Waiting on Wednesday: Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Firefight
Reckoners #2

by Brandon Sanderson

Coming January 6, 2015

Delacorte Press

Summary:

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 more simple. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And there's no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs.

Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David's willing to risk it. 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 he's willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

Why I want it:

After my brother and brother-in-law kept harping on me to read a Brandon Sanderson novel, Steelheart caught my eye at TLA 2013. I came home and said, in a sing-song voice, "Look-ie what I've got!" It quickly made its rounds around the family because it's such a cool story. David is a nerdy normal guy, which is to say he's weak compared to the supercharged baddies, but he's relatable in that he's a fanboy, and he uses his extensive knowledge of the Epics to help the good guys. Clearly Firefight is going to be focused on one of the most reclusive and mysterious Epics so I'm looking forward to seeing how the events of Steelheart affect David, each of the Reckoners, and the group as a whole. Also, I'm going to be completely honest: I totally want another crazy ridic showdown like what happened at Soldier Field at the end of Steelheart because that was just spectacular.

Why I think you should want it:

Villains with superpowers with this cool retro-future vibe = super awesome series that questions what happens when the people we expect to be heroes are actual the bad guys. It's like Hancock, but instead of being criminally negligent drunkards, the guys with superpowers are evil. Like, REALLY evil. And this begs the question: did the bad people receive superpowers or did normal people receive powers that turned them bad? Seriously, this world is pretty fascinating, and we're definitely going to take a very up-close-and-personal look at two of the Epics in this series.

What did you think of Steelheart, if you've read it already? If not, will you be giving Steelheart and Firefight a shot?