Those familiar with Sanderson’s Mistborn novels will find familiar structural elements in STEELHEART, especially the emphasis on an idealistic young man (David) seeking revenge and striving to change his society by joining with a group of rebels led by an older, mysterious “wise man” figure. Despite these similarities, STEELHEART feels fresh and inventive, largely due to the compelling setting and concept: what if superheroes arose among us but decided to use their powers for selfish ends rather than altruistic ones?
The novel’s protagonist, David, serves as a good reader’s guide, being at once very knowledgeable about the Epics and very naive about life among the Reckoners. With David, Sanderson has created a geek’s geek who loves gadgets and keeps a dossier on each Epic but also happens to kick butt, and has surrounded him with a fun cast of supporting characters — the wise-cracking weapons specialist, the spiritual engineer-philosopher, the tough and sexy but aloof female love interest, and a pair of older adults to guide the crew on their adventures.
Newcago, a futuristic version of Chicago, is the primary setting explored in the book — both the upper city, which is now shrouded in perpetual darkness thanks to the powers of one of the Epics, and a maze-like undercity where most mortals scratch out a meager existence and try to survive. While this setting felt relatively fully fleshed, the Reckoner’s nemeses, the Epics, were a weak element of the book.
With comic-book names (like Deadpoint and Nightwielder) and inexplicable powers that seemed to have no rules governing their strengths or weaknesses (actually, it seemed the only rules to Epic magic were that there were no rules), the Epics rang slightly false for me. Nevertheless, it was fun to see how regular humans like the Reckoners came up with creative ways to combat an enemy with super human powers.
In short, despite a few shortcomings, STEELHEART did exactly what I wanted it to: kept me absorbed and turning the pages, following the plot’s twists and turns. It also offered a satisfying conclusion that answered enough (but not too many) of the mysteries presented throughout the story. This book is the first in a projected series, and I look forward to seeing how the forthcoming installments expand on this world and its semi-magical/semi-science fictional components.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Miranda Suri
Contributor
Miranda is a graduate of the Viable Paradise Writer’s workshop (vpxiii), was an attendee at the Superstars Writing Seminar (2011), and is a proud member of the Wind-Tossed Coalition and the Sin City Scribblers. Her fiction has appeared in Electric Spec, and she has an excellent blog about writing.
Subscribe to Adventures in SciFi Publishing podcast on: iTunes | Stitcher Radio (Android users) | RSS | Website RSS
Speak Your Mind