The Reckoners

The Reckoners is a young adult fantasy series written by American author Brandon Sanderson. Three books are planned in the series: Steelheart (published September 2013), Firefight (published Jan 2015), and Calamity (will come out February 16, 2016). The series depicts a post-apocalyptic world in which the appearance of an orbiting object has given random people superhuman powers in apparent defiance of known physical laws, turning them into "Epics". These powers have impelled most of them to prey upon or enslave the rest of humanity, causing the collapse of traditional governments. One young man orphaned by a High Epic joins an elite underground resistance movement.

Background

Twelve years ago, a object dubbed Calamity appeared near Earth and burst in the sky, emitting a strange radiation which gave a small group of humans super powers and near invincibility in apparent defiance of the known laws of physics. They all have different types of powers and weaknesses, with no apparent rhyme or reason. Dubbed Epics, these super-humans took to crime. Existing government proved absolutely incapable of controlling the Epics, the most powerful of which replaced government authority and enslaved the rest of humanity.

Ten years ago, an eight-year-old Chicago native boy named David Charleston was orphaned when the Epic Steelheart murdered his father while fighting a rival Epic Deathpoint in a bank. The sole survivor of the bank carnage, David has now come of age in what is known as Newcago, ruled by Steelheart. David witnessed Steelheart's one weakness as his father inflicted a minor wound at Steelheart's eye while trying to shoot the other Epic, and David has grown up devoting his life to learning all he can about the Epics to find their weaknesses, with the goal of avenging his father. He finds "the Reckoners", an elite group led by "Professor" Jonathan Phaedrus with the common goal of killing as many Epics as possible. They decide to admit him into their group when they discover he has witnessed Steelheart's weakness, and his collected research.

Steelheart has turned most all of Newcago into steel with his power, and his lieutenant Nightwielder keeps it in eternal darkness by hiding the Sun. The mortal citizenry live mostly underground and work at menial factory jobs. Yet Steelheart has proved one of the more effective Epic rulers, by providing Newcago with infrastructure (food, water, and electricity) in contrast with most other cities in what is now known as the "Fractured States".

Books in the series

Steelheart

Steelheart

Author	Brandon Sanderson
Series	The Reckoners
Publication date	24 September 2013
ISBN	978-0385743563

The United States, and other parts of the world, were changed forever when a burst in the sky known as Calamity gave normal people superhuman powers and abilities. These people came to be known to humanity as Epics. The story is told through the perspective of David, an orphaned teenager living in Newcago (formerly known as Chicago). Newcago is ruled by the extremely powerful Epic named Steelheart, who has created a society run by other powerful Epics, with normal people living with normal jobs. Steelheart is apparently invulnerable, is able to fly, can hurl blasts of energy, and can turn inanimate matter to steel; he has turned all of Chicago to steel for kilometers around and into the ground. Newcago is also shrouded in darkness by Steelheart's lieutenant,Nightwielder. Compared to other places in what was the United States (war torn and lawless and ravaged by warring Epics), Newcago is well run, with normal people generally having access to food, water, electricity, jobs, etc.

David's father was killed by Steelheart around the time of the collapse. When David was eight, he and his father were at a bank which was attacked by an Epic named Deathpoint who had the power to skeletonise people by pointing at them. Half the bank was killed when Steelheart came in and started to argue with him. During this time, David's father grabbed one of the dead guard's guns and prepared himself to kill Deathpoint, believing that Steelheart was a hero. When his father shot Deathpoint, the bullet grazed Steelheart's cheek and caused him to bleed. Enraged, Steelheart killed David's father and then proceeded to destroy the bank. David crawled into one of the vaults, which ultimately saved him from falling debris and isolated him from Steelheart's energy blasts. Later, David was recovered by rescue workers, but ran away scared. This also saved him because Steelheart came back with another Epic named Faultline and sank the entire building into the ground. David later guessed that Steelheart had this happen because everyone in the bank had watched him bleed and had learned that his invincibility had a weakness. David dedicates his life to learning about the Epics' power, Steelheart's weakness, and about a group of normal humans dedicated to killing Epics called The Reckoners, so that he can get revenge on Steelheart.

