around hope, cooperation, empathy, sacrifice, love, and innovation, Bennett has once again proved why he's one of the most consistently great authors writing in SFF. Let me repeat this once again. The Divine Cities and The Founders Trilogy are now finished, and I'm inclined to state that both of them are included in my list of favorite trilogies. I will close this review with an excerpt from Bennett himself regarding Locklands and The Founders Trilogy:

“For if the Founders Trilogy is about anything, I suppose, it is that the innovations of our species do not yield dividends on their own. They only bring prosperity when they are paired with a society, a culture, or a people who can use them to their utmost. A road cannot bring travelers if people refuse to let it be built. A printing house cannot bring wisdom if its readers decide they mostly prefer lies. And there is no balm or medicine that can bring health and happiness if the sick refuse to take it. If we find ourselves unable to take advantage of the many gifts that our brilliance has bestowed upon us, then it is my suspicion that there is no tinkering that can make those gifts function as they ought. Rather, it is upon the people to change themselves: to reshape, reconfigure, and rearrange the architectures of our societies— perhaps in small ways, or large— to allow prosperity and abundance for all to flow through. This seems like pithy precept, but it is the natural tension of our species for there to be some gap between our brilliance and our wisdom. The question is how far we should allow them to diverge, and what works can close that gap, and how fast they can close it.”

Series review:
Foundryside: 4.5/5 stars
Shorefall: 5/5 stars
Locklands: 5/5 stars

The Founders Trilogy: 14.5/15 stars

You can order this book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel

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[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

'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.'

not my favourite book in the series, but it sure is a pretty great finale!

this takes place 8 years after the events in the previous book and it allows for a sort of mini-restart to the story. it feels fresh and new. it doesnt follow a heist plot like its predecessors, but focuses more on defeating the bad guy. this installment also continues to integrate its fantasy version of programming throughout its world and characters. so this is very much the same story, just a tweaked version of it.

i really enjoyed the character development in this, especially for clef. i have loved him since the beginning, so it was so rewarding to get to read more of his backstory. he is also a crucial character for many of the themes in the series, so it was bittersweet to see how his own story concluded.

so even though i missed the heists and devious planning of the previous books, i think this is an apt and satisfying conclusion to a well planned and well thought-out series. ive said it before, but these are the perfect books to pick up for a reader wanting to get into fantasy because of how subtle and realistic the magic system is. the story is intense, but totally worth the binge read!

thank you so much, random house/del rey books, for the ARC!

↠ 4.5 stars

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 STARS

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 liked the book. I didn't love it as much as the first two and I was a bit bored. I'm happy-ish with this conclusion. Sorry......sad people, just sad!

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

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW: death of a child; mind control; self harm

I can’t believe I almost didn’t finish this series because I forgot how much I loved it. This is such a unique concept of fantasy science where the setting is fantastical but the magic is very much technology. It’s so cool. Also the arcs of this whole series and how they wrap up are ✨perfect✨.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 2 out of 5]

💀 DNF at 51%.

Actual rating: 2.75896489 stars.

Okay, I barely survived DNFing this book I just gave up on a Robert Jackson Bennett story😱😱😱😭😭😭 so let's try and make this as short and pain-free as possible, shall we? So. Locklands didn't work for me because:

① The concept behind this trilogy (scriving) is one of the most original ever. It is as fascinating as it is downright brilliant. The problem here is that this installment is ALL about the concept. It has completely taken over the story and little else remains. Yes, I absolutely love the idea of scriving but does that mean I want to read a whole book on its technicalities (complete with diagrams 🙄)? Nope.

② Robert Jackson Bennett’s writing is a lot more descriptive than what I usually enjoy reading but there is some kind of mesmerizing quality to it that sucks you in and draws you into the story. But this is not the case here and some of the chapters in this book were just too tedious to read and felt like they would never end. (I’m pretty sure I spent the last ten years of my life going through the first 20% of the book.)

③ RJB has created some of my favorite characters in fantasy (👋waves at Shara, Mulagesh, Sigrud, Sancia and Clef and Orso and and and👋) and he has a special talent for coming up with great casts, memorable interactions and fantastic dialogues. I’m not sure what happened here but the magic is gone. The characters I loved in the first two installments seem to have become shadows of themselves. They are pretty boring and bland, and I ended up not really caring about what happened to them 😱😱😱😭😭😭.

🔥 Newsflash! I think I know why part of the above-mentioned magic ↑↑ is gone! The thing is, one of the applications of scriving is twinning, which enables people to communicate mentally. It is a great concept and I loved what RJB did with it in the previous books (in which very few characters were twinned) but the problem here is that pretty much all the characters are now twinned and communicate "telepathically" (RJB uses bracket symbols to signal those dialogues, FYI and stuff). There are almost no actual conversations as a result and it takes a lot of liveliness out of the characters' interactions. Also, because of cadences—another application of scriving which I'm way too lazy to explain here you are quite welcome and stuff—some a lot of the characters in the story are pretty much robot-like and seem to be completely devoid of personality. That sure doesn't help the reader care for them. End of newsflash and stuff 🔥

④ I do like Berenice as a character but her POV just doesn’t do anything for me (she’s way a bit too dull and serious for my taste) and I wish RJB would have stuck to Sancia as the MC for this installment. (She seems to have become a secondary character here, which is quite outrageous if you ask me. Okay, maybe she takes over in the second half of the book but I didn't read it so if she did it doesn't count 😬.) Clef—aka the only boyfriend in key form in my High Security Harem—is as intriguing and entertaining as ever (he is the main reason I kept reading despite my total lack of interest in the book) but he simply isn't around enough. Life really sucks.

