Now, it’s not unknown but it’s rare, very rare that I rate a sequel higher than the first book in a series, but I really loved this sequel to Scythe by Neal Shusterman. We follow on from the incidents in the first book and see where Rowan and City have got to since the dramatic ending in Scythe. Rowan has continued his self-imposed quest and has broken more than one rule of Scythdom, but one of the most important is he dresses in black as a Reaper. Citra is following the tenets of old-school Scythdom but with a twist which alienates some of the old-school, but could help develop the institution into one that bridges both. But things couldn’t be that simple could they, and Neal throws a massive, massive twist in that was so unexpected but really spiced up the book, I did actually gasp at the reveal. The development of Thunderhead throughout is also handled well, and with another result that wasn’t really expected. Another cracking book set in a well-thought out dystopian future.

I’m so glad that I read this book directly after the first in the series, I was still very much in the zone and this book was absolute perfection. I felt that Scythe, the first book, was a little slow in the action and pacing department but it turns out that it was all about setting things up for this book – the politics we were introduced to have now taken a dark turn, we learn more about the Thunderhead and its origins, and Citra and Rowan are now finding their footing in the world of scythes. The Thunderhead is a giant AI system created by humans to run the world and sustain humanity, exploring what all that means is fascinating and a deeply compelling read. The pacing is punchy, taking us from one event to another with just the right amount of suspense and intrigue in between. We’re introduced to a new main character in this book, Greyson, a regular person who was raised by the Thunderhead rather than his negligent parents. The author then tells us about events from the perspectives of Greyson, Rowan and Citra, with journal style entries by the Thunderhead between each chapter. So that’s two people who can’t communicate with the AI that runs the world, one who was raised by it and the AI itself which has to abide by its own rules, which means being unable to intervene in events despite being able to see what’s coming. The best thing about this book is the huge and unpredictable leaps it takes with the narrative; some things you can see coming but others will leave you reeling. The author isn’t afraid to do some risky things, which I think pays off big time. Knowing that absolutely anything could happen makes it more exciting and a 500 page gut punch, which has left me devastated that the next instalment hasn’t been published yet. It would be remiss of me not to mention the cover art for this series – I LOVE the cover design, I can’t wait for the entire series to be released so I can decide whether or not it would be too obsessive to have a poster made of them all.

A stunning continuation to Scythe, Thunderhead lived up to all my expectations and more. Shusterman’s world continues to expand, and it’s absolutely fascinating to see how Scythe’s operate in different regions as well as how the world as a whole functions in the post-mortality age. Citra and Rowan continue to be incredibly well-developed and interesting characters. The deliberations of various Scythes and the Thunderhead itself in questions of morality and intervention are beginning to reach their climax, which promises to be epic. The ending has me desperate to read the final instalment.

““Well, then,” said Supreme Blade Kahlo, raising her hand in a grand dramatic gesture, “let the wild rumpus start!”” I tend to be one of those people who read the next book in a series I’m following as soon as it’s published (earlier if I can get my hands on an advanced copy) and then spend the next year hanging precariously over a cliff while I wait to find out what’s going to happen next. All I can think after finishing this book is how grateful I am that this time, I’m late to the party. I read Scythe for the first time shortly after it was released and began this book soon after it was published. Then something happened, which I can’t even remember now, that took me away from it before I finished and unfinished it’s remained. Until now. I don’t know how I would have managed if I’d had to wait a year to see how everything unfolds from here but it wouldn’t have been pretty. This is a series you definitely need to binge. I love vigilante Rowan, AKA, Scythe Lucifer. He’s not just making corrupt scythes deadish; he’s making sure they don’t come back. As he researched his potential targets and stalked them prior to taking their lives, he reminded me of the Green Arrow. I wanted his kills to come with a catchphrase … You have failed this Scythedom. Meanwhile, Citra (now Scythe Anastasia) did me proud as a junior scythe. Taking on the best of what both of her mentors taught her but making it her own, Citra’s scythe MO was compassionate and thoughtful, and everything I expected from her. “She is a fresh voice of reason and responsibility. She can make the old ways new again. Which is why they fear her.” However, it was her strength, tenacity and courage that really captivated me. It’s one thing to do the right thing but it’s another thing entirely when the right thing isn’t the easy thing and your decisions come with consequences you can’t necessarily predict and aren’t always in your favour. The big surprise for me, though, was Greyson. I didn’t expect much from him, even though it was clear from the beginning that his role in this series was going to be significant. I enjoyed watching as he began to transform into Slayd. His journey introduced me to unsavouries, whose particular brand of rebellion I found fascinating. I need to live in the restored Great Library of Alexandria. It contains 3.5 million volumes of scythe journals! Favourite no context quotes: “Permission is the bloated corpse of freedom.” “We are forever impaled upon our own wisdom.” “Deadish men tell no tales for a while.” To borrow a new favourite phrase, this book was “fun-and-a-half”. I’m starting The Toll immediately.

Neal Shusterman does not let up for a second in the Thunderhead. Lame sequel this is not; The Thunderhead picks up directly after the first book and the tension will have you turning the pages all the way to the heart-stopping, jaw dropping ending!