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Steelheart may be dead, but Epics still plague Newcago and David and the Reckoners have vowed to fight back.

55 pages, ebook

First published December 3, 2013

1,287 people are currently reading
20.2k people want to read

About the author

Brandon Sanderson

482 books265k followers
I’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.

Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, comes out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that will see the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and Secret Project Four (with its official title reveal coming October 2023). These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.

November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. The third era of Mistborn is slated to be written after the first arc of the Stormlight Archive wraps up.

In November 2020 we saw the release of Rhythm of War—the fourth massive book in the New York Times #1 bestselling Stormlight Archive series that began with The Way of Kings—and Dawnshard (book 3.5), a novella set in the same world that bridges the gaps between the main releases. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. The fifth volume, Wind and Truth, is set for release in fall 2024.

Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, and various novellas available on Amazon, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.

I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, come out in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.

Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the Legion series, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. There’s a lot of material to go around!

Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart,The Emperor’s Soul, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.

I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.

Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

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5 stars
9,567 (23%)
4 stars
17,472 (42%)
3 stars
12,009 (29%)
2 stars
1,496 (3%)
1 star
170 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,294 reviews
Profile Image for Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ .
1,290 reviews8,958 followers
September 27, 2017
The shorter a Sanderson read is, the less impressed I am with myself if I figure out the twisty paths of that man's genius mind . . .

That being said, I GUESSED THE TWIST AGAIN!!! *gloats* *booty shakes*

Anyway, MITOSIS was a short entertaining story that gave just a (possible) hint more insight into the mysterious ways of Epics. PLUS, you know, there's all the horribly hilarious metaphors a la David. Highly recommended.

My other reviews for this series:

Steelheart (The Reckoners, #1)
Firefight (The Reckoners, #2)
Calamity (The Reckoners, #3)
Profile Image for Berit☀️✨ .
2,082 reviews15.7k followers
December 8, 2017
4 stars for this short action packed novella... from the reluctant reader and me

This was a enjoyable short story that gave me an appreciation for hotdogs! It also appears to be a necessary or maybe a better word is helpful bridge to the next book in the trilogy....

In this book we learn how the Reckoners have shed light (literally) on the city of newcago... and we are introduced to a new Epic Mitosis who has a very cool power of dividing as many times as he wants....

A short read, but I think well worth it, you get to spend a little more time with these fabulous characters, I think I like David and Abraham even more after this book!

PS: we have already started the next book in the series, however last night mom might have crashed out a little too early to get into it too far! 😪
Profile Image for Emily (Books with Emily Fox on Youtube).
627 reviews69.4k followers
March 18, 2017
The best way to describe this very short story is.. meh.

I don't know if it will add anything to the series (I'll update after reading book 2) but I wasn't feeling it.
It was okay!
Profile Image for Fiza (Inactive).
69 reviews307 followers
February 3, 2025
55 pages with a new f*cking Epic.. Ate it 100 licks per sec
-the shortest yet the most fun novella I've ever read

“I wanna kiss you!” I shouted. “Like the wind kisses the ra-i-ain!”
The laugh i let out LOL v noice choice of song😭

The people of Newcago had come.
My mouth literally opened at this🫢🫶

Also forgot to tell David's metaphors always make me smile hehe
Profile Image for Sean Barrs .
1,122 reviews47.4k followers
February 21, 2016
Firstly, let me say that I do love the Reckoner’s series. Brandon Sanderson has such a stylish way of writing David’s story: the prose is short, snappy, and brilliant. This short story also manifests the same flair. But, when considering its structure, reader investment and contribution towards this series, then it can only be thought of as a waste of time. There, I actually said it. Brandon Sanderson has actually written something that I don’t like. I never thought I’d live to see the day because he is a great fantasy writer.

Where’s the rest of it?

Simply put, this is far too short. The story itself is only forty pages long. This, when combined with the quick nature of his prose, results in a short story that can be read in around ten minutes. This is frustrating because the edition costs the same price as a standard paperback novel. In my opinion, this should have been made freely available online. It feels that this was simply published to create hype for the (then) upcoming release of Firefight. This resulted in a disappointing story on all levels because it is lacking so much that it vitally needed.