⑤ I miss Gregor and Orso. I miss Gregor and Orso. I miss Gregor and Orso. I miss Gregor and Orso. Oh, and by the way, I miss Gregor and Orso. (I could tell you why they still weren't around by the time I reached the 51% mark but that would be spoilerish as fish so I won't 😬.)

⑥ And I guess that's it because I said I'd keep it short and pain-free and if I keep going my review might end up being as loooooong and boooring as the book. Which it probably is already. My pleasure and stuff.

➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): yes, this book has a 4.20 average star rating. Yes, 99.99% of my evil nemeses friends lurved it. You know what this means, right? That I everyone read it right wrong, obviously.



Please don't ask.

P.S. Yes, this is what I call a Super Extra Short Review (SESR™).

· Book 1: Foundryside ★★★★★
· Book 2: Shorefall ★★★★★



[Pre-review nonsense]

I just gave up on a Robert Jackson Bennett book. I JUST GAVE UP ON A ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT BOOK. This either means that (choose all that apply):

a) Life will never be the same.
b) This is the end.
c) I shall burn in hell post haste.
d) All of the above.



Super Extra Short Review (SESR™) to come and stuff.



Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

A title!!! A cover!!! A release date!!!



Note to self: breathe, Sarah, breathe.

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

”It'll just go on. More fixes gone awry. The mad pride of men who think themselves engineers of all creation.”

Locklands is the final book in a series i truly do love.. but tbh, it’s also my least favorite😭. these characters are still precious to me though and all the emotions i felt while reading had me staring at the wall. basically, my main issue was the tone and the way some characters seemed to have lost a bit of their spark. it kinda felt like a whole different story entirely at times; especially with the 8 year time jump. but once i got acquainted with the newer characters and insanely huge expansion of the world and it’s villain(s) i couldn’t help but be pulled in all over again. the plot is also very fast paced— almost too fast😅. i ended up being confused more often than i would’ve liked.

“Yes. We have invented a new way to be human— one could possibly say that, yes. But we are still human. And watching those we love support us in our suffering… That is a trial for anyone, augmented or otherwise.”

Clef turned out to be one of the most complex characters in the whole series by the end.. it was just so amazing to experience his arc in this story, even when it was conflicting to watch. i have no words for how much i adore Sancia, her horrible situation pained me from page 1. i really don’t think this would’ve been the same without Berenice’s perspective, she’s the glue that held the group together. idc if he’s the villain, i loved every page Cresades was on— he’s such a compelling character.

“There are people in this world who learned the lessons I never did, the lessons that our son has learned all too late— that you are right. There is no magic fix. That a better world can only be bought by what we give to one another, and nothing more.”

i’ll mention that i was planning to give this book 3.5 stars until the last 100 pages or so.. which absolutely wrecked me. the ending was so bittersweet and satisfying but that epilogue?! help🤧. i would still 100% recommend this series to anyone interested and im sad it’s over already. i can’t wait to read all of this author’s other works.

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF@20%.

[Maisha Farzana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me clear one thing first, it isn't the book. It's me. I just expected something totally different from this book.

"The Founders Trilogy" is one of my favourite adult fantasy series ever. I binged the first two books within a week and absolutely loved them. "Foundryside" made it to my best books of 2022 list. So, naturally, I was too hyped up for the last instalment. I expected something epic, something supreme, harrowing and fast paced. I thought it would be another high stakes heist story. That is where I got it all wrong.

"Locklands", unlike the first 2 books of the series, isn't a heist story. It's much more plot driven than character focused. Tangles of conspiracy and political turmoil- these are the things than occupie most of the pages. "Locklands" kicks off almost ten years after the events of "Shorefall". Lots of things have changed in the mean time. The world has changed, our characters have changed..It just bothered me a little. I don't know why but everything felt new and unknown to me. I couldn't connect with the characters like before. Again, we don't get two of our main characters' povs anymore. I knew this would happen. Yet I felt disappointed. I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that...my favourite rag tag band aka the awesomest mischievous thieves aren't together anymore. Sancia and Berenice were amazing in this book. They were a lot more mature and contemplative. Still, it waa the same...

The romance received the centre focus. Even though these two girls are my favourite saphic couple, I was bored. And the pacing of the book also didn't work for me. I felt no interest in whatever was going on. Eventually, I ended up skimming through the pages and finish it with a lot of difficulty. I think the timing was wrong. I shouldn't have picked this book up right before my exams. My mistake...I still love this series though. I would highly recommend you to check it out. I may reread "Locklands" someday and may be I will enjoy it then....

The ending reminded me of "The Hero of Ages"....

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Locklands is the thrilling conclusion to Bennett’s stupendous Founders trilogy. It is one of those books -like the other two in the trilogy – which is jaw-droppingly great from the first page to the last. It is epic. It is awesome.

The Founders trilogy is a fantasy world dripping with the fantasy equivalent of computer codes. We live in a world where computer codes can do just about anything and often a smartphone in our pocket can access libraries of knowledge, passkeys, and more. The Founders world though is not an advanced science fiction spaceships and time travel type world. Rather, scrivings or codes are written by editors upon any kind of object, making arrows want to hit targets, doors want to stay closed, ships want to float on the ocean, or the like. At its base, such use of scrivings is fascinating and the ability to make objects want to act in certain ways like bricks that want to stay together to help a building’s stability is incredible.

But, by the time we get to Locklands, the work of the scrivings has been moved to a whole new level. Plates can be scribed and embedded on objects and twinned so that things done to one object can act like permissions on the twinned object. Plates can be placed in people to twin them with others to either control them one directionally or marry them telepathically when it goes in both directions. There is no end to what these scrivings can do or how one can argue with the scrivings to make them behave (or people behave) in ways that defy reality. Some of these scriving objects, moreover, have the ability to edit reality and carve it away.

