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MindWorks: An Uncanny Compendium of Short Fiction
From the incomparable mind of award winner Neal Shusterman, New York Times bestselling author of the Arc of a Scythe, comes a collection of uncanny and unforgettable short stories.
This collection of unforgettable and uncanny stories could only come from the mind of award winner Neal Shusterman. Compiled for the first time in one epic volume, these stories both classic and brand-new will stretch your imagination from terror to the sublime and back again. Explore a world where bats block out the sun, where soup is a trap for your soul, or where the life-force of a glacier can bring back the dead. Journey to a place where the wind can be captured, time can be crafted into infinite attic space, or a hot tub can house an ancient monster. And revisit the Arc of the Scythe universe for two all-new tales of gleaning.
In this collection, the only thing that is truly certain is nothing is certain.
This collection of unforgettable and uncanny stories could only come from the mind of award winner Neal Shusterman. Compiled for the first time in one epic volume, these stories both classic and brand-new will stretch your imagination from terror to the sublime and back again. Explore a world where bats block out the sun, where soup is a trap for your soul, or where the life-force of a glacier can bring back the dead. Journey to a place where the wind can be captured, time can be crafted into infinite attic space, or a hot tub can house an ancient monster. And revisit the Arc of the Scythe universe for two all-new tales of gleaning.
In this collection, the only thing that is truly certain is nothing is certain.
592 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 18, 2025
127 people are currently reading
1578 people want to read
About the author
Neal Shusterman
91 books30k followersAward-winning author Neal Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he began writing at an early age. After spending his junior and senior years of high school at the American School of Mexico City, Neal went on to UC Irvine, where he made his mark on the UCI swim team, and wrote a successful humor column. Within a year of graduating, he had his first book deal, and was hired to write a movie script.
In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays – including book and lyrical contributions to “American Twistory,” which is currently playing in Boston. He has even tried his hand at creating Games, having developed three successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as seven "How to Host a Murder" games.
As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is adapting his novel Everlost as a feature film for Universal Studios.
Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers -- such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal's novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.
Of Everlost, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman has reimagined what happens after death and questions power and the meaning of charity. While all this is going on, he has also managed to write a rip-roaring adventure…”
Of What Daddy Did, Voice of Youth Advocates wrote; "This is a compelling, spell-binding story... A stunning novel, impossible to put down once begun.
Of The Schwa Was Here, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman's characters–reminiscent of those crafted by E. L. Konigsburg and Jerry Spinelli–are infused with the kind of controlled, precocious improbability that magically vivifies the finest children's classics.
Of Scorpion Shards, Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept, and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination makes it stunningly believable. A spellbinder."
And of The Eyes of Kid Midas, The Midwest Book Review wrote "This wins our vote as one of the best young-adult titles of the year" and was called "Inspired and hypnotically readable" by School Library Journal.
Neal Shusterman lives in Southern California with his children Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin, who are a constant source of inspiration!
In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays – including book and lyrical contributions to “American Twistory,” which is currently playing in Boston. He has even tried his hand at creating Games, having developed three successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as seven "How to Host a Murder" games.
As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is adapting his novel Everlost as a feature film for Universal Studios.
Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers -- such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal's novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.
Of Everlost, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman has reimagined what happens after death and questions power and the meaning of charity. While all this is going on, he has also managed to write a rip-roaring adventure…”
Of What Daddy Did, Voice of Youth Advocates wrote; "This is a compelling, spell-binding story... A stunning novel, impossible to put down once begun.
Of The Schwa Was Here, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman's characters–reminiscent of those crafted by E. L. Konigsburg and Jerry Spinelli–are infused with the kind of controlled, precocious improbability that magically vivifies the finest children's classics.
Of Scorpion Shards, Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept, and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination makes it stunningly believable. A spellbinder."
And of The Eyes of Kid Midas, The Midwest Book Review wrote "This wins our vote as one of the best young-adult titles of the year" and was called "Inspired and hypnotically readable" by School Library Journal.
Neal Shusterman lives in Southern California with his children Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin, who are a constant source of inspiration!
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June 24, 2025This November, Simon & Schuster is releasing MindWorks: An Uncanny Compendium of Short Fiction, a massive collection of 43 short stories by Neal Shusterman. Spanning over 700 pages, it gathers nearly all the short fiction he has published throughout the years, including out-of-print and hard-to-find stories, along with four brand-new tales, two of which are set in the Arc of a Scythe universe.
The collection includes almost all the stories from his earlier compilations (MindQuakes, MindStorms, MindTwisters, and MindBenders), as well as stories previously published in various anthologies. However, two stories were intentionally left out: “Pacific Rim,” because Shusterman didn’t want to inadvertently lend credence to flat-earth ideas, and “Damien’s Shadow,” which he had planned to revise and retitle as “Strange Fruit” but wasn’t able to finish in time. In a Substack post titled Rethinking Shadows: The Evolution of "Strange Fruit", he explained that while the original concept, a boy whose shadow attacks others, remains compelling, elements like a shadow hanging from a tree and shadow-on-shadow violence raised concerns about misinterpretation. He still hopes to complete and release the revised version in the future.
The collection showcases an incredible range of themes and premises: bats blocking out the sun, a soup that traps souls, a glacier that can bring back the dead, a hot tub hiding an ancient monster, and even a story about capturing the wind. There’s also "A Unity of [Purpose]", about a dolphin with lofty ambitions, which Shusterman has called his favorite story in the book.
He shared that short stories have long been part of his creative journey, starting back in high school: “I found short stories were a great way to experiment with new voices, and with new styles of writing… They can be a palate-cleanser between larger projects.” He also mentioned that some stories were rewritten extensively for this collection, updated culturally, technologically, and stylistically, “some to the point of barely being recognizable.”
One standout story, "Dawn Terminator," is currently in early development at Netflix as a film titled Dawn. The end-of-the-world story will be adapted for the screen by A Minecraft Movie’s Neil Widener and Gavin James. While a logline hasn’t been officially shared, sources describe it as focusing on a family’s struggle to survive as solar flares begin destroying Earth. In a recent Q&A, Shusterman explained that the story is about the sun going supernova and burning away the daylight side of the world. Everyone on the dark side of Earth must figure out how to avoid being incinerated at dawn. The plot follows a family trying to board a plane to the North Pole, where the sun will not rise for three months, giving them time to come up with a survival plan. Shusterman noted that it was originally only a short story and that he is excited to see how the writers expand it for the film. The project is being produced by Dylan Clark Productions, which previously teamed with Netflix on Carry-On and Bird Box, with Underground serving as executive producer. Shusterman also mentioned that he is not as involved in the film’s development.
Designer and art director Chloe Foglia took a unique approach to the cover, using the concept of a cabinet of curiosities to reflect the eclectic nature of the stories. Personally, I love the cover. It’s striking, memorable, and just so interesting. The moment I saw it, I was like, wow.
MindWorks is a treasure trove for fans, offering both long-time readers and newcomers a comprehensive, thoughtful collection of Shusterman’s short fiction in one volume.
The collection includes almost all the stories from his earlier compilations (MindQuakes, MindStorms, MindTwisters, and MindBenders), as well as stories previously published in various anthologies. However, two stories were intentionally left out: “Pacific Rim,” because Shusterman didn’t want to inadvertently lend credence to flat-earth ideas, and “Damien’s Shadow,” which he had planned to revise and retitle as “Strange Fruit” but wasn’t able to finish in time. In a Substack post titled Rethinking Shadows: The Evolution of "Strange Fruit", he explained that while the original concept, a boy whose shadow attacks others, remains compelling, elements like a shadow hanging from a tree and shadow-on-shadow violence raised concerns about misinterpretation. He still hopes to complete and release the revised version in the future.
The collection showcases an incredible range of themes and premises: bats blocking out the sun, a soup that traps souls, a glacier that can bring back the dead, a hot tub hiding an ancient monster, and even a story about capturing the wind. There’s also "A Unity of [Purpose]", about a dolphin with lofty ambitions, which Shusterman has called his favorite story in the book.
He shared that short stories have long been part of his creative journey, starting back in high school: “I found short stories were a great way to experiment with new voices, and with new styles of writing… They can be a palate-cleanser between larger projects.” He also mentioned that some stories were rewritten extensively for this collection, updated culturally, technologically, and stylistically, “some to the point of barely being recognizable.”
One standout story, "Dawn Terminator," is currently in early development at Netflix as a film titled Dawn. The end-of-the-world story will be adapted for the screen by A Minecraft Movie’s Neil Widener and Gavin James. While a logline hasn’t been officially shared, sources describe it as focusing on a family’s struggle to survive as solar flares begin destroying Earth. In a recent Q&A, Shusterman explained that the story is about the sun going supernova and burning away the daylight side of the world. Everyone on the dark side of Earth must figure out how to avoid being incinerated at dawn. The plot follows a family trying to board a plane to the North Pole, where the sun will not rise for three months, giving them time to come up with a survival plan. Shusterman noted that it was originally only a short story and that he is excited to see how the writers expand it for the film. The project is being produced by Dylan Clark Productions, which previously teamed with Netflix on Carry-On and Bird Box, with Underground serving as executive producer. Shusterman also mentioned that he is not as involved in the film’s development.
