A philosophical YA dystopian trilogy set in a future where humanity has conquered death and disease, leaving Scythes as the only ones who can permanently end life by gleaning. The series follows apprentice Scythes Citra and Rowan as they navigate the ethics of choosing who lives and dies, face corruption within the Scythedom, and ultimately confront a global crisis that threatens the entire system.
In a future where humanity has conquered death and disease, the only form of permanent death is gleaning performed by robed Scythes who cull the population to prevent overgrowth and two teenagers are chosen as apprentices to a Scythe with very different philosophies about how life and death should be managed. A richly imagined, philosophically serious YA dystopian novel exploring the ethics of choosing who lives and who dies. The first book in the Arc of a Scythe trilogy.
As Rowan pursues a vigilante campaign against corrupt Scythes and Citra takes on her new responsibilities as a junior Scythe, the benevolent AI that governs all of civilization the Thunderhead reveals that something has gone deeply wrong within the Scythedom. The second book deepens both the romance between its leads and the philosophical scope of the series, raising the stakes considerably. A strong and emotionally satisfying middle volume.
Three years after the catastrophic conclusion of Thunderhead, Citra and Rowan are missing and the Scythedom has fractured into a global power struggle, while a new religious movement has formed around a young man who claims to hear the silenced Thunderhead's voice. The final volume of the Arc of a Scythe trilogy is sprawling and ambitious, bringing all threads to a conclusion that matches the series' philosophical seriousness. A very long but ultimately satisfying conclusion.