Neal Shusterman is an American author who has written many acclaimed books such as Unwind, Challenger Deep, and The Arc of the Scythe series. Shusterman’s third and final book of The Arc of the Scythe series, The Toll, was released November 5.  

The series is set in a dystopian future where disease, illness, and even death are cured.  In order to control the population, some people are chosen to be scythes and “glean”, or kill, one person a day.  

Scythe follows two teenagers in their journey through the dystopian world, Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch, who were chosen to be apprentice scythes. The second book, Thunderhead, follows Rowan’s journey as Lucifer, and Citra’s unorthodox ways of gleaning. To find out more about the previous books in the series click (Scythe, Thunderhead). 

The blurb for The Toll is getting people excited: “Citra and Rowan have disappeared. Endura is gone. It seems like nothing stands between Scythe Goddard and absolute dominion over the world scythedom. With the silence of the Thunderhead and the reverberations of the Great Resonance still shaking the earth to its core, the question remains: Is there anyone left who can stop him?” 

Many Oakdale students can’t wait until the book releases, and are already forming theories.  Kadin Wetherholt, a junior who’s read the first two books of the series, anticipates the idea of Citra having kids in the upcoming book. 

Also, Junior Megan Donovan, a fan of Shusterman’s works, while not giving any details, predicts that The Toll will be great, and claiming that Neal Shusterman is “The Man”.

It’s no coincidence that The Arch of the Scythe series is so popular.  Many praise Shusterman for his exceptional writing style.  Wetherholt says that Shusterman, “Is so creative and out there” and goes on to talk about how not many books include what Shusterman’s does.  Donavon points out, that even though his style is dystopian, it’s still relatable.

On November fifth, make sure to get the The Toll to see how Citra and Rowan’s adventure comes to an exciting close.

As most authors do, Shusterman is going on tour to promote the book, and has a stop here at Oakdale on November 21 during 1st block. If you would like to see him go to the library to sign up!