Steelheart (The Reckoners)

Sun, 24 Aug 2025 17:16:08 -0700

WOW! This novel is very well written, and the plot and premise of the story are amazing! This is currently (and has been for a few years as well) my absolute favorite book! In a world of completely ordinary humans, there are super powerful men and women with abilities rivaling any comic book superhero—or rather, supervillain. Seemingly every one of them is sinister, and have no qualms with oppressing their inferior powerless human counterparts. Only a few regular folks called the Reckoners even dare to counter the menaces known as Epics, and David Charleston wants to join them. One certain Epic, Steelheart, had brutally murdered his father in front of him—and he wants revenge. But annihilating the equivalent of a god is no easy task; David will have to confront various relations and threats alike, as well as constantly adapt to fast-changing situations and dangerous environments, as he navigates the chance to take down the greatest Epic in history. I personally enjoy stories like the one presented in “Steelheart;” the progression of events and chapters is logical, and the individual episodes themselves combine to form a truly majestic read. No chapter seems forced, nor does any aspect of the novel throughout its entirety demonstrate replaceability. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book again and again, making it one of the very few I reread at all, much less multiple times. It is a unique mix of action and dramatic tension, and even has a sprinkling of comedy as well! These elements are blended extremely well in my opinion, making each major scene conspicuous and memorable and infusing the more minor developments with more than tolerable offerings for the reader to enjoy. The characters and their developments are also very well described and executed. There are some minor quirks and traits about them that I felt were added solely to advance the plot, but they mostly lived their roles. The dynamics between the characters, too, are worthy of note. David’s relationships with the Reckoners and others (and, in fact, the interactions between characters other than David) seem to positively vibrate with authenticity—the author does not form any more complexities in them than necessary, yet does not make them bare and bare and stoic either. The only notable grievance I must make about the book is the climax between David and Steelheart; while Epics have weaknesses that nullify or reduce their powers, the circumstances concerning Steelheart are not well-developed or supported by the rest of the novel. Other than that, though, I truly believe that this novel is an impeccable read. I would wholly and without reservation recommend it to anyone interested in a captivating and holistically entertaining book; for me, reading it was totally worth it!