The Arc of Scythe trilogy, by Neal Shusterman, is one of the best young adult fiction genre series I’ve read.
Neal Shusterman is known for doing award winning books like Downsiders, Full Tilt, and most famously the Skinjacker trilogy (the National Book Award.) Though I’m always reminded of his Unwind dystopia series, which includes 6 books, as it has some dystopian vibes of the Scythe trilogy. Whereas that world involves children being harvested for their body parts, Scythe takes a more utopian view of a future Earth, where humanty has achieved clinical immortality via nanotechnology. Due to this, the world has become overpopulated, and an order of murders called the Scythedom culls the ever increasing amount of humans as they deal with existential problems of an immortal existence.
Contents
Scythe Trilogy Book #1: Scythe
The first book, Scythe, introduces us to the world of a supposedly utopian planet, free of disease, hunger, goals, and most importantly, death. With overpopulation encroaching, humanity creates an order of killers (who wear long, hooded robes, like the Grim Reaper) who are above all laws. They have jurisdiction within their geographical districts, and have the highest authority when it comes to being granted access to resources, money, or locations. (Who would defy a culturally accepted executioner?)
We are introduced to two teens, Citra, and Rowan, who are chosen to be Scythe’s in training, by Scythe Faraday. We see the world through these two young adult’s eyes, and the world of the Scythedom, as they train and attempt tests to become fully fledges syches. Faraday, being a Scythe of the Old Guard, believes killing should be a private act carried with respect, dignity, cleanly, and with no pain. Whereas the New Order of scythes see killing as some fundamental freedom and right only scythes should be given, and it is up to them to take pleasure and revelry in such acts, especially in mob killings.
This New Order is personified by Scythe Goddard, a sadist has shows off his power and ego by adorning his robe in jewels, living in manions and having lavish parties. Scythe’s take a new name, named after a famous person they are inspired over, similar to the ordaining of a new Pope.
While the main conflict arises between Goddard and Faraday, and Goddard’s attempts to use Rowan as one of his disciples, it’s ultimately about the two main characters ascension into adulthood, and the Scythedom.
Scythe Trilogy Book #2: The Thunderhead
The Thunderhead focuses on a new character, Greyson Tolliver, and his relationship with the planetary AI, The Thunderhead. Think of it as if Google went sentient and ran the world, making sure all the self-driving cars ran on time. Being a “nimbus agent”, it appears the Thunderhead has plans for Greyson that no one else on the planet has the capacity for. This involves Greyson being labeled as Unsavory, and temporarily excommunicated to talk to the Thunderhead, till they have passed their sentence and changed their behavior. This all culminates to the ending of the story, where we see Greyson’s real purpose.
Rowan has become an anti-scythe, killing all the perverse or Goddard-like Scythes, while Citra has been granted a new master, Scythe Curie, the Grand Dame of Death. Both are trying to change the Scythedome in their own way, but the New Order scythes have more sway than they both realized. This too has a climax, where a reborn Scythe Goddard schemes his way with the eldest Scythes of the day, and ends up taking power.
We are further introduced to one of the main surviving religions on the planet, the Tonists, who believe in some prophetic sound that will purify or resonate humanity.
Scythe Trilogy Book #3: The Toll
Here we have a series of characters, plots, and perspectives, that make us a bit confused and lost at times; luckily, Shusterman brings it all together in a coherent way.
We’re introduced to sea captains, religious zealots and opportunists, new friends and old enemies. Plenty of death and killing, as per natural. That’s not to say it’s not exciting and doesn’t have meaning. There’s simply so much happening at once, that we lose sight of the main thrust of the story, as the great reveal of the ending just seems to happen. Who are the villains? Who are the main characters? What is the Thunderhead up to? What are these strange chapters where we have two being talking and one destroying the other at the end of the chapter?
Definitely the weakest narrative of the books in the scythe trilogy, but one of the more sophisticated and intricate. Concepts of space travel and exploration, a broken, meaningless existence, and a little bit of a love story are found throughout.
If Neal Shusterman has a dizzying intellect, he certainly knows how to write with it.
Scythe Trilogy main themes
Some of the more prominent themes are man vs machine, man vs self, man vs identity, and what it means to be alive; what do you do in your final hours, knowing your life has been marked by a scythe?
The mostly centers around Rowan and Citra, though that all changes within the third book.
The Scythe Trilogy biggest blemish
The only major issue, which I’ve talked about, and you might’ve heard about if you searched this series before, is a character in the third book. There is very little understanding as to how this characters exists in this future world; that’s not to say their existence is unbelievable, but simply not believable enough. And in fiction, not being believable is a capital offense.
We’re talking about a genderfluid character named Jericho. But not just Jericho. The entire island of Madagacar are this way. “When skies are clear, I choose to be a woman. When they are not, I am a man.” And on cloudy days, they’re confused.
This could’ve easily be fixed with some basic exposition on the resurrection process when people are rebuilt from great injury, or “turning a corner” when they decide to de-age themselves back to a younger time. But Shusterman never makes this effort, and as such, we can only see the politics of the writer in this character. Men are still biologically male, and women are still biologically female. There’s no getting around this, no matter how an individual feels. They even throw away the concept of pronouns, to simply calling people their names.
A blemish, yes. In the Scythe Trilogy, it certainly stands out. But it’s hardly a big deal in the scope of the three books. When the writing is quite good, it simply stands out more.
Final Thoughts
Great stories. Pick em up. You might learn about brevity, dialogue, and how to bring a jumbled mess together!
Don’t like the hard or softcover? Check out the first of the Scythe Trilogy in ebook format:
Check out some of my other Worth Reading book reviews on here: Deathbird Stories