The story is, essentially, an action sequence. If you’ve read Firefight then you would have seen the references to the epic known as Mitosis. This story is, simply, David’s battle with her. The action is fantastic, it is Sanderson after all, but that’s all it has: action. There is no real solid plot or payoff; there is no real character development or even time to for the feelings of sympathy to emerge over David’s past. It is simply fast, cheap, action. From reading this I feel like I’ve gained very little. This has not enhanced my estimation of the series or its characters; this has not improved the overall plot of the series, and, if anything, has only annoyed me because this was pointless, and was barely entertaining.

Cool Epic profiles

description

As previous readers will know, David likes to classify Epics. He does this so he can figure out their weaknesses and their strengths. In here are some pictures of David’s research. For me, this saved the edition. I found these profiles to be quite fun, and helped to evoke the nature of David’s mission. I’d like to see some of these in the full novels because I think it would help to solidify the comic book nature of this series. That being said though, these simply could have been posted on the author’s website or on advertising campaigns for the release of Firefight.

description

Overall, I thought this was a waste of time. These profiles were, again, for the soul purpose of creating more hype for Firefight. This is good for the book publishers, but for the reader it’s not that great. Had the short story in here been an actual proper short story then this may have been a different matter.

The Reckoners
1. Steelheart- A vengeful 4 stars
1.5 Mitosis- A time wasting 2 stars
2. Firefight- A heart jerking 4.5 stars
3. Calamity- A terrible one star
Profile Image for Alejandro.
1,240 reviews3,728 followers
August 4, 2014
This was a great short story!

Set after of the events on the book Steelheart, now you can starting to understand the new role that The Reckoners must take after taking hard decisions at the end of the first novel.

Any action has consequences, and now The Reckoners know that anything that they, or some of its team, may done, will have sequels.

It was a brief reading but it has a great final act, so I was quite glad of having read this short story.

I opted not to comment more about this reading to avoid a "too soon" spoil since I just posted my review about the first book in the series.
Profile Image for Mario.
Author 1 book220 followers
May 11, 2015
Why is this so short?!?!?! Well it is a SHORT story, but still...

Solid bridge between first and second book. Now off to Firefight. Can't wait for my mind to be blown again.
Profile Image for Robin (Bridge Four).
1,861 reviews1,639 followers
December 19, 2014
This is a super short novella involving how the city has changed after the ending of Steelheart. It is not necessary to read for the next Novel but it probably just ~30 minutes of reading time if you have some time to kill.

The Good: We get a glimpse of how the people in the city are changing and a few bad metaphors from David.
“I like it. The colors are different. Not like the city was before Calamity, but also a big change from how it was under Steelheart. They make the city look like a big … chessboard. Um, one painted a lot of colors.”
“Or perhaps a quilt?” Abraham asked, sounding amused.
“Sure, I suppose. If you want to use a boring metaphor.”
A quilt. Why hadn’t I thought of that?

Most of the story is a long action sequence against an epic that comes to the city looking for the Reckoners. He has some interesting traits and might be a clue to how to discover the Epic’s weaknesses.

I liked seeing the lead into where the next book will pick up.

The Bad: Well really there isn’t much bad except that I wanted more, but I always want to read more in any Sanderson story. And my Reckoner future boyfriend Cody wasn’t in this one I missed him.
Profile Image for Choko.
1,437 reviews2,673 followers
February 9, 2016
*** 4 ***

An impromptu buddy read with BB&B


A fast, light and delightful short story, which fits between the first and second books of the series. It was definitely on the comedy side of Sanderson and a transition from the tyranny of Steelheart to the effort of being human governed. People are still uncomfortable with the thought of the possibility of being free...

Don't attempt reading if you have not read the first volume, but if you have, definitely a fun addition'-) Have a great time reading!
Profile Image for Lamaleluna.
346 reviews1,244 followers
January 7, 2023
Cortita y al pie, mitosis es un relato que transcurre entre el primer y el segundo libro de The Reckoners.

