Firefight (Reckoners, #2)

by Brandon Sanderson

The #1 New York Times bestseller and sequel to Steelheart from Brandon Sanderson, the author of Oathbringer, coauthor of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series, and creator of the internationally bestselling Mistborn trilogy, presents the second book in the Reckoners series: Firefight. And don’t miss Calamity, the exciting conclusion to the Reckoners series!
   Newcago is free.
   They told David it was impossible, that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet Steelheart--invincible, immortal, unconquerable--is dead. And he died by David's hand.
   Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life simpler. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And no one in Newcago can give him answers.
   Babylon Restored, the city formerly known as the borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic Regalia, Babylon Restored is flooded and miserable, but David is sure it's the path that will lead him to what he needs to find. Entering a city oppressed by a High Epic despot is risky, but David's willing to take the gamble. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David's heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic--Firefight. And now he will go on a quest darker and even more dangerous than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

Praise for the Reckoners Series:

#1 New York Times Bestselling Series

“Another win for Sanderson . . . he’s simply a brilliant writer. Period.” —Patrick Rothfuss, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The Name of the Wind
 
“Action-packed.” —EW.com
 
“Compelling. . . . Sanderson uses plot twists that he teases enough for readers to pick up on to distract from the more dramatic reveals he has in store.” —The A.V. Club

• ISBN10: 0385743580
• ISBN13: 9780385743587
• Publish Date: 6 January 2015 (first published 1 January 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Delacorte Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 432
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780385743587

Reviews

[batsysk]

Rating: 10/5 if it would be possible.

This book is simply outstanding! Surpassing even the first in the series and it left me eager for the next book. The characters and setting are utterly captivating, and the conclusion is nothing short of stunning. I can't wait to see if the third book will match or surpass this exceptional reading experience.

[maggiefan]

Brandon Sanderson did it again and I'm not surprised at this point.

[leahrosereads]

Rtc. Freaking awesome and am contemplating starting Calamity right now...even though I should really go to sleep.

[ross91]

David is amazing. Megan is amazing. EVERYTHING is amazing. And now I need Calamity ASAP!
David's metaphors rock!

[sstaley]

I read this the originally when it first came out and was blown away! This time I listened to the CD's
with my son on the way to work. We are enjoying listening to this together. It's been fun introducing the magic of Brandon Sanderson to him. This is one author that always knows how to deliver a winning novel to his readers!

[charlton]

I give this 5-star based on the previous book "Steelheart" which David wanted to be a Reckoner and was very driven that "Steelheart" was killed.

This is a new story with our Reckoners going to a different locale,New York City(git-a-rope).No, now it's called Babilar and they meet up with another Reckoner faction,all is well and good.
Then we meet the Epics,and there seems to be more than just 1 to hold your focus.But that's okay this is NYC right?
So without any spoilers I just think it fair to say there is sort of a power struggle.
New locale,new characters,new Epics...what could possibly go wrong?
I thought it was a great book,much fun,no sex,and the fight scenes were handled well. :)

[Angie]

Firefight isn't as awesome as Steelheart, but it was still quite awesome! The Reckoners have continued fighting off Epics who come to terrorize their city, but something is strange about the attacks. Soon they realize that someone is trying to draw out Prof. by sending Epics after his team rather than attacking him directly. So Prof, Tia, and David pack up and head to the city formally known as Manhattan. There Regalia waits, but what does she want? Is it a trap or does she really want help?

I really enjoyed Firefight, but it didn't have those same WOW moments as the previous book. In fact, I was quite annoyed with David's obsession with Megan. His heart is in the right place, but it's also kind of pathetic. Although his obsession does lead to some interesting discoveries. David's latest project is trying to find a connection between the Epic's weaknesses in hopes of being able to turn them good. He's definitely onto something, even if Prof. thinks it's just wishful thinking on his part. I am very interested to see how this all comes together.

As for the plot, Firefight is exciting, but it's also kind of all over the place. While I was totally interested in figuring out how the weaknesses work, and possibly where Epics even come from, I can't say that I was fully engaged in their fight against Regalia and her goons. There's some weird stuff going on in Manhattan, which undoes everything David thought he knew about how Epics work, but the actual conflict was a bit on the boring side. I never got that sense of tension and impending doom from Regalia.