Designer and art director Chloe Foglia took a unique approach to the cover, using the concept of a cabinet of curiosities to reflect the eclectic nature of the stories. Personally, I love the cover. It’s striking, memorable, and just so interesting. The moment I saw it, I was like, wow.
MindWorks is a treasure trove for fans, offering both long-time readers and newcomers a comprehensive, thoughtful collection of Shusterman’s short fiction in one volume.
November 14, 2025
3.5⭐️
🖤Short Fiction Stories
I have to be honest, most of these stories were great, but they were just not for me. Some were full of whimsy and I did love those but I felt as if most of these were attempting to teach either literary or life lessons - very much YA English class vibes.
Thank you to @netgalley and to @simonteen for the gifted arc.
🖤Short Fiction Stories
I have to be honest, most of these stories were great, but they were just not for me. Some were full of whimsy and I did love those but I felt as if most of these were attempting to teach either literary or life lessons - very much YA English class vibes.
Thank you to @netgalley and to @simonteen for the gifted arc.
November 18, 2025
Prefacing this with the fact that the e-arc I received was not the entire book and did not include the Scythe story.
Mindworks really is uncanny, its a strange collection of sci-fi, spec fic, and horror. Neal Shusterman really has a way of writing extremely digestible stories and these all bring his quirky charm.
Mind you, these are all strictly YA so we do have some “English class” lessons at play here and nothing too disturbing but this is a solid collection of weird and funny tales.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Available November 18, 2025
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for a free advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Mindworks really is uncanny, its a strange collection of sci-fi, spec fic, and horror. Neal Shusterman really has a way of writing extremely digestible stories and these all bring his quirky charm.
Mind you, these are all strictly YA so we do have some “English class” lessons at play here and nothing too disturbing but this is a solid collection of weird and funny tales.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Available November 18, 2025
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for a free advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
November 18, 2025
This is really long as I have a quick sentence or two for each of the short stories in this anthology and there are a lot of them!
Since this was a collection of short stories, I am going to try to post quick reviews for each of the stories I can get through. And I did end up getting through all but the very last section, as it was stories from the Scythe series, which I’m ashamed to say I haven’t read yet, but really want to! Overall there were a LOT of really good stories in this. I feel like it started out with a a bunch of short stories that I read through quickly. And in the 2nd or 3rd section we started getting a few longer ones, and finally at the end we got more what I might call some novellas as opposed to just a short story. I’ve highlighted my favorites below, and if you want you can read through my quick reviews on each story where I tried not to be too spoilery.
Forces of Nature:
A Unity of [Purpose] – This was the first short story and it was about a dolphin running for President. So yeah, kind of weird, and pretty short.
I, Of the Storm – This story was about a bratty little brother that disappeared in a museum in Mexico and then when a hurricane comes to their home in Florida later, they find it has something to do with him.
Smells Like Kafka – This is a story about a giant teddy bear that comes to life when the main character, a young girl, needs it, and helps her to get her parents to take a more active part in her life.
Obsidian Sky – This one was about a girl who had a friend that no one seemed to really like or see, and it has to do with bats, all the bats that blanket the sky in Texas. So I liked that part!
Ralphy Sherman’s Bag of Wind – So I was not a fan of the behavior of the two characters at the beginning of the book, mis-shelving books on purpose in the library to make the librarian mad, lol. The characters had a bag laying on a table and they told the person who was trying to look at it without their permission that it had a tornado in it. He didn’t believe them at first, but then they convinced him and he bought it from them. Well they had been joking, but turns out, it really worked when he opened it.
The In Crowd – This was about an orphan who had a bit of an anger problem, and really was just as happy at the group home/orphanage. When she got back from another foster family disaster, there was a new boy everyone was talking about. At first she didn’t care. Then when a bunch of the other kids there disappeared, she started talking to him, and yes, he had something to do with it. So even though he tries to tell her to stay away, she won’t, and of course his powers get activated. But the results aren’t what was expected.
The Living Place – This one was pretty good. I like the way it had a little twist at the end where I almost thought she was going to have to give her life to bring it back, but then what it was made perfect sense!
Angels, Demons, Monsters, and a Tree
Non-Player Character – This one was a collab between the author and his son. It was pretty good. While I kind of have an idea what might have been happening, it wasn’t completely spelled out if what happened with the main character had been happening everywhere, or if/what could maybe have a big plan.
Midnight Michelangelo – this was a collab with Terry Black. This was a cool story about graffiti art coming to life in a way, but I’m not sure I quite got exactly what was happening or how it ended? But still an interesting quick story.
Boy on a Stoop – This one will probably be one of my favorites in the book. It was about a girl who walked through a deserted neighborhood on her way to and from school, partly because she was overlooked or teased at school. One day there is a boy on a stoop. And one day she decides to go talk to him. Of course he’s not what he seems and soon she is in trouble. Her smart thinking in the end saves her, and then of course we see that maybe she’s a little cannier than we thought, or it is her curiosity about oddities in nature that drives her!
Butterball – This is a one page story, perfect timing to read with Thanksgiving next week. Here’s a short review for one page: It’s a story about a self-basting turkey.
The Bob Squad – This was an interesting story about guardian angels and how of course we normally don’t see them, but every once in a while, when someone has a very vivid dream, they then can see them. And each person has 7, and it is pretty annoying to be able to see and hear them all the time. So Bobby tries to figure out how to fix it. Only that is a short lived relief as the results become about 7 times worse.
Special Deliverance – This was a short and quick story about a delivery person who is delivering pizza seemingly to hell maybe? And when they don’t have cash or credit to pay him, his request instead saves a man’s life.
Ralphy Sherman’s Jacuzzi of Wonders – You might notice the similarity of this title to the one in the last section about the Bag of Wind. Well, yeah, it’s another time when Ralphy and his sister make up a crazy story to get someone, and it comes true! Only we see maybe it isn’t so unusual with how their dad reacts to it in the end.
Terrible Tannenbaum – An evil Christmas tree basically. Perfect time of the year for this story!
The Wheel of Destiny
Dawn Terminator – In this story our sun has gone Supernova and the only way to survive is to get somewhere the sun isn’t going to rise. So of course they go towards the North Pole area which will be dark all day for three months so they can figure out what to do next.
The S**t on Our Shoes – This is about a group of people on a spaceship traveling to colonize a new planet. Only the main character, Lowell, and his friend Maeve – plus her grandfather, have kind of figured out it isn’t really what they’re expecting to happen. The actual colonizers on this new planet may not be the humans on board.
Number Two – A very short story about what I guess is a No. 2 Pencil, lol.
Fear-for-All – This is about a boy who is afraid of nothing. Seth’s been sent to a school where it turns out everyone has some kind of fear. And the hope is that he will be able to help them. Only it will require some sacrifices on his part.
Bad Fortune at Richard Yee’s – A story about a family that always goes to have Chinese food at their favorite restaurant. One year Robin’s brothers put some prank fortune cookies out and their aunt opens one that says “You will be taken on Wednesday by freak accident.” The boys thought they would be funny not scary. Of course no one thinks anything of it and they laugh it off. Until that Wednesday it comes true. From then on Robin never will open her fortune cookie and read it, she just makes stuff up when she is asked to read hers. And as you can guess, something is going to happen because of all that made up stuff and cookies that don’t get opened.
Pea Soup – A creepy story about billboard signs for Pea Soup that make the people who see them so hungry they stop to get some. Then once they get it, they don’t want to stop eating it. And bad things happen from there. Not sure completely about it, but it was still creepy!
Majority Rules – This was a unique story about how the beliefs we hold change based on what a majority thinks. Like the flat earth theory. The Loch Ness monster. And the main character has to make a decision to flip the opinion/reality one way or another on whether alien life will be hostile or friendly. And it will be based on what he actually believes, not just what he wants it to be.
Opabinia – A cool story for a former Earth Science major/teacher about the Burgess Shale and the creatures found there and how they all went extinct. The story includes time travel and will time be changed by what he does even as they tell him it can’t be, because if it’s already happened then that’s what will happen?
Presumed Destroyed – This is a story told from a gun’s point of view. It doesn’t give us any horrible action that we see. Just leads us through what the gun sees. When it is made and is not perfect and then sold. It can feel the feelings that its owner feels and it can see what they want to do with it. Does it not have a purpose if not used to shoot something? And in the end, we get a bad feeling as we know what is probably going to happen next.
Attics, Basements, Windows, and Walls
Caleb’s Colors – This story was about an autistic boy who seemed to be very artistic with just a crayon. A woman comes to the house who the family thinks is a doctor/therapist, and it turns out she is an art gallery owner who wants to pay them like a million dollars for the main character’s younger brother to create a work of art. Of course as you might expect, this work of art is going to be magical, and the ending is very interesting!
Retaining Walls – The main character has divorced parents and so he is going to spend Sunday with his dad like he does every week. His dad builds walls, and pretty much is always working every Sunday, so all he gets to do is go to work with his dad. But this time there is something weird about the wall being built. And then the next week Memo discovers something even weirder. At that point his father shows him something, and soon Memo will see that maybe it is going to be his life’s work as well, to carry on with what his father does, building walls.