Nuestros protagonistas se enfrentan a un villano en concreto, Mitosis, quien puede clonarse y generar muchas copias de si mismo. Los personajes al igual que siempre trabajarán en equipo y buscarán el punto débil del villano para poder superarlo.

Me gustó, no le faltaron ni le sobraron palabras y ahora estoy lista para leer la segunda parte de la trilogía!
Profile Image for Rosanna.
165 reviews71 followers
July 13, 2014
Do not read the blurb for this book if you haven't read and are planning to read book one. Major book one spoiler
And if you haven't read book one.... Steelheart (Reckoners, #1) by Brandon Sanderson


I'm so happy to be back in Newcago! Even if it was for only 35 pages, it was 35 pages of humor, action, characters I love, and a new Epic to tie me over until book 2.

Loved it!

Profile Image for Scott  Hitchcock.
792 reviews249 followers
March 14, 2017
Quick, fun read. Gave a few hints toward the series. Found one inconsistency that bothered me.
Profile Image for Nimrod Daniel.
180 reviews299 followers
April 30, 2019
A nice short story that bridges the time between book 1 and 2 with a new epic coming to Newcago in order to mess things up after the drastic change the city had gone through. David find a lead regarding the weakness of epics.

4.25/5
Profile Image for Alexa.
484 reviews128 followers
January 25, 2015
Short and action packed. It's not a must before Firefight, but it gives a clue about Epics and their weaknesses! And we get more of David's terrible metaphors. :D
Profile Image for Marta Álvarez.
Author 23 books5,705 followers
March 11, 2016
El episodio es entretenido, pero nada del otro mundo. Eso sí, el último capítulo plantea unos interrogantes que vienen muy bien de cara a empezar Firefight... Qué inteligente es Sanderson.
Echaba de menos a mis Reckoners ❤️
Profile Image for Jenny Baker.
1,444 reviews224 followers
February 2, 2018
This is a nice addition to the Reckoners series. The audiobook has a great narrator and it's short. It's only an hour long and that's if you listen to it at regular speed. There isn't a lot I can say without giving anything away. The beginning was funny and the end circles back around. I enjoyed the interaction between David and Mitosis! This has major spoilers in it so you definitely need to read Steelheart first.
Profile Image for Rachel.
264 reviews13 followers
July 10, 2024
Super quick story to be read inbetween steelheart and firefight. I personally enjoyed this even though it was too short - it does give some insight about how the finally managed to figure out the Epic’s weaknesses and the patterns associated with that. David’s stupid little metaphors also appear several times despite this being so short 🤣

Honestly it could have been included in the first book or the start of the second, not really a necessary novella. If you didn’t read this at all you would of missed basically nothing
Profile Image for Kells Next Read .
574 reviews584 followers
January 10, 2016
Great as with all Sanderson's Work but way too short. Always want more when it come to him.
Profile Image for Gavin.
1,019 reviews433 followers
December 22, 2014
This was a tiny novella set after the events in Steelheart. It provided a quick glimpse of what life is like in a post-Epic Newcago. The Reckoners are in charge for now, but the populace are wary and fearful that it is only a matter of time before a new Epic appears to claim the city.

In this novella David and the Reckoners fend off the first of the Epics to make a try. The self replicating one man army Mitosis.

This was a fun read. It has served its purpose of hyping me up to read Firefight!

Rating: 4 stars.

Audio Note: This was narrated well by MacLeod Andrews.

Update 22/12/14. I think I enjoyed this even more the second time around.
Profile Image for Srividya Vijapure.
219 reviews325 followers
February 17, 2016
A nice filler between Steelheart and Firefight. This book is about Mitosis, who is again an Epic, and who wants some answers about how Steelheart died. He corners David and tries to intimidate him into giving him some answers.

A fast paced short read that acts as a perfect, if somewhat unnecessary filler between the two books. However, I feel that the question raised at the end of this book will form an important basis for the next book, at least that is my hope. Only reading the second book will tell me if I am right.

