Warning: The following contains disturbing content that may legitimately scare or otherwise upset readers. I am not joking. If you are not of a stoic nature, please go read a different article. I recommend this. (Click the green letters) 

I have read many books in my life time.

All sorts of genres: Horror, Fantasy, Science fiction, etc.

I have even read the Twilight Books.

But for the longest time my favorite genres have been horror, science fiction, and dystopia.

I am only stating this so my words have weight. So that you understand I am not just blowing smoke here.

So, when I say this is the scariest book I have ever read, you should feel a chill go up your spine.

Because I read this book 7 years ago. Just a random library grab on a bored Sunday.

Little did I know this book would still give me flashbacks to this day.

The book is not even a horror novel. But it dwarfs any pure horror I have ever read.

Because to be scary you do not need monsters, or ghouls, or goblins. Blood does not have to splatter. A psycho killer does not need to give chase. Nor do bugs need to crawl up someones spin.

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls.

May I present the scariest book, that I personally, have ever read: Unwind, By Neal Shusterman

The Premise:

In America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement: The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent may choose to retroactively get rid of a child through a process called “unwinding.” Unwinding ensures that the child’s life doesn’t “technically” end by transplanting all the organs in the child’s body to various recipients. Now a common and accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens are able to easily be unwound. -Amazon.com Book Description

So let me some that up for you. In the future your parents can choose to have you aborted, AFTER YOU ARE BORN.

They replace your blood with a substitute and slowly remove each part of your body, which is then donated to interested parties.

The worst part? They leave you conscious, but numbed. You can’t feel it, but they take your limbs, then your organs. They carve you up, take you apart bit by bit.

You do not become a brain in a jar. They do not even give you that luxury. They take your brain apart as well. Segmenting them into parts.

Then you are divided. Spread across bodies.

Can’t image that? Here I’ll give you a visual.

That is based on a chapter in the book.

And some people think I write dark stuff.

I got nothing on Neal.

This book has stuck with me for a reason. Not just because of the incredibly hyper-dark subject matter. It is well written, and brilliant.

A lot of dystopias have the issue of wasting there premise. Not exploring the widespread ramification of the concepts. But not Neal, he understands the effects something like that would cause. Showing it from the perspective of the normal people, the doctors that perform the operation, and so many others. It even explores the religious side of it. Showing how society reacted to the change. How it effects children’s behavior.

But at it’s core, at least in my opinion it is an exploration of life, and what defines a living person. Because the unwound are not gone, just scattered. Not a single piece lost.

Except perhaps a soul.

It is the scariest book I have ever read, and it is one of my absolute favorites.

Give it a read.

But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Did you like the article? Dislike? Tell me about it in the comments. I would love to hear your opinions. If interested in specific articles, or want to write as a guest; you can message me at scifibrandonscott@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!