Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

Thunderhead is all knowing and encompassing. Once the Cloud, the Thunderhead now stores all human knowledge, provides leadership and order, and oversees almost every aspect of life on earth. The world has never been more stable or peaceful since the mortal years. Death, disease, hunger and poverty are all constructs of the past. Scythes, the order of humans ordained to control population by gleaning (killing) people at random cannot be overseen by the Thunderhead.  They are held to a high standard of humility, morality and equity to avoid corruption. Until now.

Book two of the Arc of the Scythe Trilogy, starts one year after the end of book one, Scythe. Rowan is now Scythe Lucifer, hunting and destroying corrupt Scythes. His best friend Tyger has been hired to train in the martial art of Bokator, with the hope to become a Scythe himself. Citra is now Scythe Anastasia, whose destiny is to have a profound influence on Scythes and the world. Working with Scythe Curie, they have had an attempt to destroy their lives, and are now in seclusion. Scythe Faraday is in Alexandria, doing research, looking for the land of Nod, where he hopes to find answers that will stop the corruption plaguing Scythedom. Enter Greyson Tolliver. A young man, all but abandoned by his family, has been raised and mentored by the Thunderhead to which he is resolutely devoted. The Thunderhead has recruited him to be his agent, using his human eyes and ears to keep the Thunderhead informed and carry out actions it deems necessary.

In Thunderhead, Shusterman builds the world with great detail that he started in Scythe. With several story lines, so much going on, so many twists and turns, there is just no time to stop turning the pages. The 504 pages will go fast, but be prepared. The crescendo is a cliff-hanger that will leave you yearning for book three.
Mark's Picks Rating: 4.5

Reading Level: 6.7 • Interest Level: 7-12  • Lexile: 870L• AR Points: 20
Publisher: Simon & Schuster • Copyright: 2017 • ISBN: 978-1-442-47245-7 • Available in Perma-Bound Binding