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Steelheart

Steelheart

DystopianScience Fiction
Pages
400
Published
2013
Language
English

Synopsis

Ten years ago, a burst of light in the sky called Calamity transformed ordinary people into Epics — superhumans with extraordinary powers. None of them use those powers for good. The most powerful Epic of all is Steelheart, who has turned Chicago into a city of steel — literally — and rules it as an absolute dictator. David Charleston watched Steelheart kill his father and has spent the last decade obsessing over how to kill an Epic who, as far as anyone knows, cannot be harmed. His chance comes when he makes contact with the Reckoners, a secretive group of ordinary humans who hunt Epics. But to bring down Steelheart, David will need to discover the Epic's one hidden weakness. Steelheart is a fast-paced YA thriller inspired by Sanderson's observation that if real superpowers existed, they would corrupt the people who had them.

Prose complexity
3/10

Vibe

TenseAdventurousGrittyDarkHopeful
Chosen OneHeistRevengeSurvivalReluctant HeroMentor Figure

Genres

Dystopian Science Fiction Urban Fantasy Young Adult Adventure Fantasy

About the author

B
Brandon Sanderson

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1975, Brandon Sanderson spent his early twenties working graveyard shifts at a hotel — writing novels at the front desk between guest check-ins. By the time his debut, Elantris, was published by Tor Books in 2005, he had completed thirteen novels in the drawer. His subsequent Mistborn trilogy and the ongoing Stormlight Archive series established him as the primary architect of the Cosmere, an interconnected fictional universe in which most of his fantasy series share...

Characters

David CharlestonProtagonist

A young man who has spent ten years memorizing everything about Epics, particularly Steelheart, after watching the Epic kill his father.

SteelheartAntagonist

The most powerful Epic in existence, who turned Chicago to steel and rules it as an absolute dictator — supposedly invincible.

ProfSupporting

The brilliant and intense leader of the Reckoners, a secretive team of ordinary humans who study and kill Epics.

MeganSupporting

A skilled Reckoner agent whose true nature becomes central to the series' larger mystery.

Abraham (Reckoners)Supporting

A soft-spoken Reckoner and the team's gunner, a former French Foreign Legion soldier who believes a good Epic might exist somewhere.

All characters in Steelheart

Frequently asked questions

  • What inspired the Reckoners concept?

    Sanderson has described being cut off in traffic and imagining having the power to destroy the other car — then asking himself why, if people had superpowers, anyone would assume they would use them for good rather than selfishly.

  • Where is the book set?

    In Newcago — formerly Chicago — which Steelheart has literally transformed into steel: the buildings, the streets, and much of the surrounding area.

  • Is this part of the Cosmere?

    No. The Reckoners is a standalone series with no connection to Sanderson's Cosmere universe.

  • What age group is this for?

    Steelheart is aimed at young adult readers aged roughly 13 and up. It is one of Sanderson's most accessible books for new readers.

  • Is this a series?

    Yes — Steelheart is the first of three main novels (Steelheart, Firefight, Calamity) plus the novella Mitosis, which takes place between Steelheart and Firefight.

  • How do the Reckoners kill Epics without powers?

    Through research, planning, and exploitation of each Epic's unique weakness — all Epics have one specific thing that can harm them, and the Reckoners dedicate themselves to finding it.

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