by Brandon Sanderson
Hardcover, 386 pages
Published September 24th 2013 by Delacorte Press (first published January 1st 2013)
ISBN 0385743564 (ISBN13: 9780385743563)
Series Reckoners #1
Blurb
There are no heroes.
Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.
But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.
Nobody fights the Epics… nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.
And David wants in. He wants Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning—and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.
He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.
Mini Review
Steelheart is a great premise. I usually really enjoy superhero books. Sanderson took that idea, flipped it on its head, and gave us a super villain book, showcasing the way power so easily corrupts people and leads them to give into a long list of other criminal habits. The character of Steelheart is really the best part of this book hands down. His blatant arrogance and the way Sanderson is able to make him exude evil every single time he appears on the page is amazing. And his weakness, when finally revealed, was unbelievably clever and unexpected I was completely blown away. With that being said, I didn’t feel like I connected very well with any of the characters, and the “bad puns” joke was repeated entirely too many times. It wasn’t really that funny the first time, let alone the hundred times after that.
I think there is a lot of potential in this series and a million different ways the story could go, so I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series. If you enjoy the Marvel movies like the avengers, and have a secret love for Loki from Thor (and villains in general), you should definitely check this series out.
Favorite Quote
"Never throw the first punch. If you have to throw the second, try to make sure they don’t get up for a third."
