Mindworks: An Uncanny Compendium of Short Fiction

MINDWORKS is a compelling collection of short stories from Neal Shusterman. These include many short stories compiled from other collections as well as a couple new stories. There are a lot of different stories, including some from the ARC OF A SCYTHE universe.

What I loved: This is a fantastic collection with a lot of powerful short stories. If you haven't read Shusterman's short stories before, you are in for a treat! Even if you have, this is a fantastic collection to have with lots of old favorites and a couple new ones. They span a few genres, with some intriguing dips into horror and sci-fi in particular that make the stories unforgettable.

I particularly found Majority Rules and Boy on the Stoop to be compelling, but there are many thought-provoking and memorable stories. They would make fantastic discussion pieces in a classroom or for a book club!

Final verdict: MINDWORKS is a fantastic collection of short stories that really cover the highlights of Shusterman's writing. Highly recommend checking it out if you want some unforgettable and consuming short stories!

What works: Haunting, mind-twisting, short stories from Neal Shusterman. There's sure to be a story for everyone! The stories are organized into sections. Forces of Nature, Angels, Demons, Monsters, and a Tree, The Wheel of Destiny, Attics, Basements, Windows, and Walls, The Living, The Dead, and the Undecided, I'm not Myself Today, and finally, The World of Scythe.

I'm a huge fan of Neal Shusterman. Every time I drive by El Toro High School in SoCal and see the school pool, images from his chilling dystopian novel DRY resurface. Yes, he's that good!

Short story anthologies are perfect for those who don't have time for long novels and just want to savor a short tale. Most of these stories are fast-paced. All are thought-provoking.

Some of my favorites:

Presumed Destroyed is told from the point of view of a gun and all its handlers, with a chilling ending.

Smells Like Kafka where a girl's parents' guilt parenting gift of a bear turns into something none of them expected.

Resurrection Bay, where a glacier brings a whole new meaning to resurrection.

Deadliner. After the summer of death, a surviving carnie plays the ultimate carnival attraction.

Loveless. A young woman searches for a psychic with a chilling message.

And of course, None More Beautiful Than I. A Scythe Story. Readers follow Rasmus and his grandmother to a shelter from the Scythe purge, only it's not what they expected.

Black Mirror meets YA. There's zombies, time-travel, Sci-Fi, and dystopian backdrops in this engaging collection of short stories. A must-read for Shusterman fans and those who love short stories.