![]() His awkwardness makes him easy to like and to relate to. It manages to be touching and smart, and while it’s fairly straightforward, it does present a couple of quandaries–one of which is considering the ramifications for the citizens of Newcago if they should defeat Steelheart. David is a likable character–intelligent, brave, brash, and bit of a nerd. It’s fast paced, fun, and teeming with action and cool gadgets. This was like reading a novelization of a comic book arc. David joins the Reckoners, a group of ordinary humans who assassinate Epics, and convinces them to embark on an ambitious plan to take down Steelheart. David makes it his mission to study Epics and learn their one weakness (which is the only way to destroy them) in order to avenge his father. Two years after Calamity appeared in the sky, David Charleston’s father is murdered by an Epic named Steelheart who takes over the city of Chicago, dubbing it Newcago, and ushers in a new age of terror. Instead of people using their powers for the betterment of mankind, these people–called Epics–use their powers to dominate their fellow man. Twelve years prior to this story, Calamity appeared in the sky and burst, gifting astonishing powers on ordinary people. Publisher: Delacorte Press (September 24, 2013) Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Dystopia It will go much more quickly than you think, and when it is at an end, you will be left craving more.Audiobook Review Bites: Heroes & Villains If you’ve got some time and want to get pulled into a story, give Steelheart a read. The reactions of people to the appearance of the first Epics, the reactions of governments and militaries to the presence of people with powers enough to level cities and turn other people to ash, even the fears and desires of the people that inhabit the one city that we follow our protagonist through his travails feel realistic. It is set a scant few years into the future, and, barring one mysterious star irradiating the planet, everything feels real. We find ourselves in a world that feels much like our own. Sanderson has crafted a story that is both easy to read and hard to put down. It isn’t a straight and forseeable path that David ends up walking down over the course of his mission. There is no shortage of twists and turns in the story. His worldview slowly shifts from the singular focus that he started with. Through his interactions with the Reckoners and his pursuit of his goal, David grows. For every character that David changes with his idealism and his fervor, there is a resulting change in the way that David views the world as well. These are more characters to add their individual personalities and peculiarities to the tapestry that is woven. We eventually meet the people that David has looked up to and wanted more than anything to join, the Reckoners. We aren’t left with just David as a fully fleshed out character either. We get to follow the David Charleston in his efforts to not only survive in the city of Newcago (what Chicago was renamed by the Epic who claimed it as his territory), but also to acquire justice/revenge for the death of his father at the hands of an Epic. Not that it won’t appeal to others, but from the perspective of someone who grew up on comic books, this is the literary equivalent. Brandon Sanderson has crafted a tale that will engross any and every comic book lover out there. Have you ever wondered what the world would be if the average, every-day Joe woke up with superpowers? Sure, as a comic book fan, we’ve all thought about what superpowers we would like to have and what we would do with them, but what happens when the people that wake up with powers aren’t predisposed to being heroes? What happens when every last person that develops powers doesn’t just set out to make their own lives better, but sets out to build their own little kingdoms in their favorite corners of the world? What exactly is the fallout from a world full of villains without any heroes around to mitigate the damage?Įnter Steelheart.
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