Brandon Sanderson

Steelheart (Reckoners 1)

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.

Steelheart

Luke Harkness

An easy read with lots of potential

It might be odd to refer to a book as having "lots of potential" when there are already two sequential books out but I mean this in that I look forward to reading the follow up books and that they meet my expectations. The characters were great (as always with Sanderson) and the story had a little intrigue. There were a few loopholes that I hope are filled in and made a little tighter, but other than that, it's a great and easy first book in the series.

Vicky  Nuñez 

Brandon Sanderson is such a master story teller. I honestly thought I knew what was going on until he proved me wrong and I can't even be mad when it makes perfect sense because so many hints were dropped. 
Basically, every single Brandon Sanderson book.
If you haven't read any of his books: try it. You'll become addicted. 
If you have: this is just as great. Read it.

Melissa Railey

What a terrific book! It was creative, unique, and fun. I loved David's internal monologues. The discussions about word usage. Parts of the book seemed so tongue-in-cheek. Yet it was a wonderful fantasy world. It was a well developed world. I loved that David didn't have any magical powers and that he fought the Epics using his brain and his street wise smarts. I also appreciated the way that Sanderson wasn't afraid to kill off characters. Macleod Andrews did a wonderful job with the narration. This audiobook is well worth the time.

Sercan Y.

Kitap düşünülenin çok dışında bir süper kahraman hikayesi anlatıyor. Güç ve iktidarın adalet değil kibir ve zorbalık getirdiğini bizlere gösteriyor. Karamsar bir süper kahramanlar dünyası anlatılan.. Genel olarak başarılı buldum kitabı.. Brandon Sanderson yeni fantastik yazarlar içinde en çok beğeni toplayan isimlerden biri; bu kitapta ise dümeni bilim-kurguya kırmış ve göz kamaştırıcı olmasa da sağlam bir apokaliptik bir kitap ortaya koymuş.. Kitabın filme çekilme çalışmaları devam ediyormuş bu arada, 2016 sonlarında yüksek bütçeli bir hollywood filmi ile izleme olasılığımız yüksek..

Melissa Palmer

Book #101 Read in 2013
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (YA)

This is the first book in a steampunk, young adult series. Not my usual genre, but I ended up liking this one. Set in what was once Chicago, there are now "super-powered" people called Epics in charge...and most are not especially nice. Steelheart is the supreme ruler and a young man named David has studied him for years....in order to exact revenge against Steelheart for killing his father when he was a boy. David joins a rebel group called the Reckoners and enlists their help in bringing down Steelheart. The rebel group has many interesting characters in it and they throw themselves into David's fight.

This book, while a little slow in the middle, was a decent read. The premise is an interesting one and the Reckoners, including David, were interesting and complex characters. There was a lot of action in this book, some humor and a hint of romance. I will read the second book in the series, coming out in the fall of 2014.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

It's good, the twist was well executed, you're always thinking, that's definitely his weakness to and the kill was pretty clever as well. I wish there was more goofy epics though, I forget his name but the guy that can fire any gun infinitely, I wish there were more unique ones like that. Cool read though

Vodysly 

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.

Jamieson

This book was such a fun read ! It was exciting and fast paced, and really well paced. There were no moments where I felt this book fell into a slump. I absolutely tore through it, it was action-packed and had fun twists and turns at every page. 

Steelheart is about a futuristic world where an event known as "Calamity" has gifted certain people called Epics extraordinary powers. These Epic's, however, do not use their powers for good. They're basically all kind of evil. The protagonist, David, wants revenge on one of the most powerful Epic's, Steelheart, who killed his father. He is the only known person alive who's seen the ( believed to be ) invincible Steelheart bleed, and he's determined to use that knowledge to take Steelheart down. 

He joins up with a group known as the 'Reckoners', who fight Epic's and convinces them to help him in his fight against Steelheart. 

This book was so fun, but it did have some character issues, I thought. Although I loved the plot, some aspects of David's character were borish, and his obsession with one of the Reckoners, Megan, was annoying. His love for her was based quite heavily on her appearance, and it was a very 'love at first sight' cliche which really bothered me. Beside that he was a good enough character and had some positive characteristics but I found him to be the least interesting character in the book. 

