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Series · science fiction
The Reckoners
The Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson has 4 known books (4 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Steelheart (2013). Calamity is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.
- Books
- 4 known books (3 novels + 1 novella)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 2013
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Science Fiction
Start here: Steelheart (2013)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Steelheart
Steelheart, published September 24, 2013, opens Brandon Sanderson's YA trilogy with David Charleston hunting the seemingly invincible Epic who murdered his father, in a world where superpowers turned their holders into tyrants. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Steelheart - Book 2:
Mitosis
Mitosis, a fifteen-page novella released that December, bridges Steelheart and the next full novel without carrying a numbered place in the trilogy itself. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Mitosis - Book 3:
Firefight
At 452 pages, Firefight (January 2015) is the longest book in the series, continuing David and the Reckoners' fight against Epic rule as Brandon Sanderson digs deeper into why Epics turn evil and whether the corruption can be reversed. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Firefight - Book 4:
Calamity
Calamity (February 2016) closes out the trilogy at 430 pages, bringing David Charleston's decade-long pursuit of answers to a confrontation with Calamity itself -- a story Sanderson kept entirely separate from his Cosmere novels. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Calamity
Key facts about The Reckoners series
The Reckoners series has 4 books on our list. Since all 4 are out now, you can read the whole list today. 3 are novels, while the rest is a novella.
Start with Steelheart, since it opens the publication order in 2013. Mitosis is book 2, from 2013. Firefight is book 3, from 2015. Calamity is book 4, from 2016.
Each title links to its own page, while the list keeps them in date order. Each book page shows its dates and editions.
Calamity is the latest book with a full release date, out on 16 February 2016. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.
The books came out between 2013 and 2016, while their length runs from 15 to 452 pages. That is a run of 3 years.
Brandon Sanderson has 48 books on our list. Additionally, they write Elantris, Mistborn and Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, plus 3 more series. We shelve the books under science fiction.
About The Reckoners
Ten years after a mysterious astronomical event called Calamity gave a fraction of humanity superpowers, those 'Epics' have become the world's new ruling class -- and almost universally, absolute power has made them tyrants. David Charleston watched an Epic called Steelheart murder his father in cold blood as a child, and has spent the decade since obsessively cataloguing Epic weaknesses in hopes of joining the Reckoners, a resistance cell that hunts and kills Epics using intelligence rather than matching superpowers. Steelheart (2013) opens Sanderson's YA trilogy by subverting the standard superhero premise: here, the people with powers are uniformly the villains, and the story's heroes are ordinary humans armed only with careful planning and grim determination.
Firefight and Calamity escalate the stakes as David and the Reckoners uncover deeper truths about why Epics turn evil and whether that corruption can be reversed, all building toward a confrontation with Calamity itself. The novella Mitosis, set between the first two novels, follows the Reckoners facing a new, shapeshifting Epic in Newcago. The trilogy is one of Sanderson's most YA-accessible works and, unlike most of his other fiction, exists entirely outside the Cosmere.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in The Reckoners series?
Three novels -- Steelheart (2013), Firefight (2015), and Calamity (2016) -- plus the novella Mitosis (2013), set between the first two.
What order should I read The Reckoners books in?
Steelheart, then the novella Mitosis, then Firefight, then Calamity. Mitosis is best read between books one and two.
Is The Reckoners part of the Cosmere?
No -- unlike most of Brandon Sanderson's fiction, The Reckoners is set in its own contemporary-adjacent world with no Cosmere connections.
Is The Reckoners trilogy complete?
Yes, as a trilogy -- Calamity (2016) concludes David Charleston's story. Sanderson has since released Lux (2021), an audio-drama original featuring a different Reckoners team, in a separate format from the main novel sequence.
Is The Reckoners suitable for readers new to Brandon Sanderson?
Yes -- it's written for a YA audience and is one of his most accessible entry points, requiring no familiarity with the Cosmere or his other epic fantasy series.
If you like The Reckoners
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