The Author's Struggle In Steelheart By Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson’s science fiction novel, “Steelheart,” takes place in a post-apocalyptic universe packed with complex problems that many normal humans are not willing to solve. The cities are packed with creatures known as epics that are very similar to humans that have acquired special powers David, the protagonist in the story, is put in a very tough situation and hopes to overcome the what seems to be the greatest obstacle, defeating Steelheart the most powerful and evil epic of all. One theme that this book suggests is that although some of life's struggle may make people want to give up on their desires, through belief and perseverance they are able to overcome greater obstacles.
Sanderson uses Author's craft frequently through the

Throughout the book the author hints at David's past, and how he feels lonely and abandoned. He needs some people to call family, to love and to trust because Steelheart left him alone in a cruel unforgiving world. ”Steelheart jumped forward with blinding speed and slammed a hand against [David's] father’s chest, crushing him back against the white stone pillar. Bones shattered, and blood poured from my father's mouth” (Sanderson 13). This relates back to the theme because it builds on the fact that everything seems against him. Steelheart kills his father in a gruesome way, in front of him. Not only does the city fall into chaos, and Steelheart gains control, he makes everything worse and more complex for David. David is alone and without support and that is one of the first major problems David faces. To carry out his plan of ultimately taking down Steelheart, he would need trusted allies and strong enough weapons, which David had none of. Not only for what he did to David, but what he does to others would qualify David to become the major problem in the story. A problem that David cannot defeat

Sanderson explains how David was not going to give up, even if it means death. David was “bloodied before [Steelheart]” yet stuck out his ambitious plan and watched his plan literally go up in flames as “the fire consumed Steelheart” (Sanderson 376). This shows that David would not go down without a fight, and he would fight until it was all over to see Steelheart bleed. For David to be able to overcome this major obstacle it was not going to be easy, and he proved he was not going to give up no matter how much blood he would have to shed. David also had to believe that it was possible to overcome a problem as large as Steelheart. Overall David had worked hard, reluctant to give up he overcame large obstacles and in the end, his unwillingness to give up made it possible for him to complete his final