Scythe is the first book in Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe trilogy. Published in 2016, the novel received the Michael L. Printz Award and was critically acclaimed. It is currently being adapted into a television series. The novel introduces the world of the story and major themes, series protagonists Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova and the main series antagonist, Scythe Robert Goddard.

The second book in the series, Thunderhead, takes place 10 months after the events in Scythe. Citra has become a junior scythe, taking the name of Scythe Anastasia. Meanwhile, Rowan is in hiding and killing corrupt scythes. They, along with the Thunderhead AI introduced in Scythe, is concerned about toxic trends in the scythedom. Though it cannot intervene itself, it taps a young boy named Greyson Tolliver to warn Scythes Curie and Anastasia about a plot against their lives. Forced to go undercover afterward, Greyson uncovers a conspiracy within the scythedom. After surviving the attack, Scythe Curie is elected High Blade of MidMerica against Scythe Goddard. In revenge, Goddard sinks the island of Endura, though Scythe Curie, Rowan, and Citra survive. The Thunderhead, heartbroken, labels all humans except for Greyson “unsavory.