The Thunderhead was ever vigilant-but for a scythe, its slumberless, unblinking eyes were of no concern. There were, of course, cameras on every light post in the city. But he stopped in midstanza, having a distinct feeling that he was being watched. On this evening, Scythe Brahms had just accomplished a particularly entertaining gleaning in downtown Omaha, and was still whistling his signature tune as he sauntered down the street, wondering where he might find himself a late evening meal.

It was a sentiment gaining traction in more and more regional scythedoms.

“In a perfect world, shouldn’t we all enjoy what we do?” Goddard wrote. Politically, he leaned toward the teachings of the late Scythe Goddard, for he enjoyed gleaning immensely and saw no reason why that should be a problem for anyone. And then he would end the subject’s life. After all, if a scythe must choose a figure from history to name oneself after, shouldn’t that figure be integrated somehow into the scythe’s life? He would play the lullaby on whatever instrument was convenient, and if there was none available, he would simply hum it. He would choose his subject, restrain him or her, then play a lullaby-Brahms’s lullaby to be exact-the most famous piece of music composed by his Patron Historic.

His routine was always the same, though methods varied. He had recently turned the corner again, resetting his physical age back to a spry twenty-five-and now, in his third youth, he found his appetite for gleaning was stronger than ever. True, the velvet became uncomfortably hot in the summer months, but it was something he had grown accustomed to in his sixty-three years as a scythe. Peach velvet with embroidered baby-blue trim. Or will it simply watch as this perfect world begins to unravel? Excerpt Old foes and new enemies converge, and as corruption within the Scythedom spreads, Rowan and Citra begin to lose hope. His story is told in whispers across the continent.Īs Scythe Anastasia, Citra gleans with compassion and openly challenges the ideals of the “new order.” But when her life is threatened and her methods questioned, it becomes clear that not everyone is open to the change. Since then, he has become an urban legend, a vigilante snuffing out corrupt scythes in a trial by fire. A year has passed since Rowan had gone off grid. The Thunderhead is the perfect ruler of a perfect world, but it has no control over the scythedom. Rowan and Citra take opposite stances on the morality of the Scythedom, putting them at odds, in the chilling sequel to the Printz Honor Book Scythe from New York Times bestseller Neal Shusterman, author of the Unwind dystology. “Even better than the first book.” - School Library Journal (starred review) “Intelligent and entertaining.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Scythe series book 2