I recently finished reading Scythe, by Neal Shusterman. This one jumped out at me from the shelf as I was perusing one of the last mall bookstores in my area last month, and I’ve been looking forward to digging in ever since.
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Setting
This YA read really drew me in. The story is set in a future where technology has alleviated human suffering to the point of functional immortality. In a world without death, the population is held in check by the scythes. This impartial order is charged with the grim work of “gleaning.” The scythes are as individual as the rest of society; many carry out their task with empathy and humanity, while others pursue lives of celebrity and excess within the letters of the laws that govern them.
Plot Summary
Into this world, teenagers Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch are selected by Honorable Scythe Faraday as his apprentices to the craft. The two reluctantly discover their own aptitudes for the necessary role, and attract the attention of the less honorable elements within the scythedom. As their education unfolds, Citra and Rowan find themselves set on very different paths, their futures intertwined in cruel competition.
Takeaways
This book was both more and less YA than I expected. The worldbuilding is top-notch. It was incredibly easy to get pulled into the “postmortal” world, with its successes and failures, its politics and culture. The writing itself is quite accessible, even for early teen reading level. Coming off of my last read before this, Scythe was swift reading for me. The last pages of my copy even featured classroom-style study guide content.
But the themes run deep in this novel. Issues of life and death, empathy and sacrifice, conscience and cruelty, and the meaning of humanity loom large through the narrative. Despite the accessibility of the story, I would recommend this for a more mature student reader. Obviously, death, dying, and the taking of life are major themes. A similar level of graphic thematic material for reference would be The Hunger Games. There is more than enough meat here for an adult reader to chew on.
I’ll be picking up a copy of the sequel, Thunderhead, soon.
Until next time, may your coffee be strong, and may the Muse be with you! Happy reading!
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