Firefight was still really, really good though. The world-building continues to be excellent due to David's obsessive personality. I loved learning more about Epics, especially Firefight. There's a super interesting twist involving their powers that I did not expect! That's super, duper cool! I still don't like Megan, and David's "love" for her though, but I cannot wait for what comes next!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[wyvernfriend]

Not bad, David discovers that not everything about the epics is black and white, visits New York which is now Babylon Restored and has to face several epics.

[Rinn]

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher, Gollancz, in exchange for an honest review. Also posted on my blog, Rinn Reads.

Oh Brandon Sanderson, you’ve done it again. After finally reading and absolutely loving Steelheart, I couldn’t wait to move onto Firefight, and luckily Gollancz were kind enough to send me a copy. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to get round to it as quickly as I’d hoped, hence why this review is a little late, but wow was it worth the wait.
From the get go I was just as mesmerised by this book as I was by the first. With Sanderson’s fluid writing and magnificent story-telling, not to mention David’s absolutely awful and hilarious metaphors – and who else but Sanderson could get away with writing like that? – I was whisked back to Newcago with the Reckoners.

The majority of this story actually takes place in Manhattan, or Babylon Restored as it is called by this point, and I have to say, for a post-apocalyptic city, it sounded pretty beautiful. Apart from the whole murderous ruling Epic thing… In Babylon Restored, the water levels have risen so much that the skyscrapers poke out of the water like islands. Glowing fruit mysteriously grows all over the place, giving it an ethereal jungle vibe. The descriptions of the city were so vivid in my mind, like an urban Pandora.

There were some fun new additions to the team, Mizzy especially. One of the youngest Reckoners, excitable and clumsy, she tries hard to fit in with the rest of the group. I wasn’t sure about Exel, it felt a little like Sanderson was creating a character to fill the shoes of Cody, who was left back in Newcago. However, it wasn’t just some great new characters, but also new techology – the spyril in particular. A sort of water-powered jetpack, I could perfectly imagine David weaving his way through the concrete jungle of New York with it – although at times it did remind me a little of Super Mario Sunshine…

With some fantastic new Epics, such as Obliteration and Regalia, and a really dark and shocking ending, Firefight is an absolute blast of a book and a definite recommendation whether you’re a Brandon Sanderson fan, or have never read any of his work (although in that case make sure you read Steelheart first!). I CANNOT WAIT for Calamity – and this time I actually have to…

[kimbacaffeinate]

In Firefight, the Reckoners team travels to Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan. Here an Epic named Regalia rules. Regalia may be a tougher opponent than Steelheart with her clever cunning and mischievous schemes. David, Tia and Prof are busy trying to fight Epics and locate Regalia. David has ulterior motives for coming to the city though. Firefight is here and he believes he can help her. Prof and David do not see eye-to-eye causing friendships and the team to be tested.

David is a strong hero with this huge heart. He is passionate but this also causes him to be impulsive and naive. His outlook and willingness to risk for others makes him a hero you can truly root for. Prof is struggling, and despite bull-bullheadedness, he and David make a great team. Tia is just crazy, but I adore the girl.

I loved Sanderson’s rendition of Manhattan. Babylon Restored was a huge underwater city where folks live on the rooftops. Through imagery, he brought the city to life. Here we battle Epics, but also learn more about them and Calamity. The overall arc development shared things that only increased my curiosity. Sanderson does a wonderful job with character growth particularly David’s.

Sanderson knows how to weave a tale and begins with a hook, then slows down to fill in the details and slowly builds to a frenzy. He weaves in twists and turns keeping the reader fully engaged. I enjoyed the unpredictability of the story. The geek in me loves the unique abilities and freaky gadgets. Sanderson’s ability to give the book equal measure ensures he delivers four and five cup rating. He weaves in humor, action, growth, cool characters and geeky goodness creating that perfectly blended tale.

MacLeod Andrews was a brilliant choice for this series and one of the reasons I switched formats. His audio rendition showed David’s frustration, fear, hope and exasperation. It was brilliant and I loved how he captured the snark, banter and quick wit of the characters. Each character had a distinct voice, and I felt he brought them to life. I would have liked a female narrator brought in for the female roles, but MacLeod held his own and did better than most when portraying the opposite sex. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer