{"product_id":"rising-thunder-a-prequel-to-scythe","title":"Rising Thunder: A Prequel to Scythe","description":"\u003cb\u003eDiscover\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e Thunderhead's origin--\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ethe fragile moment before the world changes forever and the hidden forces that set the storm in motion--in this long-awaited prequel to the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling and Printz Honor-winning Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnd of course, as every school child knows, December 2042 marks the end of the Age of Mortality.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat no one has ever fully understood is \u003ci\u003ehow\u003c\/i\u003e the world reached that moment. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs death begins to seem optional, humanity looks for ways to bend the rules of existence. Twi-life centers begin storing the nearly-deceased, while eco-nihilists destroy civilization's icons and threaten to end the human race entirely. Public opinion fractures. Systems strain. The world feels...unstable. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBehind the scenes, two powerful and diametrically opposed artificial intelligences set out to optimize, stabilize, and protect--each with its own idea of what that means. But in a world already tipping toward transformation, the consequences could be catastrophic. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMeanwhile, in an obscure online chatroom, a small group of teenagers from around the globe debate both the glorious and the terrifying prospects of the future, never realizing that they stand on a very literal cutting edge--and that their conversations, their choices, their very existence matter far more than they realize. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBecause when humanity stands on the brink of immortality, someone must decide what survives...and what must be cut away.","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48515754393849,"sku":"9781665972086","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/1811\/7625\/files\/imageloader_d459c409-b08e-4e5f-8eee-3112abf07025.jpg?v=1781209128","url":"https:\/\/hookeandplotte.com\/products\/rising-thunder-a-prequel-to-scythe","provider":"Hooke and Plotte Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}