Scythe

Neal Shusterman

Nov 2016 · Arc of a Scythe Book 1 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this eBook

A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021)

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.

Ratings and reviews

Man...words can't describe how much I love this book. I instantly fell in love with the characters and just loved the whole idea of it. The book really makes you think about ethics and how much it can affect society. I've read this book 100 times and will read it 100 more. Great book!

I was so enthralled with this series! I recommend it to about anyone i know! I also appreciated that it was a much needed breather from the typical romance situation from the usual relationships in the fantasy/syfy type books i read.

This is easily one of the best books I've ever read. The following is not a parody of professional critics, but my own honest way of speaking/ writing, sue me. It's a truly fascinating look into the philosophy and mindset that we as human beings place upon death. The plot covers both sides, those that see death as a necessary tragedy, and those that revel in the destruction of all held dear. The insight that can be gained from viewing death from the perspective of an almost perfect immortal, if artificial, is something I never knew I wanted. This will be a book I return to time and time again, I'm sure.

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.