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Neal Shusterman

Author of Unwind

97+ Works 33,590 Members 1,437 Reviews 52 Favorited

About the Author

Neal Shusterman was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 12, 1962. He received degrees in psychology and drama from the University of California, Irvine. Within a year of graduating, he had his first book deal and a screenwriting job. He has written numerous books including The Dark Side of show more Nowhere, Red Rider's Hood, The Shadow Club, The Shadow Club Rising, The Eyes of Kid Midas, Shattered Sky, Unwind, and Antsy Does Time. He won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2015 for Challenger Deep. He also writes several series including the Skinjacker Trilogy, the Star Shards Chronicles, and the Unwind Dystology. As a screen and television writer, he has written for the Goosebumps and Animorphs television series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie Pixel Perfect. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: By Larry D. Moore, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29480458

Series

Works by Neal Shusterman

Unwind (2007) 5,885 copies
Scythe (2016) 5,321 copies
Thunderhead (2018) 2,686 copies
Everlost (2006) 1,987 copies
The Toll (2019) 1,980 copies
UnWholly (2012) 1,490 copies
The Schwa was Here (2004) 1,224 copies
Challenger Deep (2015) 1,204 copies
Dry (2018) 1,129 copies
UnSouled (2013) 1,048 copies
Bruiser (2010) 855 copies
Full Tilt (2003) 845 copies
Undivided (2014) 732 copies
Everwild (2009) 722 copies
Downsiders (1999) 673 copies
Everfound (2011) 480 copies
Antsy Does Time (2008) 386 copies
Dread Locks (2005) 328 copies
The Shadow Club (1990) 326 copies
The Dark Side of Nowhere (1997) 323 copies
Game Changer (2021) 273 copies
The Scorpion Shards (1995) 196 copies
Roxy (2021) 195 copies
UnStrung (2012) 187 copies
The Eyes of Kid Midas (1992) 176 copies
Duckling Ugly (2006) 149 copies
Red Rider's Hood (2005) 148 copies
Speeding Bullet (1991) 135 copies
Thief of Souls (1999) 127 copies
The Shadow Club Rising (2002) 122 copies
Shattered Sky (2002) 106 copies
Ship Out of Luck (2013) 80 copies
What Daddy Did (1991) 57 copies
Courage to Dream (2023) 52 copies
Dissidents (1705) 43 copies
Chasing Forgiveness (2015) 29 copies
Get Your Book On! (2011) 10 copies
Resurrection Bay (2013) 7 copies
Downside Up 5 copies
Piggyback Ninja (1994) 4 copies
Guy Talk (1987) 4 copies
SED [Próxima aparición] (2019) 2 copies
Kosení (2023) 2 copies
Glebia Challengera (2023) 1 copy
Kosiarze (2017) 1 copy
Cribas 1 copy
Bez citu (2022) 1 copy
Bez šance (2020) 1 copy
Teslas loft (2014) 1 copy
Sucho (2019) 1 copy

Associated Works

Violent Ends (2015) — Contributor — 247 copies
Guys Read: Other Worlds (2013) — Contributor — 237 copies
Bites: Scary Stories to Sink Your Teeth Into (2009) — Contributor — 147 copies
Twice Told: Original Stories Inspired by Original Artwork (2006) — Contributor — 110 copies
Nights of the Living Dead: An Anthology (2017) — Contributor — 101 copies
What Are You Afraid Of?: Stories about Phobias (2006) — Contributor — 89 copies
Dreams and Visions: Fourteen Flights of Fantasy (2006) — Contributor — 52 copies
Scary Out There (2016) — Contributor — 45 copies

Tagged

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Found: Boy from underground world in Name that Book (December 2021)

Reviews

 
Flagged
ardaiel | 410 other reviews | Mar 4, 2024 |
When I was a child, my mother took me to a pediatrician that had a plaque hanging on his wall that said "Kids Are People Too." Quite a few characters in this book seem to have forgotten that - or never seemed to have realized it at all. The complete disregard that society has for these teenagers is unreal. That they can "unwind" them and justify it by saying they are not dead but simply going on living in a "divided state" is astounding. Unwinding just shows how far people are willing to go to get the parts they need, how far man will go when science has advanced too far, and how far the pro-life/pro-choice zealots can take their feud.

It took a little while, but I came to feel for these characters in the book. Connor and Risa, I wanted nothing more than for the two of them to escape to their freedom. Lev, there's a love/hate relationship with that kid all through the book. He just came across to me as being so conflicted. Roland, I just loathed, but wouldn't you know that HE is the one the author chooses for unwinding? Reading through the unwinding process, knowing it was happening to Roland, a character that I despised, I still found myself feeling terribly sorry for him. It was not a pleasant thing to read.

All in all, this book was amazing. Shusterman definitely knows how to write a page turner. Even though I purchased this book out of the Young Adult section, I have to say, this is definitely a book for ALL ages. It's been a little while since I've enjoyed a book this much. I'd give it more stars if I could.
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thatnerd | 410 other reviews | Mar 2, 2024 |
I thought this was a great end to the Scythe trilogy. The Thunderhead is absolutely my favorite character. I also liked the stuff about colonizing other planets. Goddard's death felt a little anticlimactic, but the battle overall was really good. 10/10 - February 26, 2024
 
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XRayBlaster006 | 53 other reviews | Feb 26, 2024 |
"Dry" has solid writing and a very timely premise, dealing with current environmental issues pertaining to water use. There are some good family aspects I enjoyed; it's nice to see a YA novel where the families feel thought-out and realistic. I read this book in just a couple of days, and I think that is a true testament to both Shusterman's ability to keep a reader interested in the overall outcome.
That being said, "Dry" is...well...a little bit dry. The book plays out exactly how the synopsis promises- drought happens, population goes crazy, parents go missing, kids embark on journey to find water. It's very predictable; I wasn't surprised at any of the plot points. Additionally, despite the fact that the characters were well-written ones, I just felt fairly detached from all the main characters except for Garrett. I think there were just far too many POVs spread too thinly for me to truly get attached to anyone.
I also think the environmental aspects could have been pushed a little more. There are some pretty good arguments about it at the very beginning and end of the novel but other than that I think the core issues got a bit glossed over.
All in all, a solid read but nothing outstanding. If you liked "Life as We Knew It" by Susan Beth Pfeffer or similar titles then I would recommend "Dry".
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deborahee | 43 other reviews | Feb 23, 2024 |

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Statistics

Works
97
Also by
13
Members
33,590
Popularity
#575
Rating
4.1
Reviews
1,437
ISBNs
750
Languages
16
Favorited
52

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