Firefight
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Description
They told David it was impossible - that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet, Steelheart - invincible, immortal, unconquerable - is dead. And he died by David's hand.
Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life more simple. Instead, it only made David realise he has questions. Big ones. And there's no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs.
Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David's willing to risk it.
Reviewed on 11th January 2015
Book two (if you ignore a novella set in between) of Brandon Sanderson's Reckoners series continues the adventures of David Charleston in his fight against the Epics - humans who have gained superpowers which turn them evil. David and his friends head for New York this time, to confront a gathering team of Epics who threaten to wipe out the city.
Sanderson has managed to amaze me yet again. Despite finding the start a bit slow, by the time I was about a third of the way through I was absolutely hooked and raced through the back half. The way the author manages to take what could have been a self-contained story and expand the world in a completely natural way to a wider view is fantastic. There's so much here to learn about the characters and the magic systems in play and the main character's enthusiasm for learning about it is really contagious.
Although this is being marketed in some places as a young adult series, there's nothing here that wouldn't appeal to any reader. The tone is slightly humorous, particularly with one of the quirks of David making for a frequent recurring gag, but this doesn't distract from what is actually quite a serious story. I really love all the plot twists and everything that's revealed in this volume - there's so much to take in that I think a re-read might be in order before the third (and possibly final) book comes along in fourteen months time.