Open House – So this is a story about two dolls who somehow are brought to life with a “magic tea” the little girl who owns them gives them one day. And of course this little girl can now talk to them as well, and to be honest, she’s kind of a brat, who doesn’t like them having opinions. So they try to run away. And it seems they do, only the place they’ve found to live might not be so safe after all.
Mr. Vandermeer’s Attic of Shame – This one had a lot of different people coming and going across the street from the main character’s house. People from a lot of different countries. To be fair, I was really tired when I was reading this one and might have fallen asleep a few times toward the end of the story so I can’t give a great review of it. It seemed to be about a sweatshop type of thing going on in the guy’s attic and I think the main character saves them?
Dark Alley – This is another one that was one of the last ones I read. It was about a bowling alley lane that supposedly wasn’t there, but the main character kept seeing it and wanting to play on it. I might need to go back and read this one again, but it had some kind of weird things going on when Marshall bowls on the lane. Back home his mom has a boyfriend who is not a great guy, and I think somehow the bowling lane does something to help them out? I’m not sure, again, I drifted off a bit as I was reading, but in the end that boyfriend is gone.
The Living, the Dead, and the Undecided
Dead Letter – The first story was a letter from a zombie or dead person, to a newspaper about the stories they’ve been writing. Trying to tell them that they are wrong and the dead are just people like the living, wanting to come home and be with their family.
Resurrection Bay – Now this was a cool story. It was set in Alaska where all of a sudden a glacier started moving much quicker than usual, 15 inches per minute. After a couple of tourists were killed when a piece of the glacier fell on top of them, all of a sudden the main character, Anika, thought she was that woman alive under a friend’s porch. And soon the glacier was cutting through a cemetery and there were more dead people.
Perpetual Pest – This story was about a boy and his brother who went to rob a grave of a rich woman. The boy, Mark, just wanted some money to buy the best basketball shoes out there. His brother, kind of a troublemaker, already doing time in juvie at other points, didn’t take into account any of the oddities of the corpse once the grave was opened. And it turns out the occupant of that grave was only dead because of the silver bullets in her chest. Rudy, the brother, thought to steal those too, which as you might guess, brought her back to life.
Yardwork – Ariel notices that the house next door which had sat vacant for a long time after people would move in and then out almost right away, now covered with graffiti and broken windows, has the original owner come home. Mr. Jackson is outside at all hours working on his garden that he once kept so beautiful. She decides to be nice and help him plant the flowers. And soon finds there is a reason he’s come back, and that it’s not a fountain he’s planning to put in the middle of the garden.
Deadliner – This is a story to go along with Night of the Living Dead, so it takes place back around 1968. It is a zombie circus story basically. They think they can control them, but as you might guess, it all goes wrong in the end, and we have an appearance by a zombified Elizabeth Taylor.
Loveless – Looking for a psychic who has moved away from her office, the main character goes to find out what is wrong with them, only to find the psychic is also dead and living in her mausoleum while still giving readings, and the main character may actually belong in the graveyard as well.
I’m Not Myself Today
The Body Electric – It starts with a lightning strike. The main character wakes up or comes to after being struck by lightning and turns out they have gone back in time and have woken up in another person’s body. He is called Al by his parents, but when he says that isn’t his name, they ask if he wants to be called Tom instead like he’s asked before. He asks questions in a way to figure out what he is supposed to do, ending up going to his job the next day selling newspapers on the railroad. On the train he meets another boy who has come from the future, his name is Aleck. And Aleck has been looking for Al, as he knows the two of them are going to become great adversaries. It’s 1860, can you guess who they are?
Mail Merge – This story is a chat room basically with messages from several different people. They seem to be discussing parallel universes and soon it seems two of the people keep saying the same things and they joke that it is the same person in different universes.
The Elsewhere Boutique – This might have been one of my favorite stories. A sister and her brother are looking for a gift for their father and see this strange store where no one seems to be. All it has inside though are little glass bottles. The man working there tells them what it is, but they don’t understand and ask for a sample. The sample takes them elsewhere you might say. I really liked the idea of this one, and how the story worked the changes in almost seamlessly that it was as if nothing had really changed even as you read and figured out what had changed.
Ralphy Sherman’s Inside Story – And we had one more trip into this character’s world. In this case his cousins came to visit, and it turns out they were sugar and spice and everything nice, as well as snips, snails, and puppy dog tails.
The Soul Exchange – Yet another good story. What would you do if you could get a better body? As a teenager when you wanted a “friend’s” boyfriend, but you had a pimple or your own boyfriend didn’t seem to find you that pretty. And what if you weren’t the first to do this?
Clothes Make the Man – This is a tale of grabbing the wrong luggage at the airport, but keeping it. And wearing the clothes, even though the shirts have an extra sleeve on the back of all of them. And there is a weird hole in the back of the pants like a fly, but it has no zipper. And soon the clothes begin to fit you a little too well. Of course at this point there must be an exchange with the original owner of the luggage, right?
You Reap What You Sow (The World of Scythe)
As I haven’t read this series yet, while I started the first story, I just was already tired and it was getting late, so I didn’t end up reading them. I’m guessing fans of that book series will look forward to these stories most of all!
Review first posted on Lisa Loves Literature.
Since this was a collection of short stories, I am going to try to post quick reviews for each of the stories I can get through. And I did end up getting through all but the very last section, as it was stories from the Scythe series, which I’m ashamed to say I haven’t read yet, but really want to! Overall there were a LOT of really good stories in this. I feel like it started out with a a bunch of short stories that I read through quickly. And in the 2nd or 3rd section we started getting a few longer ones, and finally at the end we got more what I might call some novellas as opposed to just a short story. I’ve highlighted my favorites below, and if you want you can read through my quick reviews on each story where I tried not to be too spoilery.
Forces of Nature:
A Unity of [Purpose] – This was the first short story and it was about a dolphin running for President. So yeah, kind of weird, and pretty short.
I, Of the Storm – This story was about a bratty little brother that disappeared in a museum in Mexico and then when a hurricane comes to their home in Florida later, they find it has something to do with him.
Smells Like Kafka – This is a story about a giant teddy bear that comes to life when the main character, a young girl, needs it, and helps her to get her parents to take a more active part in her life.
Obsidian Sky – This one was about a girl who had a friend that no one seemed to really like or see, and it has to do with bats, all the bats that blanket the sky in Texas. So I liked that part!
Ralphy Sherman’s Bag of Wind – So I was not a fan of the behavior of the two characters at the beginning of the book, mis-shelving books on purpose in the library to make the librarian mad, lol. The characters had a bag laying on a table and they told the person who was trying to look at it without their permission that it had a tornado in it. He didn’t believe them at first, but then they convinced him and he bought it from them. Well they had been joking, but turns out, it really worked when he opened it.
The In Crowd – This was about an orphan who had a bit of an anger problem, and really was just as happy at the group home/orphanage. When she got back from another foster family disaster, there was a new boy everyone was talking about. At first she didn’t care. Then when a bunch of the other kids there disappeared, she started talking to him, and yes, he had something to do with it. So even though he tries to tell her to stay away, she won’t, and of course his powers get activated. But the results aren’t what was expected.
The Living Place – This one was pretty good. I like the way it had a little twist at the end where I almost thought she was going to have to give her life to bring it back, but then what it was made perfect sense!
Angels, Demons, Monsters, and a Tree
Non-Player Character – This one was a collab between the author and his son. It was pretty good. While I kind of have an idea what might have been happening, it wasn’t completely spelled out if what happened with the main character had been happening everywhere, or if/what could maybe have a big plan.
Midnight Michelangelo – this was a collab with Terry Black. This was a cool story about graffiti art coming to life in a way, but I’m not sure I quite got exactly what was happening or how it ended? But still an interesting quick story.
Boy on a Stoop – This one will probably be one of my favorites in the book. It was about a girl who walked through a deserted neighborhood on her way to and from school, partly because she was overlooked or teased at school. One day there is a boy on a stoop. And one day she decides to go talk to him. Of course he’s not what he seems and soon she is in trouble. Her smart thinking in the end saves her, and then of course we see that maybe she’s a little cannier than we thought, or it is her curiosity about oddities in nature that drives her!
Butterball – This is a one page story, perfect timing to read with Thanksgiving next week. Here’s a short review for one page: It’s a story about a self-basting turkey.
The Bob Squad – This was an interesting story about guardian angels and how of course we normally don’t see them, but every once in a while, when someone has a very vivid dream, they then can see them. And each person has 7, and it is pretty annoying to be able to see and hear them all the time. So Bobby tries to figure out how to fix it. Only that is a short lived relief as the results become about 7 times worse.
Special Deliverance – This was a short and quick story about a delivery person who is delivering pizza seemingly to hell maybe? And when they don’t have cash or credit to pay him, his request instead saves a man’s life.
Ralphy Sherman’s Jacuzzi of Wonders – You might notice the similarity of this title to the one in the last section about the Bag of Wind. Well, yeah, it’s another time when Ralphy and his sister make up a crazy story to get someone, and it comes true! Only we see maybe it isn’t so unusual with how their dad reacts to it in the end.
