Gleanings
Gleanings is a companion short-story anthology set in the world of the Arc of a Scythe trilogy. Neal Shusterman is joined by collaborators David Yoon, Jarrod Shusterman, Sofía Lapuente, Michael H. Payne, Michelle Knowlden, and Joelle Shusterman for twelve stories and a poem that range across the timeline of the series, filling in the backstories and side histories of scythes and citizens of MidMerica.
Stories include the origins of Scythe Curie and Scythe Goddard, an account of Scythe Fields, a Halloween party gone wrong, the life of information broker Kila Whitlock, an art students' competition, and other episodes set before, during, and after the events of Scythe, Thunderhead, and The Toll. Each story stands alone, offering a different angle on a post-mortal society governed by scythes rather than natural death.
Best read after finishing the main trilogy, as several stories draw on characters and events from those books.
Gleanings is a companion short-story anthology, not required to follow the main plot of Scythe, Thunderhead, and The Toll. It's best read after finishing the trilogy — several stories draw on characters and events from those three books and are more rewarding with that context.