Neal Shusterman’s The Toll, the Finale to the Arc of a Scythe Series, a Spoiler-Free Teaser

On the last day of ALA, I did a final wander of the exhibits right before they closed and received an unexpected and wonderful gift — a bound manuscript of Neal Shusterman‘s The Toll, the finale of his Arc of a Scythe series. (FYI: I was just at the right place at the right time — they had only brought a handful — and I don’t believe I would have been given it if I’d gone by earlier.) No worries, no spoilers here; I’m just letting fans know that I thought it wonderful. On Goodreads I wrote:

I would give this ten stars and more if I could. Extraordinary. One of the best things I’ve read in a while.

I immediately went back and reread Scythe and Thunderhead and now am rereading The Toll. I can’t remember the last time a series finale caused me to do this. Shusterman goes far and wide in every possible way — the characters are further developed and complicated, all of them; the stakes raised believe it or not; the world-building even richer; the themes stratospheric; clever playing with structure; and the writing pure delight.

You all have something splendid awaiting you this fall.