Steelheart (Reckoners, #1)

by Brandon Sanderson

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.

• ISBN10: 057510399X
• ISBN13: 9780575103993
• Publish Date: 26 September 2013 (first published 13 September 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 29 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Gollancz
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joséphine]

Initial thoughts: Steelheart offered good old superhero fun, except in an upside world — the superheroes were the villains. It's probably not fair to compare this to Mistborn which is adult fantasy as opposed to Steelheart which is young adult science fiction. The intended audiences are different, even if they intersect. Yet, I couldn't help it.

I expected something little more complex. On the other hand, this one was from the first-person point-of-view, and the narrative tone from David was consistent with the way he spoke. While I wasn't a fan of his terrible metaphors, and the made-up curse words (What does "slontze" even replace?), I do give props for a thoroughly developed character.

Plot-wise, Steelheart had its moments. Epics were shrouded in mystery that was systematically uncovered as the Reckoners planned their next move. The interaction among the characters were entertaining and varied. However, I didn't end up loving >i>Steelheart also precisely because of their interactions. I found they made the plot a tad bit too predictable.

That being said, I'm sure I would've adored this book if I had read it five years ago when it was first published.

[sstaley]

I forgot how much I loved this book! I enjoyed listening to the CD version this time
as my son and I traveled back and forth to school each day.

[justine_manzano]

I had been told to read this book several times in the last year or so, and never got the opportunity, until it managed to fill a spot on a reading list I was trying to complete this year. I had the audiobook, so I listened on the train that day, and I was immediately sucked into the story.

Sanderson does an amazing job with creating this world where Epics either rule or destroy. While he paints on interesting picture of power systems and weaknesses, he is even better at creating the more small scale atmosphere of Newcago, formerly Chicago, where the Epic named Steelheart has turned everything to steel. As the Reckoners, regular people who are fighting to kill the Epics, trudge through the steel understreets of Newcago, the reader is transported to a world where anything is possible...and it's all terrifying.

Add to that fast-paced action, memorable characters, and both tragic and comic moments, and you've got a book that will leave you yearning for more.

How can you tell? I was supposed to read the next book on my list. Instead...I'm reading the sequel.

[leahrosereads]

Really 4.5ish stars.

RTC...I hope.

[Amber]

This review was originally posted on Books of Amber

This is going to be a mini mini review because I don't have much to say about Steelheart, and to be honest I'm just sad about not liking it.

Steelheart didn't feel like a Sanderson book to me at all. I'm not entirely sure why. Possibly the real world setting? Maybe because Sanderson's writing style seems to have adapted somewhat to a different audience. The Mistborn books and The Stormlight Archive are very much adult fantasy, whereas Steelheart is 100% YA.

I didn't care for any of the characters. The main guy, whose name escapes me, was awful. I wasn't sure if Sanderson was going down the austism route or not with this character, but if he was then he did an awful job of it. And then there's an awful romance filled with instalove and just awful and awkward scenes. I hated it.

[Angie]

I think there was a mini explosion in my brain due to awesomeness. Steelheart is intense, exciting, and...awesome! I was nervous because of the hype, but I was hooked from the prologue! I loved this future! I loved that the superheroes were all actually super-villains, and that the superheroes were just humans! And I loved how much of a nerd David was! He's been completely obsessed with Epics since Steelheart murdered his father ten years ago. He's dedicated his life to studying all things Epic, and various other subjects in order to understand them better. And now it's time for him to get his revenge.

Steelheart is most definitely my favorite superhero book to date. Like, it is seriously completely awesome. I was not bored or confused even once. I was, however, antsy as heck once the battle between the Reckoners and Steelheart drew closer. Most of the book is dedicated to them carrying out David's plan, even though they're missing the most crucial piece: Steelheart's weakness. Every Epic has one, but he seems completely unbeatable. I had a theory, David had a theory, and we were both semi-correct, but not really. It's a pretty great, yet simple weakness. But holy crap.

