Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read if you like: Science fiction utopias, thinking too much about human nature, teen protagonists in way over their heads

Reading Goal: 1/100 (so many to go)

In Scythe, author Neal Shusterman creates a world in which humans have gained the knowledge to conquer nearly all of the threats humanity faces through technology. There is no war, no disease, no pain-- essentially a Utopia. However, in order to keep the population under control, individuals are chosen as Scythes, who have the sole power and responsibility to glean, or end the lives of others. Citra and Rowan are chosen as apprentices of a Scythe, and they must learn how to navigate their new role in bringing an end to lives while trying to protect their own. Neither Rowan or Citra want to be a Scythe, but begin to understand they have been chosen for their deep care of others in a position where many can be corrupt and cruel.

Neal Shusterman is one of the authors that originally got me into Si-Fi Fantasy books way back in middle school with his Unwind series, and I have been dying to start his Scythe series for a while now. Shusterman is a powerhouse in Science Fiction because he does not write solely about new cool technology or societies far beyond what we can understand, but at the heart of his work is human nature, and how we as humans change or remain the same as the world progresses around us. In my opinion, the best science fiction is about people. Please, do not try to explain to me the intricacies of a super computer. But people, people I can understand. Or at least try to.

The soul of Citra and Rowan's story in Scythe is rooted in empathy, and the idea that we have a responsibility to care for others in everything we do. It also explores power, particularly the power to take a life, and how absolute power over a population leads to corruption. Scythes aren't held to any laws except for commandments they created themselves, so I'm sure you can see that this leads to a few problems. We get to see this world through the eyes of Citra and Rowan, who are newcomers and must explore what it means to be a Scythe and, ultimately, what it means to be human. What I'm saying is I spent a lot of time thinking about my own mortality and staring at the wall while reading this one, so a pretty typical Saturday night for me.