The United States, and other parts of the world, were changed forever when a glowing red light in the sky known as Calamity gave normal people superhuman powers and abilities. Yet Steelheart has proved one of the more effective Epic rulers, by providing Newcago with infrastructure, food, water, and electricity, in contrast with most other cities in what are now known as the 'Fractured States'. The mortal citizenry live mostly underground and work at menial factory jobs.

Steelheart has turned most all of Newcago into steel with his power and his lieutenant Nightwielder keeps it in eternal darkness by hiding the Sun. They decide to admit him into their group when they discover he has witnessed Steelheart's weakness, and his collected research. He finds 'the Reckoners', an elite group led by 'Professor' Jonathan Phaedrus with the common goal of killing as many Epics as possible. David witnessed Steelheart's one weakness as his father inflicted a minor wound at Steelheart's eye while trying to shoot the other Epic, and David has grown up devoting his life to learning all he can about the Epics to find their weaknesses, with the goal of avenging his father. The sole survivor of the bank carnage, David has now come of age in what is known as Newcago, ruled by Steelheart. Ten years ago, an eight-year-old Chicago native boy named David Charleston was orphaned when the High Epic Steelheart murdered his father while fighting a rival Epic, Deathpoint, in a bank. Existing government proved absolutely incapable of controlling the Epics, the most powerful of which replaced government authority and enslaved the rest of humanity.

Dubbed Epics, these super-humans took to crime. They all have different types of powers and weaknesses, with no apparent rhyme or reason. Twelve years ago, an object dubbed Calamity appeared near Earth and burst in the sky, emitting a strange radiation which gave a small group of humans super powers and near invincibility in apparent defiance of the known laws of physics. One young man orphaned by a High Epic joins a group that is killing Epics. These Epics prey upon or enslave the rest of humanity, causing the collapse of traditional governments. The series depicts a post-apocalyptic world in which the appearance of an orbiting cosmic phenomenon known as Calamity has given random people superhuman powers in apparent defiance of known physical laws, turning them into 'Epics'. The series consists of Steelheart (2013), Firefight (2015), Calamity (2016) and Lux (2021). The Reckoners is a series of young adult superhero novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson. Print ( hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book Gollancz (UK), Random House Children's Books (US)

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