Is Steelheart or any other of many novels penned by Sanderson breaking new ground in literature? Absolutely not. This analysis of familiarity is not intended to come sounding as critical as it may seem. Even if one has never actually read a novel like this before, one is likely to become very familiar with the world it presents after just a few minutes of flipping through pages and reading skimming some passages. And one of the most eminently useful superpowers at play allows certain characters to merely point their finger in the direction of a person who instantly becomes a skeleton. In this dystopian portrait of a near-future, Chicago has come to be known as Newcago. The title character, Steelheart, is an even more powerful version of an Epic. This is one of those novels that includes groups of characters known as Epics or Reckoners.

For those unfamiliar with Sanderson or his previous work or Steelheart, a mere flip of a few pages at random will be enough to quickly clue you into the mystery. Sanderson is one of those writers who has a built-in audience for every book he publishes.

We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.Ĭhances are that the overwhelming majority of readers who have picked up Brandon Sanderson’s first entry in his series The Reckoners, titled Steelheart, knows exactly what they are getting before opening the first page. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.

Steelheart book