Locklands takes us to a point where, like Sauron in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, an all-powerful entity has unleashed armies of followers upon the world, threatening to rip asunder all reality, and one little kingdom stands between the Dark Lord and the conquest of the entire world. We get here a band of intrepid warriors (or at least people brave enough to act as warriors) who seek to slip into the Dark Lord’s empire and do something in secret that saves the world of fails to.

This novel is filled with solid action from cover to cover and there is almost no let=up in that action from beginning to end as the stakes get higher and higher and the ability of the few left -Sancia, Claudia, Clef, and Berenice – to stand up to the greater powers doing battle around them are quite limited. Each of these characters -and yes a magic key is still considered a character – are well developed and put through trials and tribulations.

But perhaps the power of this narrative is that what we think of as reality is put into question as tools are used that defy all known versions of reality and warp things like gravity and density and individuality. This novel – like the two preceding ones- which might be helpful to read first- is simply mind-blowing. It is not just a fantasy story of swords and wizards and kingdoms but a full-on departure from the ordinary. And, isn’t that what we often seek in fantasy literature- not the ordinary, but the absolutely extraordinary.

[Hamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

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“No. There are people in this world who learned the lessons I never did, the lessons that our son has learned all too late – that you are right. There is no magic fix. That a better world can only be brought by what we give to one another, and nothing more.”

Foundrside ★★★★
Shorefall ★★★★
Locklands ★★★ 1/2

Unfortunately this was my least favorite in the series and I kind of had high hopes for the series. I read the first two books two years ago so I wish the author did a recap at the start of the book (Honestly this should be part of every fantasy series ever) because it would have my life easier reading this book. What I did was read the last few chapters of book 1 and 2 and then read some spoilery discussions online all of which helped refresh my memory of the series.

Despite of that, my main problem with this book was not my memory but rather that it was too technical, the best part of this series is the world-building because it is very innovative and unique but I think there was so much focus on it and that affected other parts of the story and mainly the characterization. I noticed that some stories are more enjoyable when they are on a smaller scale and when they get very big and on a world-wide scale they get less interesting for me and some examples include Arc of a Scythe, The broken earth trilogy, Skyward and more.

There is an 8 year gap between this book and it’s prequel and obviously important things happen in that time period which we get to discover retrograde throughout the story. The writing was okay for me, I did not really love it but did not hate it either. I tried finding quotes that I liked but there were not many and that’s a bit weird because I remember liking the writing of book 2.

The main problem for me was the characters, the focus on the magic system had two main downsides: First, it became kind of tedious and overwhelming to follow. Second, it was on the expense of the characters, Sancia, Berenice and Clef are still the main characters but I couldn’t connect to them as I did before and tbh there were some moments when I did in this book and those were the pages that I devoured the fastest but it all quickly fades quickly because as I mentioned before there was something happening involving rigs and lexicons and magic stealing the light of the show.

Summary: I think this series could have used a summary part at the beginning just because it has been two years since the last book was released and it is overwhelming to re-read or read the whole series consecutively. The writing was okay, the magic system was overdone and it affected the characters. I couldn’t connect to this story as much as I did before. I think the ending is very acceptable but the book was too long for that. This series ended up slightly disappointing me but I will give Bennett’s other series a chance.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Locklands
(The Founders Trilogy #3)
by Robert Jackson Bennett
This is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is my own opinion. I enjoyed the first two books and quite curious to see how the last book would end the trilogy.
The same characters are there to follow. But this book seems so much darker than the others. The scriving, magic, is not only for objects now but is used to control people. The odds are against the characters we like!
There is plenty of fantasy, unpredictable situations, and great characters to cheer on. Good world building too.
Some of the descriptions of the scriving was a bit too detailed for me but a great book overall. I did get very sad at times.
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book!

[Faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stuck with this trilogy only because of how much I loved the author’s The Divine Cities trilogy. I liked “Shorefall” more than I liked “Foundryside”, but I didn’t enjoy “Locklands” at all. I kept hoping that this would get better, but it didn’t. This book is just one long tedious battle, or preparation for battle, or the aftermath of battle. It was exhausting to read and really not the sort of thing that interests me. I starting skimming just to find out how the trilogy ends. 2.5 stars, rounded down for the way the ending dragged on. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[TS Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Jackson Bennett has done it again. I've now read two of his completed trilogies and both ended up among my favourites. The Divine Cities and The Founders Trilogy are both very different in flavour, but share the common ground of being genre-defying. Bennett is masterfully adept in creating an insanely intriguing and imaginative blend of fantasy, sci-fi and even touches of horror in his worldbuilding. While a lot of modern fantasy now tend to blend some form of science fiction into its worldbuilding, very few pulled it off like Bennett could in my opinion.

Locklands was an absolutely amazing and emotionally powerful conclusion. One which I did not expect coming from a heist plot in the first book. While the ending of Foundryside did imply that the story will become more epic, the scale in which it escalated from the sequel and finally in this climactic finale was astounding. I'm talking about the potential end of the world and insane level of powers battling all out in the skies.

This book started with a significant time jump after the events at the end of Shorefall. On top of that, there was also a shift in the primary viewpoint character from Sancia to Berenice. I found that some readers did not necessarily enjoy either one or both of these narrative choices. Personally, I was hardly ever bothered by time jumps so long as it serves the plot and the story that the author intended to tell. As for the shift in the main viewpoint character, I was also fine with it as Sancia was not one of my favourite characters. Don't get me wrong, I liked her but I'm not so attached to her viewpoint that I minded someone else getting more airtime. And Berenice was a great character in her own right.

