Rising Thunder

Discover the origins of the Scythedom in this long-awaited prequel to the global smash sensation Scythe by the New York Times bestselling Neal Shusterman, master of dystopia and sci-fi thrillers.As every school child knows, December 2042 marks the end of the Age of Mortality.What no one has ever fully understood is how the world reached that moment.As death begins to seem optional, humanity looks for ways to bend the rules of existence. Twi-life centers begin storing the nearly-deceased, while eco-nihilists threaten to end the human race entirely. Public opinion fractures. Systems strain. The world feels … unstable.Behind the scenes, two powerful artificial intelligences set out to optimize, stabilize, and protect – each with its own idea of what that means. But in a world already tipping toward transformation, the consequences could be catastrophic.Meanwhile, in an obscure online chatroom, a small group of teenagers from around the globe debate the future, never knowing that their conversations, their choices, their very existence matter far more than they realize.Because when humanity stands on the brink of immortality, someone must decide what survives … and what must be cut away.This explosive new novel is perfect for fans of The Hunger Games as well as Pierce Brown, Marie Lu and Patrick Ness.

Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty award-winning books for children, teens and adults. These include the acclaimed Arc of a Scythe series (Scythe, Thunderhead and The Toll), Dry and Roxy, as well as the Unwind dystology and Challenger Deep, which won a National Book Award. He also writes screenplays for film and television. Neal lives in Florida and has four children, all of whom are talented writers and artists themselves. Visit Neal at StoryMan.com or follow him on Twitter: @NealShusterman