The Reckoners Series: Steelheart, Firefight, and Calamity

By: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Teen, Dystopian

Pages: 386, 416, 421

Published: 2013, 2015, 2016

Told in: First Person

Note: This critique is for the series as a whole; however, the warnings section is specific for Calamity. The warnings for Steelheart and Firefight would have a similar feel. You may request warnings for the two books in the comment section below.  

In a nutshell:

After Calamity appeared in the sky, ordinary people began gaining super powers. They were called Epics. But Epics are not the heroes, instead they seek for power and destruction, tearing the world apart. David has studied Epics most of his life and joins the Reckoners, a small group of people who are intent on taking down the worst of the Epics. But not is as it seems with Epics or with David’s new group of friends, and the more David learns the more questions he has.

What you may enjoy:

Do you like dystopian? Do you like super heroes? This series is Marvel meets dystopian. But a dystopian that ultimately ends WELL. There is hope for the future. The world built is fascinating and unique. There is action a plenty coupled with a light humor. And lots of plot twists. The characters are not all stereotypical and mesh well together.

What you may NOT enjoy:

The action and fighting may be too much for some people; there is a lot of gun talk. Some of the humor (David’s metaphors) can get old. If you’re a Sandersonite, this book is a whole different level. It’s not his normal stuff and if you expect it to be, you won’t like it. Also, there are some who complain that the series end is rushed and weak.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Body parts in jars, mildly graphic; boy climbs in a case of body parts, non-graphic; robots blown up, non-graphic; boy shot in leg, non-graphic; people killed, mentioned; body disintegrates, non-graphic; girl burns herself multiple times, non-graphic; man orders people shot and killed; man threatens to kill hundreds of people; people fall from building getting injured and killed, mentioned; woman shot and killed, non-graphic; two men shot and killed, mentioned; people crushed by exploding debris, implied; woman shot and killed, mildly graphic; boy sprains ankle, mentioned; boy breaks both legs, non-graphic; girl sticks her arm in a fire, non-graphic; battle between a man and girl, mildly graphic; boy shot at multiple times, crowd of people shot at; bystanders killed, mentioned; woman crushed, graphic; man stabbed, mildly graphic; man’s arm cut off, non-graphic; battle between multiple people, non-graphic; boy beaten, graphic; man receives cuts and bruises, non-graphic

Sex and Nudity:

Boy and girl kiss, mentioned; boy and girl kiss passionately, mentioned; boy sticks tongue in a girls ear, mentioned

Language and profanity:

D*mn, H*ll, made up words replace profanity

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