Michelle Herbert reviews Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson…
What if there were no heroes, only villains looking out for themselves? This is the question that Brandon Sanderson poses in his new series The Reckoners. We are so used to books, comics and TV shows that preach “with great power comes great responsibility” and time and time again we are shown people with superpowers generally trying to do good for humanity. In Steelheart this is the reverse 10 years ago, a percentage of people were given extraordinary powers, but instead of trying to be a paragon for humanity, they instead took power for themselves and caused fear in the population, these people are known as Epics.
Brandon Sanderson doesn’t go into too much detail about how the Epics gained their powers. After Calamity (like a red star) appeared in the sky, a year later people started gaining these abilities, it is assumed that Calamity gifted these powers to Earth. The Epics are all different with a range of abilities and strength, but each Epic also has a weakness which even the most impervious Epic will try and keep hidden from those around them. This is so the weakness cannot be exploited. When Calamity and the Epics appeared a lot of people held out hope that if there were Epics, then there must also be heroes with abilities willing to help defeat them, but after 10 years of waiting there seems to be a very slim chance of that happening.
This though is the story of David, who as a child watched as his father was murdered by the Epic known as Steelheart. At eight years old David knew he wanted vengeance and has spent the last 10 years trying to work out what Steelheart’s weakness is. During this time Steelheart has become the ruler of Newcago, which is one of the few cities left with a functioning infrastructure, even if the city itself was turned to steel, due to one of Steelheart’s abilities. During this same time period resistance to the Epics rule has begun. This resistance is mainly through a group called The Reckoners. The Reckoners have been working on taking out mid level Epics and constantly move from city to city in an attempt to stay hidden from retaliation. It is David’s ambition to get The Reckoners to help him destroy Steelheart.
The characters of David and The Reckoners are very well written. David reminds me of a very clever ambitious puppy, who has been looking for a place to belong without ever realising it. We see the world through his eyes and The Reckoners allow him understand the world in ways that had previously eluded him, as he had closed himself off from the people around him in his quest to work out what Epics are. The Reckoners themselves are an interesting group, with a myriad of secrets. As a rule they do not share too much of their pasts as the less you know about each other the safer they are. The group is comprised of Prof, who is mysterious and keeps to himself; he may have helped invent the equipment The Reckoners use to take down Epics. Tia is very smart and reserved; she takes care of the operations, rather than being a part of the action. Abraham is a true believer; although he fights to protect humanity, he still has hope that not all Epics are bad and that some heroes will one day appear. Cody is the joker of the group; he seems to do this so that he doesn’t have to deal with the reality of what is now his life. The last member of the team is Megan who almost immediately has a fractious relationship with David; she is very focused on the tasks and rules of The Reckoners.
This is a really strong start to the series, which has a very dystopic nature. There is also an aspect of the David and Goliath situation, where you wonder how a group of ordinary humans can stand up to an Epic, as well as the fact that The Reckoners do not see themselves as heroes. The story is really interesting and I really enjoyed the twists and revelations throughout the book. Steelheart has a great concept and allows another variation on the nature of abilities. I am left with many questions such as; Are Epics immortal or would they eventually die out? Are people still gaining abilities? Are people eventually being born with abilities? Some of these questions may still be answered in future novels.
Michelle Herbert
Originally published December 12, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