My favourite character was one whom I only got to meet and know in the sequel, and just within that book, he quickly became the most fascinating and compelling one for me in the entire series. The story behind this supposedly villain and his motivation contained a strong thematic development on humankind's use and misuse of discovery and innovation. It also doesn't hurt that this character owned the most epic and badass scenes in the climactic ending sequence, all of which concluded on a very emotional note. My brain was a pile of mush, and my heart was aching, but I couldn't think of a more satisfying and appropriate conclusion.

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/4.5 stars!
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.

Locklands was a great conclusion to a fascinating and complex series! This last book in the series is about 8 years into the future after what goes down in Shorefall.

When I first started Locklands, it took some time to remember all the plot points, characters and occurrences that happened in the first and second book of the series.
I would have rated this a bit higher if I’d read it right after the second book in the series.
It took me some time to remember the world and the magic system of scriving.

If you decide to read this series, my advice is to read all three books right after the next.

The world building for The Founders Trilogy series is vast, complex and makes you feel a bit dumb. The art of scriving still blows me away with how it’s able to take a random object and turn its properties into something completely different.
I loved the whole concept of it and how this affects the main characters, the Hierophants or (Gods), and the world at large in this series.

The characters of Sancia, Berenice, Clef, Greeter, Design and others are all in depth and feel real.
I loved how Robert Jackson Bennett expands on the characters in this last book and keeps adding more interesting layers to the world and to the art of scriving.

The action in Locklands is nonstop and the conclusion was epic. I loved how the series ended, even if it did make me a bit sad.

Definitely check out this series if you love fantasy and sci-fi! This is a series that is blazing the trail on a new magical concept and it’s awesome!

[Maryam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Foundryside review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Shorefall Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


That epilogue :(

It is always sad for me when a favorite comes to an end. This is the one book I was waiting for this year and mostly it didn't disappoint.

What I loved about this book: Clef's story. How everything started and the way it ended made sense to me, except the epilogue of course. The innovations in this book, the society they made. These game me pure joy to read.

What I didn't like about this book : Freaking Crasedes Magnus becoming a sensitive, world loving hierophant, come on, I almost skipped his dialogues, he is even extremely polite in his conversations....

Also the Epilogue didn't make sense to me. I don't even know why Bennet decided to write it. I believe the book should have finished just after closing the door or maybe a month or two after the events.

Having said that, Bennet remains one of my favorite authors and cannot wait to read his next series/book.

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out my Booktube channel at: The Obsessive Bookseller

Locklands was a satisfying ending to a unique trilogy.

If I’m honest, I had a weird reading experience with this series. I read the first book, Foundryside, on a complete whim and absolutely loved it. Within days of finishing, an eARC of Locklands became available and I pounced on it without a second thought.

And then I read Shorefall (book 2) and did not enjoy my experience with it at all (in hindsight I’m thinking it was at least partially due to the lack of voice variation in the audio – everything was delivered in full voice and I felt like the book was screaming at me the whole time).

So there I was, clutching my ereader loaded with the final book in the trilogy and feeling absolutely no motivation to pick it up. But I’d committed. So I read it. And I’m happy to report that I enjoyed my experience with it a lot more than I thought I would.

I don’t normally preface my reviews with so much backstory, but it’s important to note that I went into Locklands almost begrudgingly, so my experience was skewed right from the beginning. In evaluating all three books as objectively as I can, I think Locklands will provide a better than 3-star rating for most readers who have loved the series up to this point. I, however, thought it was a good installment, but not quite on the same wow-scale as the first book.

Locklands brought back more of that awesome magic system involving infusing objects with predetermined commands. It’s such a cool combination of magic systems and I think what I liked most about this final book was seeing how all of the technology evolved over the series and the types of things the characters are able to do with it now by contrast. It’s a very satisfying growth arc, and readers who eat up books where smart characters get more adept at cool systems as the story progresses will likely enjoy this series too.

The book was also a great mix of high and low moments, with a culminating arc at the end which was a complete snowball of events. The book had more dynamics than the second one, and I appreciated that it at least gave me a few moments to breathe between hitting me over the head with action scenes.

Another thing I loved about the first book was finding out more about the lore of the world and all of the magic predecessors. Locklands did a great job answering some burning questions and giving more depth to characters we’ve been curious about since the beginning.

It also avoided excessive evil monologuing, which I appreciate tremendously.

So, while reading this when I wasn’t in the mood was a weird experience, one I’ll take more care to avoid in the future when ARC requesting, ultimately I’m glad I got to see how the trilogy ended. I think readers who are less cranky than me about the whole thing will enjoy it immensely.

Recommendations: if you like cheeky characters, cool & intricate magic systems, and loads of action and excitement, this series is a great pick. The audio worked well for the first book but I’d skip it on the second two.

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

Thank you to my Patrons: Filipe, Dave, Frank, Sonja, Staci, Kat, and Katrin! <3

Other book you might like:

[Andrei(Drusca) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the series

[Deborah Obida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it!

Lockland is the third and final book in the Founders trilogy. It’s better than Shorefall. Tevanne is more powerful than ever before. The events in this book took place eight years after Locklands.

Writing and World Building
The writing style greatly improved in this book. They are lots of new POVs. Berenice, Clef, and some other new characters have POVs. I love the addition of new POVs, which made me understand what was going on from different perspectives. The world-building is so amazing, the ones in the previous books were good, but this is just awesome. There were many new settings, and the depictions of these settings were well done. Then they are things defying gravity because of good scriving. The scriving style used in this book is better than all the rest. Everyone uses scriving for almost everything. There’s a new kind of scriving called pathing; people inject/swallow a piece of scrived metal, letting them connect minds with other people. How cool is that?