Other characters were quite enjoyable, and their complexities are slowly revealed throughout the novel. The twists throughout the book and concerning the characters was probably my favourite thing about this book, and one of them made me actually gasp, honestly. 

I really enjoyed this book!! This was one of those books where the ending just comes together so nicely and leaves you wanting for more and wondering how you missed so much. The way all the loose ends and big reveals came together so nicely was great and I love that in a book. I only take off one star for the poor way I think the woman were handled in the book and for the main character being, at times, just annoying.

Hace diez años sucedió una calamidad, una explosión en el cielo que otorgó a hombres y mujeres poderes increíbles. A estos hombres se les empezó a llamar Epicos. Estos superpoderes empezaron a poseer a las personas, pero sólo la gente malvada los tiene. E

Stef

Epic story from the beginning to the end of the book. Finally, find fantasy book with fullpack action and well developing plot and character.

Ilse

This book was fun to read, though rather predictable and more suitable to a younger audience. The premise is fun, the plot reads through easily, and the character banter is amusing enough. The romance, however, was a lot of cringe, yet does suit an awkward teenage boy, so there 🤷‍♀️

Ryan LaFerney

Steelheart is a fast-moving, action-packed, clever take on superheroics, set at a time after supervillains have taken over the world. Sanderson gives us a fantastical groups of villains (called Epics), though once human have been granted a cornucopia of staggering abilities and instead of benefiting human kind decide to rule it.

It’s been a while since an opening chapter has captivated me the way Steelheart’s was able to. It was a great introduction to the humanity and guise of the Epics and it reminded me of Christopher Nolan's Batman films. Noir themes dominate Sanderson’s world. A city (NewCago) in perpetual darkness, clothed in steel, cold, hard and enduring is ruled by the Epic Steelheart. The book itself is a nonstop thrill ride that begins with the killing of our protagonist David’s father 10 years before and roars through car and motorcycle chases, secret missions, huge explosions and hails of gunfire with high-tech weaponry to a climactic battle with Epic Steelheart. The story throughout traces how 18-year-old David Charleston manages at last to make contact with a cell of Epic-killing Reckoners led by legendary mastermind Jon Phaedrus in order to exact revenge on Steelheart for the killing of his father.

 The characters are interesting but also a bit shallow and the twists and turns leave you guessing right up until the end. Sanderson may not be taking himself too seriously with the novel but he manages to flesh out something fascinating, harsh, and non-infantile in the process. This is the superheroic novel we've been waiting for. 

Sick of seeing Captain America do good? Batman never kill? Here's a book for you.

Todd Luallen

I really enjoyed this story, and I highly recommend it to those that like a little sci-fi/fantasy and YA fiction. I especially appreciated that Brandon Sanderson keeps his stories clean. I'm so tired of picking up a highly rated sci-fi novel only to hear copious amounts of foul language and sexual innuendo. Steelheart is a perfect example of a book that has plenty of action, hard-core military type scenes, and yet doesn't need to use foul language and sex to tell a compelling story. Mr. Sanderson is a class act, and I will be recommending this book to all that I know.

Amanda

This book was amazing! It took me a while to read it, but that was nothing to do with the the book. I was hooked from the word go and hooked right until the end. And that ending!!! Cannot wait for the next book I think it will be just as epic!

Julie Janis

Really liked this story! I loved the characters (especially David and Megan) and the unique plot! Definitely different from your normal superhero story. I did have a hard time following along with the action scenes (no surprise there), but the general plot and characters were what kept me reading. Can't wait for the next book!

Sonja H

Da ich bisher noch nichts von Sanderson gelesen hatte und mich nicht sofort an ein Fantasyepos wagen wolle, griff ich zu diesem Buch, das nach netter und leichter Unterhaltung klang.

