Review of Scythe by Neal Shusterman

In the futuristic world of Scythe, disease, war, pain, and even death have been conquered. People can live forever, but to sustain the planet, some people must die. This duty falls to the honor-bound Scythe, a government-sanctioned group of chosen ones who live by ten commandments and are skilled in the art of killcraft. After chance encounters with a scythe, two teens, Citra and Rowan, apprentice as scythes, a job neither of them wants.

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Cover image of Scythe. Tong, K. (2016). [Cover image of Scythe]. Retrieved from http://www.storyman.com/books/scythe/

Evaluation

In Scythe, Neal Shusterman does an incredible job creating an alternate world that is utterly believable. Set on our planet a couple of centuries in the future, an AI called the “Thunderhead” has evolved from our current “cloud” system and now governs everyone benignly. Poverty, pain, and disease have been eradicated and natural death only happens in the instance of fire (which is carefully monitored). The Thunderhead knows all and controls everything: ”when and where to build roads; how to eliminate waste in food distribution and thus end hunger; how to protect the environment… It created jobs, it clothed the poor… The Thunderhead gave us a perfect world” (Shusterman, 2016, p. 54). Humans have always envisioned a perfect utopia, and the world that Shusterman creates is believable, especially since it is built upon the cloud system that already exists in our current world. Humans have gained the ability to live forever, and everything humans have always feared is gone. The one thing that is outside the control of the Thunderhad is population control, and that process has been turned over to the Scythedom. Therein lies the sole fear that remains for humans in this world – that a Scythe will come glean them. Shusterman’s world building is so impressive and immersive that the reader can imagine being a part of this futuristic world.

A second strength of the novel is the character development, especially that of Citra and Rowan. When we first meet Citra, she is horrified by Scythe Faraday who comes to glean her neighbor, especially when he tells her that “you see through the facades of the world, Citra Terranova. You’d make a good scythe” (Shuterman, 2016, p. 13). Citra has zero interest in becoming a scythe and gleaning people, but this is what makes her a good candidate. Though she is wary of becoming a scythe’s apprentice, her training makes her contemplate “the moral and ethical high ground that a traditional scythe must always take… it was simply right” (Shusterman, 2016, p. 377). Likewise, Rowan is also described as conscientious and caring. When we first meet Rowan, he is sitting at the bedside of a friend who is being revived after a “splat,” where the friend intentionally jumped off a building to his “death.” A few pages later, we see Rowan again, comforting a near stranger at his gleaning. As Scythe Faraday says, “You comforted him at the moment of his death, bearing the pain of the jolt. You bore witness, even though no one called you to do so” (Shusterman, 2016, p. 25). Throughout the novel, Rowan is shown to be compassionate, leading people to safety during mass gleanings, and maintaining his morality even when training with a corrupt scythe. Shusterman does a fantastic job developing Citra and Rowan into relatable, likeable characters who are doing their best to maintain their morality in this brave new world.

Finally, the format of Scythe is another strength of the novel. The novel is told in the third person, but the chapters do alternate between focusing on the parallel paths to Scythedom that Citra and Rowan take. At the end of each chapter is an excerpt from the gleaning journal of either a scythe or a scythe’s apprentice. The journal entries provide a first-person perspective of exactly what it’s like to be a scythe and provide important background information for the reader. From these journal entries, the reader understands more about both this futuristic society as well as what it means to be a scythe. From the gleaning journal of Scythe Curie, for example, we learn that scythes “are instructed to write down not just our deeds but also our feelings, because it must be known that we do have feelings. Remorse. Regret. Sorrow too great to bear” (Shusterman, 2016, p. 3). Unlike Scythe Curie, who clearly suffers when she takes a life, Scythe Goddard takes enjoyment from his work: “I am a man who chooses to glean with pride, not shame…Don’t we all have the right to love what we do?” (Shusterman, 2016, p. 162). The inclusion of the journal entries gives readers insight into the different thoughts and emotions of a variety of scythes, those who are honor-bound and those who are on the verge of corruption.

Response

Scythe is a very fast-paced, thrilling novel that kept me flipping pages, wanting to read more. Though it seems that humanity is always striving to overcome death, disease and pain, Scythe makes the reader think about what would happen if such a world actually existed. This novel made me question just what it means to be a human. Without fear and pain, do humans lose hope? What is the point of working and achieving something in your lifetime when your lifetime might last forever? In addition to these questions, the idea of putting a select group of people in charge of death is both horrifying and intriguing. As the story progresses, the reader realizes that not all scythes are honorable. What happens when your honor-bound killers are actually mass murderers? Overall, I absolutely loved reading Scythe. It’s a fast-paced thriller with relatable characters, but it will force you to ask questions and think about what it means to be a human. Scythe is the first of a proposed trilogy, and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of book two.

Conclusion

Scythe is well-written, immersive science fiction novel by master storyteller Neal Shusterman. Shusterman does an incredible job building the world of Scythe; the futuristic setting, in a world where pain, misery and death no longer exist, is both immersive and believable. The main characters, Citra and Rowan, are well-developed and relatable. The reader sees them struggle with what it means to be an apprentice scythe, and we root for them to hold onto their humanity throughout the novel. The format of the novel also brings the story to life, alternating the thrilling storyline with the first-person perspective found in the gleaning journals. Readers will be drawn into the world of Scythe and won’t want to put down this thriller. I highly recommend Scythe for students aged 12 and up; this is perfect for fans of The Giver by Lois Lowry. 5 stars.

Citations

Lowry, L. (1993). The giver. Boston, MA: HMH Books for Young Readers.

Shusterman, N. (2016). Scythe. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster BFYR.

Tong, K. (2016). [Cover image of Scythe]. Retrieved from http://www.storyman.com/books/scythe/