Gleanings (Arc of a Scythe) by Neal Shusterman/Jarrod Shusterman/Sofia Lapuente.

"A collection of stories, all set in the world of the Arc of a Scythe series by Shusterman. A Martian Minute and Anastasia's Shadow were real standouts but after awhile they storie began to get repetitive and the lack of a singular narrator, iring. This was an interesting addition to the series but not as good as the series itself."

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pros: Some interesting stories that add a bit more history to characters and the timeline of the series, such as the Cirrus expedition/What happens when you become Unsavory/A Martian Minute and Anastasia’s Shadow were really well done.

Cons: Though this focused more on the world of Arc of a Scythe, I did miss Rowan/Citra/Short stories are tough for me because they lack a linear storyline but that's just a pet peeve.

Full Review:

This was a collection of short stories that were all based in the world of rhe Arc of a Scythe series by Shusterman. Some stories were co-authored while others were written by his children and of coure, Shusterman himself. We learned some backstories of certain Scythes. What happened to Citra's family after the events of Thunderhead and also a few stories about the Cirri expeditions, the consequences of being marked Unsavory and tales about random, unkonwn Scythes.

A few standouts were Never Work With Animals, A Martian Minute and Anastasia's Shadow. Some that were just mediocre were The Mortal Canvas and The Persistence of Memory.

Near the end I began to lose interest as the stories became repetetive and the lack of a singular narrator grew old. I'd say this was a solid, middle of the road book that gave an interesting view into the world of the Arc a of Scythe series but it wasn't as good as the series itself.

Comments

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

"Obviously targeted to writers but honestly, anyone could benefit from Bradbury's practical yet poetic advice, this was a collection of esasys by Bradbury about his writing process and reflections on some of his greatest works." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Bradbury, duh, though I'm biased, to me, the man's prose is pure poetry, every word beautiful/Since writing is not my career, it was an interesting way to view Bradbury's life. Writing was his job and he was the only income. If he did not produce material, he would not get paid. It help put things into perspective. Cons: The man can go on for a bit 😂/Bradbury's insane work ethic and endless endurance to just produce story after story seems insane and overwhelming but then again, this was his livelihood, so I'm sure it was insane and overwhelming. If he didn't write and get paid, they'd starve, so, it was a life or death situation. Full Review: This was essentially a collection of essays written by Bra...

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

“The tale of Andy Dufresne and how he served his time at Shawshank prison, as told through the eyes of his friend and fellow inmate, Red. Dark and disturbing but also compulsively readbale. I finished it in 2 days. Also enjoyable is Frank Darabont's 1994 film adaptation, "The Shawshank Redemption." ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros : Red has a soothing, drawl, making the reading easy and flowing/Since I saw the film first, I couldn't help but compare the book though I was pleased to find that the two were very similar. Cons : Things got a bit rambling a bit at the beginning/Since I saw the film first I couldn't help but compare the book but this ended up not being a con. Full Review: The state of Maine has a prison. Shawshank Redemption. And Red is the guy that can get you things. He also happens to be the only guilty man in Shawshank but that's netiher here nor there. He meets Andy Dufresne for business purposes at first and he finds him to be a calm, cool man and Red likes him i...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

“Rick Deckard is a Bounty Hunter who's on the trail of six "Andys" (Androids) who have come to Earth illegally. His job is to track them down and "retire" them. Something he found easy to do until he met her, Rachael Rosen. The Android that does the impossible, passes the "Voight-Kampff" test. The story quickly devolves into a slow, drawn out and frankly boring mystery that was putting me to sleep by the end." ⭐⭐ Pros: I was more interested in comparing it to the film, "Bladerunner."/At first I kind of liked the drab, dreary atmostphere but it soon became soporific. Cons: I had no real idea what was going on with Mercerism/The end there had me blinking in bewilderment, like with Herbert's 29th Dune Book/There was a lot of idle chit-chat while they were in murderous/intense situations, it just seemed odd. Full Review: Rick Deckard, a Bounty Hunter, contracted with the San Francisco Police Department hunts down and retires rogue ...

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