Firefight is a an excellent followup to Steelheart, taking everything I liked about the first book–the variety of the Epics’ powers and the ruined world they’ve left behind–and making it better while at the same point smoothing out my one real complaint–the ‘bad analogies’. They’re still there, but he doesn’t mention them every page or two, so they actually feel funny this time around, rather than so forced.

On the upside, the new setting is just as crazy and cool this time around. Last time–Chicago turned to steel. This time, New York City flooded to the point only the tops of skyscrapers stick out of the water, where fruit trees grow freely in buildings and spray paint glows in the night. It’s a beautiful image and an interesting contrast to the relentlessly gritty steel of Newcago.

Finally, plotwise, I’m really starting to feel like there are some interesting parallels to the web serial Worm. Superheroes driven evil by their powers? Powers potentially granted from… elsewhere? Parallel realities? We’ll have to see where Sanderson goes with Calimity. I’d be interested to know if either author has ever read the other’s work (Steelheart was released after Worm, but I’m not sure when Sanderson started writing it).

Overall, a very strong sequel. I look forward to the conclusion.