Near the start of the book, David makes contact with The Reckoners when he interferes with one of their missions. Among this group are the leader and founder of The Reckoners, Jonathan Phaedrus (who is called Prof throughout the book), Tia, Abraham, Cody, and the newest recruit, Megan. They first take David along with them because they fear that he could be an Epic who was sent to spy on them. They planned to leave him behind after learning that he was a normal person who only studied them long enough to learn their habits. David convinces them to bring him along and work with him when he tells them that he has seen Steelheart bleed. After going on a mission to retrieve his notes, David convinces The Reckoners to try to kill Steelheart.

In addition to hunting Epics, The Reckoners are in possession of advanced technology which they say has scientifically been derived from Epic powers, most prominently the power to tunnel through inanimate matter, namely steel, using a glove-like item called "Tensors". They used these Tensors to tunnel escape routes during missions, create tunnels used as traps, and to create hiding places. They also have a machine called the Harmsway, which is used to quickly heal wounds, and clothing that projects protective shields.

The Reckoners create a plan to lure out Steelheart; the plan is to announce that there is a powerful new Epic named Limelight, who challenges Steelheart to a fight. To make Steelheart take the challenge seriously, they stage two attacks which they accredit to Limelight. First, they blow up the power plant that supplies Newcago with a portion of its electricity. Secondly, they tried to attack one of the powerful Epics in Steelheart's employ known as Conflux; he is known as a "gifter", or "transference Epic" which gives him the ability to gift his powers to non-Epics and in his case, anything that runs on electricity. The attack doesn't go according to plan because they were somehow found out. During the escape, Megan is killed, but they do succeed in kidnapping Conflux. It is revealed that Conflux was actually a captive of Steelheart, kept prisoner and used like a battery to power the city and the weapons of Steelheart's forces. With the capture of Conflux, Steelheart accepts The Reckoner's, or as he thinks, Limelight's challenge.

They set the final battle to happen in an old football stadium. Before signaling Steelheart, they rig the stadium with multiple exits and various traps. They plan to test each of their theories about Steelheart's true weakness, including that some of the contents of the vault can weaken him, that he can only be hurt by someone who believes in the possibility of good Epics, that he can only be hurt by crossfire, and that he can only be hurt by the gun that David's father used. When they meet Steelheart, they try out all but one theory of breaking his invincibility, but none work. Prof stalls Steelheart by using the Tensors to fight him. The powerful Epics named Nightwielder and Firefight go after David, preventing him from using his father's gun on Steelheart. David is able to kill Nightwielder, but Firefight turns out to be Megan, who is an Epic illusionist with reincarnation abilities who had infiltrated The Reckoners. Because of David's love for Megan, and because Megan had become less evil from not using her powers regularly, she lets David go. David joins the Prof in the fight against Steelheart, but Prof is killed. David soon finds out that their last theory about David's father's gun does not work. Steelheart takes David's gun, and is intent on shooting him with it, but shortly before allowing Steelheart to take the gun, David figured out that Steelheart's weakness is that he can only be killed by someone who does not fear him, and has rigged the gun to trigger an explosive. When the explosives go off, Steelheart is killed, due to the fact that it was he who pulled the trigger and thus was the one who attacked himself.

When the dust settles, it is revealed that Prof is an Epic who had avoided turning evil by gifting his powers in the form of technology. One of these powers is the ability to heal rapidly, and he used this power on himself just in time to revive himself and prevent the explosive blast from killing David by using a shielding power. David then tells Prof about how Megan is actually Firefight, which shocks him. David then runs off to find her and talk to her. When he encounters her, he finds that the reincarnation process messed with her memory and that she does not remember everything she has been through with David, only that she is supposed to be one of the bad guys. David tries to convince her to come with him and the rest of The Reckoners, but she refuses and David is forced to leave her.

