Steelheart

The Reckoners, Book 1

By: Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

From the number-one New York Times best-selling author of the Mistborn Trilogy, Brandon Sanderson, comes the first book in a new, action-packed thrill ride of a series - Steelheart. 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.

©2013 Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC (P)2013 Audible Inc.

Ingenious twist on the superhero genre

Where does Steelheart rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

As someone who reads four to five audiobooks a month
, I rank Steelheart in the top ten!

Who was your favorite character and why?

David of course as he is our narrator and hero. I also liked the Prof and Colin a lot.

Which scene was your favorite?

The ending is by far the most exciting scene but I don't want to give anything away!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I almost did! I listened to it in 24 hr period. I started at night and listened straight thru the work day until getting home this evening!

Any additional comments?

I was a medium fan of Sanderson's work before this. I really enjoyed Elantris then the Mistborn series. However, Steelheart has elevated me to a full on fan of his work! I really liked the idea of superhuman men/women who were for once NOT pillars Of society and who in fact took full advantage of their godlike powers. I mean let's be honest, it is human nature in today's society for people to take advantage when possible and look out for number one. Literary characters are so often painted as morally ambiguous, morally bankrupt or as completely selfless, so its nice to see a twist on the norm and to see characters who are flawed on both sides of good and evil. I am also super pumped to read the next installment whenever that may come! This is also the 1st time I was compelled to write a review (I think) though I've been tempted before this book really left me no choice...it is 100% WORTH THE CREDIT! Enjoy!!

Very fun read

I read the first two books for this series and I really enjoyed them. The writing may not be as crisp as a veteran novelist, but the story is very fun. if you like superheroes and a good story, give this series a try. Fun characters and the end of both books were great. I'm excited to read the third book now!

Very good book.

What made the experience of listening to Steelheart the most enjoyable?

This was the first book or audiobook that I've ever pre-ordered. I was so impressed with the free preview chapters. The pace is good. The story is cool. Macleod Andrews could have done the a slightly better job with the female voices, but the other voices were pretty much spot on.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Steelheart?

The prologue. The last 3-4 chapters. David's thoughts and bad metaphors from beginning to end.

What about Macleod Andrews’s performance did you like?

David and Cody.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes very much so, but I know that it is the first in a trilogy. Therefore, I wanted to drag it out a little bit. The furious ending made me throw that plan out of the window.

What if the average guy had the powers

Steelheart is a book about an "event" that give certain humans super human like powers. However, these characters use their power to dominate in a "absolute power corrupts absolutely" type way. This is designed for young adults as almost all "comic books" with superheros are designed for young adults. I almost let that turn me away, don't let it turn you away, it would be a mistake.
This book is a different take on the superhero because the guys with the powers are the villains, and the average guy has to be the hero.


That being said, I will do my usual 2 good things 2 bad things and final summary.


The two negatives, this is actually hard because it is a well written, not your average good guy vs bad guy book.

- More details…I wish he had gone into more details at different parts of the book. I wish he had developed out some of his points so they were not justified by the fact that he said something just was. For his more original points he had let us in on the back story more. (Some people criticize his story line as too far out there, come on, its super heroes and scifi. I just preferred if he would have given some of the more scifi things a back story.)

- It is a series and it makes you want to pick up the next one to answer the question, "What do they do now???"


The positives

- The action keeps the reader involved. There are twists and turns as expected in an action adventure with comic book superheroes in it.

- The twists that keep you guessing. You think the ending is predictable until you get to the end. I won't turn this into a spoiler but you will be surprised with the ending. It is not what you will expect. There are a few reviews out there that state that the ending is predictable, I doubt the authenticity of the reviewers, I think they may be overstating their intuition about the ending.

Overall, if you like comic book type action heroes, this book will provide hours of entertaining reading. It also provides for some deeper questions about power, about the right to rule over others (i.e. slavery), about the rights of those who rule over others (does a king have an obligation to provide and provide what for his subjects, etc). Maybe I am too nerdy and the author does not intend these things to included but I thought about them as the book progressed.

great story. great author

Would you listen to Steelheart again? Why?

I can't wait until the next book in this series.

What other book might you compare Steelheart to and why?

Has aspects of super humans like in X-Men.

Any additional comments?

Brandon Sanderson is a phenomenal writer. What drew me towards this book being so impressed with his other works. Very creative. Knows how to tell a story and capture the characters. I can't think of one flaw with this book. Just never wanted it to end.

Great Sci-Fi Fantasy!

Any additional comments?

There was so much action, a bit of mystery and a group of wonderful characters in this story. Never is there a dull moment. The scene when Prof rescues David and Megan was awesome! I wanted so much more of that scene!!! What a great start to this series.

💖MacLeod Andrews💖Amazing as always!

great

Big Sanderson fan. have read or listened to many of his books. this is my favorite by far. I don't think even he expected it be that good.

Still Sanderson, but not Genius

I'm a Sanderson fan, but I might not sound like it here. Perhaps I grade him harshly because some of his other work is so good. I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it, particularly for a YA audience, but not-so-Y adults will enjoy it as well.

Sanderson does well what he always does well:
-Characters have very cool magical powers.
-Fight scenes with magic are fast and plentiful.
-The "all super villain / no super hero" premise is great!
-The post (ongoing?) - apocalyptic setting is interesting with plenty of room to develop. Though this last is full of anthropological and incentive-based paradoxes that you are better off not thinking too deeply about.

In my mind, these are enough to carry the book. These alone make it good enough. Unfortunately, there are some issues that are uncharacteristically slapdash. The general narrative is just too convenient. The plot never really derails, the characters have already planned everything out and nearly always find what they are looking for. Any twists are very forseeable. Sanderson drops too many clues. I'm horrible at figuring these things out and even to me it seemed plain as day. The characters are pretty wooden. There are some exceptions. Ok, one. Cody. But the rest are underdeveloped.

Lastly, the "boy meets girl" piece is achingly contrived. I know Sanderson wanted wanted a young love element. But, come on, of course the crack team of hardened super villain assassins is going to include a pretty girl his own age who resents him at first, and warms to him later when he demonstrates his quality. Of course it does. While I can suspend disbelief to fit a villain-created forever night in a steel-fossilized Chicago, the love interest character is a bit too fantastical.

The reader was good. Very well cast to do a young man narrator. His accents were ok as were his characterizations.

NOTE: As of this writing there is a free short story available on Audible as an interlude to the series. The next full novel that has not yet been published.

This would be great if...

All but chapter one just disappeared. Why? I don't know. Is there a help button? Not that I can find. I have both the book and the audio. I can read it, but it's hard to bake a cake and read at the same time. Thus Audible. Not the first time I've had trouble with it😬. Frustrating
All that being said, I love the story, and the narrator is incredible! The Reckoners series is my favorite of all Brandon Sanderson's works! If you like sci-fi/fantasy, you will love this.

Futuristic Fanatasy, Great tale

The world has been altered by the arrival of a celestial light called calamity creating EPIC human alteration. The EPICs have varied mystical powers and are cruel beings who change society into a world of fear, servitude and deprivation. Chicago is changed into a dark city with much of the city's structure turned to steel. A small group resists the EPIC rule with with technology that almost counters the EPIC powers. The story builds fascinating characters and grows to a SURPRISING climax. I almost always expect these surprises, but I did not see this one coming. Macleod Andrews does a great job!