  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 11/01/2019 After the great disaster that closed out Thunderhead (2018), the second volume in Shusterman's acclaimed Arc of a Scythe series, the postmortal world is in chaos. A legion of scythes are truly, permanently dead; the corrupt Scythe Goddard has claimed the title of High Blade and is amassing unprecedented power; and the sentient Thunderhead, the cloud that keep society running, has gone silent, speaking only through one chosen ally who becomes a near-religious figure in the eyes of some. Previous volumes focused primarily on Citra and Rowan as they became Scythes and questioned the laws of their society; as this series ender opens, they are absent, and the narrative sprawls through time and place, connecting readers to characters old and new. Shusterman slyly nods to the political and social issues in our world as he explores the triumphs and failings of his. Though this finale occasionally buckles under the weight of its potential, there's still nothing else like it out there.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Scythe (2016) was a Printz Honor Book, and this best-selling series has asked big questions and garnered a bigger following. Readers will want to be here to see how it all ends. - Copyright 2019 Booklist. School Library Journal - 11/01/2019 Gr 8 Up–Three years later. Scythe Goddard has risen to High Blade of MidMerica, and is quickly gripping all of North Merica in his iron fist with his radical new laws. The Thunderhead is still silent—except to Grayson Tolliver, who has reluctantly accepted his new role as the Tonist figurehead The Toll. Scythe Faraday and his librarian companion Munira fly toward a Pacific atoll that even the Thunderhead doesn't know about. And a vault containing the frozen bodies of two missing scythes is brought up from the depths of the wreckage of Endura. In this gripping conclusion to the series, Shusterman weaves together story lines of old and new characters to create an explosive series end. The depth of this immortal future is further plumbed, immersing readers in a world full of political intrigue, religious fervor, and questions about what it is to be human. The introduction of a gender-fluid character is a welcome addition to the diversity of the cast. VERDICT Fans of the first two books will be (and have been) clamoring for this finale. Get it to them as soon as possible. Highly recommended.—Tyler Hixson, Brooklyn Public Library - Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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