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Table of Contents
About The Book
The New York Times bestselling Arc of the Scythe series continues with thrilling stories that span the timeline. Storylines continue. Origin stories are revealed. And new Scythes emerge!
There are still countless tales of the Scythedom to tell. Centuries passed between the Thunderhead cradling humanity and Scythe Goddard trying to turn it upside down. For years humans lived in a world without hunger, disease, or death with Scythes as the living instruments of population control.
Neal Shusterman—along with collaborators David Yoon, Jarrod Shusterman, Sofía Lapuente, Michael H. Payne, Michelle Knowlden, and Joelle Shusterman—returns to the world throughout the timeline of the Arc of a Scythe series. Discover secrets and histories of characters you’ve followed for three volumes and meet new heroes, new foes, and some figures in between.
Gleanings shows just how expansive, terrifying, and thrilling the world that began with the Printz Honor–winning Scythe truly is.
Excerpt
Slicing through the air with effortless aplomb,
the moment you take your first swing,
you wield your axe
like you are a master in the art of gleaning.
Those before you are in awe.
They cannot imagine what your next move will be.
You carry yourself as balanced and poised as a performer
dancing brutally among them;
the searing star of stars,
your robe cascading to the earth
in showers of gold.
But that is not the truth.
Your worth does not matter
to those who now matter to you.
You are truly nothing but a tiny sunspot
to the eyes of others like yourself.
An insignificant fleck.
And as you take that first swing,
they laugh at you.
You try to rise above their derision,
to be noticed in some small way.
To find favor from the old ones,
who are never old.
To gain respect from the young ones,
who have slain their own youth.
To justify the arrogance
that comes with the pride
of being chosen.
But that is not the truth either.
It will be years until you come to know the truth:
That those you revere are merely servants
to the collective that we prune.
It was their choice to let us choose
all those years ago.
The awed, terrified, relieved spectators;
the real ones in power,
the puppeteers of your actions.
Standing in a perfect line before them,
a cutting edge,
wielding our axes,
each one of us is the same as the last.
We are one in all,
We are all in one, and
We.
Shall.
Kill.
Our mantra, our commandment,
our duty to remind the immortal of mortality.
To teach them
that eternal repose may be distant,
but not lost.
Who are We?
We are Scythes.
And the weapons We wield
are not by any means our friends.
The devastating force
of bullet, blade, and bludgeon
tears us apart each day, every day,
piece by piece,
and leaves us with wounds that will never heal.
This is what ties us to the masses,
yet restrains us from being one with them.
And with each new gleaning,
We bleed and break anew,
yet our resolve never changes.
For We are scythes.
Nothing will ever change that fact.
And when it is your time to bleed,
you will know,
and you will learn.
—Joelle Shusterman
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (November 8, 2022)
- Length: 432 pages
- ISBN13: 9781534499973
- Grades: 7 and up
- Ages: 12 - 99
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Raves and Reviews
"Fans of the 'Arc of a Scythe' series will be pleased with this thrilling continuation."
– -School Library Journal, November 2022
"Existing fans will relish the varied tales, which handle themes of art, meaning, and morality in a post-death world with an efficacious mixture of humor, violence, and gentle absurdity."
– -Publishers Weekly, 10/10/2022
"One for the legions of fans of this world."
– -Kirkus Reviews, 08/15/22
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Book Cover Image (jpg): Gleanings
Hardcover 9781534499973
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Author Photo (jpg): Neal Shusterman
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