Terrible Tannenbaum – An evil Christmas tree basically. Perfect time of the year for this story!
The Wheel of Destiny
Dawn Terminator – In this story our sun has gone Supernova and the only way to survive is to get somewhere the sun isn’t going to rise. So of course they go towards the North Pole area which will be dark all day for three months so they can figure out what to do next.
The S**t on Our Shoes – This is about a group of people on a spaceship traveling to colonize a new planet. Only the main character, Lowell, and his friend Maeve – plus her grandfather, have kind of figured out it isn’t really what they’re expecting to happen. The actual colonizers on this new planet may not be the humans on board.
Number Two – A very short story about what I guess is a No. 2 Pencil, lol.
Fear-for-All – This is about a boy who is afraid of nothing. Seth’s been sent to a school where it turns out everyone has some kind of fear. And the hope is that he will be able to help them. Only it will require some sacrifices on his part.
Bad Fortune at Richard Yee’s – A story about a family that always goes to have Chinese food at their favorite restaurant. One year Robin’s brothers put some prank fortune cookies out and their aunt opens one that says “You will be taken on Wednesday by freak accident.” The boys thought they would be funny not scary. Of course no one thinks anything of it and they laugh it off. Until that Wednesday it comes true. From then on Robin never will open her fortune cookie and read it, she just makes stuff up when she is asked to read hers. And as you can guess, something is going to happen because of all that made up stuff and cookies that don’t get opened.
Pea Soup – A creepy story about billboard signs for Pea Soup that make the people who see them so hungry they stop to get some. Then once they get it, they don’t want to stop eating it. And bad things happen from there. Not sure completely about it, but it was still creepy!
Majority Rules – This was a unique story about how the beliefs we hold change based on what a majority thinks. Like the flat earth theory. The Loch Ness monster. And the main character has to make a decision to flip the opinion/reality one way or another on whether alien life will be hostile or friendly. And it will be based on what he actually believes, not just what he wants it to be.
Opabinia – A cool story for a former Earth Science major/teacher about the Burgess Shale and the creatures found there and how they all went extinct. The story includes time travel and will time be changed by what he does even as they tell him it can’t be, because if it’s already happened then that’s what will happen?
Presumed Destroyed – This is a story told from a gun’s point of view. It doesn’t give us any horrible action that we see. Just leads us through what the gun sees. When it is made and is not perfect and then sold. It can feel the feelings that its owner feels and it can see what they want to do with it. Does it not have a purpose if not used to shoot something? And in the end, we get a bad feeling as we know what is probably going to happen next.
Attics, Basements, Windows, and Walls
Caleb’s Colors – This story was about an autistic boy who seemed to be very artistic with just a crayon. A woman comes to the house who the family thinks is a doctor/therapist, and it turns out she is an art gallery owner who wants to pay them like a million dollars for the main character’s younger brother to create a work of art. Of course as you might expect, this work of art is going to be magical, and the ending is very interesting!
Retaining Walls – The main character has divorced parents and so he is going to spend Sunday with his dad like he does every week. His dad builds walls, and pretty much is always working every Sunday, so all he gets to do is go to work with his dad. But this time there is something weird about the wall being built. And then the next week Memo discovers something even weirder. At that point his father shows him something, and soon Memo will see that maybe it is going to be his life’s work as well, to carry on with what his father does, building walls.
Open House – So this is a story about two dolls who somehow are brought to life with a “magic tea” the little girl who owns them gives them one day. And of course this little girl can now talk to them as well, and to be honest, she’s kind of a brat, who doesn’t like them having opinions. So they try to run away. And it seems they do, only the place they’ve found to live might not be so safe after all.
Mr. Vandermeer’s Attic of Shame – This one had a lot of different people coming and going across the street from the main character’s house. People from a lot of different countries. To be fair, I was really tired when I was reading this one and might have fallen asleep a few times toward the end of the story so I can’t give a great review of it. It seemed to be about a sweatshop type of thing going on in the guy’s attic and I think the main character saves them?
Dark Alley – This is another one that was one of the last ones I read. It was about a bowling alley lane that supposedly wasn’t there, but the main character kept seeing it and wanting to play on it. I might need to go back and read this one again, but it had some kind of weird things going on when Marshall bowls on the lane. Back home his mom has a boyfriend who is not a great guy, and I think somehow the bowling lane does something to help them out? I’m not sure, again, I drifted off a bit as I was reading, but in the end that boyfriend is gone.
The Living, the Dead, and the Undecided
Dead Letter – The first story was a letter from a zombie or dead person, to a newspaper about the stories they’ve been writing. Trying to tell them that they are wrong and the dead are just people like the living, wanting to come home and be with their family.
Resurrection Bay – Now this was a cool story. It was set in Alaska where all of a sudden a glacier started moving much quicker than usual, 15 inches per minute. After a couple of tourists were killed when a piece of the glacier fell on top of them, all of a sudden the main character, Anika, thought she was that woman alive under a friend’s porch. And soon the glacier was cutting through a cemetery and there were more dead people.
Perpetual Pest – This story was about a boy and his brother who went to rob a grave of a rich woman. The boy, Mark, just wanted some money to buy the best basketball shoes out there. His brother, kind of a troublemaker, already doing time in juvie at other points, didn’t take into account any of the oddities of the corpse once the grave was opened. And it turns out the occupant of that grave was only dead because of the silver bullets in her chest. Rudy, the brother, thought to steal those too, which as you might guess, brought her back to life.
Yardwork – Ariel notices that the house next door which had sat vacant for a long time after people would move in and then out almost right away, now covered with graffiti and broken windows, has the original owner come home. Mr. Jackson is outside at all hours working on his garden that he once kept so beautiful. She decides to be nice and help him plant the flowers. And soon finds there is a reason he’s come back, and that it’s not a fountain he’s planning to put in the middle of the garden.
Deadliner – This is a story to go along with Night of the Living Dead, so it takes place back around 1968. It is a zombie circus story basically. They think they can control them, but as you might guess, it all goes wrong in the end, and we have an appearance by a zombified Elizabeth Taylor.
Loveless – Looking for a psychic who has moved away from her office, the main character goes to find out what is wrong with them, only to find the psychic is also dead and living in her mausoleum while still giving readings, and the main character may actually belong in the graveyard as well.
I’m Not Myself Today
The Body Electric – It starts with a lightning strike. The main character wakes up or comes to after being struck by lightning and turns out they have gone back in time and have woken up in another person’s body. He is called Al by his parents, but when he says that isn’t his name, they ask if he wants to be called Tom instead like he’s asked before. He asks questions in a way to figure out what he is supposed to do, ending up going to his job the next day selling newspapers on the railroad. On the train he meets another boy who has come from the future, his name is Aleck. And Aleck has been looking for Al, as he knows the two of them are going to become great adversaries. It’s 1860, can you guess who they are?
Mail Merge – This story is a chat room basically with messages from several different people. They seem to be discussing parallel universes and soon it seems two of the people keep saying the same things and they joke that it is the same person in different universes.
The Elsewhere Boutique – This might have been one of my favorite stories. A sister and her brother are looking for a gift for their father and see this strange store where no one seems to be. All it has inside though are little glass bottles. The man working there tells them what it is, but they don’t understand and ask for a sample. The sample takes them elsewhere you might say. I really liked the idea of this one, and how the story worked the changes in almost seamlessly that it was as if nothing had really changed even as you read and figured out what had changed.
Ralphy Sherman’s Inside Story – And we had one more trip into this character’s world. In this case his cousins came to visit, and it turns out they were sugar and spice and everything nice, as well as snips, snails, and puppy dog tails.
The Soul Exchange – Yet another good story. What would you do if you could get a better body? As a teenager when you wanted a “friend’s” boyfriend, but you had a pimple or your own boyfriend didn’t seem to find you that pretty. And what if you weren’t the first to do this?
Clothes Make the Man – This is a tale of grabbing the wrong luggage at the airport, but keeping it. And wearing the clothes, even though the shirts have an extra sleeve on the back of all of them. And there is a weird hole in the back of the pants like a fly, but it has no zipper. And soon the clothes begin to fit you a little too well. Of course at this point there must be an exchange with the original owner of the luggage, right?
You Reap What You Sow (The World of Scythe)
As I haven’t read this series yet, while I started the first story, I just was already tired and it was getting late, so I didn’t end up reading them. I’m guessing fans of that book series will look forward to these stories most of all!
Review first posted on Lisa Loves Literature.
August 23, 2025
I received an early copy from Net Galley and exchange for an honest review.
While I love Schusterman's writing, I'm not usually a short story collection fan. I did find several of these would be really teachable in a high school classroom. There is irony, point of view, theme, and setting lessons woven into these.
I particularly like the story that was told to the point of view of a gun. There was nothing graphic, but it made some great points that would make good class discussions. A couple of the stories dragged a bit to make their point, but they're all quite short and there are enough good stories on this collection to make it worth read.
While I love Schusterman's writing, I'm not usually a short story collection fan. I did find several of these would be really teachable in a high school classroom. There is irony, point of view, theme, and setting lessons woven into these.
I particularly like the story that was told to the point of view of a gun. There was nothing graphic, but it made some great points that would make good class discussions. A couple of the stories dragged a bit to make their point, but they're all quite short and there are enough good stories on this collection to make it worth read.
