This book spans over several different time periods, but is meant to be read after The Toll because of spoilers. Some stories involve characters from Arc of a Scythe, and others are unrelated but help flesh out the world of Scythe. If you enjoyed the series, you'll appreciate the short stories included in this anthology.

I received this ARC courtesy of Netgalley, in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Gleanings by Neal Shusterman is a short story collection involving the Arc of the Scythe series. The Arc of the Scythe series is about the Earth figuring out a way where humans can no longer die, the came up with a way to limit population is that they have people called Scythes who have a quota to kill so much people as a way of population control. Goodreads has it marked as 3.5 as it has 2 out of the 13 stories that go beyond the Arc of the Scythe. But most of the stories take place during the series, with 3 taking place before the series (which I feel are the best stories) and 3 that don't reference time and can take place anyplace where Scythes are. I liked the mix of stories some add insight to characters and events that were referenced in the series, some are about the interesting world of Scythes and what makes them tick, and we get more insight into the Thunderhead the Big Brother that watches all except Scythe business. I would recommend you read the Arc of the Scythe series before reading this but some stories do not require it. This is a book that will give you a better understanding of the fascinating world of the Scythes, but if you read this book hoping for more insight on the characters that left on the shuttles then the book only has two stories and they aren't about the main characters, but they are mentioned. My rating for the short stories are 3 five star, 5 four star, 3 three star and 2 two star. I was selected to read Gleanings through Netgalley from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Gleanings is published on November 8 2022.
Plot Summary and Ratings:

The First Swing is a poem about Scythes that okay it deals with the burden of Scythes who have a job to do. I rated it 2 out of 5 stars.

Formidable is a Story about how Scythe Curie came to be and her style and it is about the fall of the world under Scythe rule as the President of the United States doesn't want to adapt to the new way of society. This story took a second to get into I liked the climax and what is says of this new society. I rated this story 4 out 5 stars.

Never Work With Animals coauthored by Michael H. Payne A mostly dark comedy tail about Scythe Fields gleaning a couple for there dog, but get way more than he bargained for with the dog. I t has a nice twist and an appearance by Scythe Lucifer making this short story around the Toll. I rated it 3 out of 5 stars. It was a little long and it repeated its self a little too often.

A Death of Many Colors is a tail told by the Thunderhead about Scythe Sojourner Truth infiltrating an All Hallows Eve party, that is full of doubters. The Scythe makes an example out of one guest to get more to believe. I rated it 5 out of 5 stars. A very focused story that was pretty short and sweet.

Unsavory Row is about a girl deemed unsavory after she deals with grief after Rowan (scythe Lucifer) was an apprentice killed her friend. She joins the group the Apocalyte's as she tries to take down the Thunderhead servers and finds a secret out about the group. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars. It was very interesting story how the thunderhead watches the unsavories even though it can't.

A Martian Minute a really cool tale that will have you guessing where in the Ark of the Scythe the story takes place and you will be wrong. It does cleverly tie -in to the series. This story is a long one but it has a cool twist and a gut punch at the end. I rated this story 5 out of 5 stars. I was hovering between 4 and 5 but the end pushed me over.

The Mortal Canvas co authored by David Yoon, a story about a class on creative art is interrupted by a scythe, that makes an art challenge, the winner will be given a year of immunity, and the losers get ... they don't know but all are thinking death. The story takes place soon after immortality is created, and Scythe's are fairly new. I rated it 2 out 5 stars. it was too slow.

Cirri is the first story that takes place in the future of The Arc of the Scythe it is a short and sweet story about how the life vessels are maintaining life and birth. One of my favorite B characters from the Toll dies but some beautiful happens. I rated this story 4 out of 5 stars.

Anastasia's Shadow a tale about Citra's Brother Ben and Constantine's plan to make Ben a scythe. we saw a quick version of this in the Toll but it was great and more emotional. It as a crazy love story. I rated this story 4 out of 5 stars. This story had the fastest pace.

The Persistence of Memory Co -Authored by Jarrod and Sopia Lapuente is about dueling scythes in Spain. This is one of my favorites, a really interesting backstory on Scythe Dali and a really good climax that was perfect. The pace was really good. The conversations on death were very poignant. I rated this story 5 out of 5 stars.

Meet Cute and Die is a romantic tale about a Scythe niece who is accident prone and meets a man who is just as accident prone. The niece doesn't reveal who her aunt is for fear of what she might do. but when they both die the scythe visits the guy and invites him to their home. The niece is very weary and will fight for her guy even if it is with a scythe. A pretty cute and short tale. I rated it 4 out of 5 stars.