If you are at a loss for what to read or if you are someone like me who loves to read novellas in series, give this one a try. According to me, I don't think you lose much, even if you were to ignore it completely.

Now onto Firefight and then onto Calamity to sum up this series.
Profile Image for Mimi.
744 reviews218 followers
January 30, 2019
I actually like this short story more than the first book. Maybe I'm warming up to David as a main POV character.

Following the defeat of Steelheart and Nightweilder, the city of Newcago--that word still makes me cringe--is now a sunny post-apocalyptic refuge for the powerless. But the people are still weary, as though expecting a new Epic to defeat the Reckoners and plunge the city back into darkness. And one does step up to the challenge--Mitosis. He's the first to pose a threat, but he's certainly not the last.


Review of this book + Steelheart moved to https://covers2covers.wordpress.com/2...
Profile Image for l u b o.
267 reviews82 followers
July 2, 2019
wooohoooo :D neverím samému sebe, že som to zvládol. Síce pomáhal prekladač, ale i tak.

Sparks!
Profile Image for Alba Turunen.
799 reviews257 followers
August 19, 2017
4 Estrellas y son por la brevedad del relato. Muy corto, pero que dice mucho, apenas han sido 35 páginas, pero ha sido muy conciso, lleno de ansiedad y acción.

"Mitosis" ocurre entre "Steelheart" y "Firefight", así que declaro obligatorio leerlo después del primero. También añade una pequeña dosis de misterio, pues todo parece indicar que los Reckoners no estarán en Chicago Nova en el siguiente libro, si no en Babilonia Restaurada (me he quedado bizca al ver el nombrecito de lo que conocemos como Nueva York).

Asombrada me ha dejado de nuevo el Profesor. Ya mismo me pongo con "Firefight".
Profile Image for Olethros.
2,705 reviews526 followers
November 24, 2017
En la edición española, el relato Mitosis está incluido en Firefight, el segundo libro de la trilogía The Reckoners.

Es una narración corta que enlaza los dos primeros libros de la serie y que conviene leer antes de la propia novela (aunque esté al final del libro).

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Profile Image for Teodora.
598 reviews43 followers
July 4, 2016
What can i even say? It's Brandon Sanderson, of course i loved it. And even thought it was very short, we still had a beautifull variety of bad methaphors and some pretty good action. David is even more badass than he thinks he is.
Profile Image for Becky.
1,552 reviews1,906 followers
March 9, 2015
A short story in the Reckoners series, this is all about an Epic who is able to clone himself an infinite amount of times. Kinda like horcruxes, because if one of them remains, the dude won't die. It's an interesting conundrum, but apparently easily solved, because this book clocks in at just over 30 pages. Easily solved... if you have the right info... or luck.

David has a little bit of both, but that doesn't really mean much when he's been shot and is now bleeding profusely at the end of a tunnel that leads to a deadly drop-off and Mitosis is stalking him. Not the best situation to be in!

This story adds just a little bit of info to the nature of Epics and the nature of their weaknesses. Good story, and now I want a Chicago style hot dog. Because I, apparently, am an uncouth heathen. *shrug* I'm OK with that.
Profile Image for Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller.
776 reviews1,590 followers
November 17, 2016
[4.5 stars]

This is one of the few novellas I felt actually added something essential to the series. The ongoing arc of The Reckoners is the characters’ struggle to figure out how epics’ weaknesses work. Mitosis offers so many clues! And I came away more pumped about the series than ever. This novella is totally worth your time if you plan to read the series.

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.nikihawkes.com
Profile Image for AudiobookFiend.
Author 1 book77 followers
April 12, 2020
And just like that I’m a fan! All it took to get me hooked on this series was some great humor in a short novella. Sanderson’s books always teach me something. This one was the importance of reading novellas in the order they are meant to be read. I guarantee it would have taken much longer for me to get into this series if I hadn’t picked up on this short, delightful insight.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,294 reviews

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