Scythe New

What happens if you beat death? Citra and Rowan live in a world where disease, war and crime no longer exist. Perfect! There’s nothing left to die of. That leaves just one problem: no death means no room. That’s where the scythes come in. Their job: to get rid of the surplus. State-appointed professional killers, they randomly kill – or ‘glean’ – their victims to keep the population down. So, who’d want a job like that? Definitely not Citra or Rowan. Trouble is, they’ve been picked out as scythes’ apprentices; the last job they’d ever choose. Now they must learn the art of death. But only one of them can win the role that awaits. The good news: only one of them must become a killer. The bad news: the winner’s first job will be to glean the loser…

• Superbly dark and disturbing stuff for fans of The Hunger Games

• A Printz Honor winner kicking off a chilling new dystopian series

• Thought-provoking message that a perfect world comes at a heavy price

• By the New York Times bestselling author of the Unwind series

“Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likeable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions. A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.” Kirkus

“A truly astounding, unputdownable read and a fast-paced beginning to an excellent sci-fi series. A must-have.” School Library Journal