Perchance to Glean Co-Authored by Michelle Knowlden an interesting story where a Scythe can hunt in a dream an if he kills you you have 12 hours where he kills you in real life. It was an interesting take but it felt more middle grade than Young Adult. the story felt out of place. I rated it 3 out of 5 stars.

A Dark Curtain Rises is a story after Arc of Scythe Trilogy about how Scythe Curie is reborn in one of the transport vessels. The shortest story but it felt right knowing what happened at the end of The Toll. I rated this story 4 out of 5 stars.

What I Liked: The variety of stories there a lot to explore and still a lot to explore. The couple stories that were on the downfall of society after reaching immortality could easily be a book. The insight in to the main villain of the series was really cool, his story I want explored more as well. I liked all the new stories on Scythe Curie. I liked that we got something after the Arc of the Scythe trilogy even though I wanted a lot more.

What I Disliked: I wanted a lot more about Scythe Anastasia after she left earth. A Scythe Faraday story would have been nice at any time in his life we get just a taste with Scythe Curie backstory.

Recommendation: If you love Arc of the Scythe series then this book has a whole lot of insight into what makes the Scythes tick. If you just want to know about the main characters from the Arc of the Scythe series there's only a couple of mentions and two stories involving them, so this book might not be for you. This book cover really interesting backstories on villains and supporting characters in the series. There's an interesting variety of stories that go places that i didn't think about like dream Scythes. I rated Gleanings by Neal Shusterman 4 out of 5 stars.

I love that Shusterman often writes short stories that allow readers to return to his amazing worlds. I really enjoyed Gleanings. It was wonderful to get some background stories and glimpses into the future. I felt like one of the stories was unnecessarily long, but I absolutely loved the others. Since it's been a few years since I've read the series, I wish I had read detailed summaries of the original trilogy before diving into Gleanings. If you haven't read the Scythe series yet, you will definitely need to read that first!

The world of the Scythedom has an infinite number of stories to tell that the Arc of a Scythe series didn’t cover. There are large periods of time where humanity was living with immortality, with only scythes as population control. There are bound to be a lot of different stories to come with that.

With a variety of collaborators, Neal Shusterman presents a series of stories chronicling different eras of the Scythedom. Readers get to see from familiar characters, as well as be presented with new ones. See histories of beloved characters as well as get a glimpse at what’s happening around them. Expanding on the world that readers already love.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of Gleanings by Neal Shusterman to review! The Scythe series is one of my most recent favorites, and I recommend it every chance I get. If you’re still looking for dystopian vibes, this is definitely a great series for you!

What I like about this short story collection is it gives Shusterman an opportunity to expand the world of the scythes. Not only do we get to hear from some favorite characters, we get new voices as well. Using short stories is a great way to add variety to the world and give us details we didn’t otherwise get in the original trilogy. I am happy Shusterman returned to this world, and would definitely read a spin-off series if he did one!

Like most short story collections, not all stories held my attention. But the one with Citra’s younger brother was great, as was the story with the dog (which was actually kind of creepy, actually). The short stories giving background on characters, like Scythe Curie, also helped to give the original series more complexity.

All in all, if you like expansions for your favorite series, you’ll love this short story collections.

Read it! Stop wondering and start reading Gleanings. If you hesitate because you wonder, “what more do I need to know about Scythes or the Thunderhead?” then the answer is still just read it. Gleanings is a perfect visit back to the remarkable world that Neal Shusterman built in the Scythe trilogy. It’s fascinating to learn the backstories and sideline stories. I think I’ll start the series all over again.

This book comes out November 8th and I know I am pushing my review to the last second. This book is an anthology of stories that revolve in the scythe trilogy world. Some are after the end of the third and a couple are about how some of the scythe came to be. There are two stories that have really stuck with me. I don't want to spoil anything but let's just say this, the scifi element to these stories were really well done and made me think more about mortality than I would have liked. It seems like life is one way and then the world turns upside down in this universe. The stories were really thought out beautifully and I highly recommend this book if you liked the scythe trilogy. Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this early.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

I will read anything in the Scythe universe! It really was a joy to be back in this world, as twisted as that may sound. I don't think anything can live up to the original trilogy, but it was fun to be back with these characters and remember what I love so much about the series.

