Book Review: Firefight by Brandon Sanderson (The Reckoners #2)

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson
Published by Random House Children's Books on January 12, 2016
ISBN: 9780385743594
Genres: Young Adult, Action & Adventure, General, Boys & Men, Dystopian
Pages: 464
Format: Paperback
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The #1 New York Times bestseller and sequel to Steelheart--a novel that James Dashner called "fantastic." Brandon Sanderson, the author of Words of Radiance, coauthor of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series, and creator of the internationally bestselling Mistborn trilogy, presents the second book in the Reckoners series: Firefight. And don't miss Calamity, the exciting conclusion to the Reckoners series available now!
David Charleston has lived for one purpose: to kill Steelheart, the supremely powerful, seemingly invincible Epic who murdered his father. Now Steelheart is dead and David is beginning to question everything that he--and the world--understands about the superhumans they call Epics.
David's suspicions are the reason he follows Prof to the flooded city once known as New York. But what he finds there could be what ultimately ends him. The truth might just burn deepest of all. . . .
Praise for the Reckoners Series:
#1 New York Times Bestselling Series
"The suspense is relentless and the climax explosive." --James Dashner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Maze Runner series
"Another win for Sanderson . . . he's simply a brilliant writer. Period." --Patrick Rothfuss, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The Name of the Wind
"Action-packed." --EW.com
"Compelling. . . . Sanderson uses plot twists that he teases enough for readers to pick up on to distract from the more dramatic reveals he has in store." --The A.V. Club

Our favourite assassins are back in a break-neck, punch to the throat journey, Firefight. David has finally fulfilled his destiny and his father’s firm belief- that the heroes would come.  Steel heart is dead.  They are all intact, just.  Life goes on and the trouble in this dystopian world is that a new epic will only take over and create a new empire of destruction and trauma.  David never rested until Steelheart was nothing…what is his purpose now?  Megan is gone, her betrayal still feeling hot in his chest.  Move forward and aim for the next bad guy…

My name is David Charlton and I kill people with superpowers. 

David is now a fully immersed member of killing group, The Reckoners.  He’s proved himself worthy.  His research and knowledge of The Epics weaknesses has proved invaluable and it could all be the vital key to taking them all down.  There is just one sticking point behind that line of thinking.  Are all Epics inherently bad?  Do they have any capacity for holding back their destructive nature?  If they can, what damage is it doing?  Before killing Steelheart, he truly believed that all Epics must die.  They killed his father, they also destroyed everything that they had known.  Megan aka Firefight, changed his thinking.  He was smitten with her.  Her attitude. The love affair with her weaponry.  Her banter.  But, she wasn’t everything she portrayed. 

“I hadn’t been a nerd, mind you. I’d just been the type of guy who spent a lot of time by himself, focused entirely on a single consuming interest.”

David is now a living breathing celebrity.  He’s gained the nickname Steelslayer.  He had defied everything that shouldn’t have been possible.  He killed Steelheart.  One of the most powerful High Epics there is.  No-one knew his weakness.  He was a paranoid Epic who did everything to remain in the shadows.  This Epic was taken down by a mere mortal, a boy.  A boy called David. 

So now they need to move forward and deal with the next biggest threat to the world.  Welcome to Babylon Restored, formally known as New York City. Epic Regalia rules over the dominion and she might not lay down without a fight. She has the added bonus of having other Epics being her muscle.  One such Epic is the utterly frightening, Oblivion.  This dude isn’t going to be easy to get rid of.  He has obliterated several cities and has the added bonus of being able to teleport when he senses he’s in danger. 

The Reckoners have another cell team based in Babylon Restored carrying out surveillance.  David, Prof and Tia join them, and they work to overcome Regalia and her goons.  Can they take care of the threat or will they rue the day they left Newcago?

“Reckoner Super Plan for Killing Regalia…

Step One: find Regalia, then totally explode her. Lots and Lots.

Step Two: put Val on decaf.

Step Three: Mizzy gets a cookie.”

Firefight is the perfect continuation in this dystopian series.  It’s got everything a fantasy lover could dream of.  Superpowers. A forbidden love.  Bad decisions.  Death.  Layered betrayals. 

Brandon Sanderson has a white-hot imagination.  You wouldn’t be wrong if you could imagine this on the big screen, fighting for the top spot with Marvel.  He’s a crazy scientist that has created the compulsive formula for creating a multi-layered world that leaves you transported into an unknown world searching for clues to how it might end.  The writing as always is flawless.

Steelheart Review