Reading order
The Founders Trilogy reading order
1
2
3- 3 volumes
- Volumes
- 2018–2022
- Published
- about 30 h
- Reading time
- Ongoing
- Status
- Fantasy#57
- Genre
Quick answer
Publication order
3 volumes2018–2022Ongoing
- A heist fantasy where magic works like computer code written onto objects.
- Foundryside, the first book, is clearly the best-rated; Shorefall and Locklands turn into a darker, larger war story and rate lower.
- Read in order — it is one continuous plot.
A plan for the whole series
3 volumes, 1,736 pages, about 30 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 6 weeks.
Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: medium
- From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 3, “Locklands” (by 44%). Plan your break after volume 2, before the series plans it for you.
- Readers scored volume 2, “Shorefall”, below its predecessor (7.9 after 8.4). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you.
- The series is still running; the last volume came out in 2022. You will wait for the next one anyway, so no need to rush.
Stages
2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 26, 2026, 9 days later than in one go.
- Stage 119 habout 4 weeksby November 30, 2026
- BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.0
- Stage 213 h17 daysby December 26, 2026
- The end of the series
We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.
Does the series hold up
Shape of the series: best at the start. Readers scored the first volumes (8.4) above the last ones (8.0).
Best volume: Foundryside (8.4, 577 ratings). Weakest: Shorefall (7.9). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 2 and 3: 44%. The series is not finished; the last volume came out in 2022. The last volume (8.0) scores close to the series average or above it.
How this plan is calculated
The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →
Every volume in order
Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 31, 2026
The Founders Trilogy books ranked, best to worst
- 1.FoundrysideBook 1 · 20188.4
- 2.LocklandsBook 3 · 20228.0
- 3.ShorefallBook 2 · 20207.9
Frequently asked questions
Which Founders Trilogy book is the best?
By reader score, Foundryside (8.4/10). The lowest-rated is Shorefall (7.9/10).
Which The Founders Trilogy book is the longest?
“Locklands” is the longest at 684 pages; the shortest is “Foundryside” with 503 pages.
What should I read after The Founders Trilogy?
Other series by Robert Jackson Bennett: Magic & Mystery, The Divine Cities, Shadow of the Leviathan.
