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{{book
|cover=Steelheart.jpg
▲|setting =[[Newcago]], Alternate Earth
▲|released=24 September 2013
|ISBN=978-0-3857-4356-3
▲|publisher=Gollancz
|page-count=386
|word-count=[[/Statistical_analysis|107,944]]
|series=[[The Reckoners]]|sequel=Firefight
}}{{for|Steelheart (Epic)| the [[Epic]] of the same name|pre= This article is about the novel|Steelheart}}
'''''Steelheart''''' is a young adult novel by [[Brandon Sanderson]]. It is the first novel in ''[[The Reckoners]]'' series, which is not part of the [[
== Synopsis ==
{{quote▼
|Steelheart possesses the strength of ten men and can control the elements. It is said no bullet can harm him, no sword can split his skin, no explosion can burn him. Nobody fights back...nobody but the Reckoners. <br>A shadowy group of ordinary humans, the Reckoners spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then taking them out. For the death of his father, David wants in. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying and planning, and has something they need. Not an object, but an experience. He’s seen Steelheart bleed.</br>▼
|Blurb from [[Wikipedia:Goodreads|Goodreads]]{{url ref|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15704458-steelheart|text=Goodreads page|site=Goodreads.com}}▼
}}▼
== Summary ==
{{for|
The story is told via the perspective of [[David Charleston]], an orphan teenager living in [[Newcago]] (formerly known as Chicago). Newcago is ruled by the extremely powerful [[Epic]] named [[Steelheart (Epic)|Steelheart]], who has created a society run by powerful Epics, with
David's father was killed by Steelheart around the time of the collapse
The Reckoners create a plan to lure out Steelheart; the plan is to announce that there is a new powerful Epic named Limelight, who challenges Steelheart to a fight. To make Steelheart take the challenge seriously, they stage two attacks. First they blow up the power plant. Next they try to attack a powerful Epic named [[Conflux]], who is known to be a gifter who can transfer his power to non-epics. The attack doesn't go according to plan, and [[Megan Tarash|Megan]] dies, but they do succeed in kidnapping Conflux. Its revealed that Conflux was a captive of Steelheart, kept prisoner and used to power the city and the weapons of Steelheart's forces. With the capture of Conflux, Steelheart accepts the Reckoner's challenge.
When they meet Steelheart, they try many ways of breaking Steelheart's invulnerability, without success. The professor uses the Tensor to fight Steelheart directly, to stall him. The powerful Epics [[Nightwielder]] and [[Firefight]] go after David. David is able to kill Nightwielder, but Firefight turns out to be Megan, who is an Epic illusionist with reincarnation ability who had infiltrated the Reckoners. Because of David's love for Firefight, and because Firefight had become less evil because she has not been using her powers regularly, Firefight lets David go. David joins the professor in the fight against Steelheart, but the professor is killed, and Steelheart takes David's gun to kill David. But David has guessed that Steelheart's vulnerability is that he can only be killed by someone who does not fear him, and has rigged the gun to trigger an explosive, which kills Steelheart (since Steelheart doesn't fear himself, he can kill himself).
==
=== Magic System ===▼
▲{{quote
The [[Epic]]s have what is classically known as super-powers. Some technologies have been invented through the study of these super powered individuals, and so many devices have a seemingly mystical quality to them. Epic powers can differ greatly between individuals. Some have a single power, though most, especially the most powerful, have more than one. (It's worth noting that the book implies that the stronger a single power, the more likely that epic is to have additional powers). While many Epics display powers that are similar in nature (the powers to become invisible and make illusions for example) or different but complementary (prophetic foresight and super human reflexes for example), some Epics, namely the most powerful, seem to have powers that bear no relation to one another. A prime example of the latter situation is
▲|Steelheart possesses the strength of ten men and can control the elements. It is said no bullet can harm him, no sword can split his skin, no explosion can burn him. Nobody fights back...nobody but the Reckoners.<br>A shadowy group of ordinary humans, the Reckoners spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then taking them out. For the death of his father, David wants in. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying and planning, and has something they need. Not an object, but an experience. He’s seen Steelheart bleed.
▲|Blurb from [[Wikipedia:Goodreads|Goodreads]]{{url ref|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15704458-steelheart|text=Goodreads page}}
Every Epic has a weakness. Like the distribution of powers, this can often come in a form that relates to the powers (smoke disrupting invisibility, for example) or can be random (seeing a particular symbol, having proximity to a certain item, having a certain thought). These weaknesses either disrupt or weaken the power, or entirely disable it <!-- (A speculative note: While never mentioned in the book itself, there seems indications that the greater the power, the worse the effect of the weakness being exposed) -->.▼
▲}}
The use of
The magic seems to be tied to [[Calamity (Epic)|Calamity]]. Though it's a speculation by many in the books, the fact that
▲== Magic System ==
▲The [[Epic]]s have what is classically known as super-powers. Some technologies have been invented through the study of these super powered individuals, and so many devices have a seemingly mystical quality to them. Epic powers can differ greatly between individuals. Some have a single power, though most, especially the most powerful, have more than one. (It's worth noting that the book implies that the stronger a single power, the more likely that epic is to have additional powers). While many Epics display powers that are similar in nature (the powers to become invisible and make illusions for example) or different but complementary (prophetic foresight and super human reflexes for example) some Epics, namely the most powerful, seem to have powers that bear no relation to one another (Steelheart being a prime example, being able to fly, shoot energy blasts from his hands, super strength and being invulnerable).
== Cover Gallery ==
▲Every Epic has a weakness. Like the distribution of powers, this can often come in a form that relates to the powers (smoke disrupting invisibility for example) or can be random (seeing a particular symbol, having proximity to a certain item, having a certain thought). These weaknesses either disrupt or weaken the power, or entirely disable it <!-- (A speculative note: While never mentioned in the book itself, there seems indications that the greater the power, the worse the effect of the weakness being exposed) -->.
{{for|/Covers|a cover gallery of Steelheart}}
== Statistical Analysis ==
▲The use of en epic power seems to cause the epic to be altered psychologically, seeming to strip the moral compass from people (the book notes how many epics see a brutal death as a fitting retaliation for even the smallest of slights against them). It does not however make them into murderers.<!--(A speculative note: The effect seems to heighten emotions, while dulling any sense of responsibility, making epics far more rash and impulsive). --> The only exception to this are the 'Gifters', a slang term for those who can give others a part of their power. While using the power themselves they are affected like any other epic, the transferring and use of the power by another doesn't affect the Gifter. Gifters cannot give other Epics their powers. It is unknown whether technology developed to imitate or replicate Epic powers carries this same penalty.
{{for|/Statistical analysis|a full statistical analysis}}
''Steelheart'' consists of one prologue, forty-one chapters, and one epilogue, reaching a total 107,944 word count.
{|class="wikitable"
▲The magic seems to be tied to [[Calamity (Epic)|Calamity]]. Though it's a speculation by many in the books, the fact that epics began to appear after Calamity arrived is taken as strong proof. In addition Nightwielder's power blocks all light from passing through its barrier, but Calamity can still be seen.
|-
! Word Count
| style="text-align:center" | 107,944
|
|-
! Page Count
| style="text-align:center" | 386
| Delacorte Press hardback
|-
! Chapter Count
| style="text-align:center" | 41
| Including prologue, and epilogue.
|-
|}
== Notes ==
|