Calamity Review

The final novel in the Reckoners series brings us into a time of chaos and conflict for our primary protagonist. Despite being the man who kills Epics, David Charleston is in a position that he never planned for and never prepared for. He has set himself his biggest target yet, fallen in love with an Epic, and lost his hero/mentor/father figure to the Epic power that he kept rigorously under control until David came along. Needless to say, aiming to bring down not just a superhuman, but the next closest thing to a god in the world that David inhabits qualifies as an appropriate task to wrap things up.

Based upon the contents of the previous books, the story is what you would expect. As someone who has read a vast number of books in his lifetime, the story ended up being rather predictable and easy to read. The twist was something that those unaccustomed might not see coming, but in light of the direction and tone of the previous books in the Reckoners series, it became apparent rather quickly what the course of the tale would be. That being said, the story was still more than entertaining. It pulls you into the action and drama swarming around the Reckoners and keeps you wanting to turn the page to find out just what kind of crazy thing they are going to be getting into next. Sanderson’s imagination and invention keep you enthralled. A clear example of this is the city of Atlanta. Sure, it used to be in Georgia, but once an Epic made it their home, it became the city of salt. A literal city made of salt. And rather than being where you have always expected it to be, it also happens to be a roaming city that moves from place to place about North America.

All of the characters who survived their previous encounters in Firefight make return appearances, and we get to meet a few new characters along the way. The powers of Firefight allowing for bridges between alternate realities complicates the crap out of that, but that is just one more thing you have to focus on and keep in mind as you pore through this tale. As this is the last entry into the series, there is little development left for any of the major players. Sure, there have been some lapses in judgement that require recovery, and there are situations that drive some of them to behave distinctly out of character, but the core of the characters is well-established by this point and the most that any of them really have to do is be pulled back or reminded who they are and what they are fighting for. Evolutions continue for the key players, David, Megan, Phaedras, etcetera, but the individual developmental arcs of the characters were complete when Calamity began.

The last in a series of YA fiction books, Calamity is a well written conclusion to the tale. While it finished up the story of the Reckoners in a nice fashion, it left entire worlds (thanks to Firefight’s abilities) open to development in the future. Don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last time we see David Charleson, the man who kills epics, on some random adventure. If you have checked out any of the previous volumes, be sure to pick up Calamity and give it a read. If you haven’t, then make some time and pick up all of the Reckoners books and give them a read. You won’t be disappointed.