Review: Thunderhead

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first book of Shusterman's Arc of a Scythe was pretty slow to start, but the sequel, Thunderhead, builds so wonderfully on its predecessor's world-building that it somehow feels like the first book is just so much prologue. But really, for this series, we're averting Sophomore Slump but good. Sure, it's a bit long and slow at times just like Scythe was, but that's because Shusterman makes room for a ton of complexities and characters, each of which gets room to propel the book forward. Citra and Rowan, of course. Greyson Toliver. Tyger. Scythe Curie. The Thunderhead itself, even if it has a few too many shades of Kaufman and Kristoff's Aidan (half the time it comes very close to directly asking, "Am I not merciful?")

What really sells Thunderhead, though, is how much it builds on the first book's themes of corrupt power. Rowan's going around making an effort to eliminate the corrupt - but it's not so easy in a world where people are capable of dying and then reviving, which means at least one of his enemies - including someone entirely unexpected, whom I cannot reveal here because of spoilers - doesn't just die and vanish from the rest of the story. (I'll admit, though, one of his best successes comes from his gleaning of Scythe Renoir, an irredeemable racist who goes after First Nations - or Permafrost people, as they're called in this future world - because he thinks they themselves are racist for keeping to themselves socially.) Citra, as Scythe Anastasia, tries a whole new method of dealing death, a more humane one - and, therefore, a more controversial one. And ultimately, the whole book builds up to a fraught campaign to disrupt the official changing of the guard in Scythe leadership by installing a vile, reprehensible assbutt who's decidedly unqualified for the top role, and will either rise to a gloating victory or burn the whole thing down in the event of defeat.

It all builds up to the most Aveyardian cliffhanger since the original Aveyardian cliffhanger in Glass Sword. No bloody joke.

The Toll can't come soon enough, gorrammit.

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