Steelheart

David has spent ten years studying Epics, collecting notes on their powers and their weaknesses, because every Epic has one hidden flaw. He is now eighteen and wants to join the Reckoners, a secret group of ordinary humans who assassinate Epics. Their leader, the brilliant and secretive Prof, is skeptical at first, but David's knowledge, and his memory of Steelheart bleeding, convince the team to attempt the impossible.

The Reckoners include Megan, a cool and capable operative whom David finds both irritating and fascinating; Tia, the team's researcher; Abraham, a calm, philosophical fighter; and Cody, a cheerful sniper who tells tall tales about his supposedly Scottish heritage. Together they plan an elaborate trap involving fake Epics, high-tech weapons and the city's maze of steel tunnels. David's terrible metaphors are a running joke, and the action scenes are cinematic. Sanderson builds the mystery of Steelheart's weakness carefully, and the final revelations about several characters set up the sequels.

Fast, inventive and fun, with a satisfying twist on the superhero genre, followed by Firefight and Calamity. About 386 pages in the Ember paperback.