The improbability of success is overwhelming, but as always, the team continues onward as a series of coincidences and unexplained motives propels them toward a conclusion that doesn't pack quite the same punch as Sanderson's other eleventh-hour revelations - it’s instead a bit of a letdown that leaves more questions than answers. This leaves the Reckoners facing yet another set of seemingly impossible goals: restore Prof and the other Epics to their former selves and figure out a way to defeat Calamity.īut even with all the information they've been able to gather, not much is known about Calamity - his or her true origins, motivations and powers all remain a mystery.

Prof has turned against the Reckoners and his former ideals, and he now seeks to rule over all as the world’s most powerful Epic - which would require the removal of Calamity, who was revealed at the end of book two to be a mysterious Epic. But “Firefight” packed enough heavy action, interesting settings and surprise twists to surpass the first book - and, in the process, set a very high bar for “Calamity.” So much has happened in the series that readers will find it difficult to jump into the story, much less this review, without having read the first two books following are major spoilers for the series.Īfter 18-year-old David Charleston avenged his father, who was killed by the Epic (a human who has gained superpowers) named Steelheart, at the conclusion of the first novel, the series seemed in danger of losing strength as David’s primary motivation was fulfilled. Sometimes the disappointment is due to the way things ended, but other times it comes from wanting more of the story.īrandon Sanderson's Reckoners series, which began strongly with “ Steelheart” in 2013 and picked up a surge of momentum in last year’s “ Firefight,” now concludes with “Calamity” - which delivers plenty of satisfaction but also disappointment.

The conclusion of an exciting book series often leaves readers with one of two feelings: satisfaction or disappointment. ' CALAMITY : The Reckoners, Book 3,' by Brandon Sanderson, Delacorte Press, $18.99, 432 pages (ages 12 and up)

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