I read this book more than a month ago, and it somehow got lost in the shuffle. Which is weird, because I quie enjoyed it.
This is a world driven mad by superpowers gifted to a select few. Instead of an idyllic world of good vs evil, however, Sanderson has created a world where the superpowered beings have become our dominant and oppressive overlords. They’ve set up centers of power, where the most mighty can attract underlings to do their bidding. Instead of Superman helping to stem the tide of evil in Metropolis, he instead rules the city as his private kingdom. This series is about regular people fighting back against the human gods occupying their cities.
I think reviewing these kinds of books isn’t my strongest quality. Like John Scalzi’s books, I struggle to really know what to say. They are enjoyable, and I eagerly await the next book in the series, but there’s really no analysis required. It’s like trying to review Chipotle. I mean, it’s good. Really. I eat there fairly regularly. But, what do you really say about it? It’s not life-changing, and it’s not even something you have to work for. It’s quick, and easy, and pleasurable.
It may be that the sheer prevalence of these kinds of books is what makes them so unremarkable. It’s not often I blindly read something. I’m not a fast reader, so if I’m going to put the time into a book, it’s generally because it was recommended by someone whose opinion I trust. Brandon Sanderson is one of the leading figures in the Fantasy genre, and these books (this is part 2 in his Reckoners series) are fairly well-liked. So it’s not likely that I’m going to hate the fiction books I actually take the time to read.
So, no panegyrics to this novel. It was highly enjoyable, just like Steelheart, the first in the series. I eagerly await the follow-up (which, I think, comes out in January). I recommend it to all fans of the genre.
But I think the days of me getting blown away by the enjoyability of a book might be in my rearview mirror. I’ve become inured to things that are simply good.
