Book Review: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Steelheart

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Publisher: Random House

Release Date: September 24, 2013

Series: Reckoners #1

Source: Hardcover

Number of Pages: 384

Letter Size: Medium

Synopsis:

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 will.  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.

Review:

The concept of a dystopian future ruled by superheroes where a normal human is treated like a slave had me intrigued.  I can’t remember any other YA novel where the villains are the superheroes and the main characters are just average humans.

In the future, a meteor named Calamity hit the Earth, and with it came a burst of energy. Ordinary people were given powers like superheroes. Epics was the name given to them by the public. The Epics soon became obsessed with their powers and started to use them to rule humans. Two years later, eight year old David watches as his father is killed by an Epic named Steelheart. The next day, Steelheart makes himself emperor over Chicago. As David grows up he desires to take revenge against Steelheart for the death of his father. Now at eighteen David is trying to join a group of rebels called Reckoners. The Reckoners are the only group who dare to defy the Epics. David must first convince the Reckoners he is telling the truth. If he doesn't he might not live long enough to get his revenge.

The first book in a planned trilogy, I found that Steelheart did not quite meet my expectations. I admit I struggled to get through the first half of this book. Most of the characters on the good side I found to be quite forgettable. They weren't necessarily bad characters they just didn't draw me in like most characters do. The one exception to this would be Colby. Colby was like a breath of fresh air, he was witty and funny, but could be serious when the moment called for it. I found myself laughing at some of the stories he would tell and the different accents he would use. He definitely added humor to a dark and serious book. The Epics were also really in depth and they all were very complex. I feel like the author spent so much time on developing the Epics that he forgot about developing the good guys. The romance between David and Megan felt cliché to me, and at times it felt a little forced. This all came to a head for me in an emotionally packed scene between David and Megan. I can't tell you what the scene was because it would be too much of a spoiler. Needless to say, I should have been more moved by the scene than I was.

For all the faults this book had it did have some redeeming qualities about it. The second half of the book was way easier to get through, and I found myself enjoying it more. There are so many twists and turns that I did not see coming, and this made me not able to put the book down. The author truly shines in his ability to explain the world he created. The language he uses to describe the book is simple and easy to follow. At the same time, it is very descriptive. The book takes a hard, unflinching look at how humans react to power. It also presents the idea that using your powers can corrupt even the nicest person. This book leaves you to ponder what you would do if you suddenly gained a super power. Though, every time you use this power you start to become addicted to being in control. The second half of this novel did enough to get me interested in the sequel coming out this fall. Hopefully it will be better than Steelheart. I recommend this book for readers who are interested in dystopia novels or people who love Marvel or D.C. Comics.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars