Brandon Sanderson

A sequel to Steelheart finds Newcago liberator David overwhelmed by questions that compel his journey to the flooded city of Babylon Restored, where he confronts a High Epic despot to discover important answers. Simultaneous eBook.

Firefight

Vicky  Nuñez 

How does Brandon Sanderson do it?
Write such compelling stories that keep you on the edge of your seat. 
What's more impresives is how many stories he writes at the same, how he balances each one.

When I saw the title of this book I thought I had some sort of notion of what it would be about. Everything was thrown out of the window and it was thousand times more brilliant than I could have expected.

Needless to say it is great and if you are into superheroes give this a try.

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 more simple. Instead, it only made David realise he has questions. Big ones. And there's no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs. Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David's willing to risk it. 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 he's willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

Jamieson

This book probably deserves a 3.5* more than 3 but such is the goodreads rating system. 

Firefight is the second book in the Reckoner's trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. It starts off a few months after the events of Steelheart and references the events within Mitosis ( a novella in the series and book 1.5 )

After defeating Steelheart, and discovering the Epic nature of Megan and Prof, David isn't quite sure where he stands when it comes to Epic's anymore. His absolute belief in their nature has been shaken, and he's unsure if he - or anyone - really has all the facts. 

The book really begins when Prof and David both travel to Babilar (which used to be Manhattan) to meet with a new reckoners cell. This cell has suffered from the death of their friend Sam, who was killed by Firefight. David, believing that Epics and especially Megan may be saved, is determined to convince the Rckoner's of the same, and to save Megan and Prof from their powers. 

But the leader of Babilar, Regalia, is a more cunning Epic then any of them expected, and she's recruited two of the most dangerous High Epic's into Babilar - Obliteration and Newtron. Not everything is as it seems !!

The best thing about this book was the character development. I like that the characters, especially David's, mindsets and assumptions were challenged. I liked that they were confronted with challenges that forced them to reassess how they perceived their world, and what they valued and believed in. This helped flesh out some characters that felt a little flat in the first book. 

The main issue with this book was the plot. It was predictable, followed a very similar pattern to the first and reused some plot points which really irritated me. The relationship between the characters didn't change much and the old character were replaced for new, uninteresting characters. (Save for Mizzy who was a breath of fresh air !! ) 

The plot did come together nicely at the end, but I felt there was too much happening in the last fifty pages and not enough for the other 350 pages. The pacing in this book was just not as well done as it was in the first. 

The book was still entertaining, and I will continue with the series but I don't think it is nearly as good as the first one was.

Rachel Kanyid

Julia Lotz

Inhalt: Gegen Tyrannen aus Stahl braucht man ein Herz aus Feuer Steelheart, der scheinbar unbesiegbare Tyrann des ehemaligen Chicago, ist tot – besiegt von David und den Rächern. Nun klafft dort, wo in David jahrelang der Wunsch nach Rache gebrannt hat, ein Loch, und er braucht endlich Antworten auf seine Fragen: Wo kommen diese sogenannten Epics her, Menschen mit übernatürlichen Fähigkeiten? Was macht sie so grausam? Und gibt es eine Zukunft für Davids Liebe zu einer von ihnen – zu Firefight? Eine abenteuerliche Reise quer durch Amerika beginnt … (Quelle: Klappentext)
Meine Meinung: Lange, lange, lange mussten wir auf Firefight, nach Steelheart dem zweiten Teil der Reckoners Reihe von Brandon Sanderson. Zwischendurch wurden wir zwar sehr gut mit dem Rithmatist unterhalten aber seit ich Steelheart beendet habe, fieberte ich diesem Buch entgegen. Steelheart ist tot, getötet von David, und doch gibt es noch viele andere Epics und High Epics, die die ehemaligen USA unsicher machen. Wie man schon sehr früh erfährt, wurden zwischen Band 1 und 2 vermehrt Epics nach Newcago geschickt. Schnell kommen die Rächer jedoch auf die Spur von Regalia, der High Epic, die das ehemalige Manhattan, Babilar, beherrscht.
Da nur David, Prof und Tia aufbrechen um in Babilar mit der dortigen Rächerzelle zu kooperieren, lernen wir einige neue Rächer und natürlich auch eine ganze Menge neue Epics kennen. In dieser Hinsicht kam Brandon Sandersons Talent wieder voll durch und man erkennt, mit welchem Können und mit welcher Liebe er neue Charaktere erschafft. Sie brennen sich sofort ins Gedächtnis und man liebt und hasst sie mit all ihren Eigenschaften. Neben vielen kleineren Epics sind die wohl spannendsten definitiv Regalia und Dawnslight. Sie treten nie körperlich n Erscheinung und werfen so sehr viele Rätsel auf. Während die Rächer einen Plan schmieden, um beide zu besiegen fragt man sich so immer wieder, wer die beiden sind und zusätzliche Spannung wird aufgebaut.
Auch der Konflikt zwischen Megan und David besteht in Firefight noch. Ich muss sagen, für mich waren die beiden immer ein Traumpaar und das hat sich auch nach dem doofen Zwischenfall in Steelheart nicht geändert. So war ich sehr froh, dass dieses Problem schon sehr früh wieder aufgegriffen wird und diese komplizierte Liebe sehr stark thematisiert wird. Auf der anderen Seite steht genau dieser Aspekt gegenüber anderen Büchern ein bisschen im Schatten. Das finde ich allerdings gut, da die Reihe ja durchaus auch Jungs ansprechen soll und der Autor hier einfach einen schönen Zwischenweg gefunden hat.
Im Kampf gegen die Epics dürfen nämlich auch der Racheplan und viele Actionszenen nicht zu kurz kommen. Auch die habe ich in Firefight nicht vermisst und sie waren eine schöne Ergänzung neben der Liebesbeziehug und dem großen Plan, Regalia zu vernichten. Auch menschlich ist das Buch wieder sehr toll gestaltet. Es gibt so viele moralische Fragestellungen, die aufkommen und allein dieser Punkt macht das Buch und auch die ganze Reihe für mich immer wieder so unglaublich wertvoll. 
Während in Steelheart viele Dinge der neuen Welt erklärt werden mussten, kennen wir uns nun in diesem Universum richtig gut aus. So konnten wir in der Thematik insgesamt etwas tiefer gehen, was mir selbst auch sehr gut gefallen hat. Auch einige neue Dinge bzw. der gesamten Geschichte (Calamity, Entstehung der Epics) erfährt man und mit einem richtig erschreckenden Showdown bekommt man auf den letzten Seiten Lust, schon direkt in das Finale der Trilogie einzusteigen. Leider scheint Calamity auf Englisch auch erst 2016, weshalb wir uns bis mindestens Herbst nächsten Jahres gedulden müssen. 
Shortlist:
Genre: Dystopie

