Calamity Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Reckoners Book Three
Pages: 420

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The sun peeked over the horizon like the head of a giant radioactive manatee

(Spoilers for Steelheart and Firefight are below).

Regalia has been defeated, but Prof the leader of the Reckoners has now embraced his epic powers and transformed into Limelight. David has discovered that Calamity, the cause of epics on Earth, is itself and epic. Regalia's plan to confront Calamity was passed on to Prof, so David leads the remaining Reckoners to Ildithia (formerly Atlanta) to try and bring Prof back to the light.

Mitosis Book Review

by The Wanderer


Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Reckoners Short Story
Pages: 35

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(Contains spoilers for Steelheart).

One of the few series’ outside of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe, the Reckoners is about a renegade group that brings down super powered individuals called epics.  Mitosis takes place shortly after the events in Steelheart, and acts as a lead in to its sequel Firefight. While this can be an entertaining story, it really doesn’t really feel special in any sort of capacity, and instead comes off as a decent, but flawed, filler in between Reckoner’s books.

Firefight Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Reckoners Book Two
Pages: 434

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(Spoilers for Steelheart and Mitosis are below).

I was surprised at how much I liked Steelheart when I first read it last year. There was a great setting, a tough villain, and a great concept – the epic concept – that really made it a lot of fun to read.  It ended with a lot of potential, especially regarding the future of the titular character of the sequel.  Firefight takes some time to get going, but it pulls itself together in the last half and turns out to be a fun read.

Steelheart Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Reckoners Book One
Pages: 386

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I learned a lot about how far a young adult novel could go while reading Steelheart.  It doesn’t matter how many dead bodies there are, or how violently someone is killed – just as long as there’s no graphic sex, a fast pace, and a romantic plot … it can be a young adult novel.

That being said, Brandon Sanderson’s foray into writing young adult books is a success, albeit a violent one.  The concept of this book – which is basically a bunch of rebellious citizens fighting and killing epics (the epic equivalent would be Marvel and D.C. heroes) – is one that turns the superhero formula on its head.

While Steelheart on the surface may look like it’s a traditional good vs evil story, it isn’t. Sanderson takes the time to explore the morality of the decisions being made by the protagonists, and to ask pertinent questions about the corrupting influence of power. It’s the depth of the themes, the haunting visual setting, and the breakneck pace that make Steelheart the great adventure that it is.