Lux – Brandon Sanderson (2021)

Lux, published in 2021, is a gripping entry in the post-apocalyptic Reckoners universe created by Brandon Sanderson, this time co-authored with Steven Michael Bohls. Set in a world transformed by the rise of powerful and often villainous beings known as Epics, the story follows a group of freedom fighters, the Reckoners, who challenge the tyranny imposed by these godlike figures. This novel specifically centers on the Texas Reckoners and their desperate mission to oppose the tyrant ruling the floating city of Lux.

Plot Summary

The great red star Calamity hung in the sky like a warning, birthing a world where humans with impossible powers – the Epics – reigned with unchecked cruelty. They could have elevated humanity. Instead, they burned cities, enslaved populations, and turned nations into ashes. But tyranny always gives rise to resistance. In Texas, only five Reckoners remain.

Jax is eighteen, fueled by vengeance and the memory of his older brother Dan, who was murdered in a street by an Epic named Lovestruck. With only a child’s understanding of death and justice, Jax had made a vow – to become a hero, to stop monsters like the ones that took Dan. Years later, he carries Dan’s silver class ring, a Civil War artillery sword, and a ledger of challenges called the Bucket Book, shared with Herschel – an old bear of a man with a prosthetic leg and a gravel-voiced wisdom. Together, they are part of a tight-knit Reckoners cell led by the hardened and brilliant Abigail, along with Wade and Briggen.

Their enemy is Lux, a massive floating city of stone suspended in the skies over Galveston, ruled by the Epic Life Force. His immortality flows through the city’s people, while his enforcer, Wingflare, wields unimaginable power – a woman who can command gravity itself and carry entire armies through the air. When Lux looms on the horizon, cloaked in black clouds and screaming winds, the Reckoners prepare for battle.

As Lux descends, the team splits across the city, positioning for an ambush. Drones are launched into the belly of the stone leviathan to bore deep and plant explosives, while Galveston’s empty streets stretch like veins awaiting the infection of invading Epics. But when Wingflare arrives without Life Force, Abigail calls off the mission. For the Reckoners, the target must be the head, not the hand.

Jax disagrees.

Driven by a seething need to strike back, he defies Abigail, launches the rockets, and ignites chaos. Buildings collapse in fire and dust. Ravens – the black-armored foot soldiers of Lux – are buried beneath rubble. But Wingflare rises like an angel of war, poised and untouchable. As debris rains from the sky, Jax rides a motorcycle enhanced by a motivator – a piece of Epic DNA technology – across collapsing crystal paths suspended in mid-air. He tears toward the heart of Lux, determined to carve justice from Wingflare’s flesh.

They collide in the sky. He strikes with his brother’s sword. She retaliates with crushing force, flinging him through the air. But he escapes, clutching a strand of her hair – enough DNA to power new tools, new weapons, maybe even hope.

The cost is high. Briggen is grievously wounded by shrapnel during Jax’s unauthorized assault. Half his face is gone, and Abigail’s fury burns hotter than any explosion. Guilt carves into Jax deeper than any blade. Yet when he reveals the strand of hair, Herschel gives a grunt of approval. Stupid, he says, but worth it.

Jax wasn’t always a soldier. Once, he was a boy chasing waffles and powdered sugar in Boston with his brother. He remembered how Dan wore the artillery sword around Jax’s waist, teaching him to defend against imaginary armies. Then came Lovestruck, the Epic who floated above the crowd like a pop star and killed Dan with a kiss. Her power reversed blood flow. A heartbeat was all it took. Jax had tried CPR on the sidewalk. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered.

That moment split Jax’s life in two – before, and after.

A man named Prof had taken him in. Taught him about the Reckoners. Brought him to a place called the Coop, a brutal training facility in Texas run by a stone-faced man named Zeph. Zeph’s training was cold and punishing – balance on a post for hours, endure the sun, thirst, silence, and the weight of grief. When Jax fell, Zeph put him back up. No comfort. No sympathy. Only rules.

Jax learned pain before he learned skill. But he also learned resolve. Heroes don’t get ice cream. They get broken toes and sleepless nights. They get up when no one else will.

Years passed. Jax became one of the best – fast, clever, relentless. And now he faces Lux again. With Wingflare’s DNA, he crafts new motivators. He upgrades drones, arms the Reckoners, and prepares for one more chance.

They track Lux to another city. This time, Life Force arrives.

A new plan unfolds – to bring down Lux permanently by overloading its core. Jax engineers crystalline boot tech that lets him walk on air, like the Epics. Abigail reluctantly allows the operation, aware that the window is small and the risks incalculable.