There are twists after twists! And reveals after reveals! And I saw none of them coming! They're not even huge reveals and twists that seem to have come out of nowhere. It's just...stuff that makes perfect sense, but people are so blind and caught up in other things that they don't see it! I was like WHAT?!?! And I then I was like WOAH?!?! And then I was like OMG!!! Those last few chapters are intense.

So, Steelheart was an epic book about Epics. I most definitely, thoroughly, fully enjoyed it. The world building is pretty awesome, even if no one knows how or why these powers suddenly manifested. I suspected that will be revealed in time, at least I hope. I'm worried for Newcago now though, but luckily I had Firefight handy to find out what comes next!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[charlton]

Steelheart

This being my first read of Brandon Sanderson,I really liked it.His development of characters,and you didn't have the uncalled for sex.Plenty of action kept it a fast paced book

[Rinn]

Also reviewed on my blog, Rinn Reads.

You know those sorts of books that you go into, expecting to really enjoy – you know you love the author’s work, the premise sounds amazing – but then they pretty much blow everything out of the water and are somehow even better than expected, defying expectations?

Yep, that was Steelheart.

I haven’t been a Sanderson fan for as long as some – my first read of his was [b:Elantris|68427|Elantris (Elantris, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388194739s/68427.jpg|2908871], at the end of 2013, followed by [b:The Final Empire|68428|The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1421302300s/68428.jpg|66322] at the beginning of 2014. From then on I knew this was an author whom I had to read as much of as possible. I love superheroes and superhero stories, so when I heard about Steelheart I knew it was the book for me.

You can’t go into this book expecting Sanderson’s usual style of writing. This is a Young Adult book, and the tone is so different. I really hope that doesn’t put many of his readers off, with the stigma that YA fiction sometimes has, because they will really be missing out. As with the Mistborn series, the action scenes are fantastic, and I had such a vivid image of every part of the book in my head.

I loved the variety of characters. David, with his awful metaphors, was hilarious. But he was also determined and dedicated, having spent the past ten years researching Epics so he could get revenge for the murder of his father. The Prof was a bit of an enigma, and I look forward to finding out more about him. Cody was an odd one, with his Tennessee-accented Scottish slang, occasionally mixed with Irish, and I really felt myself warming to this silly man very quickly. Tia was this awesome, super-smart one-woman force who I totally wanted to be. I’m interested in seeing more of Abraham, because he may seem gentle and quiet albeit armed with a rocket launcher, but I reckon with the right situation he could turn into a total badass and go completely crazy. And Megan… well, she is one dark horse.

I had my suspicions about how events might unfold, what secrets were being kept, and despite the fact that I managed to guess a small part of the end, I was still surprised in so many ways. The last 10-15% of the book was just phenomenal, with a huge face-to-face showdown and so many different twists and turns. I was pretty much sat there with this look on my face the entire time:



The other day, I received a copy of [b:Firefight|15704459|Firefight (Reckoners, #2)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413220816s/15704459.jpg|21979689] in the post from Gollancz, and I am SO HAPPY BECAUSE I COULD NOT WAIT MUCH LONGER TO READ IT AFTER THAT CONCLUSION. Fangirl mode very much activated.

[adamfortuna]

Not as deep a world at Mistborn or The Stormlight Archives, but Steelheart starts what promises to be an interesting world, filled with villains and heroes. Unlike the Marvel and DC worlds, heroes in this world are general mortal, while villains have unexpected powers which defy physics. With each power also comes a weakness, which can be used to bring them down. For being as short as this was (half the length of Mistborn), it had an impressive story arc. I'm looking forward to seeing where this series goes.

[jnikkir]

This "review" is for the audiobook version - if you want to read my full review of the book itself, go here!

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I usually don't do reviews for audiobook re-reads - I usually just let my original review stand. BUT, I have to say something about this one, because it was SO. FREAKING. GOOD.

MacLeod Andrews is my new favorite narrator.

I loved Steelheart when I first read it, but re-reading it via audiobook was a totally different experience. Everything about Andrews' narration was PERFECT. Characters were brought to life in ways I hadn't experienced the first time - the emotions Andrews brought to the table were just... like...

I don't even know, you guys. This was awesome.