Characters
The characters in this book are so unique that it's easy to differentiate between POVs. Sancia, the protagonist, is a well-written character. I like her growth and development. She went from being a thief to a selfless human.

Berenice is another good character, she was bookish and scholarly in book 1, but now the war has come. She is not only a good scriver but also a good leader.

Clef the key, Clef has been a mystery since the first book. I’m glad the author finally told us his history. There were many revelations about his human life and how he became a scrived object.

I like Claudia, Polina and all the Cadence. Reading about it all was very refreshing.

Plot
Shortfall night is the night all the citizens of Giva can never forget because a godlike being destroyed their city and most of its citizens. Eight years later, that same being is conquering other human settlements. They don’t know the endgame of this being, but they know that it's very powerful, and they are the only ones who have ever fought it and lived to tell the tale.

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a magnificent, marvelous trilogy – full of wonders and complexity. The first book was arguably the strongest for me: the introduction to the world and its characters awed me and thoroughly hooked me. The second book and third book delved deeper into the hard magic system and the developing conflict – and generally broadened the scope immensely. It was a wild ride, set in a mind-boggling, complex world with characters to love – including an awesome sentient key. And finally, I have to say this avalanche of an ending left me completely stunned and also teary-eyed. I‘m glad I saw Brandon Sanderson‘s review and blurb on the cover and I will definitely read the author‘s other novels.

[Ivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly we got first Bennett's dud. Story itself isn't bad at all but it was predictable from first to last page and probably deserves around 3 stars. Worldbuilding is good and we again get some very weird and interesting ideas from Bennett mostly regarding hive minds and we get probably first truly non-negative view of it.

Problem are the characters and that is very surprising. As amazing as worldbuilding in Divine cities trilogy is I think that strongest part of it where characters. Turian Mulagesh is one of my favorite if not THE favorite character in fantasy, Shara and Sigrud where also super interesting characters along with Shara's former lover who's name eludes me. I can't believe that same author wrote those characters wrote Locklands.
Worst thing is that they all started as interesting characters but something has changed. Their relationships changed and there is zero chemistry between them. The became so whiny that at points I read this book same way I play (or played since I'm not much of a gamer last few years) action games, skip dialogue and go straight into action. Reading the dialogues and monologues was a chore and I thoughts about DNF-ing Locklands and least few times but I was willing to give Bennett benefit of the doubt.

[Terence · Rating 4 out of 5]

8 years have passed since Shorefall Night. The world has changed in horrific ways, but it has changed in tremendous ones as well. Tevanne has enslaved much of humanity by conquering cities and taking over the minds of countless victims. However humanity still lives. Sancia, Berenice, and Clef have saved many people and become the founders of the nation Giva. Crasedes Magnus also resists Tevanne's advances through the strength of his permissions over the world. The time has come that running and hiding are no longer options. Tevanne intends to reset existence entirely and appears to have the means to do so. Sancia, Berenice, and Clef must venture into the heart of Tevanne's territory to save their nation and humanity itself.

Locklands is a fascinating tragedy. I wasn't sure how the book would go after the vastly different first and second books. Foundryside felt tangible with a touch of incredible magic with scrivings, while Shorefall felt as though scrivings had the power to do anything at all. Locklands merges the two styles for a heart wrenching conclusion.

I really appreciated the character work done in the book. The power Valeria granted Sancia has been slowly stealing her life away, but she won't quit. She's strong and capable even in the face of insanity. Berenice is much the same while having to watch her wife waste away. Clef and Crasedes however stole the show. It was clear there was more to the talking key and his monstrous son, but I never imagined how much more there could be.

I was glad to see scriving continue to evolve even though the descriptions of scrivings in action grew tedious. Watching Giva's growth with scrivings made Crasedes and Tevanne feel more grounded. It wasn't as hard to imagine how the two beings could gain such strength. I wish we could have witnessed more of that in Shorefall because at the time Crasedes and Valeria felt completely unbelievable.

Locklands was a solid conclusion to the trilogy and I'm glad to have read it.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Robert Jackson Bennet won me over as a teller of unique and unusual stories when I was first introduced to him.  That continues as I read more and more of the book from his imagination.  Locklands is the conclusion to The Founders Trilogy following a group of characters thrown into new and increasingly dangerous situations in every book.  If you’ve read RBJ before, you know that not all the characters you love will make it out alive and sometimes huge sacrifices will be made.

If Foundryside introduced us to scriving (altering reality with a kind of program of sorts on objects i.e. wood made to be as strong as concrete, locks to open only for certain people, bowls to heat contents to a particular temperature etc.) and Shorefall showed us how it changes societies then Locklands shows us how it could be used for good or evil to achieve actual creation or destruction.  It has been eight years since the events of Shorefall when Sancia and Berenice’s lives were changed forever and a new enemy was born.  Tevanne has had time to spread and take over about half of this world while Sancia and Berenice have fought against him every step of the way and created a strange society of their own, Giva.  I really enjoyed seeing how time let some of the scriving abilities we saw through Shorefall develop and evolve into the societal structure of Giva.

Tevanne is scary, his/their goal is to open the door to the heart of creation and reset everything.  Go back to a starting point with no humans, no scriving and completely start over wiping out all of current existence.  Our team is fighting against a creature willing to sacrifice all of the humans at their disposal to achieve this goal and it is horrific.  Sancia and Berenice will need the help of an enemy and the son of Clef if they even have a chance of survival.

Locklands is really a book where Clef shines, which makes sense he is a key to the lock for the center of creation.  It really is his origin story and the rise of the Heirophants and how they became so powerful.  The story of Clef and his son was one I was really interested in.  We the reader learn why scriving can be so dangerous, not that as a reader you are not already seeing that.  The magic this time around is immense and fighting with it even more so.  But I missed a few of our key characters from the prior books quite a bit so some of the character chemistry felt off.

Locklands was a satisfying conclusion to a trilogy for me.  Trilogies are rarely perfect in their wrap ups to stories but, it wraps up our story well with many emotional moments that will stick with me.  This is not a ‘and they all lived happily ever after’ book.  This is a hard choices and sacrifices made with a hope for the best for the future kind of book.  I like those a lot better in fantasy as they feel more real.  I will say Foundryside is still my favorite book of the trilogy but the other two are very strong, unique stories that build on the magic I first found in Foundryside.

[Iryna *Book and Sword*]

Shorefall was a let down for me, but hopefully book 3 can bring home the gold!

[Chantaal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever read a trilogy ending book as audacious and massive in scope as this compared to where the first book started. And yet, it never felt like things were too out of left field. Every interesting world building route that Bennett took in the time jump here made sense, and it led to some wildly imaginative and exhilarating set pieces.

I read City of Stairs many years ago, and thought Bennett had an incredibly imaginative mind. The Founders Trilogy only increased my impression of him as a world builder and overall author. The world within these pages is just so impressive, blending fantasy and magic in a way that their growth together starts to morph into a steampunk fever dream of wild shit. Just great.

While I think overall Bennett's character work was the weak point of the trilogy (the time jump did the character work a disservice here, a bit), I still felt enough and knew enough about the few main characters that my heartstrings were well and truly tugged as this series came to a close.

If you're looking for some new and imaginative in the fantasy space, absolutely give this trilogy a try.

[Char]

I'm about 20% into this audio and I'm going with a DNF.

The magic has all changed from the 1st to the 2nd book, and I was mostly fine with that. Here, though, it's changing again, introducing even more new magics and I am just done.

No rating/no review/first dnf of the year.

[Algernon · Rating 3 out of 5]

[7/10]

CTRL ALT DEL

Reality is malfunctioning. An evil overlord cast in the Sauron mould believes he can solve the problem by shutting it down and starting it up again.

“A big, complicated pile of permissions. But when a lexicon starts to go haywire, because there’s something conflicting in the permissions ... what do you do?”
“You ramp it down and ramp it back up,” said Design with a sniff. “You see if it was just an anomaly. It might all work fine the second time. This is standard procedure.”

People have been messing about with the rules of physics for centuries, thanks to a technology that allows said laws to be rewritten as code in machines called lexicons. Merchant houses in the city of Tevanne have used these secret lexicons to gain control of the city and to dominate the commercial lanes [see the first book in the series]
A group of rebels led by Sancia, an orphan girl with special powers that talk directly to lexicons, is leading the resistance against the merchant houses, but in the second book of the series, the city of Tevanne is destroyed by a couple of power users of the lines of code that define reality, also known as hierophants and reputed to have already laid to waste several civilizations in the past. [see book two in the series]

The progression is a bit like the Star Wars epic: first a reluctant leader arises, forms a band of rebels and strikes a blow against Evil, then the empire strikes back and the rebels flee. Now, it’s time to destroy the Death Star [Sauron / Tevanne] for good, before he manages to reset reality for everybody involved.

... I’m starting to think you guys plan insane military raids all the time or something.

The ‘magic’ system implemented by Bennett here is combat oriented, which makes for some spectacular battles, with the biggest conflagrations and the most impossible odds reserved for the grand finale in this episode.
The warrior who is fastest and most innovative in the way he or she or it re-writes the laws of physics on the run will be the one to claim victory, but Sancia and her friends are doomed from the start, because their opponent doesn’t care how many people he kills in order to fuel his spells. They do have a secret weapon named Clef, which is a sort of virus code that can overwrite any ‘scriving’ command, as well as open any lock ever invented, even the ultimate door that hides the master code for reality.
But who really controls Clef? What is hidden in his past and why is it coming back to the surface at the most inopportune moments?

It should work. It’s basic twinning, which we know quite well

Sauron / Tevanne fuels his machines of destruction with the life essence of slaves/thralls/captured people. Sancia and the rebels must find a less reprehensible alternative, so they expand the ‘twinning’ method they used in the first two episodes from objects to people. Twinning is basically being in two places at the same time, or at least tricking reality to believe it happens. With people, twinning means sharing consciences, group-think and instant communication, at the cost of privacy. The main difference between the rebels and the hierophants is in the free will of the participants: slaves for Sauron and self-sacrifice for the rebels.

I really like the way the author manages to write a kick-ass action extravaganza without sacrificing the higher message and the metaphysical implications of his magic system. The whole series is intelligent, spectacular and filled with engaging characters.

The sight of two such enormous masses colliding was nigh-incomprehensible. It was like seeing two moons crash together in the night sky, a scale of destruction so tremendous the eye couldn’t make sense of it.

I would say my final verdict is a solid four stars for the whole series, only a little less satisfying than his excellent ‘Divine Cities’ trilogy, with a three stars slight disappointment for the final episode.
This can be mostly blamed on my personal preferences and not on the choices the author made: I noticed years ago that I very much prefer the first books in fantasy series to the last ones. One reason for this is that I am initially thrilled to explore new lands, new cultures and magical wonders, to get to know the heroes when they are just some underdogs struggling to survive in a hostile environment.
Almost inevitably, these underdogs get entangled in more and more improbable plots on bigger and bigger battlegrounds, until nothing less that total world annihilation will suffice for the last confrontation. And here is where the author loses me, with the plot twists and with the power upgrades necessary to defeat the evil overlord and the sometimes ludicrous deux-et-machina devices that save the day as time runs out for the rebels. It’s not only entirely predictable, it’s so far fetched that my suspension of disbelief packs its bags and goes on vacation.
I am being deliberately vague about what exactly happened with Locklands to trigger me off, although I might also mention that I really don’t like gratuitous cussing on every single page. But if am to remain an honest reviewer, I must confess that I have put down the book after every chapter in order to read something else, and I kept glancing at the page numbers to see how much longer I must put up with these hijinks , especially since the way the author tries to release the pent up tension is by getting sugar sweet maudlin with the love lives of the rebels.
Also in the name of honesty, I really like the way Bennet writes, and I plan to continue reading his books, maybe with lower expectations but with hope for a new original setting in the future.
Between maudlin and terrorized, the final word on the series can be a word of wisdom, that:

... there is no magic fix. That a better world can only be brought by what we give to one another, and nothing more.