Read
December 1, 2025I received an early copy from Net Galley and exchange for an honest review.
Mindworks is a perfectly okay collection short stories, displaying Shusterman's wide palette of paints as a writer. None of the stories feel like they blur in with others - each inspiration/setting feels unique in each entry.
Some entries are provided with concepts/settings so interesting that the reader would wish for a full length novel to be extruded out from them, while others are needlessly elaborate setups for a dad-joke-bad-pun punchline (I'm looking at you, Butterball)
There were very few titles that I found to be completely disengaging/boring.
The only problem I have with MindWorks is that the intended audience is unclear (specifically the age ranges).
Sure, Shusterman is a Young Adult writer, so I would love to think of this title as the perfect text book for an English class. However, some language and concepts of a few of the stories may not be the best match for that age range.
Some youngers readers will be able to handle it (I myself was an adult horror reader in elementary school with no issues of more intense scenes) - but I just wanted to point out that your mileage may vary.
Mindworks is a perfectly okay collection short stories, displaying Shusterman's wide palette of paints as a writer. None of the stories feel like they blur in with others - each inspiration/setting feels unique in each entry.
Some entries are provided with concepts/settings so interesting that the reader would wish for a full length novel to be extruded out from them, while others are needlessly elaborate setups for a dad-joke-bad-pun punchline (I'm looking at you, Butterball)
There were very few titles that I found to be completely disengaging/boring.
The only problem I have with MindWorks is that the intended audience is unclear (specifically the age ranges).
Sure, Shusterman is a Young Adult writer, so I would love to think of this title as the perfect text book for an English class. However, some language and concepts of a few of the stories may not be the best match for that age range.
Some youngers readers will be able to handle it (I myself was an adult horror reader in elementary school with no issues of more intense scenes) - but I just wanted to point out that your mileage may vary.
Read
December 18, 2025Unfortunately, this just wasn't for me.
I found a lot of the intricacies confusing, so would be going back to see if I could make anything of how my brain was becoming befuddled, which just ended up in me becoming more confused as the stories progressed into one another. I can definitely appreciate Neal's writing ability, though, because some of the stories are engrossing and the writing is tautly clever, but I just couldn't gel with the short story make-up and topic hopping, so I'd find myself putting it down and not giving it any attention, which it definitely deserves—I just think I'm not the target audience for it.
I do hope to give one of Neal's books a read someday soon and appreciate the publisher for thinking of me for this because it was definitely almost a match.
I found a lot of the intricacies confusing, so would be going back to see if I could make anything of how my brain was becoming befuddled, which just ended up in me becoming more confused as the stories progressed into one another. I can definitely appreciate Neal's writing ability, though, because some of the stories are engrossing and the writing is tautly clever, but I just couldn't gel with the short story make-up and topic hopping, so I'd find myself putting it down and not giving it any attention, which it definitely deserves—I just think I'm not the target audience for it.
I do hope to give one of Neal's books a read someday soon and appreciate the publisher for thinking of me for this because it was definitely almost a match.
May 20, 2025
I’m a big Neal Shusterman fan and I particularly love his Arc of a Scythe series so I was very very excited to read this compendium of short stories since some of the stories were from that world.
The stories themselves were very entertaining and thought provoking which is one of the reasons I love Neal Shusterman’s writing but my one issue with this book was that I really couldn’t tell which ones were from the Scythe world. None were about my favorite characters from that series or felt particularly connected so that was a disappointment for me.
Overall, this is a must read for Shusterman fans.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The stories themselves were very entertaining and thought provoking which is one of the reasons I love Neal Shusterman’s writing but my one issue with this book was that I really couldn’t tell which ones were from the Scythe world. None were about my favorite characters from that series or felt particularly connected so that was a disappointment for me.
Overall, this is a must read for Shusterman fans.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 24, 2025
My thoughts are based on 24/43 of the short stories (e-arc readers were only given a portion). Shusterman has a creative mind, and I was delighted by many of these stories. My favorites were: “I, of the Storm”, “Special Deliverance”, and “Bad Fortune at Richard Yee’s”. I rated the stories as I went, and my ratings ranged from 2-5 stars, with 3 and 4 stars being most prevalent. If you’re looking for something a little creepy and a lot of fun to read this season, definitely check these short stories out!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an early e-arc copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an early e-arc copy in exchange for my honest review.
May 30, 2025
Thank you to the publisher for the earc in exchange for my honest review.
Though I own quite a few of this authors work, this is my first experience with Neil and I enjoyed it. Short stories that make you want to know more are my favorite. Definitely worth the read.
Though I own quite a few of this authors work, this is my first experience with Neil and I enjoyed it. Short stories that make you want to know more are my favorite. Definitely worth the read.
Read
November 18, 2025MindWorks: An Uncanny Compendium of Short Fiction by Neal Shusterman is an anthology with clever and quirky stories. MindWorks is the title, and the anthology gives an insight into how Neal Shusterman's mind works. The stories mostly feature teenagers, with the narratives balancing between middle-grade and young adult genres. Some of the stories feature inanimate items becoming real. The stories' subjects include gun violence, abandonment, loneliness, isolation, fear, and the environment. Shusterman has a way of approaching topics in humorous and slightly off-kilter ways of viewing the world. Despite the humor and quirkiness of the approach, the stories do not talk down to the reader and deal with real subject matter in a fun way. Shusterman is the creative mind behind the Scythe series and has two new short stories in that world. Other stories include a talking dolphin running for president, a teddy bear turning into a real bear, a cooked turkey becoming real, a haunted Christmas tree, and two kids jokingly selling a bag of wind, which happened to be real. The collection has a good variety of stories, some are short and just a page long, while others are longer and almost a novelette. I was able to read a shortened version of MindWorks featuring the first 24 short stories. The collection has 19 more stories, including the two new Scythe stories. I was able to read MindWorks early thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing. Mindworks by Neal Shusterman was published on November 18, 2025.
Why did I read MindWorks by Neal Shusterman? I'm a huge fan of Shusterman and his Arc of the Scythe series. So I jumped at the chance to read new stories in that series. I may have cried a little when they were not included in this copy. But Shusterman is a great writer who thinks outside of the box and is truly unique.
I read and ranked all 24 short stories included in this version of the collection. I wrote a brief description of the stories and made notes about what I liked and did not like about them. I have ranked all the stories from favorite to least favorite in categories of 5, 4, 3, and 2 stars.
5 Stars:
Presumed Destroyed with Brendan Shusterman is about the life of a handgun. At first, the gun is about to be destroyed, but then it is saved and illegally sold. It is sold and sold again, passing the hands of three individuals. The story is very powerful and looks at the heart of gun violence in America. The story reminded me of Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. I like that the gun has a conscience and does not want violence.
Pea Soup is an interesting horror story where a family is on a road trip, and they keep seeing billboards for Pea Soup. It gets in their head that they need it, and when they taste it, they become addicted. It reminded me of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. But they wanted to rule the world with Pea Soup. This one gave Goosebumps vibes. The imagery is really good and a little scary.
Obsidian Sky is about a boy curious about bats, and a strange girl who knows where they come from. An investigation will change his life. This story is very metaphoric. The language and the imagery are written beautifully. The story dips into body horror. The ending was perfect for this story. I love the message of the story. The last line enforces the concept.
A Unity of (Purpose) is a political satire about electing a sentient dolphin as president. The title references a translation mix-up. Where the dolphin said, a unity of purpose, but the translator said a unity of porpoise. This gaffe hurts his election. The opposition party wants Ling-o the panda, who has just saved a child in a zoo, to run. The story is hilarious. I will not spoil who the potential running mate is. But it is hilarious. The story took me a second to figure out what was going on, but the writing is good. The story is very out of the box and fun. The humor is smart. The more serious the story gets, the funnier the story is. The political spin on the Ling-o the panda was great.
Ralphy Sherman’s Bag of Wind is about two kids who mess with another kid. The kids sell him a bag of wind through snickering grins. The kids don't believe in the bag of wind, but the kid who bought it does. They are all about to feel the power of wind and belief. I loved this middle grade story. It reminds me of Sideways Stories from Wayside School. The story mixes the heart and the humor so well. The story was just fun, but also well-written.
Non-Player Character by Neal and Brendan Shusterman is about Darion, a boy who is ignored by his parents in favor of an interactive zombie video game. Darion hasn't played the game even though his family bought him a headset. He watches them play and notices an NPC in the game looking at him. He decides to enter the game to talk to her. I really liked this story; it had me guessing the direction it was going. I like that it covered absentee parents and abandonment.
The In Crowd is about a loner, Alana, who has been in and out of foster homes. She feels like a loner and has decided to live her life like it. When she finds a boy crying, he goes to talk to him. He is a people person who can't be around people. He was the last person seen when a group of kids went missing. Something is not making sense. She finds out his secret, but it might make her disappear.
Dawn Terminator is an apocalyptic story about the sun going supernova and a family trying to make it to the Arctic. They go to the Arctic to escape the sun, since it is dark for 3 months. The destruction that is described is very effective. Poor San Francisco. The story is compelling. You can feel the desperation. It reminded me of the movie 2012. I liked Lauren and what she did with her artistic talent.
