Read This F@!%ing Book (59)

Welcome to a feature we're going to post on Mondays called:

Read This F@!%ing Book!

This is a feature for us to push our favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention!

We're also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you have a book that you just LURVED but feel like its not getting the play it deserves? Email us to let us know and we'd be THRILLED to have you post about it here! Especially if its something we haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)! If you're interested email us: 

goldiloxandthethreeweres@gmail.com

 This week's post is a guest post from: 
Mark from Mental Megalodon!

Read This F@!%ing Book Post 59: The Reckoners by Brandon Sanderson

(Click book cover to go to Goodreads page)

We have a giveaway going on right now for a signed copy of Steelheart in honor of Superhero Week: The Sequel. You can enter that here. Now on to why Mark thinks you needs to read The Reckoners!

The Reckoners is one of my favorite series of all time, and if you haven’t at least read the first book, you really need to try it out for so many reasons. I could tell you about it all day, but since I think you should spend the rest of your day reading the books, I’ve kept my list to a few reasons.

It’s A Superhero Story.
Who doesn’t love superheroes? With Marvel and DC putting out so many movies and earning so much money, it’s apparent that pretty much everyone loves a good superhero these days. And while the movie and comic book industries are saturated with superheroes, there aren’t enough good superhero novels. The Reckoners fills that gap nicely.

But with a twist.

In The Reckoners, the superheroes are evil. They have taken over and largely destroyed the world, leaving only small cities behind ruled over by one Epic or another.

The first book focuses on Steelheart, the Emperor of Newcago (formerly Chicago). David’s father was killed ten years ago by Steelheart, and he has spent that time plotting, preparing to get his revenge. Recently, he’s heard rumors that The Reckoners, a shadowy, near-mythical group of ordinary people, some of the last who fight back against the Epics, have come to town. With their help, he might be able to murder the man who might be the most powerful person in North America, if not the world.

And that’s just the first book.

It’s A Completed Series!
Once you devour Steelheart, you aren’t going to be waiting around for years, or even months, to get your next hit. The Reckoners is a completed series, with the last book, Calamity, having been released this last January. All of the books are relatively short, as well, so it’s perfectly possible to binge the entire series in a weekend.

The series has an overarching plot and a very definite and satisfying ending. I truly envy anyone who starts the series now and can read the books back to back and get the emotional impact of all at once!

The Series Is Written By Brandon Sanderson. Enough Said.
If you haven’t read a Sanderson book yet… Fix that! The Reckoners series is a great starting point because it’s finished, quick to read, and so awesome.

Brandon Sanderson is known for two things: Awesome Worldbuilding/Magic Systems and Plot Twists. As a writer he excels at many things but he’s especially great at creating memorable characters, excellent at getting the story’s pacing perfect, and proficient at prose.

In The Reckoners, he’s built an amazing world. It’s a North America after the apocalypse with each book set in a different, fascinating city. As mentioned earlier, Steelheart is set in Newcago. The city that once was Chicago has been transformed entirely to a city made of steel. Additionally, Sanderson has brought his signature creative touch to superpowers which has lead to an incredible range of powerful Epics. Each one has their own portfolio--and a weakness. The whole backdrop of the series is just super detailed. If you enjoy having a solid setting for your story, The Reckoners is an absolute blast.

Plot Twists. Sanderson is amazing at finishing his books in a way that you will never predict. Without fail, 50-70 pages from the end, you’ll be wondering how Sanderson can wrap up even half of the threads and you’ll be unsure of whether or not you’ll be satisfied by the ending..

Hold. On. Tight.

By the end of every book, the majority of the threads will be tied up in ways that you would never have expected--but it’ll somehow be so much better than you could ever have anticipated. The range of emotions that these books will put you through to reach the end of the book is amazing! There really is nothing like reading a Sanderson book for the first time.

The Reckoners is no exception to this rule with each book getting better and better. All three books are more intense individually than even a series ender by other authors is. And the finale of the series, Calamity, is just so utterly amazing. I tear up at the ending every time.

The Series Has A Lovely Romance And Amazing Characters
I’m not typically the target audience for romance novels--I’d rather the characters pay more attention to beating up the villains and less to each other. But the romance that runs throughout this series is just so adorable and so sweet that I can’t help but loving it. Plus, the characters spend plenty of time beating up the villains.

There’s a side character in the second and third books that I really like. I won’t spoil who it is, but she’s awesome and super cool. Competent at what she does (mostly blowing things up), always upbeat, and genuinely nice, this character is my first book crush since Hermione Granger.

The fact that Sanderson has been able to achieve both of these things--a romance that I like, and a character I have a crush on--is nothing short of miraculous, and should be a pretty darn good reason to read the series.

Beta Reading...
This last reason might be cheating, but… I was a beta reader for Calamity and that experience has made this series even more special to me. It’s awesome to know that my name is in the acknowledgments at the end in every single copy ever printed. So go read the series and make sure to look for my name in the acknowledgements. :)

Have you read this series?

Let us know in the comments below!

Did we persuade you to add these books to your TBR mountain?