Scythe, by Neal Shusterman, is a mysterious and thrilling science-fiction novel published by Simon and Schuster publications. This novel is set in the future world of America where all means of dying have been eradicated, and humankind has exceeded the limit of its population. To address this, a society known as the Scythes was formed to “glean” people to keep the number of people on earth low. The world is not governed by a parliament or government, as humans no longer have adequate power to rule over themselves. Instead, they are ruled by an all-knowing Artificial Intelligence known as the “Thunderhead”. The Thunderhead was what helped humanity defeat death and become immortal, yet they relinquished all of their own power over themselves to this being. Although it may seem like a perfect world without any problems or struggles, greed for power is rampant throughout society, causing chaos among the people. This novel follows the stories of two teenagers, one named Citra, a teenage girl, and Rowan, a boy. They both live fairly average lives for people in their world and have never thought about the society of Scythes and why it must exist. That all changes when they are visited, unannounced, by Scythe Faraday, a well-known and distinguished Scythe, who informs them that they are to be his apprentices and learn the ways of Scythedom. Rowan and Citra oblige, and are, at first, appalled by Faraday’s ability to kill people so easily. As they learn more and more about the way of life for a Scythe, they begin to understand that there is more than meets the eye within the Scythedom. Many Scythes, namely Scythe Rand, have become greedy for power, killing people with no dignity or distinguishment, just to gain more fame and clout. Citra and Rowan’s apprenticeship takes them to an annual Scythe meeting at the Capital, where one of them will be accepted into Scythehood. From here on, they must work together to uncover the dark truth behind the formation of the Scythes and battle the evil forces that come their way, all under the watchful eye of the Thunderhead. Overall, this book is memorable, motivating, and soul-stirring. It makes the reader become enthralled with the journeys of Citra and Rowan on their quest to battle evil in a world where evil shouldn’t exist. The constant tension and action made for an edge-of-your-seat scenario at all times, never leaving the reader bored. Overall, I agree with how the author presents an exciting view of human nature, where in a place seemingly without anything bad, humanity alone will always have the possibility to fall into chaos. It shines a light on the essential character of people, and how there will always be a possibility for error no matter the circumstance. I disagree with the idea that Scythe Goddard, who was a power-hungry and bloodthirsty Scythe, was able to become so powerful among the Scythe community. He had the power to completely bring down the Scythedom, yet I disagree with how Neal Shusterman wrote him as such a successful character among the Scythes. This book suggests the possibility that even if one day humanity is completely immune to outside dangers, the biggest danger to us is ourselves. It puts a new perspective on how humanity has the power to either save itself forever or completely destroy itself in an instant. One possibility that was left out is that Shusterman did not put the Thunderhead into play more in this novel. Instead of the Thunderhead being the centerstage, all-seeing AI that it was originally portrayed as it stayed in the background and had little dictation over the course of events. The Scythe world could have been more thrilling if the AI that ruled them also had multiple sides and controlled more aspects of their society. Overall, I think that this book reflects ideas in Fahrenheit 451, wherein a seemingly perfect world, corruption and evil runs deep. In Fahrenheit 451, the control that propaganda and the government have over people is reflective of the Thunderhead in Scythe, which controls the life of every single person in the country. Scythe has completely changed the way I view the future of humanity. This book has changed my opinion on what it means to live a human future, and what the future could hold in store for humanity. This novel has shown me that humanity’s largest danger is itself, and with nothing to limit human power, there will be nothing to limit inhuman evil. In conclusion, Scythe is a book that will surely change one’s ideas on the course of the future of humanity. It may not be a perfect novel, as some concepts such as powerful artificial intelligence are glossed over, but the use of human versus human violence gives a new light on dystopia. When reading this novel, be sure to take note of the conflict that arises, as it may change what you think the future has in store for us.
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