Ich war überrascht, wie schnell ich in die Geschichte, die eigentlich ein Comic in Prosaform ist, hineingezogen wurde. Dabei würde ich mich nicht einmal zur Zielgruppe zählen: Bösewichte mit Superpower, wilde Schlachten, ein Junge, der seinen Vater rächen will, technische Wunderwaffen, halzbrecherische Verfolgungsjagden – alles eher etwas für 10 – 16-Jährige.
Doch auch mir hat diese Story sehr viel Spaß gemacht, Nie wurde es langweilig, aus unsicheren Kindern, die sich im Kampf gegen das Böse zusammengetan hatten, wurden mutige Helden und am Ende gab es die Hoffnung, dass auch die Bösen wieder zu Guten werden könnten.

Eine gute Geschenkidee insbesondere für heranwachsende Jungs, für die es nicht immer leicht ist, ein gutes Buch zu finden.
Aber auch für alle Erwachsenen geeignet, die nie die Superhelden ihrer Kindheit vergessen haben.

Vilde

A thrilling and exciting ride in an incredible world that the Reckoners series is set in. I loved everything about Steelheart, and I'm looking forward for the sequels that are to come.

Emi Gilmore 

There's this hype about Brandon Sanderson that I haven't been able to escape. And, unable to get myself a copy of the Mistborn trilogy, I decided to read Steelheart to know what the fuss is about. 

For the first good chunk of this book, Steelheart wasn't anything special to me. My favorite book, Vicious, has superheros gone evil and, to me, nothing will ever compare to Vicious, so Brandon Sanderson's take in it wasn't going to be anything special. 

There were things I was enjoying though. I truly loved many of the characters and the overall plot. I think my favorite thing was David's inability to tell a good metaphor. 

Them the ending happened, and now I understand the hype of Brandon Sanderson. I'm usually good at picking up hints throughout books and predicting the supposedly non obvious plots. This book was not the case. The ending truly had be surprised, even though Sanderson practically told you what was going to happen multiple times throughout the novel.

Amanda Kordeliski

A great superhero book with a very interesting premise. My one hang up with this book is the Reckoners running joke about David's inability to think up good metaphors. All the ones they hold up as shining examples of metaphors are really similes. Drove me crazy. Great action sequences and several plot twists. I anticipate this title becoming very popular in my library.

Sarah Escorsa

OMG. I think I just joined the Sanderson Cult for an unexpected BR. And this YA too. I am SO doomed.

Cult members: Robin, Shandra, Evgeny, Athena, Armina, Gavin, Kat, Desinka, Alexa, Nicholas, Danae, Carole, Shelly, Annette, Eon, Ashley, Liz...

SO. YA + my little self = A love-hate relationship. More of a DNF relationship actually. But, hey, can you see the rating up there? Three stars! Not bad, eh? It must be the Sanderson Effect!

When I started reading the book and realized superheroes were involved I thought I was doubly doomed. Ya + superheroes? Surely this book would be the death of me. BUT these particular superheroes are evil you see. And THAT I can definitely deal with. Add to that a gang of lovable anti-heroes and some great action scenes: Yes, this book was pretty entertaining in a very good not-so-YA way.

What I liked most about Steelheart? The cast of characters.David is youngish but a very lovable dork and his bad metaphors are just hilarious. Cody cracks me up. I love Abraham the Wise One. Megan is aggravatingly bipolar but her character adds some much-needed antagonism to the group (what would be the fun if they all got along anyway?). Prof is intriguing. Tia I didn't care much for. She is the weakest character and adds little to the story. 

The action scenes are pretty amazing. Sanderson does a great descriptive job here and makes the story really come alive. It's almost as if the scenes were unfolding right in front of your eyes. It's quite impressive actually. This was my first Sanderson book and I can't wait to read some of his adult work. Favourite scenes: the opening scene at the bank, the power plant infiltration and the Conflux chase. 

It was all coming along just fine until the final twists. I could see them coming from a mile away. When they came I kept hoping for another huge twist that would surprise me but it never came. I got to the last page and thought: "Oh and this is it then? Okay." It was a very disappointing ending for me in that it really felt YA-like. Had the ending been more exciting I might have given the rest of the series a try but it left me with a meh feeling so I think I'll leave it at that.

