Scythe by Neal Shusterman Series: Arc of a Scythe #1
Also in this series: Thunderhead, The Toll
Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers on 11/22/16
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Pages: 448
Source: Edelweiss
My content rating: YA (Nothing more than kissing, Some violence)
My rating:
In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed (“gleaned”) by professional reapers (“scythes”). Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythe’s apprentices, and—despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation—they must learn the art of killing and come to understand the necessity of what they do.
Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe’s apprentice. And when it becomes clear that the winning apprentice’s first task will be to glean the loser, Citra and Rowan are pitted against one another in a fight for their lives.
How has the entire world not recognized Neal Shusterman’s genius? Seriously, I am SO hoping that the Unwind movie comes out (I haven’t seen any news since May!!) and that it does the series justice because people need to talk about his books more.
Scythe is one more example of Shusterman’s talent and imagination and his ability to shed light on humanity’s moral triumphs and shortcomings.
Once again, he takes a look at a dystopian (utopian?) society—this time a society where humans have defeated death, pain, poverty, and every other earthly malady. The cloud has advanced into what the world terms the “Thunderhead.” It has amassed so much knowledge that it has been able to solve all of the world’s problems. All except one—with the defeat of death, overpopulation is a major issue. Even the Thunderhead can only figure out ways to support so many people. And up till this point, space exploration has failed. So, the Scythes are born. They are meant to choose who should die (without malice or prejudice) and carry out those deaths. The Scythes are supposed to be morally superior people—putting the welfare of the world above all else. But while the Scythes are led by a strict code, some have found ways to skirt the rules
What Fed My Addiction:
- Become the thing you hate? Both Citra and Rowan are horrified at the thought of being Scythes when they are recruited. After all, who would want to bring death in a world where death has been defeated. Scythes are both revered and feared (and sometimes despised). But the Scythe who recruits them insists that Citra and Rowan’s reluctance is exactly what shows that they are perfect for the job. It is their compassion and judgement that Scythe Faraday believes will lead them to be perfect candidates. Citra and Rowan’s struggles with becoming the thing that they’ve hated and learning why it might actually be necessary are fascinating. I especially loved Rowan’s specific struggles, but I don’t want to share them because I want readers to discover them on their own! Once again, Shusterman manages to capture the complexities of social issues without giving a “right” or “wrong” answer. This is what I love about him.
- Control gone wrong. The Scythes’ power over life and death is ripe for corruption. They are still human, and the dark side of humanity manages to bleed through, even in a utopian society.
- A dangerous world. For a world supposedly without problems, there sure are a lot of them. The stakes are quickly raised for Citra and Rowan and they find that the perfect world they’ve been raised in is becoming more and more dangerous by the minute.
- Could almost be a standalone. I love the fact that this book feels complete—it could stand completely on its own and I’d be happy—but it also leaves LOTS of room for future books in the series. This is the perfect balance, as far as I’m concerned!
What Left Me Hungry for More:
- Why did they do it this way? Okay, I have to admit there are a few aspects of the Scythedom that I didn’t really get. I understood that they didn’t want to just let a computer choose life and death. They didn’t want to give the Thunderhead that final modicum of control since it has no sense of right and wrong. (Though, I still think maybe it would be considered more “fair” to just have the Thunderhead choose who lives and dies?) BUT I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t just kill everyone peacefully with a pill or something. Even the most moral of Scythes use brutal methods of killing. They had their reasons, but I wasn’t completely sure I understood them. Still, I think part of the point was that since humans came up with the system it is inherently flawed, but a system that disregards humanity would be flawed too. Again, Shusterman is incredible at presenting these moral quandaries with no easy answers.
Once again, Shusterman is completely on point. His books make you think, they keep you guessing, they make you feel so many disparate emotions—sometimes simultaneously. I easily give this 5/5 stars and Shusterman remains an all-time favorite.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
About the Author:
Award-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 played in several major cities. 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 developing an original TV series with his son, Jarrod, and adapting Tesla’s Attic with co-writer Eric Elfman for TV as well.