At the end of the novel, David reflects on what he has done. He and The Reckoners realize that they will have to continue to fight for the safety of Newcago because other Epics will come, looking to fill in Steelheart's place. He then thinks about how he did not kill Steelheart only because he wanted revenge for his father or redemption for running away when he was little, but because he was fighting for his father's dreams of good Epics.

Mitosis (short story)

Mitosis

Author	Brandon Sanderson
Series	The Reckoners
Publication date	December 3, 2013
ISBN	9780449818435

This short story takes place between the Steelheart and Firefight books. In it, the Reckoners are controlling Newcago, attempting to restore a Human-Governed society. An Epic named 'Mitosis' comes looking for David, wishing to know the truth behind Steelheart's death, as he does not believe that a human could have defeated Steelheart.

Firefight

Firefight

Author	Brandon Sanderson
Series	The Reckoners
Publication date	6 January 2015
ISBN	978-0385743587

Book 2, Firefight, was published on 6 January 2015.^[1]

After the events of Steelheart and Mitosis, David Charleston (dubbed as the infamous 'Steelslayer' by many) is searching for something to fill the hole left now that his revenge had at long last been fulfilled. Megan, Firefight has since left the Reckoners knowing her cover as Steelheart's spy was blown. With the attacks on his team from Mitosis and Sourcefield, Prof. Jon Phaedrus has eyes set on the common connection between them and Regalia, an Epic who rules Babilar, formerly known as Manhattan, and who has sent multiple subordinate Epics to confront the Newcago Reckoners. Jon sets out to Babilar with David and Tia (leaving Abraham and Cody behind to defend the city of Newcago) to face Regalia, whom David suspects has a long-term connection between Jon and Tia, due to their seemingly knowledgeable information of each other.

Upon arriving in Babilar, a ruined NYC flooded up to the top of the skyscrapers, which are used by the citizens as homes, connected by ladders, Prof, David, and Tia meet with Val, the tough-headed operations leader of the Babilar Reckoners, Exel, the extremely large and friendly giant of the team, and Mizzy, the spunky and clumsy point/repair and equipment manager. Together, they go out on boat to the city, where they discuss Regalia's powers of being able to control the water and water level, as well as being able to project herself upon the water's surface and see things near the water surface. The group finds it odd that she's turned the city into a less restricted community, turning it into more of a free haven. Suddenly, nearby rooftops blaze and explode, and it's revealed that Regalia has brought in Obliteration, an incredibly strong and cryptic Epic who has a flair for the theatrics and is famous for desolating Houston, San Diego, and Albuquerque, not wanting to rule, but simply to destroy. With the abilities to absorb and disperse amazing amounts of heat, teleport in the wake of danger, as well as enhanced strength, he runs rampant throughout the city, killing citizens seemingly joyously while the Reckoners try to exploit a weakness. While fighting him, David notices bandages on his chest, as if he were recently injured. The lopsided scuffle ends with David being thrown into the depths with a ball and chain, before Obliteration graciously thanks him for slaying Steelheart, saying it's simply an obstacle averted in his quest to destroy everything in his path.

David is drowning, when he feels someone miraculously save him and put him ashore. When the other Reckoners return to him, Jon is missing, and it's understood that Prof had to use his powers to stave off Obliteration, but it's also understood that the Epic was not defeated. While escaping to a submarine with the others, David catches a glimpse of Megan in wet clothes in a crowd, and soon realizes that she saved him. The Reckoners' submarine takes them to an underwater mansion, where they are hidden from Regalia's view. David, who is obviously uneasy about water, sees Prof return, and implores that perhaps Regalia is trying to resist the Epic powers, to which Tia agrees. However, Prof believes something bigger is happening, and takes David aside to warn him that Regalia is the primary target, and to not let his feelings for Megan get in the way of the mission.

Exel and Mizzy help David learn to use the spyrill, a piece of Knighthawk machinery that allows the user to use it as a jetpack of water. After plenty of training on this, David and Mizzy are sent to a Babilar party to spy on Newton, a gang leader in the city and an Epic working for Regalia. However, Mizzy and David end up connecting, and it's revealed that Mizzy wants to kill 'Firefight' (Megan) for killing Sam, an old member of her team. David tries to spy on Newton, but suddenly realizes that Megan is following him and draws her out when they are alone. Megan, who is trying to resist her Epic temptations, tells him that she finds it easier to control herself around him, and the two have a laugh in the wake of a bad metaphor by David. Megan gives David a motivator, which is a small object that helps Knighthawk technology work, before leaving him, threatening him with a gun when he tries to kiss her. However, David notices that she has the safety on, and believes that it is love.

David continues to practice with the spyrill, and improves his skills greatly, until suddenly Regalia's water projection appears. The two discuss the morals of Reckoners and Epics, and while David tries to figure out her location by triangulation, she states that he has only hurt society by killing Steelheart, and that he will be the end of his own people. She disappears, and David contemplates how the Epics' weaknesses may possibly be connected to events from their past(Ex: Mitosis' weakness was his own rock music from the past). David and Exel dwelve into the lore of 'Dawnslight', a believed good Epic who watches over the city and grants it with glowing lights on the spraypaint on the side of the walls of buildings, as well as filling the interiors of the city's skyscrapers with luscious, jungle-like greenery and fruit to feed the people. However, the conversation is cut short when it's discovered that Obliteration is sitting on top of a rooftop in Babilar, collecting up heat from the sun, most likely in an effort to vaporize the city.

David keeps in touch with Megan via text, and Prof (who is thinking of a plan to stop Obliteration from destroying the city) becomes suspicious that he's putting her in front of the mission to end Regalia's reign over Babilar, and even threatens to send him back to Newcago. Prof leaves David still unsure if his presence helps or hinders the Reckoner team. While going out with the others to scout Obliteration's spot, David goes into the interior of a building and notices odd fortune cookies hanging off of vines from the large vegetation, with notes inside asking for help, that She has me captive. The group sets up around Obliteration to spy on him, when Newton is noticed nearby, as well as Knoxx, another Epic thug who can change into a pigeon. It's realized that the two are planning on blowing up buildings around Obliteration as to keep anyone who could threaten his absorption away. It's assumed that all of the innocents inside died, but Prof steps up and conjures a force field to protect them. The refugees are led safely out of the city, and David ponders why Regalia plans to destroy the city she has seemed to care for and help grow all along.

After finally being able to connect with Val and meeting with Prof, who is in isolation to keep his powers at bay (they nearly overtook him after greatly exerting them), David runs into Megan, who snuck into the Reckoner base via their submarine, the two talk, and it's revealed that Megan hasn't been using her powers, and her Epic powers have been at bay. David and Megan finally embrace and kiss. The pair leave the base to study Obliteration, and spend a great deal of time together, and they seemingly their romantic relationship.

More will be added soon----

Calamity

Calamity

Author	Brandon Sanderson
Series	The Reckoners
Publication date	16 February 2016
ISBN	978-0575104662

Calamity will be the third book in The Reckoners series.^[2] Amazon.co.uk lists the release date as 16 February 2016.^[3] The book will mainly take place in Atlanta.^[4]

Reception

Steelheart debuted at #1 on the New York Times Young Adult Bestseller list for the week of October 13 ^[5] and gained favorable reviews, one commenting, "Like many of his other novels, Brandon Sanderson created a whole new world so imaginative, deep and different; a world that completely immerses you in it effortlessly".^[6]

Firefight also debuted at #1 on the New York Times Young Adult Bestseller list.^[7]

References

External links

• Official Steelheart webpage
• Reckoners series at Goodreads