Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1)

by Neal Shusterman

4.2 of 5 stars 56 ratings • 20 reviews • 147 shelved
Book cover for Scythe

Bookhype may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure.

"A true successor to The Hunger Games." Maggie Stiefvater

In a perfect world, what is there left to fear? A chilling and thought-provoking sci-fi novel from New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman.


A dark, gripping and witty thriller in which the only thing humanity has control over is death.

In a world where disease, war and crime have been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed ("gleaned") by professional scythes. Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythes' apprentices, and despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation, they must learn the art of killing and understand the necessity of what they do.

Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe's apprentice and as Citra and Rowan come up against a terrifyingly corrupt Scythedom, it becomes clear that the winning apprentice's first task will be to glean the loser.

  • ISBN10 1406379247
  • ISBN13 9781406379242
  • Publish Date 1 February 2018 (first published 22 November 2016)
  • Publish Status Active
  • Publish Country GB
  • Imprint Walker Books Ltd
  • Format Paperback
  • Pages 416
  • Language English