The novel also poses tough questions: What is the nature of power? Can people be above the law? Are humans inherently good or evil?ĭavid possesses no superpower, but that does not mean he is an ordinary teenager. They don’t need to kill, and they don’t need to enforce laws. The Epics don’t need to rob banks money is worthless to them. A teenager just into his majority blowing his earnings on an easy life for a year before responsibility hits him.”Īt its core, the novel isn’t about the gunfights (although there are several juicy ones) or guts and glory, but about human nature. Some examples: “She nodded, businesslike, which wasn’t exactly the reaction I’d have hoped for from a pretty girl whose life I’d saved.” And: “If my landlady came snooping up here, she’d find just what she expected. Sanderson depicts this story in a cynical, wry tone that helps all of the extraordinary events to read, well, ordinary. And Steelheart? The book’s first line alludes to David’s obsession to uncover and exploit Steelheart’s vulnerability. David is an expert on classifying Epics, but he is insecure and desperately infatuated with the freedom fighter, Megan. The mighty gunman, Abraham, is a soft-spoken idealist. In Steelheart, every single person, Epic or not, is portrayed with a vulnerability. David’s quest drives the book’s plot, which is filled with incessant danger, riveting suspense, cunning schemes and schemers, and the obligatory, amusing struggle for love. Opposing them is David Charleston, an 18-year-old orphan who is obsessed with bringing down Steelheart. Steelheart is the most powerful and invulnerable Epic. These “Epics” erase the sunlight, take over the city, and rule with iron fists. The setting is Chicago, deemed “Newcago” after an unexplainable incident gives a small portion of society superpowers. Book Review: Notes from the Midnight Driver By Jordan Sonnenblick

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