[vee · Rating 4 out of 5]

“That’s how we all think of ourselves, as people in a tale. Living our stories. But if you live long enough, you see it’s not a story at all. It just keeps going. People come and go, like butterflies in the wind. Cruelties don’t always meet justice. And maybe you’ll never meet the end you wanted, or expected, or deserve. Maybe you’ll never meet an end at all. Eventually you’re just left with scraps. Pieces of unfinished stories. Threads of tales no one ever got to live.”

4.25 stars.

Locklands is a brilliantly crafted story of complex yet well defined war strategies, monstrous innovations, sea battles, impossible heists, and a formidable foe. this book is so dense in every way that it feels like i’m reading a different genre altogether, which is true because it’s actually genre defying. it’s a lot more sci-fi and action packed than the previous instalments but doesn’t stray off from important topics such as grief and the corruption of power.

THE PLOT
the pacing was excellent and there’s already so much happening in the first chapter. i’ll have to admit, i wasn’t a huge fan of the 8 year time skip after Shorefall but once i got past that slight friction, reading felt like a breeze.

other than that, the only complaint i have is the that the characters kept mentioning a ‘god’ since book 1 but we never get any explanation on who that god is. even though they weren’t a present character on page, i was still curious to know more about their nature or personality because whenever there are mentions of ‘gods’ in a fantasy setting, it’s always followed by some form of lore or myth to support that notion - however brief it may be, which is what i was hoping i’d get but didn’t.

THE CHARACTERS
berenice took the lead in this one with her ability to seize control over any situation very effectively just like a commander would. i admired her courage and fearlessness. she drove her team forward and expertly curated all the master plans. i’m seriously in awe with how well rounded her arc was!

sancia was kinda in the shadows a little at first but she quickly came to the forefront and her presence never felt lacking. even while burdened with a magical plate that’s literally sucking out her life force, she was still at the top of her game and strong in more than one way.

clef had his own POV and i was thrilled about it because we finally got to know his backstory! it’s something that I’ve badly wanted to discover since book 1 and my god his past was so heartbreaking to read! clef’s chapters were emotionally charged as his memories steadily returned to him. i always have a soft spot for non-human characters but he takes up considerably space in that department.

FINAL THOUGHTS
overall, i had a lot fun buddy reading this trilogy with my friend and i hope i could’ve given this novel the same rating as its predecessor but the ending was slightly underwhelming. i was hoping the epilogue would clear up some of my doubts but it left me with more questions.

anyway, i’d still highly recommend this series to readers who have a penchant for epic fantasy with unique magic systems and well written characters.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful and satisfying conclusion to this refreshing and inventive trilogy.

Locklands is a magic-infused techno-thriller with elements of cyberpunk and an epic fantasy chaser. The cover is telling: you, the reader, are peering through the cover’s keyhole into another realm, and opening the book will unlock its many secrets. This theme becomes especially relevant to the plot, as the stakes of the story involve rewriting the rules of reality itself. Good luck trying to guess what happens next. This is a blockbuster story, split into five parts, with each part presenting one long action sequence. It is tightly written and fast-paced, wasting no time putting you amidst against-all-odds battles. Ever since the opening pages of Foundryside, Sancia and her crew have been pulling off heists in one form or another. Locklands brings the story full circle by upping the heists to a level where the stakes could not be greater. It’s breathless, mind-bending fun.

Some plot spoilers for books one and two ahead.

Book three picks up several years after the end of Shorefall. Tevanne, an amalgamation of former ally Gregor and Valeria, is using its advanced scriving techniques to conquer the known world. All humans who fall under Tevanne’s path become part of its host army, to be used as sentries, warriors, or even worse: batteries. Sancia, Berenice, Clef, and some of the remaining Founders crew are part of a resistance group that are doing whatever they can to stop Tevanne from acquiring the means to re-write reality in its own horrifying vision. For years, Sancia and Berenice have been innovating to survive their fight against this unstoppable force and have built a new society along the way. Their own scriving method that allows for the “twinning” of minds has given this resistance society the means to have multiple bodies share one consciousness and work in harmony towards common goals. Contrary to how Tevanne occupies all its human hosts as one collective being, the resistance voluntarily shares their identities and souls with each other, linking to a chain of like-minded individuals who are dedicated toward their given societal roles. When two humans link, they share all thoughts and feelings, are able to see through each other’s eyes, and no longer have the need to speak aloud. Link more caretaking beings to this chain and suddenly you have a high-functioning medical unit who knows exactly how to run at full operational capacity and efficiency, with each person working perfectly in tandem, knowing the needs of everyone else at any given moment. It’s a huge sacrifice of privacy for the gain of unprecedented intimacy. Is this a choice the reader would be willing to make with their loved ones? There is a dichotomy that Bennett presents, showing the best and worst of this identity-sharing theme, and made me question what I would do if given certain choices that these characters had to make.