Bad Fortune at Richard Yee's is about Robin and her family. They have a tradition of going to Richard Yee's, a Chinese restaurant, and everyone reading the fortune out loud. Once Robin's aunt read a fortune meant as a joke that predicted her aunt's death. Since that day, Robin has not opened any cookies and instead has been reading ones she made herself. But something changed, and now she is haunted by fortune cookies. There's a slight cosmic horror vibe to this story. The ending was great, one of my favorites in this collection. The premise gets a little ridiculous and repetitive, but it maintains its fun.
4 Stars:
Terrible Tannenbaum is about a family purchasing a haunted Christmas tree. The story was very clever. It was a very subtle horror, but it was effective. The tree doesn't talk or anything, but is still a presence. The 3 siblings have good banter. The ending was quirky but worked.
The Bob Squad is about Bobby, who awakes from a dream, with 7 strangers in business suits and clipboards staring at him. The strangers can do incredible things like walk through walls and pull objects out of nothing. The story has a great twist that I will not reveal here. The story is very fun and quirky. It made me chuckle a couple of times. This story reminded me of Goosebumps a lot. Especially the final twist.
Boy on a Stoop is about a young teenager who has no friends, finds a handsome boy on the stoop in a row of condemned buildings. She sees him every day on her way to school, where he will smile and enjoy the sun. She gets up the courage to talk to him and finds they have a lot in common. He sees her and wants to show her his place, which is deep in the condemned buildings. This story is about trusting strangers. The story is also about teen loneliness and what you would do for a friend. This is a horror story with scary and creepy moments. This story is more YA than some others. The beginning is a little slow. The imagery is good, and I did like the ending.
Midnight Michelangelo is about a graffiti artist who calls himself the Midnight Michelangelo. His art is horror or futuristic. He watches his art, the Martians change from happy face to angry, and they get painted over. He started painting more horrific imagery than he had in mind. His art has started coming alive, taunting him. I like the way the story slowly ramps up the horror. The horror felt Lovecraftian. The ending was good. I like the way he fought back. And what was behind the horror in his head.
The Shit on Our Shoes is about Lowell, an orphaned boy on the spaceship Primodius. The vessel is for colonists to secure the new planet. Lowell is made fun of for his bad odor. He is a farmer and does not want to waste the water. The new planet is less than a month away. What Lowell can't figure out is how the water supply is low. This question leads him to discover what the real purpose of the colony is. The story was good, but a little too slow. It builds up to an exciting ending, but the story is a bit of a slow burn. I like the character of Mr. Beausoleil, the only living first-generation colonist. The conspiracy was good, and how Lowell figured it out. And what he now has to do to survive it. The story reminded me of Wool by Hugh Howey.
Ralphy Sherman's Jacuzzi of Wonders is a humorous story of a brother and sister who have to share a hot tub with their father's new girlfriend. The brother and sister clearly do not like her and tell all kinds of family secrets that can't be true, or can they? The story was a great use of sarcasm. I liked the story. Shusterman flips the already odd moment on its head. The siblings reminded me of the kids on Bob's Burgers.
Butterball is a flash fiction about a cooked turkey escaping the oven and more. The story is 1 page long. It is humorous and a good idea. I wanted it to continue a little more. The end line was okay, and could have been better.
Number Two is a flash fiction piece that is a page long. The twist is at the end, and it was good. This reminded me a lot of a digital called Life of Pumpkin. I was confused on this one, trying to figure it out until the end, where I chuckled. The story has some great personification.
The Living Place is about a family moving into a new house and discovering a place in their backyard that cures illness. The story is kind of a take on The Secret Garden. But the story takes a turn when this place full of life becomes effective. The story could be a metaphor for pollution. I thought this story had the best prose. There are some beautiful descriptions. The story was a little too predictable and easy to figure out where it was going.
3 Stars:
Fear-for-All is about Seth, who is fearless but obsessed with fear since he is not afraid of anything. He gets accepted into Oakheart Academy, where every student has an irrational fear but him. But he has a purpose, and one he might fear the results of. This story was interesting. The ending was okay for me; I wanted more explanation for how the end turned out for Seth. The fears were interesting.
Opabinia is about Myles, who keeps being visited by time travelers set to give him a message, but they keep appearing in walls and other things. One finally makes contact and says he is destined to watch prehistoric sea creatures at the Burgess Shale. He is given a time machine, and is told by the time traveler that he is destined to push the button at a time travel 5000 years in the past. The story is a little mixed.
I, of the Storm is about a family trip to a Mexico City museum. The museum is filled with Aztec and Inca statues of Gods. Aishia is responsible for her baby brother Karson, who likes to run and hide. He stands in an area where he is not allowed to be, a place reserved for a new statue. Aishia finds him, and he runs away, but this time she can't find him at all. The family stayed in Mexico for weeks, and couldn't find him.
Smells Like Kafka is about a young girl who can not seem to fit in. Her parents aren't really there. She was raised by her aunt. When her parents arrive, they give extravagant gifts, like a teddy bear that is life-sized. She wishes her life were better, and the Teddy Bear named Kafka becomes real. The story had an interesting take on dependency. I liked the resolution with the parents and what it means for the future. The story was thoughtful and an interesting take on stuffed animals becoming real.
The writing was okay. The story didn't really grab me.
Special Deliverance is about a delivery boy who has to make a special delivery to hell. The story is short. It is quirky, but it did not always land. I thought the story idea was okay. I like the ending, but I hated the final line. This story was just okay.
2 Stars:
Majority Rules is about a person who is a fulcrum in arguments of the world. Is the Earth round or Flat? When the fulcrum is the tie breaker, our reality shifts in that direction. The fulcrum has to decide once again. The story is okay. It is a good idea, but I was not a fan of the way this story was told.
Recommendation: Since I did not read the full copy, I can not give a recommendation.
Rating: MindWorks by Neal Shusterman. I will not rate yet. I have rated 24 out of the 43 stories so far.
Why did I read MindWorks by Neal Shusterman? I'm a huge fan of Shusterman and his Arc of the Scythe series. So I jumped at the chance to read new stories in that series. I may have cried a little when they were not included in this copy. But Shusterman is a great writer who thinks outside of the box and is truly unique.
I read and ranked all 24 short stories included in this version of the collection. I wrote a brief description of the stories and made notes about what I liked and did not like about them. I have ranked all the stories from favorite to least favorite in categories of 5, 4, 3, and 2 stars.
5 Stars:
Presumed Destroyed with Brendan Shusterman is about the life of a handgun. At first, the gun is about to be destroyed, but then it is saved and illegally sold. It is sold and sold again, passing the hands of three individuals. The story is very powerful and looks at the heart of gun violence in America. The story reminded me of Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. I like that the gun has a conscience and does not want violence.
Pea Soup is an interesting horror story where a family is on a road trip, and they keep seeing billboards for Pea Soup. It gets in their head that they need it, and when they taste it, they become addicted. It reminded me of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. But they wanted to rule the world with Pea Soup. This one gave Goosebumps vibes. The imagery is really good and a little scary.
Obsidian Sky is about a boy curious about bats, and a strange girl who knows where they come from. An investigation will change his life. This story is very metaphoric. The language and the imagery are written beautifully. The story dips into body horror. The ending was perfect for this story. I love the message of the story. The last line enforces the concept.
A Unity of (Purpose) is a political satire about electing a sentient dolphin as president. The title references a translation mix-up. Where the dolphin said, a unity of purpose, but the translator said a unity of porpoise. This gaffe hurts his election. The opposition party wants Ling-o the panda, who has just saved a child in a zoo, to run. The story is hilarious. I will not spoil who the potential running mate is. But it is hilarious. The story took me a second to figure out what was going on, but the writing is good. The story is very out of the box and fun. The humor is smart. The more serious the story gets, the funnier the story is. The political spin on the Ling-o the panda was great.
Ralphy Sherman’s Bag of Wind is about two kids who mess with another kid. The kids sell him a bag of wind through snickering grins. The kids don't believe in the bag of wind, but the kid who bought it does. They are all about to feel the power of wind and belief. I loved this middle grade story. It reminds me of Sideways Stories from Wayside School. The story mixes the heart and the humor so well. The story was just fun, but also well-written.
Non-Player Character by Neal and Brendan Shusterman is about Darion, a boy who is ignored by his parents in favor of an interactive zombie video game. Darion hasn't played the game even though his family bought him a headset. He watches them play and notices an NPC in the game looking at him. He decides to enter the game to talk to her. I really liked this story; it had me guessing the direction it was going. I like that it covered absentee parents and abandonment.
The In Crowd is about a loner, Alana, who has been in and out of foster homes. She feels like a loner and has decided to live her life like it. When she finds a boy crying, he goes to talk to him. He is a people person who can't be around people. He was the last person seen when a group of kids went missing. Something is not making sense. She finds out his secret, but it might make her disappear.
Dawn Terminator is an apocalyptic story about the sun going supernova and a family trying to make it to the Arctic. They go to the Arctic to escape the sun, since it is dark for 3 months. The destruction that is described is very effective. Poor San Francisco. The story is compelling. You can feel the desperation. It reminded me of the movie 2012. I liked Lauren and what she did with her artistic talent.
