By Brandon Sanderson
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 first 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.
First off I need to say that I began reading this when it
first came out and my interest flagged pretty quickly (partly because I started
it when I wasn’t in the mood for it) so I put it aside so I could give it the
attention I thought it most likely deserved, knowing Sanderson’s ability to
write phenomenal worlds and characters. I decided to wait until the last book
was fairly close to coming out so I wouldn’t be in yet another waiting line for
a series. So I decided to listen to this on Audible. I am SO glad I made that
decision. MacLeod Andrews, who narrates the audiobook is fantastic. I was
immediately grabbed by his voice and his subtle way of reading the story. I
felt like it was a whole new book and I loved how he narrated as David. He has
this amazing ability to deliver the dialogue in the perfect way that animates
and brings to life the situation and the characters. I devoured this audiobook
and couldn’t wait to listen to it. I’ve tried audiobooks before and this is the
first time I listened to an audiobook when I wasn’t driving and had other
things to do. Combining Mr. Andrews’ presentation with Sanderson’s brilliant
writing was genius. I loved this book. The plot was amazing, I was left flabbergasted
at some of the turns and surprises at the end. This is an awesome twist on ‘superhero’
books, where the question is put: what happens if everyone who acquires
superhuman powers actually becomes evil? By the end of the book you’re
realizing the straightforward plot that you were handed at the beginning is the
tip of the iceberg. I finished this audiobook knowing that I didn’t want to
read the next book, I wanted to listen to it. In fact, I immediately went and
grabbed it on audible and am now listening to Firefight. I’m still trying to
figure out how I’ll survive the wait until February for Calamity.
Anyway, plot is solid, action-packed and rendered in
crystal-clear quality. Characters are fully realized, unique, and diverse. You
have Cody, the Scotsman from the Southern States, Abraham, The Canadian with a
French accent and heavy artillery, Tia, the Redhead with a plan, Megan, the
young serious fighter, and Prof, the man, the myth, the legend. And David, a
kid with a vendetta, a serious lack of social life, and whose metaphors need a
lot of help.
Tons of fun from Sanderson. I’m liking this one in a major
way.
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