I first read the Arc of the Scythe series this past year as part of my book club. There were several things, after finishing the trilogy, that I wish had been clarified or explored more and Gleanings really delivers. From my favorite Scythe, Marie Curie's history in the very first story, through to the very last, I really enjoyed this collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a big fan of the original Scythe trilogy, I enjoyed this one. This is a simple collection of short stories that occur both before and after the trilogy's events. You are not reunited with any of the protagonists in any meaningful way, so erase that expectation before you dive in. Still, you get a couple of origin stories, more political commentary, and even a happy ending.

I don't feel like this book added anything vital to the series, hence my three stars, but I think as someone who greatly enjoyed both the original concept and the intense themes, it was satisfying. It vacillates between the darkness and joy of humanity; the human desire to be eternal, but also to feel like life meant something in the end. Some of these stories are deeply introspective and uncomfortable, while others are optimistic and entreating.

I think my favorites were "Cirri," "The Persistence of Memory," and "A Dark Curtain Rises."

Happy reading, Scythe-lovers.

First off, I would like to thank Turn the Page Tours as well as Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this book. I received both an eArc and a physical copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Not going to lie, it took me so long to jump on the Arc of the Scythe bandwagon. But when I did.. I binge read the series in two and a half days. So when I saw there was an anthology being written about the world I had to jump at the opportunity and I was so fortunate to be picked.

This book has a little something for everyone, but it should be read after the series to fully grasp what’s going on. There are many stories going on — some set before, during and after the setting of the storyline. The stories are not in any type of order but they have a great flow. Some stories are a bit weird, some are on the slower side, but overall the book is giving all the feels. (Im)patiently waiting for the audiobook to come out to experience it all over again.

This collection of short stories from the Scythedom gives us origin stories, answers questions we longed to be answered, and introduces new Scythes all in the span of 12 stories and 1 poem.

Fans of the Scythedom can count on Schusterman to quickly bring us back into the world of Scythes, and all of the contributing authors seamlessly added to this great series in a way that it all feels like one.

Usually with short story collections, I struggle to get into each writer's writing style and often times feel discouraged from picking up short stories based on not having great experiences with them. But I had to give Gleanings a chance, since the Arc of a Scythe trilogy is one of my favorites, and I was pleasantly surprised! It's surely a big help that the stories were co-authored with Schusterman, but they all have a similar style to them that aids the reader in enjoying the majority of the collection.

I greatly enjoyed all three aspects of these stories - origins, continued stories, and new Scythes - with my favorites being: A Martian Minute, Anastasia's Shadow, Meet Cute and Die, and Perchance to Glean.

One story, however, I thought took it too far. The Scythedom is all about Scythe's delivering death, but I think animal death is taking it too far, so I have to say I did not at all enjoy Never Work With Animals.

I also need to point out that there are quite a few mentions of spiders so if you have a fear of them, I think I counted at least 3 stories, with A Death of Many Colors being the most explicit.

Overall though, this is a great collection and I'm glad to have this addition to the Scythedom!

CW: death, murder, animal death, buried alive, spiders

Rating system:
5 - absolutely love, little-to-no dislikes that did not impact my reading experience

4 - great book, minor dislikes that did have an impact on my reading experience

3 - good/decent book but for some reason did not hook me or there were some problematic things that just were not addressed or greatly impacted my reading experience

2 - is either a book I did not click with and did not enjoy, problematic aspects are not addressed and severely impacted my reading experience, or I DNF'd but think it has potential for others

1 - is very problematic, I would not recommend the book to anyone

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

I was excited to see we were getting short stories from the world of Arc of a Scythe again.
And honestly they're all fantastic. Giving windows into some new characters, some old, some absolutely more awful than I remember them.
An incite into life, death, humanity and the balance of nature.

Arc of a Scythe was such a fantastic series, so If you either missed it, or want a smidge more, it's definitely worth taking the time to read. I really enjoyed taking a trip back into the world.

Thank you Neal Shusterman and Simon and Schuster publishing for a free ARC of Gleanings I’m exchange for an honest review. All the opinions that follow are my own.

I was really excited to read this anthology when I heard it announced. I loved the Scythe series (the end of book two, still haunts me). However, I was somewhat disappointed with what was included in this book. I’ve read great anthologies that were organized and each story was given context to where it appears within the series, but this book felt like scythe vibes without direction.

My favorite story was definitely Marie’s. The rest didn’t really capture me the same way the series did. This book read more like one-off fan fiction (no shade, fan fiction imo is very well written). I just wanted more from this series than it could offer.

When I tell you that when I got the email saying I was approved for this arc it literally knocked the air out of my lungs. This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it is apart of a series that lives in my mind rent free. Anytime anyone asks for a book rec it’s always “have you read the scythe books?” And this just added to my love of a series I was already very invested in.