Themen: Superhelden, böse Schurken

Idee & Umsetzung: wie man es von Brandon Sanderson gewohnt ist: absolut perfekt

Setting: Newcago (Chicago) und Babilar (Manhattan) 

Stimmung/Atmosphäre: gespannt, actionreich

Charaktere: viele neue Rächer und Epics, tolle Abwechslung zu Band 1
 
Protagonist/in: David hat im Gegensatz zu Band 1 eine tolle Entwicklung hingelegt, ist jedoch stur wie eh und je
 
Schreibstil: Brandon Sanderson!

Ende: Ende macht Lust auf mehr, hat aber keinen fiesen Cliffhanger

Bewertung: Das Warten hat sich gelohnt und Brandon Sanderson hat mich überzeugt, wie eh und je. Ich liebe diese grandiose Reihenfortsetzung und kann gar nicht genug von den Epics bekommen. Das Warten auf Band 3 wird schwer. Trotzdem gibt es von mir 5 von 5 begeisterte Füchschen. 
Vielen herzlichen Dank an Heyne fliegt für das schöne *Rezensionsexemplar.

Julie Janis

For some reason I was a lot more engaged reading this one than the first? I'll take that as a good sign. This was better than the first and the questions I had while reading the first book were answered in the second one. I can't wait to see how this trilogy will end! Also, David and Megan are the perfect couple!

H. Kamran

** spoiler alert **
           After Steelheart is killed by Prof and the Reckoners, Newcago is protected from most threats. Then, Prof discovers an old friend of his "Regalia", is calling for him. With Tia and David, they set out for New York City. They meet up with the New York Reckoner team and survey Obliteration, an Epic who destroys. Can David, Tia, Prof, and the New York Reckoner team defeat Obliteration? Will they fail?

Livia

Emi Gilmore 

4.25/5 stars 

I learned something about myself while reading this book. I love books that deal with that superhero theme, or maybe it's better to call them superpowers in this case. My favorite book, Vicious deals with this kind of thing, and I found myself loving every minute of Firefight.

This book. Just wow. It's so action packed, so funny, so unpredictable. Steelheart was the exact same way. They are everything I ever want in a series, and depending on how the next book is, and if it is just as amazing as the first two, this trilogy might just turn into one of my favorites.

Kelsi Proulx

Definitely a lot of improvement over the first one. Honestly, if the mc didn't annoy me so much (mostly the bad jokes that just try too hard to be funny and really aren't), this would probably be a four star book for me. He did grow a lot in this book, so maybe the next one will be even better!

Kathleen Boyle

Goodness this was a ride. I had an hour left on the audiobook with the idea of listening to a few minutes and I just couldn't stop. That ending was brilliant. Scary but brilliant. I started the audiobook in January but things just got in the way and I just didn't pick it up often so I'm glad I've finally finished it. It had nothing to do with the book itself it was just me and my weird un-reading mood. 

This was slow in parts but I did really enjoy it. The thing that did put a damper on the experience is that two of my favourite characters from the previous novel don't really appear in this one so that was a little disappointing. 

Overall, the story worked well even though I think some things were a little confusing but I care about the characters so much. Will be picking up book 3 almost immediately. 

I've been listening to the audiobook of this series and I've been really enjoying them. The narrator has been doing a good job and really knows how to put emotion into his words. Would recommend giving it a listen !

laura

Such a fast pace read. lOVED THE STORY! Omg that ending; can't wait for the last book in this series!

Paige Green

I've seen Steelheart bleed.
David Charleston has one purpose in life: to kill Steelheart. He's the invincible Epic who killed his father.
STOP HERE RIGHT NOW IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS FROM BOOK #1 (#steelheart )! I'M WARNING YOU!

Now that Steelheart is dead David has a new life with the Reckoners in the reclaimed city of Newcago. They still reside there, defending the city from new Epics who are being sent from Regalia, a high Epic who rules Babylon Restored or Babilar for short. This is David's life now, killing Epics by exploiting their weaknesses. It's during this period he reflects back on Megan, who was Firefight in disguise, and on Prof, who is an Epic as well. David begins to question his and the Reckoners work of killing every Epic and what he understands of the Epics and their powers. 

His suspicions are the reason he follows Prof and Tia to the flooded city of Babilar, once known as New York City. This is the place where most of David's questions are answered, such as why there are sometimes new Epics popping up years after Calamity struck, if there is any link to the Epic's weaknesses even though most of humanity believes there are no links, and can the Epics become truly good? Can they resist the pull of their powers to destroy and kill? NOW STOP HERE IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS FOR BOOK #2 (#firefight ). I'M GIVING YOU FAIR WARNING!

I love the way Brandon Sanderson crafts this world and I love how complex and deep all his characters are, even the minor ones! Brandon Sanderson also has a way of weaving a mystery so deep that you'll be guessing Regalia's plot til the end of the book! I also love how creative Mr. Sanderson was to create superheroes that aren't really superheroes with their weaknesses being the thing they fear the most in life, what their nightmares consist of.

I absolutely love David and how Mr. Sanderson writes him. Since the POV is in David's perspective it feels natural to have misconstrued metaphors and off-track thoughts because that's who David is! 

The love story between Megan and David didn't feel forced at all. Like the first book, it felt natural. Usually a problem I see in some books is that the attraction between characters in different books feels off at first, like the author was working back into those characters relationship. This isn't the case with this series. It was like there was no break between the books because their characters picked up naturally from the last book. In fact, there was no awkward character relationship between any of the characters, except Cody who I don't believe had any speaking lines in this book. Something I usually look for in romantic relationships in books are if the characters (specifically the female ones) remain true to their character or become a stereotypical love struck person. Megan AND David didn't have this awkward transition in character. David's character already called for him to be awkward around women and it played well in his reactions with Megan. Megan is a tough soul who has reasons to be distant and that again is shown in her romantic relationship with David. They even evolved in their relationship naturally with each other! It's the best relationship I've read this year! 

Another thing about this book in comparison to others is that sometimes there will be a lag in action between the beginning and the end. You have intros and story setting in the beginning and your main driving point at the end, but sometimes the middle falls short. This book didn't. It had a natural ebb and flow to the story, such that when there was action, there was downtime and exposition afterwards, and they moved naturally back and forth between each other. For example: there would be a big action sequence and then David and the reader would find out more information to the unraveling mystery. The only part that didn't follow this pattern was the last 50 pages of the book. They were rushed for action, but it fit the book because the plot drove for it to be fast paced and confusing. This literally will set up his next book like it did the last. And needless to say I'm excited to read Calamity.

I would venture to say this was better than Steelheart and this is the best book I've read this year! This is definitely worth a read if you love young adult books, dystopian novels, post apocalyptic novels, and/or superheroes!

Martina Méndez Fernández

Rebeca 

** spoiler alert **
           3.5 stars 

I was really debating how to rate this. The beginning was great, then towards the middle I got so bored that I almost put it down and marked it as dnf, but as I was getting closer to soon finishing it I trudged through. Well let me just say, YAAAAAASS. So glad I pushed through because what came after the parts I considered boring, was an epic battle (pun intended) that was action packed, page after page that I could not put down. Let me just also say that Obliteration's epic powers are my favorite. You sense danger so you teleport and then reappear wherever? EPICCCCC. My favorite epic though has to be Dawnslight. He doesn't do too much, but he does what he can with his glowing fruit and tree growing fortune cookies. His story was interesting and even though it hasn't all been figured out I thought it was cool. He's great! Anyway I am glad that in the end I didn't mark this as dnf because it was good. I hope that David finds a way to bring Prof back to himself.

Hope Brockway

O___________O THAT BOOK. 
Review to come. Soonish.

Leelynn Brady

EDIT: 03/08/16 
I’d grown up practically worshipping the Reckoners, all the while loathing the Epics. Discovering that Prof was both … it had been like discovering that Santa Claus was secretly a Nazi. - David
The world is not the same as it used to be. Years ago, Calamity happened. What that means exactly, some still don’t know to this day. All we do know, is that with Calamity came the birth of strange beings with powers called Epics, and some of them were out for blood. But with coming of the Epics came something that could help turn the tide, help those who who still had some humanity left in them find a way to fight back. Those were the Reckoners, and they would do whatever they could to hold back the Epic plague, and bring peace back to Earth.
This book is the second in The Reckoners trilogy, and while I wish I had read the first book before I read this, I wasn’t completely lost going through it. That is very important to me when I read a book series out of order, especially if I don’t realize it until it’s too late. In this case, I read this book as part of a GoodReads buddy read, so I didn’t have much time to read the first book before this one started. It’s okay though, and I definitely don’t regret it.
David, the protagonist in the story, is one that I found very amusing and very frustrating at the same time. I didn’t realize it until much later on in the book that he really wasn’t that much older than I expected. In fact, he’s actually younger than I am, which was probably why I thought that some of his thought processes seemed almost juvenile. But his track record has proven to the world that he is very capable at doing his job, which to him is killing Epics. Throughout the book, he realizes that things aren’t always black and white, and his belief is tested even more than it was in the first book.
This book was one of the most amazing stories I have ever read. I couldn’t believe that I had never heard of this series before, but then again I know that there are so many books out there that I haven’t heard of yet, that are just waiting for me to explore their worlds. Firefight is action packed, tells an amazing story, and just really changes the way you think when it comes to the special things people can do, and the darkness that can consume them because of it.

 OP: 03/15/15 
I could not believe how amazing this book was. There were some parts in the middle that I thought dragged on but I knew that it just had to get better. It certainly didn't disappoint at all. I happened to read this book before reading the first book in the trilogy, but I don't mind it. Sanderson sets it up where you aren't completely clueless as to what is going on, and you are more than able to follow along with the story without having to read the first book. However, I would definitely recommend you reading the books in order so you can appreciate everything that has happened so far, and everything that will come to pass. The ending was such a huge twist that I should have seen coming but by the time I read it, I freaked out (in a good way, of course). Definitely worth reading and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.

Shirley Krijnen

Ok so first, YOU CAN'T LEAVE IT AT THAT! ASHASHJAKD

This one was even better than the first one. Getting to see the bigger picture of the world and the story was really interesting and entertaining.

Lynn Braden

Firefight is the second book in the Reckoners series and the sequel to Steelheart. David has acquired the nickname "Steelslayer" after the death of Steelheart. David and the Reckoners continue to hunt down and kill Epics in Newcago until Prof tells him that they are off to the city that had once been New York now called Babilar in order to kill the Epic controlling the city named Regalia who is able to control water. While in Babilar, David again makes contact with Megan and struggles to defend her to the other Reckoners, but David is convinced that she is not the evil Epic that they think she is. Also, Tia and David continue to look for weaknesses of the Epics and what connection they may have. 

This second book in the series is as good as the first. Not only is it well written, but it asks very good thematic questions about bravery vs. fear and what really makes a hero. A very good story that concludes in Calamity.

 Bruna Acioly Leão

Amazing sequel! I think I liked it even more than Steelheart. 

The audiobook is wonderfully narrated, as well, but I would like to re-read it in print at some point, because I do feel like I lose certain bits of information.

Can't wait for Calamity!

Giulia 

4.5 🌟

Penso di averlo già detto, ma lo ripeto, Brandon Sanderson è una certezza! Quest'uomo non sbaglia un colpo, qualunque genere sia. Ho controllato, ho dato la stessa votazione del primo. NON SUCCEDE MAI!!!
A parte questo, la storia è fantastica, soprattutto il finale che è pazzesco ma... il romance era proprio necessario? XD Per me in questa situazione cozzava un pò. Ma vabbè, non era la parte principale, ci può stare. Ci sono stati momenti in cui David l'avrei preso a sberle, fortuna che dice di essere adulto 🙃😩
(view spoiler)[L'unica cosa un pò meh è stata la morte di Regalia, ma il suo piano era un colpo di genio quindi ci sorvolo ;) (hide spoiler)]

Adam

Great follow up to the first of the series. Sanderson develops on the world in just the way you'd want - with twists and turns leaving you wanting more. I already can't wait for the next one in this series.

Ryan Trimble

Noah Cross

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

Firefight

Reviews