“If you could choose any superpower, what would it be?” This classic icebreaker question, one of the few that actually prompts enthusiastic and interesting discussion, has been answered too many times (usually with flying). Bestselling fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, best known for finishing Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, puts an interesting twist on this quandary in his new fantasy work, Steelheart. The question: “If you had a supernatural power, would it corrupt you?”

The story is set in what was once the United States. A cataclysmic event gave a few ordinary people incredible powers. They were called Epics, and it quickly became clear that they were no longer human. With their powers came an urge to control and dominate, with no respect for human life. The stronger Epics toppled governments and took territory as their own, enslaving the people to advance their personal empires.

One particularly ruthless Epic, known as Steelheart, controls the entire Chicago area, now called Newcago. Steelheart is incredibly strong and essentially invincible, can shoot energy at enemies, and can turn nonliving objects into steel. To show his control over the city, he turns all of Chicago into steel.

David Charleston, the protagonist, watched Steelheart kill his father when he was a child. But David also saw something else, something dangerous: The Epic was wounded by David’s father.

Steelheart, like every Epic, has a weakness. David becomes obsessed with finding and exploiting it in order to avenge his father, extensively cataloguing the weaknesses and powers of Newcago’s Epics and honing his skills with the rifle.

This is where the actual plot starts. Rumors abound of a group called the Reckoners. This underground organization of regular humans seeks to rebel against the Epics’ control. David, in an attempt to join the Reckoners, helps them kill an Epic, hoping they will allow him to join.

After some arguing, the Reckoners take in David as part of their team. With David’s knowledge of Steelheart and their expertise, they plan to kill Steelheart.

Their plan is to create a fake Epic to challenge Steelheart’s dominance of Newcago. But first, they force him into action by striking his power plant and one of his Epic lieutenants. This sets David and the team of Reckoners on a dangerous course, one that must end in a fight to the death with the invincible Steelheart.

I will admit, I was initially a bit skeptical of Sanderson’s attempt to set a story in our world, since he is primarily known for epic fantasy, such as his