Imagine a world where death is simply a relic of history, a remnant of barbaric times.
The Toll is the third novel in the Scythe trilogy, written by Neal Shusterman. It is a fairly recent publication, based in a sci-fi future where death has been cured, along with all disease, poverty, and corruption. The world is in perfect harmony, under the jurisdiction of one truly intelligent and benign AI; the Thunderhead.
The novel follows the corruption of the Sycthedom, an organization that gleans (a.k.a. kills) a set amount of the human population every year to avoid overpopulation, as death isn’t permanent until gleaning. The protagonists are scythes that are trying to fix this issue by looking for a mysterious failsafe made by the founding scythes, though they have no idea what the actual failsafe does.
I really enjoyed the scientific concepts in this novel, the ideas presented are plausible; revival through advanced medicine and cloning, memory backup through technology, a world without government, etc. One thing I wish the author did was describe the more minute details of life in that world, as I feel details are left behind in favor of furthering the plot and important story points.
The novel ends with a conflict that is resolved through an intense combat scene, masterfully detailed by the author. Friends are separated forever, but there is also hope and belief in a better future. I think this is one of the best sci-fi novels I've ever read, as it is pretty much a perfect conclusion to the two previous novels.
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