Still, I have to admit this was a surprisingly fun read and a nice (if light) introduction to Sanderson's work. Thanks again to the Sanderson Cult for letting me tag along on this one! Now Mistborn, Warbreaker and The Stormlight Archives await. *rubs hands in anticipation*

Julie D.

Caroline Mao

All I can say is yes.

One of my friends recommended this to me when I said I'd read Sanderson as it basically being where the superheroes/people with superpowers are the villains. And I was like, oh, that sounds interesting, and so I picked this up and it's everything I could have hoped for.

The worldbuilding was very strong, which is something I'm not used to. I really loved all the details about every individual Epic - how all of them are really different, and have powers you'd think wouldn't be that useful or showy but are very much so. And I liked the details about their weaknesses - they're very unique, and each one was set apart from the others.

And all the twists, and the plot - usually I never pay attention to the plot because a) it often disappoints me and is filled with holes or lacks strength and b) I prefer to focus more on characters anyway. Especially the twist with Firefight at the end, although I'm admittedly still trying to wrap my head around it. And Steelheart's weakness!

I liked all the characters (namely the Reckoners), although for all the screentime they got I feel like we didn't actually get to see their personalities shine as much as they could have. I especially liked Prof, and the dynamic between Megan and David.

I wasn't really a fan of the style - it took me until the action really kicked up to get into the story, as it started off a bit slowly. That, and it's not really what I like, but that's just a personal preference (it's also why I kicked it down to four stars, although if I was being more objective it'd round up to a five).

I feel like I have so much more I could say about this book, but I can't come up with anything, so basically: I loved it, it was great, A++.

Camila Eduarda Vilela Lobianco

86%
(English is not my first language, so, please, tell me if has any mistakes so that I can learn with them).

Plot
This book is about the world after some people became like superheroes. But, well, all of them seems to get pretty villainish. We have this guy that had seen his dad being killed in front of him by Steelheart, the epic that rules the city that he live in. The problem is that Steelheart should be invincible, but that day David aldo seen him bleed.
So this guy grow up and becomes to plan his revenge, and end getting into the Reckoners, a group that fights against this people with superpowers.

Execution
I loved this book. Is funny, engaging and so light. Is all I wanted in this moment, that I’m in the middle of my tests and not having that much time to read. I loved how he treated the problems and, man, all my theories to the end were wrong (and I was sure they were right, poor little thing).
I’m just getting into Brandon Sanderson’s books and this is a pretty nice start (although people say that this is one of this weakest books). The plot is flawless, anything is left behind and, although the finish is pretty closed, I’m pretty anxious to read the another one.
I just didn’t liked a lot of one thing at the end, but it can get better in the next books.

Characters
Loved all of them. They are nice, well written and so funny. I loved all of them, Cody is a star and the made me smile through the hole book. I also loved David’s metaphors and how funny he could be with them. I’m not going to talk much because I think this is the best part of the book and I don’t want to ruin the experience of knowing them.

Romance
This is not really a thing in this book. We actually have a romance, but is not a huge part of the plot.

Warnings
It’s a pretty light book, I don’t think we have any warnings.

Representation
I didn’t see that much representation, but one of the protagonists is black (but this doesn’t seen important to the history at all).

Lorraine Fernando

Kelsi Proulx

I really expected more from this author. It is my first time reading a Sanderson book and I had heard so many good things. I think I will still be checking out his adult fantasy since this is YA and a completely different genre.
I felt disappointed in this one because it honestly felt like reading an action movie or a comic book. I felt absolutely no connection to the main character and the "love" that he had for another character felt flat and emotionless and every time he talked about his feelings for her I was pretty much just asking myself "okay...why do you feel that way?" I just couldn't understand where the connection was coming from. 
There was constant action but I just didn't really care what happened to any of the characters. Didn't care if they won or lost, if they were hurt or killed, anything that I should have felt reading this kind of novel. 
The superhero thing was an interesting concept for a book and I think it could have been good if it had been done well. Unfortunately, it just wasn't.

Chad Henderson

Another solid Sanderson story. Great stuff. Very thoughtful take on handling a superhero problem.

Steelheart (Reckoners 1)

Reviews