Thunderhead, by Neal Schusterman, is the sequel to the book Scythe and the second in the trilogy. Scythe leaves off with Citra having to figure out what to do once she becomes a Scythe and Rowan struggling to figure out his next steps, and Thunderhead answers every question the reader has. Thunderhead continues the journeys of the characters while introducing new ones. Thunderhead continues to make the reader think about Scythedom. The novel goes more in-depth about people's opinions and thoughtfully explores their views about mortality.
The novel is named after a technology-based entity that watches over humanity. Throughout the novel the Thunderhead, which acts almost like a god, finds loopholes that will help save humans it calls special without breaking society’s rules. Sometimes this helps the protagonists in the book, but it can also cause problems for the messenger.
Thunderhead continues the thrilling story of Citra Terranova and Rowan Damsich as their world gets worse because some scythes begin to enjoy gleaning. Citra becomes an important figure because she is a model for apprentice Scythes. Citra is respected because she follows the old traditions while keeping them fresh. The novel follows Citra now that she is a Scythe. Citra starts to create the tactics and methods that she believes are the best fit for her gleaning. Citra chooses the name Scythe Anastasia and she is learning to let go of being Citra Terranova while she faces threats from people who don’t want there to be scythes anymore.
While Citra gains strength as a scythe, Rowan is on a mission to reduce the number of corrupt Scythes in the Scythedom. Rowan has chosen the name Scythe Lucifer and he now wears a long black robe, which isn’t allowed because it represents darkness. Rowan is a threat to certain Scythes and he is not respected by the Scythedom. Even though others think Rowan has gone mad, he feels it is his job to get rid of the corrupted scythes because it is the only way to make sure the Scythedom stays thoughtful.
My advice to anyone interested in reading Thunderhead is to make sure to read the trilogy in order and take the time to do a quick recap if it has been a while since you’ve read Scythe. Otherwise, Thunderhead could be a very confusing read since characters that may have seemed not so important in Scythe can end up playing a huge part, such as Tyger Salazar.
New characters and plots throughout the Thunderhead make it an adventurous and enjoyable read. There are turning points in the book that can not be expected. Though Thunderhead was not quite as great as Scythe it is still a wonderful book and I truly enjoyed the read. I recommend this book to readers who like something different and not like other books. Readers who enjoy reading series and thinking outside the box.
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