The Scorpion Shards [Hardcover]

Neal Shusterman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1995 | Age Level: 11 and up

Nearly driven mad by their emotions and their anger at a world that does not understand them, six teenagers manage, despite their extreme maladjustment to society, to discover their own unique talents and their destiny in life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As in The Eyes of Kid Midas, Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination, makes it stunningly believable. His cast here might be a diseased and delinquent version of D.C. Comics' Justice League of America?each of six 15-year-olds suffers from a bizarre affliction that carries with it supernatural powers?and each affliction seems a gross distortion of a typical adolescent problem. Irresistible Michael, overwhelmed by lust, provokes killing fury in jealous men; Tory is being consumed by acne and poisons everything she touches; and so forth. Shusterman's unique vision, suspenseful pacing and empathy with teens' not-so-nice emotions will draw readers into this fabulous tale just as inexorably as its protagonists are impelled to find one another and discover the source of their malaises. A spellbinder. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-Six 15-year-olds have struggled alone with gross exaggerations of common adolescent problems?from acne to obesity to raging hormones?until the night a supernova appears in the sky and draws them together. They begin to understand something about their amazing origins and, with the help of equal parts of astronomy, biology, and the tarot, decide to fight the parasitic monsters that have been consuming them. However, two of the teens give in to their monsters and avoid the Others in order to increase their own power. The climax comes in a confrontation between the foursome and the pair in a battle waged in this world and out of it for their own lives and souls as well as the fate of the Earth. This is a complex and convoluted story that fits more into the genres of fantasy and horror than science fiction. In the first third, the characters are introduced at length as the repulsive and dangerous young people they appear to be. While their initial escapades are unpleasant, readers suffering from similar afflictions may empathize with this group of misfits. Some readers may be shocked by the discussions of Michael's sexual tension, although the language used is circumspect throughout. Others may be offended by the fact that Winston, who is black, is the only character to speak in dialect. Once the foursome unite and begin to fight back, the pace picks up, the teens become more likable, and the novel becomes compelling and absorbing. The post-battle denouement finally allows stellar qualities to begin to shine, destruction to turn to repair, and readers to wish for a sequel to tell more about these interesting and unusual characters.
Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 190 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (November 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312855060
• ISBN-13: 978-0312855062
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,977,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Neal Shusterman is the author of many novels for young adults, including Unwind, which was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers, Everlost, and Downsiders, which was nominated for twelve state reading awards. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows such as Animorphs and Goosebumps. The father of four children, Neal lives in southern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars shards, December 7, 2003

By 

S. Xu (Somewhere in a Teacup) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scorpion Shards (Star Shards Chronicles) (Paperback)

Dillon Cole is 15. He loves to destroy things, but not for fun. There's some invisable force inside him that "makes" him do it. So in order to feed this "wrecking hunger," the same power that makes people go insane when they touch him, he has to keep on destroying.

Deanna chang makes everyone afraid. Even herself. When she's around people, she feels claustrophobic. Houses couuld fall on her. Things could kill her. And people around her are so afraid.

Winston is growing shorter and paralyzing people, and Tory is a living bacteria. Not to mention Miachael, who makes women fall in love, and men want to kill. Or Lourdes, who doesn't eat, but gets fatter.

Who are these extremely screwed up kids? They are the Scorpion Shards. Six kids that have enough power to kill or hurt everyone around them. Except themselves.

So why are they like this? Not everyone has the power to strike fear into everyone else. Or see patterns in everything. Something is causing this, other than hormones.

Scorpion Shards tells this story about these six innocent kids, who have had the universe single them out. Their journey takes them through pain, worlds, and death. A wonderful book to read for anyone who likes to see teenagers and out-of-this-world problems.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dark Fantasy, October 19, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Scorpion Shards (Star Shards Chronicles) (Paperback)

Shadow-black tentacles wrapped around the cradle of the telescope. A clouded face that swarmed with a million hideous insects descended upon the astronomer's desk and something with cold dark fur brushed past Tory, its breath sickly sweet.

<U>Scorpion Shards</U> by Neal Shusterman is an exciting novel in which six kids, each with a strange physical or emotional mutation, must discover how to get rid of their deformities. It is a powerful fantasy filled with darkness and suspense.

One interesting concept of the book is how a hunger for something can completely overpower a person. Each of the six teenagers has one, some worse than others. Dillon Cole, the most dangerous of the group, is driven by his "wrecking-hunger" to attempt to destroy all of civilization. Michael "Lips" Lipranski can usually control it, but once his almost unnatural hunger for girls went too far, leaving the unlucky girl without a soul after his kiss.

Another exciting part of the fantasy is its dark and chilling thrills. Like when the astronomer Dr. Bayless meets his untimely demise at the hands of the hungry monsters inside of each of the kids. Or when Dillon destroys an entire city block to feed his hunger. In the end, the six must all face their demons in a strange, lost world.

One last fascinating aspect of the novel is how a single thought can cause so much chaos. Dillon drives whole towns past the brink of insanity, after whispering a simple suggestion into a person's ear. He can alter the entire future of a victim, from possible millionaire to vagabond. Dillon has the uncanny ability to see patterns, whether it be of people's lives or tumbling boulders. He uses this skill to find a human "fuse", from which he can set off a whole chain of events.

Neal Shusterman's book, <U>Scorpion Shards</U>, is one of his greatest achievements. It is a gripping novel, with twists and turns until you reach the back cover.

W. Hodson

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, May 4, 2011

By 

WhtWzrd - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scorpion Shards (Star Shards Chronicles) (Paperback)

I love how their weaknesses become their strengths in this series. It shows that everyone has a weakness and we should turn it to our strength granted theirs' is a little different but the same concept