I WAS NOT PREPARED for The Martian Minute. When I tell you my jaw dropped and started catching flies I mean it. There’s no exaggeration. I literally set the book down and had to take a few breaths in order to control my heart rate. I think that short story was easily my favorite of the entire book. So good!

One of the things I like most about Neal Shusterman is his ability to write incredibly complex characters. Everyone is so multi faceted and has the ability to constantly surprise me and I love the way it keeps me on my toes whenever I’m reading. The added world building that this creates is a really fun extension of a world I’d be terrified to live in. I’ve never been one to read a collection of short stories but I guess if it’s written by him then I’m gonna be compelled to find out what happens next.

The way each short story focused on different people in different places was surprisingly and I loved it. I had half expected to focus primarily on characters we already knew but I appreciated the diversity of interjecting new blood (pun intended) into the story while also expanding on those we already know (that we love and hate). The blend of stories was done really well and this is a great addition.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this because I wasn’t the biggest fan of book 3 in the original series. I honestly didn’t know it was an anthology until I started the book. It’s okay because I really enjoyed that aspect! There are a few authors that co-wrote with Shusterman on this one.

In this Anthology, there’s a lot of new and old characters. Several of these stories cover some of the Scythes from the original series we enjoyed. It was really cool to see origin stories or more about certain Scythes. There are also many stories about different parts of this world and how they work. It was interesting to see how huge this world was and we didn’t even know it. Some of these stories will tie-in and you will recognize the side character, but we also get pre-trilogy and post-trilogy stories. Like all anthologies, there are stories that you love more than others. In this case, the more post-trilogy stories were not my favorite. I was hoping to see a bit more from our original characters!

Overall, if you are a fan of this series, you will like this set of stories. I enjoyed many of these short stories even though I wasn’t a big fan of The Toll. For me, the best part was the origin stories and seeing what inspired their Scythe hood. It’s really hard to get into a lengthy review about an anthology without giving away spoilers.

I want to thank Simon & Schuster and Turn the Page Tours for being a part of this Blog tour and for a PDF of the book!

Gleanings takes readers back into the world of the Scythedom. Written as an anthology of short stories, readers get to experience the perspective of various scythes like a young Scythe Curie. I was slightly disappointed that it all the stories were centered on scythes that we as readers were already well acquainted with. Truthfully I wanted these stories to all be centered around those characters and they weren’t. Overall the stories were enjoyable to read and fans of the scythe trilogy will definitely enjoy these stories!

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book!

Star Rating: 4⭐️
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pub date: November 8, 2022

This was such a fun way to revisit the Scythe world. I'm always ready for more stories about the characters I grew to love over the course of the trilogy. Each story gave me a new memory about characters I love, and I felt like I was revisiting a old friend. I liked the idea of short stories better than a new book because I feel like I got more about the characters the way the short stories were written.

My biggest complaint is the stories felt a bit performative in that they didn't really add anything to the overall narrative about the Scythe world. They were a nice way for fans of the world to revisit something they loved, but I was hoping for a bit more overall with plot/direction.

Other than that, I was very happy to revisit this world, and I'm a huge fan of Neal Shusterman.

An enormous thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and of course Neal Shusterman for providing me with an eARC of this novel. I am voluntarily leaving a review, all opinions are my own.

What. A. Read. This was even better than I had anticipated. I'm not always the biggest fan of anthologies, but with this world I knew I'd love it and even then, I hadn't realized just how much I'd love this.

We got backstory for some of our favorite, and least favorite, scythes. We get a good look at how the Thunderhead controls the lives of the human beings in this world. There was so much information in this book and so much that extends beyond what we learned in the main trilogy, and I honestly adored every single moment of this book.

I read it in a couple sittings because I just couldn't put it down. This book is a must read for anyone who read and loved the trilogy, you won't be disappointed. This just confirmed I will read anything that Neal Shusterman writes, I love the way he writes and the topics he broaches.

Gosh, I loved revisiting the world of Scythes, Unsavories and The Thunderhead! Each vignette was a perfect length and unique with some of our favorite (and not so favorite) characters.

I didn't think I would need to, but a reread of the trilogy might be a good idea for those of us who can get fuzzy if it's been several years since we last read them. I had to resort to the internet a couple of times to remind myself who exactly a character was from the originals.

As with most anthologies, some stories you'll prefer over others. All were good but some were great. The ones that were standouts to me included A Martian Minute, Anastasia's Shadow and The Persistence of Memory.

Hopefully, this isn't the last we'll see of the Scythedom