Bad Fortune at Richard Yee's is about Robin and her family. They have a tradition of going to Richard Yee's, a Chinese restaurant, and everyone reading the fortune out loud. Once Robin's aunt read a fortune meant as a joke that predicted her aunt's death. Since that day, Robin has not opened any cookies and instead has been reading ones she made herself. But something changed, and now she is haunted by fortune cookies. There's a slight cosmic horror vibe to this story. The ending was great, one of my favorites in this collection. The premise gets a little ridiculous and repetitive, but it maintains its fun.
4 Stars:
Terrible Tannenbaum is about a family purchasing a haunted Christmas tree. The story was very clever. It was a very subtle horror, but it was effective. The tree doesn't talk or anything, but is still a presence. The 3 siblings have good banter. The ending was quirky but worked.
The Bob Squad is about Bobby, who awakes from a dream, with 7 strangers in business suits and clipboards staring at him. The strangers can do incredible things like walk through walls and pull objects out of nothing. The story has a great twist that I will not reveal here. The story is very fun and quirky. It made me chuckle a couple of times. This story reminded me of Goosebumps a lot. Especially the final twist.
Boy on a Stoop is about a young teenager who has no friends, finds a handsome boy on the stoop in a row of condemned buildings. She sees him every day on her way to school, where he will smile and enjoy the sun. She gets up the courage to talk to him and finds they have a lot in common. He sees her and wants to show her his place, which is deep in the condemned buildings. This story is about trusting strangers. The story is also about teen loneliness and what you would do for a friend. This is a horror story with scary and creepy moments. This story is more YA than some others. The beginning is a little slow. The imagery is good, and I did like the ending.
Midnight Michelangelo is about a graffiti artist who calls himself the Midnight Michelangelo. His art is horror or futuristic. He watches his art, the Martians change from happy face to angry, and they get painted over. He started painting more horrific imagery than he had in mind. His art has started coming alive, taunting him. I like the way the story slowly ramps up the horror. The horror felt Lovecraftian. The ending was good. I like the way he fought back. And what was behind the horror in his head.
The Shit on Our Shoes is about Lowell, an orphaned boy on the spaceship Primodius. The vessel is for colonists to secure the new planet. Lowell is made fun of for his bad odor. He is a farmer and does not want to waste the water. The new planet is less than a month away. What Lowell can't figure out is how the water supply is low. This question leads him to discover what the real purpose of the colony is. The story was good, but a little too slow. It builds up to an exciting ending, but the story is a bit of a slow burn. I like the character of Mr. Beausoleil, the only living first-generation colonist. The conspiracy was good, and how Lowell figured it out. And what he now has to do to survive it. The story reminded me of Wool by Hugh Howey.
Ralphy Sherman's Jacuzzi of Wonders is a humorous story of a brother and sister who have to share a hot tub with their father's new girlfriend. The brother and sister clearly do not like her and tell all kinds of family secrets that can't be true, or can they? The story was a great use of sarcasm. I liked the story. Shusterman flips the already odd moment on its head. The siblings reminded me of the kids on Bob's Burgers.
Butterball is a flash fiction about a cooked turkey escaping the oven and more. The story is 1 page long. It is humorous and a good idea. I wanted it to continue a little more. The end line was okay, and could have been better.
Number Two is a flash fiction piece that is a page long. The twist is at the end, and it was good. This reminded me a lot of a digital called Life of Pumpkin. I was confused on this one, trying to figure it out until the end, where I chuckled. The story has some great personification.
The Living Place is about a family moving into a new house and discovering a place in their backyard that cures illness. The story is kind of a take on The Secret Garden. But the story takes a turn when this place full of life becomes effective. The story could be a metaphor for pollution. I thought this story had the best prose. There are some beautiful descriptions. The story was a little too predictable and easy to figure out where it was going.
3 Stars:
Fear-for-All is about Seth, who is fearless but obsessed with fear since he is not afraid of anything. He gets accepted into Oakheart Academy, where every student has an irrational fear but him. But he has a purpose, and one he might fear the results of. This story was interesting. The ending was okay for me; I wanted more explanation for how the end turned out for Seth. The fears were interesting.
Opabinia is about Myles, who keeps being visited by time travelers set to give him a message, but they keep appearing in walls and other things. One finally makes contact and says he is destined to watch prehistoric sea creatures at the Burgess Shale. He is given a time machine, and is told by the time traveler that he is destined to push the button at a time travel 5000 years in the past. The story is a little mixed.
I, of the Storm is about a family trip to a Mexico City museum. The museum is filled with Aztec and Inca statues of Gods. Aishia is responsible for her baby brother Karson, who likes to run and hide. He stands in an area where he is not allowed to be, a place reserved for a new statue. Aishia finds him, and he runs away, but this time she can't find him at all. The family stayed in Mexico for weeks, and couldn't find him.
Smells Like Kafka is about a young girl who can not seem to fit in. Her parents aren't really there. She was raised by her aunt. When her parents arrive, they give extravagant gifts, like a teddy bear that is life-sized. She wishes her life were better, and the Teddy Bear named Kafka becomes real. The story had an interesting take on dependency. I liked the resolution with the parents and what it means for the future. The story was thoughtful and an interesting take on stuffed animals becoming real.
The writing was okay. The story didn't really grab me.
Special Deliverance is about a delivery boy who has to make a special delivery to hell. The story is short. It is quirky, but it did not always land. I thought the story idea was okay. I like the ending, but I hated the final line. This story was just okay.
2 Stars:
Majority Rules is about a person who is a fulcrum in arguments of the world. Is the Earth round or Flat? When the fulcrum is the tie breaker, our reality shifts in that direction. The fulcrum has to decide once again. The story is okay. It is a good idea, but I was not a fan of the way this story was told.
Recommendation: Since I did not read the full copy, I can not give a recommendation.
Rating: MindWorks by Neal Shusterman. I will not rate yet. I have rated 24 out of the 43 stories so far.
October 2, 2025
*prefacing this with the fact I have only read a portion of the short story collections as I was given a physical arc by the publisher which included just a part of the total short stories (not including the Scythe story)
BRING BACK SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS!!!
I have always been a huge fan of short stories growing up and this completely lived up to everything I love about them
From science fiction, to horror to dystopian, there are stories in here that can appeal to such a wide range of readers
The stories in this collection were thought provoking, creative, and unsettling
My favourite part about short stories are the endings, they leave you with a twist, gasp, reveal and I felt all of these in this collection
If you haven't read short stories before I really recommend you giving this collection a read.
THANK YOU again to the publisher, Simon & Shuster Canada for the arc
BRING BACK SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS!!!
I have always been a huge fan of short stories growing up and this completely lived up to everything I love about them
From science fiction, to horror to dystopian, there are stories in here that can appeal to such a wide range of readers
The stories in this collection were thought provoking, creative, and unsettling
My favourite part about short stories are the endings, they leave you with a twist, gasp, reveal and I felt all of these in this collection
If you haven't read short stories before I really recommend you giving this collection a read.
THANK YOU again to the publisher, Simon & Shuster Canada for the arc
Want to read
September 2, 2025(9/1/25) I'm so excited to get my hands on any arc of a scythe content!
December 1, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
MindWorks by Neal Shusterman is exactly what I hoped it would be. It is sharp, emotional speculative fiction from an author who is basically a god at crafting mind-bending, heart-tugging stories. My advanced reader copy only included a limited selection of the pieces that will appear in the final collection (maybe half of them?), but even with that small sampling, I was hooked. Shusterman delivers short stories that are unique, easy to read, and incredibly thought provoking. This collection is perfect for longtime fans of Scythe and for middle and high school teachers who want fresh speculative fiction selections for the classroom.
I am already thinking about where several of these stories will fit into my students’ speculative fiction exploration unit. My personal standouts were “A Unity of Purpose” because it feels uncomfortably relevant to the 2025 political climate, “The In Crowd” because it is one of the biggest interpersonal mind messes I have read in a while, and “Bad Fortune at Richard Yee’s” because it is creepy in the best possible way.
My one disappointment is that my ARC did not include the two short stories set in the world of Arc of the Scythe. Those were the pieces that originally drew me to the collection. Since they were missing, my review feels a bit incomplete because I was not able to read the full lineup as a fresh reader would. Even so, the stories I did read were fantastic. I am very excited to see the final publication when it releases on November 18, 2025.
UPDATE: I bought a deluxe copy of this book to read the short stories this advanced preview didn't share, and I really liked the new stories! The Arc of the Scythe short story was especially worth it if you've read other stories in this world. I love how in-depth this world is going! It shows the direction Neal Shusterman's writing is moving in the future, and I love to see it!
Thank you to Neal Shusterman, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, and NetGalley for the advanced preview of this eBook.
MindWorks by Neal Shusterman is exactly what I hoped it would be. It is sharp, emotional speculative fiction from an author who is basically a god at crafting mind-bending, heart-tugging stories. My advanced reader copy only included a limited selection of the pieces that will appear in the final collection (maybe half of them?), but even with that small sampling, I was hooked. Shusterman delivers short stories that are unique, easy to read, and incredibly thought provoking. This collection is perfect for longtime fans of Scythe and for middle and high school teachers who want fresh speculative fiction selections for the classroom.