Although we spend a lot of time with our usual main cast, Clef was the primary focus for character development this go-around. His history was integral to the story; we couldn’t move forward without moving backward, and many of the questions raised in the earlier parts of the trilogy were finally answered. Testing the limits of Sancia and Berenice’s relationship was another major theme to this story, and you should prepare yourself with some Kleenex by the time the epilogue rolls around.

Boy, that epilogue. A heart-stomping piece of work that ties off this series beautifully. For as much of the story is an epic war of wit and machinery, there were a few emotional scenes at the end that are going to stick with me the longest. I’ll replay the awesome and creative battle scenes in my head, but I’ll feel the emotional avalanche of the epilogue for much longer.

Bennett has crafted a fitting finish to the Founders trilogy: one full of devastation, hope, torrid action, mystery, and brilliance. His scriving system of re-writing the rules to reality is one of the most creative, rewarding magic systems in any fantasy series I’ve read. Like The Divine Cities, the Founders trilogy smashes many genres into something wholly unique, fresh, and fascinating. I can’t recommend this author, or series, enough.series, enough.

[Aleshanee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aber wenn man eine neue Technologie erfindet, weiß man vorher nie, was die Leute alles damit anstellen.
Zitat Seite 128

Das Zitat spiegelt sehr gut wieder, was hier passiert. Aber die Hintergründe sind natürlich immens komplexer und ich muss meinen höchsten Respekt aussprechen für dieses ausgeklügelte Magiesystem, mit dem der Autor in dieser Welt experimentiert.
Wörter oder Zeichen, die magische Wirkung haben, kennt man natürlich. Aber die "Skriben", wie sie hier genannt werden, gehen schon etwas weiter: denn diese Skriben überreden sozusagen die Realität, anders zu sein, als sie sein soll. Ein Stein gewinnt an Schwere und Stabilität, ein Stoff weist Wasser ab ... um mal ein banales Beispiel zu nennen.

Nach den letzten Ereignissen sind nun 8 Jahre vergangen und diese Technik hat einige Fortschritte gemacht. Ich muss leider gestehen, dass es mir etwas schwer gefallen ist, wieder in all die Details der Handlung zu finden bzw. mich genau zu erinnern, was "damals" passiert ist.

Die Fähigkeit, sich mithilfe der Skriben auch geistig zu verbinden, hat große Fortschritte gemacht. Diese sogenannte Geistkopplung lässt die verbundenen Menschen die Gefühle und Gedanken miteinander zu teilen. Eine schöne Vorstellung - aber natürlich auch eine erschreckende. Aber diese Entwicklung hat der Autor auf sehr grandiose Weise aufgezeigt und wieder viele originelle Ideen eingebracht, die das ganze sehr authentisch wirken lassen.
Die ganzen technischen Details hab ich nicht immer durchblickt, muss ich zugeben und bin einfach davon ausgegangen, dass sie logisch sind. Das gestehe ich dem Autor durchaus zu, weil es sich nie unlogisch angefühlt hat. Das ist wahrscheinlich auch dem Umstand geschuldet, dass ich mich an vieles nicht mehr erinnere, was in den Vorbänden passiert ist.

Allerdings hatte natürlich auch der Gegenspieler, die "magische Wesenheit" Zeit, sich weiter zu entwickeln und so rückt ein Ende immer näher, wie auch immer dieses ausfallen wird.

Von Anfang an ist viel Action angesagt. Auch wenn die Handlung an sich langsam vorangeht, fällt das gar nicht auf, weil doch so viel passiert, dass man ständig unter Anspannung steht. Immer neue Entdeckungen werden gemacht, die ein sofortiges Handeln einfordern und Entscheidungen nötig machen, die die Zukunft der ganzen Welt betreffen.

Dazu kommen die Erinnerungen von Clef, die plötzlich auftauchen. Clef, der magische Schlüssel, dessen Rolle bisher ja lange im Dunkeln blieb.

Es stehen Schlachten bevor, geheime Missionen, Tricks und komplizierte Manöver, um die magische Wesenheit zu überlisten und besiegen zu können. Es gibt kaum einen Moment zu verschnaufen und deshalb fliegt man regelrecht durch die Seiten!

Was im Klappentext allerdings mit dem Verräter in den eigenen Reihen gemeint ist hab ich nicht verstanden. Ich dachte das wäre wieder ein doofer Spoiler - andererseits fand ich es interessant zu wissen um vielleicht herauszufinden, wer dieser Verräter ist. Vielleicht kann mir das ja jemand verraten, der den Band schon gelesen hat...?

Jedenfalls fand ich es einen grandiosen Abschluss der Reihe, weil ich die Ideen total faszinierend fand. Ebenso die Charaktere, ihre Verbindungen und wie sie agieren, um diese Welt zu retten, die hoffnungslos verloren scheint. Dazu der Schreibstil, der flüssig zu lesen ist, trotz der vielen komplizierten Vorgänge und durch den man sich immer mitten im Geschehen fühlt.

Am Ende wird auch alles aufgeklärt und der Abschluss ist zwar ein bisschen rührselig, aber das haben sich die Figuren nach diesem höllischen Fiasko auch verdient :)

Weltenwanderer

[Carole (Carole's Random Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/

I enjoyed this book! It wasn’t my favorite from the trilogy but still a very solid book and a fitting end to the trilogy. This book picks up a few years after the events of the previous book and a few things have changed for our core group of characters. This book had a whole lot of action and excitement and there were times that I wondered if Sancia, Berenice, and Clef would ever catch a break. There are some surprising moments and we do learn more about the past. I love this world that Robert Jackson Bennet has created and found it fun to escape for a bit with this entertaining trilogy. I listened to the audiobook and thought that Tara Sands did a fantastic job with all of the character voices and added to my overall enjoyment of the story with her narration.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Del Rey and purchased a copy of the audiobook.