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.
Author Links:
I’m so excited for this one! I could have read an e-galley, but just ran out of time, so I didn’t end up downloading it from Edelweiss. Now I really can’t wait to get my hands on it after your review!
YES! Now that you know what you’ve been missing you have to immediately read this one! You won’t be sorry!!
Ya, so I am adding this to my TBR. Thanks for the stellar review my friend!
Yay! You need this book in your life!
This does sound like a really good book, I’m glad it ended up being so great! And I love when books make me think about moral quandaries and whatnot 🙂
Yes, I find that Neal Shusterman is fabulous at writing books that really make you think and wonder how you might respond in a similar moral predicament. I love him for that!
OH THIS MAKES ME SO EXCITED!! I’ve just read two extremely pleased reviews for this in the last few days and omggg I want to read it even MORE NOW. I loved Unwind (aka I was extremely damaged omg) and I adored Challenger Deep, and Bruiser. Actually I don’t think I’ve rated a Shusterman book less than 5-stars?? He his such an incredible writer! And the premise for this really intrigues me since it doesn’t sound like the same-old-same-old dystopian tale!
I STILL have to read Bruiser – I got it at a Shusterman event, but I haven’t read it yet. I remember you saying how fabulous it was, though, so I know I need to get to it! I agree that Shusterman can really do no wrong.
I LOVE Neal’s books and was already sucked in by the Read Inside feature on Amazon. Getting my copy soon!
He’s fantastic, right? There is no other author that I just KNOW is going to write books that will make me think. Shusterman does it every time.
I need to read this one! It sounds fantastic. I love the premise, and it’s great that it really makes you think about “right” and “wrong.” I also love that it could be a stand-alone, yet still makes you want more!
-Lauren
Yep, basically it was awesome and everyone needs to read it.
Shusterman and Scythe are both on my tbr shelf and OMG I am soooo excited to read this -especially after reading your review here my friend^^ I love the way you say that his books make you think and keep you guessing ♥
Shusterman’s books always do that for me—he just always presents these complex moral issues with no clear answers. I love it!
I have to admit that I haven’t read a word of this past the title, just as with Shannon’s review. But I’m adding together three things–Shusterman, that cover, and both of you loving it–to arrive at an unbounded excitement to read it ASAP!
That’s good—don’t spoil yourself. Just go read it instead! 🙂
Yes! I only read the very rare YA, almost never in fact, but I feel every bit of the same way as you do about Neal Shusterman. I would read any book, in any genre, for any target audience, if it was written by him. He has creativity and the ability to make me imagine the most unimaginable things. He is magic, and I can’t wait to read this new book.
Yes, I think that Shusterman is one of those authors who appeals to such a broad audience. I still haven’t read all of his books (he has so many!!), but I have them all on my TBR!
It looked like this earlier comment didn’t go through, so I wrote another comment but now I see this is here. Feel free to delete.
Oh wow! Yay! I’m so glad Shusterman is back! I loved the Unwind novels too and I wondered what he would publish next. Looks like the audiobook isn’t out yet so I’ll put that on my wishlist as soon as I can.
Oh I haven’t read any of his books yet, but this sounds beyond fascinating! The brutal aspects of how they kill people would have me scratching my head too but yep people are definitely flawed. Fabulous review Nicole and thanks for bringing this book to my attention!
So I have not read Neal Shusterman at all. Crazy, right? And now that I have seen five star reviews of this book from both you and Shannon, I NEED THIS BOOK!!! Great review!
I READ IT! And it’s awesome. Shusterman is a genius, right? The Unwind series is one of the best I’ve read, and I also love Challenger Deep. It is so unusual to read a book (YA or not) that tackles big social and moral issues but doesn’t tell you what to think about them.
Yes, that’s what I love about him. He brings up all these moral questions, but he never tries to force any specific answers.
I want to read this so bad! awesome review
Definitely pick it up!