{"product_id":"9781665972086","title":"Rising Thunder","description":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff2a00;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTHIS ITEM IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ONLY AND WILL BE RELEASED ON 01 DECEMBER 2026.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFirst Blades, Book #1\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDiscover\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eThunderhead's origin -\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\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\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ebestselling and Printz Honor-winning Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnd of course, as every school child knows, December 2042 marks the end of the Age of Mortality.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhat no one has ever fully understood is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ehow\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e the world reached that moment.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBecause when humanity stands on the brink of immortality, someone must decide what survives...and what must be cut away.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRead the series! \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/wanderingraccoonbooks.com\/products\/9781442472433\"\u003eScythe\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/wanderingraccoonbooks.com\/products\/9781442472464\"\u003eThunderhead\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/wanderingraccoonbooks.com\/products\/9781481497077\"\u003eThe Toll\u003c\/a\u003e, \u0026amp; \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/wanderingraccoonbooks.com\/products\/9781534499980\"\u003eGleanings\u003c\/a\u003e - plus the prequel series First Blades: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/wanderingraccoonbooks.com\/products\/9781665972086\"\u003eRising Thunder\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Shusterman, Neal","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48402978668798,"sku":"9781665972086","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0556\/1532\/4335\/files\/Rising_Thunder.png?v=1782253614","url":"https:\/\/wanderingraccoonbooks.com\/products\/9781665972086","provider":"Wandering Raccoon Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}