Steelheart

Steelheart, a 2013 young adult sci-fi/fantasy novel by Brandon Sanderson, is the first installment of The Reckoners trilogy. The story takes place in dystopian Chicago, dubbed “Newcago,” which is overrun by evil superhumans called Epics and ruled by a functionally invulnerable tyrant named Steelheart. David Charleston, an 18-year-old boy whose father Steelheart killed 10 years before, joins a rebel group called the Reckoners hoping that they will help him take revenge on Steelheart. Borrowing elements from comic books and superhero stories, the novel explores themes of revenge, power, and the balance between chaos and order. Sanderson is the author of several fantasy books, many of which belong to his interconnected universe called the Cosmere (including The Stormlight Archive, Mistborn, and Warbreaker). This guide uses the 2013 Random House Children’s Books First Edition in hardcover.

Plot Summary

Ten years before the story begins, eight-year-old David and his father enter a bank. An Epic named Deathpoint enters and casually murders several people. Steelheart arrives and challenges Deathpoint, and David’s father—believing in Steelheart’s integrity—shoots Deathpoint in the head. However, the bullet grazes Steelheart’s cheek, making him bleed despite his imperviousness to all firepower. Enraged at his discovered vulnerability, Steelheart kills David’s father and everyone else at the bank.