Books Off The Shelf – Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

With all the craziness and excitement of final preparations for MIST FALCON and then the book’s release, I’ve slacked a bit in Books Off The Shelf posts.  Here’s a link to MIST FALCON if you missed it, and here’s the next installment in my, “Books Off the Shelf” series. As ever, So Many Books, So Little Time!  I will attempt to give you an idea on some books you might enjoy or not enjoy quite as much without ruining it with too many spoilers.

Firefight (The Reckoners)

By Brandon Sanderson

Rating 8.5 out of 10

Newcago is free.

   They told David it was impossible, that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet Steelheart--invincible, immortal, unconquerable--is dead. And he died by David's hand.

   Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life simpler. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And no one in Newcago can give him answers.

   Babylon Restored, the city formerly known as the borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic Regalia, Babylon Restored is flooded and miserable, but David is sure it's the path that will lead him to what he needs to find. Entering a city oppressed by a High Epic despot is risky, but David's willing to take the gamble. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David's heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic--Firefight. And now he will go on a quest darker and even more dangerous than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

Sequels are fascinating things.  So many science fiction and fantasy series follow closer to Tolkien’s pattern of one story in multiple volumes.  This isn’t exclusive and varies in completeness, but often a story simply continues rather than starts anew.  I say this only to contrast it with Sanderson’s Firefight.  There are definitely aspects of continuation—characters, relationships, larger world issues, etc…, but the primary conflict in Steelheart, the first book in the Reckoners series, comes to a close with the book.  In a lot of ways Firefight starts something new, something bigger.

As can be expected from Sanderson, this book sucks you in with a believable world and incredible characters.  There is a short section in the middle of the book that seemed to drag for me just a bit, with a few spots of reiterating a concept more than was wholly required, but that is just being nitpicky for the sake of review.  This is an excellent book.  A fun read, and a fantastic continuation to the Reckoners story.  As ever, it is worth picking up Firefight along with all of Sanderson’s books.  You won’t be disappointed.

It is also worth mentioning that Sanderson has a short story called Mitosis.  This is a Reckoners story that takes place between Steelheart and Firefight.  It’s worth checking out for some extra fun and background knowledge before jumping into Firefight.  Even if you’ve read Firefight already, Mitosis is still worth checking out.

If you’ve read Firefight or any of Sanderson’s other work, I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Leave a message below.  And if you have suggestions of books to review, please let me know.  If it is Science Fiction or Fantasy, there is a good chance it is on my shelf or should be.    

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