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Interview #1020: The Great Salty One: An Interview with Brandon Sanderson, Entry #1
Paul Goat Allen
2013 has been one helluva year for Brandon Sanderson—he recently took home his first two Hugo Awards (for the novella The Emperor’s Soul and the podcast Writing Excuses) and he released his first young adult work The Rithmatist to critical acclaim—but it’s about to get exponentially better.
Reading Sanderson’s latest release, a blockbuster of a thriller entitled Steelheart (out September 24), will have fans of superhero fantasy feeling like they’ve stumbled into their own Herbal Essences commercial (“Yes, yes, yes!”). It’s a mind-blowing experience—easily one of the most satisfying novels I’ve read all year.
Set in a near future where the appearance of a bright red star in the sky (known as Calamity) has given some ordinary people extraordinary powers, this novel—which is the first installment of his Reckoners series—is nothing short of a masterwork.
The story is kick ass—it’s breakneck paced and action packed. Subtle foreshadowing and allegory abound. The chapters are relatively short and all end with cliffhangers. As the story progresses, Sanderson begins revealing jaw-dropping plot twists. Everything comes together in a climax that will have readers not only standing up and applauding but instantly agonizing because they now have to wait a year until the next novel ( Firefight ) is released.
Bottom line: Steelheart is an absolute must-read for anyone who is a fan of superhero fiction. And while it’s marketed as a young adult read (ages 12 and up), it’s not really so much a young adult novel as a novel that can be read and enjoyed by young adults.
The following exclusive interview with Sanderson is transcribed from audio that he recorded specifically for the Barnes & Noble Blog.
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