The attack begins. Drones punch through the floating rock. Explosives detonate deep within, and a canyon cracks through the city’s underside. The very sky seems to tear open as Lux begins to fall. Wingflare struggles, stretching her powers to hold the halves of the city in place. Boulders freeze midair. Cracks begin to reverse. Her face, once serene, twists with strain.

Jax rides upward on a drone – a silent ghost rising behind her. He draws his sword again.

He swings.

She dodges, but barely. A shockwave throws him backward, and she paralyzes him in midair with her powers. Then, almost gently, she floats toward him. Her touch is cold. Her kiss, a mockery. So close, she says. All for nothing.

But then, a sniper’s bullet cracks the silence. Abigail, from a distant rooftop, hits her cheek. The hold on Jax breaks. He escapes.

Below, the ravens begin to rise again – healing from broken bodies. Lux remains in the sky, cracked but whole. The Reckoners scatter.

Jax limps to the sand, a fugitive once more. Herschel joins him, quiet and steady. Jax opens his hand. A strand of white hair rests there. Wingflare had been marked. It wasn’t for nothing.

Back in the comms, Abigail’s voice crackles with fury and pain. Briggen may not make it. Jax listens, shoulders hunched beneath guilt.

He remembers Dan’s powdered sugar smile.

He remembers Zeph’s silence and Prof’s warning.

He remembers the taste of victory.

And how close it came to feeling like defeat.

Main Characters

• Jax – The youthful, bold protagonist, Jax is driven by a deep personal vendetta after losing his brother to an Epic’s casual cruelty. His arc is one of maturity and responsibility, evolving from reckless bravado to a more grounded understanding of sacrifice. His actions, often impulsive, stem from grief and the burning desire to reclaim power for the powerless.

• Herschel – A grizzled veteran of the Reckoners, Herschel acts as a mentor and surrogate father figure to Jax. Sarcastic, pragmatic, and emotionally closed-off, Herschel carries the trauma of long warfare but reveals glimpses of deep care for his team, particularly Jax.

• Abigail – The steely leader of the Reckoners cell in Texas. Strategic and stern, Abigail is the stabilizing force amidst the chaos. Her interactions with Jax reflect the burden of leadership – balancing compassion with the necessity of control.

• Wingflare – One of the most terrifying Epics and second-in-command in Lux. She’s ethereal and cruel, capable of astonishing power, including levitation of massive objects. Her serene composure masks the sadism and detachment typical of many Epics.

• Life Force – The high Epic who rules Lux. Though not always present physically, his ability to grant immortality makes him a godlike figure whose influence looms over every decision and conflict in the story.

• Briggen and Wade (Friggin) – Secondary members of the Reckoners team, providing both tactical support and emotional grounding for the main characters. Briggen’s fate serves as a stark consequence of impulsive action.

• Zeph – A brutal yet effective trainer from Jax’s past. His ruthless methods forge Jax into a Reckoner, embodying the theme that strength is often born from pain.

Theme

• Power and Corruption: Central to the Reckoners universe, this theme explores how extraordinary power often strips away morality. Epics like Wingflare and Life Force show how godlike abilities erode empathy, and only those who fight from a place of loss and love retain their humanity.

• Heroism and Sacrifice: The narrative deconstructs traditional notions of heroism. Through Jax’s evolution, the novel shows that being a hero isn’t about grand gestures but enduring pain, making hard choices, and sometimes failing with consequences. Heroism is shown as costly, often lonely.

• Loss and Grief: Jax’s journey is fueled by the traumatic death of his brother, Dan. The story consistently returns to this moment as a wound that shapes his identity, his choices, and his growing understanding of vengeance versus justice.

• Mentorship and Legacy: From Prof and Dan to Herschel and Zeph, mentorship is portrayed as both nurturing and harsh. Characters pass down more than just skills – they instill values, burdens, and the weight of their own regrets.

• Survival in a Broken World: From the scavenged streets of Galveston to the rigid hierarchy of Lux, the story paints survival not just as physical endurance, but as moral endurance. Remaining human in a world overrun by monsters becomes the ultimate challenge.

Writing Style and Tone

Sanderson and Bohls create a vivid, fast-paced narrative filled with visceral action, tight dialogue, and moments of raw emotional intensity. The prose alternates between kinetic battle sequences and introspective character moments, using a conversational tone that makes even the most surreal elements feel grounded and personal. This balance ensures the fantastical world remains accessible and emotionally resonant.

The tone of Lux is an intricate blend of defiance, mourning, and a gritty hope. Jax’s voice – often sarcastic, reflective, and wounded – anchors the novel in a deeply personal perspective. The tone adapts seamlessly to the stakes: shifting from wry camaraderie in quiet moments to desperation and rage during confrontations. The authors craft a world that is cruel yet not devoid of beauty, capturing the fragile humanity still fighting within it.