REVIEW: Steelheart

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Published: September 24, 2013 by Delacorte Press
Genres: Sci-Fi, YA, dystopia
Pages: 386
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 8.8/10
Quick Run-Down: 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 wills.
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.

I have never read a Brandon Sanderson book before, but I do know that he specializes in fantasy. However, I picked up this book because I was craving a good sci-fi. And this book was one amazing sci-fi.
Straight off the bat, this book pulled me in. I was intrigued from the prologue. It instantly reminded me of the TV shows “Heroes” and “Misfits”. Basically, a select amount of humans gain extraordinary powers making them, essentially, superhuman. They are called Epics. However, these Epics don’t become superheroes or good guys. They end up becoming villains, thirsty for power and wealth. It’s just one of my favorite types of stories.
If you enjoy anti-heroes, and superheroes, this book if for you. Seriously. It’s just so incredibly epic and fast paced.
How everything plays out in the end was so good. I was breathless. Actually breathless. THAT’s how awesome the whole book caps off… And it’s not even the last book. It’s a series, “Reckoners”!
Steelheart is an incredibly addictive book. I imagined scenes from the anime “AKIRA” during the chases on the motorcycles. The action in this book was so wonderfully written. I could see the epic chases and the gunfire and the crossfire of all these different powers so clearly and vividly in my mind whilst reading. Steelheart could be turned into a future-length action film, or a graphic novel, and it would succeed in both forms.
Brandon Sanderson blew my mind with this book. I really enjoyed it, and I cannot wait for the next book, “Firelight” to come out. In the meanwhile, I think I’m going to pick up some more Brandon Sanderson novels right now.

Misfits and Heroes, because of the superhuman powers given to random humans and the way in which these now super humans choose to use their new powers.
AKIRA, because of it’s epic and heart stopping action.

If you like superheroes, or comics, or anything like that… Steelheart is highly recommended.