Firefight

November 15, 2014
Teen slayer of evil, superpowered Epics David Charleston carries the fight from Newcago to New York in this slash-and-burn sequel.Arriving with his boss, Jon Phaedrus, Dark Knight-ish founder of the Epic-killing Reckoners, David is stunned to find the city-now known as Babylon Restored, or Babilar-flooded, weirdly lit by glowing graffiti and populated by lotus eaters who subsist on glowing fruit that grows indoors. He faces three powerful Epics: Newton, who can deflect bullets; Obliteration, mad destroyer of Houston; and, most dangerous of all, hydromancer and wily former attorney Regalia. As in the previous episode (Steelheart, 2013), Sanderson presents a Marvel Comics-style mix of violently destructive battles, fabulous feats and ongoing inner wrestling over morality and identity. He lightens this with such elements as an Epic who is felled by Kool-Aid balloons and David's predilection for hilariously lame similes (a room is "lit by fruit that dangled from the ceiling like snot from the nose of a toddler who had been snorting glowsticks"). Risky romance plus late revelations about the source and flaw in all the Epics' powers set up the (probable) closer. Big in size and vision, this is the rare middle volume that keeps the throttle open and actually moves the story along significantly. (Fantasy. 11-14)

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April 1, 2015

Gr 7 Up-A nonstop, explosive sequel to Sanderson's epic series opener, Steelheart (2013). With Steelheart dead, David returns to the city to fight three seemingly indestructable Epics. With smart-aleck dialogue and humorous descriptions balancing the violent battle scenes, Sanderson manages to explore deeper themes and character development along with the blockbuster plotline.

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 To the public, Epics, and Reckoners alike, David Charleston is now Steelslayer, assassin of Steelheart, the High Epic who ruled Newcago. Having rid that city of its virulent overlord, the Reckoners have infiltrated Babylon Restored, formerly Manhattan, where their new target, High Epic Regalia, rules a flooded city inhabited by devil-may-care Babilarans. David, however, is becoming uneasy with the Reckoners' goal of slaying Epics. If indeed the Epics' fears are the keys to their weaknesses, as he speculates, perhaps they are not destined to destroy; perhaps they can learn to control themselves and their evil compulsions. His first target for salvation? His secret love, Megan, aka Firefight. But Prof is sure Megan is playing David in order to infiltrate the Reckoners' base and so plans to destroy her in spite of David's protests. This lacks the constant tension and edgy technology of Steelheart (2013), but this second in Sanderson's Reckoners series concludes in true, violent, high-action Steelslayer style, promising not only more of the same in the still-to-come Calamity, but hinting of future romance as well.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Sanderson will receive the expected five-star treatment: a pre-pub school tour, major social media campaigns, a scavenger hunt tour, and much more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2015
In a devastated near-future America, David and his fellow resistance fighters stand against another Epic (once-human supervillain): Regalia, who rules a submerged NYC. Further exploring the Epics' origins, limits, and potential for redemption, this sequel to Steelheart complicates the dichotomy of good humans versus evil Epics and shifts David's motivation from revenge to reconciliation, deepening his character amid multiple inventive action sequences.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)