Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

(Originally posted in 2013)

Wowzer! Awesome! etc. etc.

OK, anybody that has read any of my previous reviews of Sanderson's work knows just how much I admire his writing. I've really run out of superlatives to describe his work, both the quality of it and the sheer amount of output he generates. I don't know of any other human on the planet that can write/publish so many books and sustain such high quality. He is simply amazing.

This novel is, of course, no exception. From the very first page, I was absorbed in this new world Sanderson has created. Yes, it's a young adult novel, but the only reason to classify it as such is that the main character, David, is 18 years old. But in every other way, this is a main-stream novel, filled with violence, action, and thought-provoking characters. In essence, this could be called a "super-hero" novel (mostly evil super-heroes) so I suppose that's another reason to classify it as YA. And we are treated to some inner thoughts from David that testify to his late-teenage attitudes towards others and self doubt. But I found them to be very true to the nature of the character, and essential to the plot.

The story takes place here on approximately present-day Earth, about ten years after an unexplained burst in the sky (subsequently referred to as 'Calamity') caused the appearance of 'Epics'. Epics are humans that have abilities, amazing superhero-like powers, and tend to use them for personal gain and power. They are so powerful that nobody fights them. Nobody except the 'Reckoners'. Epics are essentially bullies (bullies with incredible destructive power) but each one has a weakness, and thus can be fought by ordinary folks like us.

OK, that sounds like a plot for a YA novel for boys age 10-14. But I say 'Nay, friend.' This is a novel for all of us. The plot is only the superficial top layering of this 17-layer cake and, believe me friends, this cake has a lot of delicious calories. Sanderson is known for his unique, complex magic systems that he constructs for his novels. So, of course, the system that he has built for superheroes is equally complex and interdependent. He doesn't just come up with weird cool powers and sprinkle superheroes around. Epics' powers work the way they work for a reason and discovering just how they relate to each other is pure fun. And all through this novel (as well as in future novels in this series), we learn more and more about just how well thought out this system is.  

All of that stuff makes for fun reading and good movie entertainment but it's the characters that allow a story to rise to the top and be memorable for months and years afterwards. The core group of characters in this book are multidimensional and each one is intriguing. They are a delight to read about. I cared about each and every one, their roles, their fates. And, due to the high stakes action in this book, their fates are far from certain. Surprises await the reader at every turn; it definitely keeps the pages turning.

So, once again, my hat is off to Mr Sanderson. This is the first book of what is sure to be a great series. And although the main plot does conclude in this one book, it serves as a gateway to many more awesome books to come. 

The Shrinking Island by Mickey Spillane

Mickey Spillane is an absolute icon of hard-boiled crime/mystery of the 20th century. His Mike Hammer character is truly one for the ages. But it’s doubtful that very many readers know he also wrote fiction of other stripes, including westerns and Young Adult novels. This volume collects all three of the “Larry and Josh” YA novels including one that has never seen print before. Max Allan Collins provides an insightful introduction describing the origins of these novels as well as a focused biography of Spillane himself.

Larry and Josh are young lads around the ages of 12-14 or so, having adventures among the Caribbean islands. Larry is from the Miami area while Josh is an “Islander” and together they are a formidable pair. Their divergent backgrounds and educations are an effective combination. Their fathers allow their various pursuits, but while they try to keep an eye on them, the boys manage to find themselves in dangerous situations all the same. Their quests take them in search of lost treasures, sunken ships, and strange phenomena that can hint at a bit of the supernatural.

In many ways, these stories remind me of the old Saturday morning cartoon series, “Johnny Quest”. The boys are very intelligent and quite competent while the adult antagonists can lean toward the bumbling and sinister side. I was happy to see that Spillane doesn’t “write down” to a young audience but rather unleashes his full story-telling mojo to keep the reader turning the pages. 

I loved these kinds of adventure stories when I was a young reader and I still love them today. Who doesn’t like a good treasure hunting story complete with old legends, infamous shipwrecks, mysterious ancient longboats, dangerous storms at sea, and nefarious salvage hunters?

Kudos to Rough Edges Press for putting this collection together in such a high-quality product with astounding cover art. A most worthy reawakening to the Spillane cannon.