Neal Shusterman’s Scythe is a thought provoking sci-fi novel set in a future where humanity has conquered death, disease and even aging. In this almost utopian world, the population is overseen by the “Thunderhead,” an all-seeing artificial intelligence that monitors over the world and every person individually. Since no one naturally dies anymore, an official group called the Scythedom is tasked with “gleaning,” permanently ending lives to cull the population and keep it under control. The story follows two teenagers, Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch, who are chosen apprentices to Scythe Faraday. As they undergo gruelling strength and combat training to become scythes, they are faced with moral challenges about life, death, and the value of compassion in a world without mortality. When politics and corruption begin to change the Scythedom, Citra and Rowan find themselves on opposite sides of a deadly battle to decide who becomes the successful apprentice: one wins, one goes back home. Shusterman’s vivid worldbuilding is as compelling as it is unsettling, blending ethics and philosophical ideas with fast paced action and a possible love interest. The novel’s strengths are not only it’s imaginative ideals but also in its exploration of power and what it truly means to be alive. Overall, Scythe is an incredible novel that challenges the way readers percept the world, and even how they live. It is one of my favourite books I have ever read and is an incredible beginning to a trilogy where you can’t put the book down. I strongly recommend reading it if you are a fan of action or sci-fi novels, and I’m sure it will stay with you even beyond the last page.
RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS