Steelheart

Today we are looking at the first book in the Reckoners Series by Brandon Sanderson: Steelheart. This is spoiler-free by the way, so no need to fret.

You might be wondering, “What is Steelheart?” Lucky for you, it’s Blurb Time!

Here’s the blurb you might read from booksellers about this book:

“Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary people extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.

Epics are no friends of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man, you must crush his will. 

Now, in what was once Chicago, an astonishingly powerful Epic named Steelheart has installed himself as emperor. Steelheart possesses the strength of ten men and can control the elements. It is said that no bullet can harm him, no sword can split his skin, and no fire can burn him. He is invincible. Nobody fights back . . . nobody but the Reckoners.

A shadowy group of ordinary humans, the Reckoners spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them. And David wants in.

When Steelheart came to Chicago, he killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David has been studying, and planning, and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

   He has seen Steelheart bleed.

   And he wants revenge.”

Brandon Sanderson is the author of the very popular series Mistborn, and also the co-author of the final 3 books in the Wheel of Time series, which is a very well-known fantasy saga. We can assume Sanderson is a great writer, but that alone doesn’t tell us if Steelheart is a book worth reading or not.

Let’s look at the themes of the book and see what they have to say.

Themes

There are a few good themes that develop throughout the book. The first one is obviously revenge. This is the story of a boy seeking vengeance on the supervillain that murdered his father. The desire to see Steelheart dead is the one passion that fuels David’s every action. In fact, the last ten years of his life have been consumed with gathering knowledge about the Epics and their weaknesses. The knowledge comes in handy, but his search for revenge affects him in ways he didn’t realize at the beginning. David has to face the fact that revenge is just another way of being under someone else’s control.

Another major theme would be justice. These altered humans called Epics take and destroy whatever they please, and they kill without a care for the people around them. In particular, Steelheart is a tyrannical leader who rules by fear. David, apart from seeking his own revenge, desires for the people of his city to be free from the clutches of the poisoned leaders of Newcago. He wants the wicked leaders punished and the innocent people freed.

Another theme that’s subtly touched on throughout the book is redemption. By the end of the book, you’re left asking, “is anyone truly irredeemable?” 

So what did I like about the book?

Things I Liked

This concept of evil superheroes is new to me and I really liked it. Every other story I’ve read or watched in this vein always has good superheroes versus bad supervillains. This book reinvents that completely, putting normal humans up again impossible foes.

The prologue is really great. It throws us into the world and immediately gives us a picture of what living with evil superhumans would be like. Sanderson really is a great storyteller. I never felt like I was overwhelmed by details. Anything I needed to know was provided when it was needed.

I really liked the cast of characters. Each of them brought a unique perspective and gave a really nice dynamic to the book, especially the Reckoners. They’re not a perfect team, they don’t always agree, and that’s ok. Answers don’t always come easy. Working with other people means you don’t always get your way.

The last thing I’ll mention is the mystery of the Epics. Sanderson makes it a point to leave certain things unanswered for the perfect amount of time. Even after reading the first book, there are still questions I have about the Epics. But some things, particularly the weakness of Steelheart, the main antagonist, are eventually revealed, and it was genuinely fun to try and piece the puzzle together on my own before discovering what was going to happen. I think Sanderon did a great job of creating intrigue without breaking that balance of giving away too much or too little.

Ok so those are the things I liked most about the book. Was there anything suggestive in the book?

Things to Know

This book is written for 12-17 year olds, but I would say it’s not fit for the younger crowd in that age group. There is quite a lot of violence, including senseless killing done by the Epics. While ruthless murder is always viewed as wicked, the truth is this book is all about assassination and fighting. That doesn’t make the book evil, but it means that I wouldn’t recommend it for 12-14 year olds.

Another thing you should know is that the book has two curse words. Brandon Sanderson creates his own fake swear words that keep the book mostly clean, and even make you crack a smile. But for some reason, even with his in-world substitutes, he decided to include a couple real curse words, which bummed me out. It was almost completely clean apart from the violence. 

So how would I rate Steelheart? Well, I rate books on a five color scale ranging from red, to orange, to yellow, to green, and finally to Cyan. Red is the worst, Cyan is the best. 

Conclusion/Rating

I rate Steelheart as a yellow book. It is well-written, it has a great plot with realistic characters, but it has a little cursing and some violence that I don’t think is appropriate for 12-14 year olds. Now, if you are ok with your kid watching PG-13 movies (Like the marvel movies or Hunger Games), then this book is ok for them to read. Personally I don’t like the route that PG-13 movies are taking by adding more curse words, and in literature, I’m gonna be picky.

Otherwise, Steelheart is a unique story that encourages reader to ask some really powerful questions about identity and purpose. I’d encourage you to ask questions as your teen is reading this book. Ask them how David is acting and thinking, and what they would do differently if they had the chance. Get them talking about revenge and what a proper response to injustice would look like. If you want more questions and themes to discuss with your teen, check out Part 2 of this review where I sit down with my friend Sean and his dad, Steve, to talk about the book more in-depth. We dive deep into some of the characters and their motivations, good and bad, I think you’ll find it really interesting.