This book saved my love of reading. I truly thought that I had lost that joy, but this book showed me that it wasn't lost, simply misplaced. Scythe sunk its teeth into me and didn’t let go. I couldn’t read this book fast enough. In this novel the world has conquered death, sickness, war. The Thunderhead in the sky has solved it all. It is now a world where no one dies, ever. You don’t even die of old age, you can simply turn back the clock and look younger. There is only one way to die in this new world, and that is at the hands of a Scythe. Two teens are thrown into the ring as apprentices, but neither Citra nor Rowan want the job. Neal Shusterman created a world, that despite all of its craziness, all of the things it made me question about myself and the world around me, I find myself wanting to be apart of. I wanted to sit in on the Conclaves, join Scythe Faraday for a while to learn from him and hear his wisdom, I wanted to sit and talk with Citra and Rowan to see what they learned, and even want a moment to talk with the Thunderhead. -Victoria
A gripping new novel by Neal Shusterman where there is no sickness, no injury, no war that can kill humans. In this perfect world there is only one way to die: at the hands of those called Scythes, revered killers who keep the population under control. Even though killing is the last thing young and empathetic Citra and Rowan want to do, both are chosen to become apprentices to a Scythe and master the art of taking lives. As the story unfolds, so does a captivating plight of two teenagers trying to both keep and understand their own humanity in a sea of red. A perfect read for dystopian lovers who want something fresh to add to their bookshelf—I couldn’t put this one down once I started!
Two teens must learn the “art of killing” in this Printz Honor–winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology.
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award–winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.
About the Author
Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty award-winning books for children, teens, and adults, including the Unwind dystology, the Skinjacker trilogy, Downsiders, and Challenger Deep, which won the National Book Award. Scythe, the first book in his series Arc of a Scythe is a Michael L. Printz Honor Book. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows. Neal is the father of four, all of whom are talented writers and artists themselves. Visit Neal at StoryMan.com and Facebook.com/NealShusterman.
Praise For…
"Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman's dark tale thrusts realistic, likeable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions. A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning." — Kirkus Reviews
"Shusterman is no stranger to pushing boundaries. Scythe owes an obvious debt to Unwind (2007) and its
sequels, and this succeeds as a sort of shadow companion to Patrick Ness’ Chaos Walking trilogy: instead
of exploring the ways in which men are monsters, this deals in what happens to men when there are no
monsters. When our reach does not exceed our grasp, when comfort is more easily obtained than struggle,
when our essential humanity doesn’t burn out but becomes slowly irrelevant, what becomes of us?
Readers will find many things in these pages. Answers to such unsettling questions will not be among
