Firefight

Review by Booklist Review

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.--Bradburn, Frances Copyright 2015 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 8 Up-In Steelheart (Delacorte, 2013), David and the Reckoners liberated Newcago (once Chicago) from the tyranny of the murderous High Epic. Since Steelheart's death, other Epics have entered the city, seemingly sent to draw out the Reckoners and, in particular, their founder and leader Prof. He suspects it is a message from the Epic Regalia who rules Babylon Restored (formerly Manhattan), and heads for the city, taking David with him. David hopes to find Megan, aka Firefight, there, despite Prof's vehement warnings that she is a murderer who can't be trusted. With a new team of Reckoners, they seek to discover why Regalia has brought Obliteration, the destroyer of Houston and other cities, to Babylon. Meanwhile, David secretly searches for proof that Epics can overcome the corrupting nature of their powers in his quest to save Megan from becoming another of the Reckoners' targets. MacLeod Andrews delivers another excellent performance of this intense, action-packed, and engaging series. He excels at David's first-person narration and skillfully differentiates among characters, both familiar and new, and fully engages listeners in action scenes as well as introspective moments. VERDICT As the narrative builds to another "epic" conclusion when Regalia's ultimate plan is finally revealed, listeners will be begging for the finale.-Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Horn Book Review

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. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

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 citynow known as Babylon Restored, or Babilarflooded, 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) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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"David?" The voice came from my earpiece. I shook out of my reverie. I'd been staring at Calamity again, but nearly thirteen years had passed since Calamity's rise. I wasn't a kid at home with my father any longer; I wasn't even an orphan working the munitions factory in the understreets. I was a Reckoner. "Here," I answered, shouldering my rifle and crossing the rooftop. It was night, and I swore I could see a red cast to everything from Calamity's light, though it had never again appeared as bright as it had that first evening. Downtown Newcago spread out before me, its surfaces reflecting starlight. Everything was steel here. Like a cyborg from the future with the skin ripped off. Only, you know, not murderous. Or, well, alive at all. Man, I thought. I really do suck at metaphors. Steelheart was dead now, and we had reclaimed Newcago's upper streets--including many amenities the elite had once reserved for themselves. I could take a shower every day in my own bathroom. I almost didn't know what to do with such luxury. Other than, you know, not stink. Newcago, at long last, was free. It was my job to make sure it stayed that way. "I don't see anything," I whispered, kneeling beside the edge of the rooftop. I wore an earpiece that connected wirelessly to my mobile. A small camera on the earpiece allowed Tia to watch what I was seeing, and the earpiece was sensitive enough to pick up what I said, even when I spoke very softly. "Keep watching," Tia said over the line. "Cody reports that Prof and the mark went your direction." "It's quiet here," I whispered. "Are you sure--" The rooftop exploded just beside me. I yelped, rolling backward as the entire building shook, the blast spraying bits of broken metal across me. Calamity! Those shots packed a punch. "Sparks!" Cody yelled over the line. "She got around me, lad. Coming up on your north side--" His voice was drowned out as another glowing energy pulse shot up from the ground below and ripped the side off the rooftop near where I hid. "Run!" Tia yelled. Like I needed to be told. I got moving. To my right, a figure materialized out of light. Dressed in a black jumpsuit and sneakers, Sourcefield wore a full mask--like a ninja might wear--and a long black cape. Some Epics bought into the whole "inhuman powers" thing more than others. Honestly, she looked ridiculous--even if she did glow faintly blue and crackle with energy spreading across her body. If she touched something, she could transform into energy and travel through it. It wasn't true teleportation, but close enough--and the more conductive the substance, the farther she could travel, so a city made of steel was kind of like paradise for her. It was surprising it had taken her so long to get here. As if teleportation weren't enough, her electrical abilities also made her impervious to most weapons. The light shows she gave off were famous; I'd never seen her in person before, but I'd always wanted to see her work. Just not from so close up. "Scramble the plan!" Tia ordered. "Prof? Jon! Report in! Abraham?" I listened with only half an ear as a globe of crackling electricity whizzed by me. I skidded to a stop and dashed the other way as a second globe passed right through where I'd been standing. That one hit the rooftop, causing another explosion and making me stumble. Shards of metal pelted my back as I scrambled to the side of the building. Then I leaped off. I didn't fall far before hitting the balcony of a penthouse apartment. Heart pounding, I darted inside. A plastic cooler waited on the other side by the door. I threw open the lid and fished around, trying to remain calm. Sourcefield had come to Newcago earlier in the week. She'd started killing immediately--random people, no perceivable purpose behind it. Just like Steelheart had done in his early days. Then she'd started calling out for the citizens to turn in the Reckoners, so she could bring us to justice. A twisted brand of Epic justice. They killed whomever they wanted, but to strike back was an offense so great they could barely conceive it. Well, she'd see soon enough. So far, our plan to bring her down wasn't going terribly well, but we were the Reckoners. We prepared for the unexpected. From the cooler, I pulled out a water balloon. This, I thought, had better work. Tia and I had debated for days on Sourcefield's weakness. Every Epic had at least one, and often they were random. You had to research an Epic's history, the things they avoided, to try to figure out what substance or situation might negate their powers. This balloon contained our best guess as to Sourcefield's weakness. I turned, hefting the balloon in one hand, rifle in the other, watching the doorway and waiting for her to come after me. "David?" Tia asked over the earpiece. "Yeah?" I whispered, anxious, balloon ready to throw. "Why are you watching the balcony?" Why was I . . .  Oh, right. Sourcefield could travel through walls. Feeling like an idiot, I jumped backward just as Sourcefield came down through the ceiling, electricity buzzing all around her. She hit the floor on one knee, hand out, a ball of electricity growing there, casting frantic shadows across the room. Feeling nothing but a spike of adrenaline, I hurled the balloon. It hit Sourcefield right in the chest, and her energy blast fizzled into nothing. Red liquid from the balloon splashed on the walls and floor around her. Too thin to be blood, it was an old powdered fruit drink you mixed with water and sugar. I remembered it from childhood. And it was her weakness. Heart thumping, I unslung my rifle. Sourcefield stared at her dripping torso as if in shock, though the black mask she wore kept me from seeing her expression. Lines of electricity still worked across her body like tiny glowing worms. I leveled the rifle and pulled the trigger. The crack of gunfire indoors all but deafened me, but I delivered a bullet directly toward Sourcefield's face. That bullet exploded as it passed through her energy field. Even soaked with the Kool-Aid, her protections worked. She looked at me, her electricity flaring to life--growing more violent, more dangerous, lighting the room like a calzone stuffed with dynamite. Uh-oh . . . Excerpted from Firefight by Brandon Sanderson All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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