YA Weekend: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars 

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy

Series: Book 1 of Reckoners

Publisher: Delacorte

Date of Publication: September 24, 2013

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Everyone I know has been saying such great things about this book, so I’m afraid I can do little more than to add to the praise that’s already out there. In the interest of full disclosure though, I’m a big fan of Brandon Sanderson and he’s one of the handful of writers whose books I will insta-buy without a second thought. On the other hand, it’s also true that I often approach my favorite authors’ work with higher-than-average expectations.

Admittedly, this has also somewhat affected the way I looked at Steelheart, in that I went into it perceiving it as not so much a Young Adult novel, but rather as any other Sanderson novel. As a result, I confess that my expectations for this were at through-the-roof levels even before I started, and yet what’s amazing to me is that even those were met and in some cases exceeded. It also makes me feel more confident in reporting that despite its YA designation, Steelheart can probably be enjoyed and appreciated by a much wider audience.

So even if you have an interest in this book but don’t think you’re a “YA person”, please don’t let that be the only thing stopping you from checking it out! Because while Steelheart has many of the elements common in YA fantasy, Sanderson also brings his own brand of storytelling and amazing ideas to this superhero novel, making it special and stand out. And perhaps, it would actually be more accurate to call this one a “super-villain” novel, given how the people who manifest special powers in Steelheart — the book refers to them as Epics — turn out to be evil.

As such, there are no heroes in David’s world. Ten years ago, his father along with thousands of others died when the Epics took over, with the most powerful one of all who calls himself Steelheart declaring himself Emperor. Now Epics rule regular humans and kill them with impunity, but no one fights back. No one CAN fight back. Steelheart is near-invincible, and nobody can touch him unless his weakness is discovered somehow. David, however, seeks to do just that with the help of an underground group of rebels called the Reckoners. Together, they are determined to see the Epics’ reign end.

Once again, I’m reminded that Brandon Sanderson is a master-builder of worlds for a reason. One of the first things I noticed about the setting of Steelheart is how robust and “complete” it feels. As someone who reads quite a lot of YA, I notice that while books in this genre often present great ideas and feature highly imaginative worlds, many also tend to ignore or gloss over the infrastructure of their post-apocalyptic or dystopian societies. And in extreme cases, there is hardly an adult presence at all, which might make a lot of sense for a novel targeted at young adults, but this also makes a story much less realistic. Sanderson on the other hand seems to realize that even in a messed-up world where Epics have taken over, what’s left of civilization needs a system and a workforce in place to function. He’s included a lot of groundwork for his world that makes it more detailed and conceivable.

What’s more, it’s the same for the characters, who are all distinctive and have memorable personalities. I’m not so used to reading Sanderson books narrated in the first person, so it’s quite the new and refreshing experience to be right in the head of his main protagonist. And David is certainly…interesting. I like him, though I can’t say the same about his hopeless metaphors! Megan also gives me pause. I suppose if there’s one tiny itty-bitty thing I didn’t like too much about this book is how David falls for her. Though, it’s important to note that protagonists being attracted to love interests who treat them like crap is a long-held pet peeve of mine, and not even Sanderson could budge that.

Still, overall I loved Steelheart! I honestly cannot identify any “slow parts” in this novel, as it kept me interested the whole way through with its tension and foreshadowing. The level of suspense is kept at a constant high with the Reckoners racing against time to unravel the mystery of Steelheart’s weakness so that they can assassinate him. The action scenes are also phenomenal, and the many twists and surprises in the plot will definitely keep you guessing. This was the most fun I’ve had with a book in ages.