I am already thinking about where several of these stories will fit into my students’ speculative fiction exploration unit. My personal standouts were “A Unity of Purpose” because it feels uncomfortably relevant to the 2025 political climate, “The In Crowd” because it is one of the biggest interpersonal mind messes I have read in a while, and “Bad Fortune at Richard Yee’s” because it is creepy in the best possible way.
My one disappointment is that my ARC did not include the two short stories set in the world of Arc of the Scythe. Those were the pieces that originally drew me to the collection. Since they were missing, my review feels a bit incomplete because I was not able to read the full lineup as a fresh reader would. Even so, the stories I did read were fantastic. I am very excited to see the final publication when it releases on November 18, 2025.
UPDATE: I bought a deluxe copy of this book to read the short stories this advanced preview didn't share, and I really liked the new stories! The Arc of the Scythe short story was especially worth it if you've read other stories in this world. I love how in-depth this world is going! It shows the direction Neal Shusterman's writing is moving in the future, and I love to see it!
Thank you to Neal Shusterman, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, and NetGalley for the advanced preview of this eBook.
November 21, 2025
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!
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
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!
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
November 25, 2025
I'll admit I've waffled, but it's so hard to give a short story collection that's almost 600 pages a 5. 43 stories over the course of 572 pages (not counting the acknowledgements) means there is a TON of content in here. I'd give it a 4.5 if I could. Every one of these stories is good (even the page long dad joke :D ) and some of them are phenomenal. Separated into different sections by themes, I pretty much want everything in the The Living, the Dead, and the Undecided section turned into a full fledged novella, at the least. Stories like Resurrection Bay and Yardwork will tug at your heart strings while maintaining some creepy vibes. Meanwhile stories like A Unity of (Purpose), The Bob Squad, and Dead Letter will tickle your funny bone. Then there are stories like Presumed Destroyed to make you think and Caleb's Colors to make you wonder... and Butterball just might make you groan... unless you're a dad ;) There's something in here for everyone including some new Scythe content and some stories that have never been in print before. Absolutely worth a read.
June 29, 2025
Neal Shusterman, the king of the weird and the wonderful in the world of YA fiction, strikes again with a compilation of scifi, dystopian, and horror short stories: MINDWORKS: AN UNCANNY COMPENDIUM OF SHORT FICTION. This collection is organized thematically: from angels and demons to monsters and aliens to anthropomorphized nature to the world in an imagined future. Shusterman invites readers to enter a post-apocalyptic future where the humanity is racing west from the burgeoning and blinding sun; to witness a Christmas tree with a mind of its own will wreak havoc on a family's "most wonderful time of the year"; and to imagine what it would be like to actually have guardian angels following your every move. These short stories will entice reluctant young readers to venture to new worlds, connect with characters that feel real to them, and enjoy fast-paced and truly inventive storytelling.
November 17, 2025
MindWorks is a collection of creative and inventive short stories from Neal Shusterman. Whether you are already a fan of Neal Shusterman's work, or are finding him for the first time, you will enjoy these stories. There is something here to capture the imagination of all readers.
Through these stories you will visit a world where bats block out the sun, eating pea soup is a trap, wind can be captured in a bag, and a pine tree revolts against being made into a Christmas tree. You will delight in reading stories where a talented graffiti artist is more than meets the eye, a boy can see and speak with angels. and turkey's come to life while being cooked. And for Arc of the Scythe fans, there are two all-new tales of gleaning to enjoy.
This is an engaging, fun, eclectic collection of stories that only Neal Shusterman could write.
Through these stories you will visit a world where bats block out the sun, eating pea soup is a trap, wind can be captured in a bag, and a pine tree revolts against being made into a Christmas tree. You will delight in reading stories where a talented graffiti artist is more than meets the eye, a boy can see and speak with angels. and turkey's come to life while being cooked. And for Arc of the Scythe fans, there are two all-new tales of gleaning to enjoy.
This is an engaging, fun, eclectic collection of stories that only Neal Shusterman could write.
November 19, 2025
I really enjoyed this short story collection! While there were some I liked more than others, there were no stories I disliked which is a major win for me in a compilation. These are a mix of previously published stories and a few new ones, including two from the Scythe series! These are a mix of genres, while some are humorous quick reads, others are emotional and thought provoking. It’s a fun read and while it’s on the long side, I finished it in a few days. I’d definitely recommend this to both adults and YA age readers!
🎧: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰. 𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰
🎧: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰. 𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰
November 3, 2025
Neal Shusterman never misses when it comes to bending reality and your brain at the same time. This collection is entertaining, thought-provoking, and just the right amount of unsettling — exactly what makes his writing so addictive. From angels and demons to monsters, aliens, and futuristic worlds, every story offers something different. My favorite part? The endings. Each one leaves you rethinking everything you just read. It’s a perfect mix of sci-fi, horror, and dystopia that’ll hook readers of all kinds and keep them flipping pages late into the night.
November 7, 2025
This was a weird and wonderful collection of short stories from the same author who brought us Scythe. Each story blends elements of sci-fi and horror in clever, unexpected ways. The writing is sharp, imaginative, and often thought-provoking, pushing readers to think outside the box.
As with most short story collections, I enjoyed some pieces more than others, but overall, this was a fascinating and fun read. If you enjoy stories that are a little dark, a little strange, and full of creativity, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a try.
As with most short story collections, I enjoyed some pieces more than others, but overall, this was a fascinating and fun read. If you enjoy stories that are a little dark, a little strange, and full of creativity, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a try.
November 14, 2025
A wildly entertaining collection of short stories from the incredible Neal Shusterman.
This collection of stories is a must read for fans of Shusterman; his mind is one of a kind, and you can see just how unique from the variety of stories you will find within this book. I enjoyed many of the stories selected; especially the one of the space colony, the sentient gun, and the street artist whose art was changing far out of his control.
This collection showcases the wide range of Shusterman's writing talent, and it has a little bit of everything for every kind of reader.
This collection of stories is a must read for fans of Shusterman; his mind is one of a kind, and you can see just how unique from the variety of stories you will find within this book. I enjoyed many of the stories selected; especially the one of the space colony, the sentient gun, and the street artist whose art was changing far out of his control.
This collection showcases the wide range of Shusterman's writing talent, and it has a little bit of everything for every kind of reader.
dnf
November 18, 2025DNF ?% - I think I got through 2.5 stories. Just not really my thing. First of all, I just struggle with short stories. I think I’ve read one collection that wasn’t hard to get through? If you’re already a huge fan of Shusterman, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this collection. With that being said, I really only like his Scythe series and haven’t loved anything else I’ve read by him. I can tell it’s well-written, just not right for me.
November 27, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley & Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
Note: NGL I'm kind of annoyed this early copy doesn't include *all* the stories. I might go back and update this review once I read the physical book.
The stories were fun! My favorite was the one with the dolphin and the other one about bats. Some are hits, some are misses, but it was overall a fun read.
Definitely recommend for fans of David Lubar's "Weenies" stories--these are like teen-friendly darker short stories!
Note: NGL I'm kind of annoyed this early copy doesn't include *all* the stories. I might go back and update this review once I read the physical book.
The stories were fun! My favorite was the one with the dolphin and the other one about bats. Some are hits, some are misses, but it was overall a fun read.
Definitely recommend for fans of David Lubar's "Weenies" stories--these are like teen-friendly darker short stories!
September 22, 2025
I love this author. I’m a huge Scythe fan from the first days. Thoroughly enjoyed Break to You. Roxy squished my guts out. However, this collection wasn’t magical for me. Maybe it’s because the author is so very good at building strong characters with deep stories? Either way, these short stories didn’t hit the same.
October 24, 2025
MindWorks is a compilation of short stories by Neal Shusterman. The stories run the gamut of realistic, supernatural, and, of course, science fiction. As with any short story collection, there are a few tales that don’t hit the mark, but more often than not, these stories made me laugh … or think deeply. MindWorks was a pleasure to read, and Shusterman fans will want more.
December 10, 2025
Lots of stories. Dawn Terminator was my favorite. Was promised two new stories from the world of Scythe, but second one isn’t really a story at all. It’s a fake interview w the thunderhead, faraday, Goddard, and the author.
Overall, very happy w the book. The kids really enjoyed some of the stories as well. Namely, Dawn Terminator.
Overall, very happy w the book. The kids really enjoyed some of the stories as well. Namely, Dawn Terminator.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2025
Great! Each story is unique. Sometimes terrifying, sometimes just bizarre. There aren't many heartwarming tales, but even those few are fantastic. The two Scythe stories didn't quite fit the overall feel of the book, but as a fan of the Scythe series, they were still worth reading.
In conclusion, a collection worth owning.
In conclusion, a collection worth owning.
January 1, 2026
I didn't finish this one because I was disappointed in the quality of the stories. Schusterman's power as a writer is in his ability to ask thoughtful questions about human nature and what it means to be human in an interconnected society. These stories didn't have the depth that I have come to expect from his writing.
October 23, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up!
You can read my full review on my blog
You can read my full review on my blog
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