Arc of a Scythe Books in Order
Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman contains 4 books, published between 2016 and 2022. The first book is Scythe (2016) and the newest is Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe (2022). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 4
- Published
- 2016–2022
- Confirmed
- 4 of 4 titles
- Pages on record
- 1,577 in 3 of 4 books
- Reading time
- 26–39 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,577 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 3 of 4 titles with a page count on record.
Arc of a Scythe is a dystopian young adult series by Neal Shusterman, set in a world that has conquered death. Two teenagers, Citra and Rowan, are taken as apprentices to the Scythedom, the order charged with population control by killing, and both wrestle with the ethics of the role handed to them. Scythe (2016), Thunderhead (2018) and The Toll (2019) form the novels, and Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe (2022) collects further stories. Nothing has followed since 2022.
How many Arc of a Scythe books are there?
Arc of a Scythe has 4 books, released between 2016 and 2022.
Arc of a Scythe Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 4 Arc of a Scythe books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1Scythe2016 · 448 pages · confirmed 3/420164483/4
- 2Thunderhead2018 · 504 pages · confirmed 3/420185043/4
- 3The Toll2019 · 625 pages · confirmed 3/420196253/4
- 4Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe2022 · confirmed 3/42022–3/4
Is there a chronological order for Arc of a Scythe?
No separate chronological order is on record for Arc of a Scythe, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.
Do you have to read Arc of a Scythe books in order?
You should read the Arc of a Scythe books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Arc of a Scythe book also stands alone.
Where to start with Arc of a Scythe
Start with Scythe (2016), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Arc of a Scythe book?
Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe (2022) is the newest Arc of a Scythe book released so far.
Is there a new Arc of a Scythe book coming?
No next Arc of a Scythe book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Arc of a Scythe at a glance
- Paused
- No new Arc of a Scythe title has appeared for 4 years. The last was published in 2022.
- Release pace
- Arc of a Scythe books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 1,577 pages across the 3 of 4 books with a recorded length, a median of 504 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Arc of a Scythe books, 3 of 4, were published in the 2010s.
What the Arc of a Scythe books are about
3 of the 4 Arc of a Scythe books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: death is tagged on 3 of 3. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Death 3 of 3 books
- Science fiction 3 of 3 books
- Death--Fiction 2 of 3 books
- Murder 2 of 3 books
- Murder--Fiction 2 of 3 books
- Children's fiction 1 of 3 books
- JUVENILE FICTION / General 1 of 3 books
- YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Science Fiction 1 of 3 books
- YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Thrillers & Suspense 1 of 3 books
More books by Neal Shusterman
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Neal Shusterman books in order 59 books