Gleanings by Neal Shusterman
Publication Date: November 8, 2022
Summary from NetGalley:
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.
Arc provided by Simon and Schuster via NetGalley for an honest review.
Confession:
I loved the Arc of the Scythe series so I of course jumped at the chance to read this collection of short stories, and I was not disappointed. This is a great group of stories set in this very interesting future world. If you have not read the series, I highly recommend that you do. If you have read it then this collection is a must read.
Each of these stories was so unique and so wonderfully written. Some are about Scythes that were in the main series, but there are others that have nothing to do with the books. I think those were my favorites. As in the real world, some of the Scythes were good and some certainly deserved what they got. There is a cameo appearance of Rowan in one of the stories, but that is all we see of most of the original characters.
Some of the stories dealt with the after effects of a gleaning or of the families involved. There were a couple that dealt with what happened to family members after their loved ones were gone. One story tells how a sister went on to become unsavory. Another showed what happened to Citra’s brother, another favorite of mine.
There is one story that tells about what really happened on the failed Mars colony and how the person who eventually became Scythe Goddard was involved. That one was quite harrowing and was also a favorite.
Overall this is quite the delightful collection of stories. It was fun visiting this world again and fans of the series will love it.
Confessions of a Serial Reader 