Scythe (1) (Arc of a Scythe)

In the future, the "cloud" of shared data grows to become the Thunderhead, a limitless AI that enables humanity to live the best possible life. Among the improvements the Thunderhead develops is immortality - everyone can live forever, they won't even die from horrible maiming accidents. But

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population growth still needs to be kept under control, so in come the Scythes. They're an elite class of killers sanctioned by the Thunderhead, but independent of it, authorized to kill a certain number of people per year. Citra and Rowan are teenagers offered exclusive apprenticeships with a Scythe, where they will learn what it takes to be a killer.

This is another one for the pile of "kind of interesting ideas poorly executed." Nothing about this world makes sense. Sometimes people are selected randomly to be killed by Scythes but sometimes they are selected statistically. People don't fear death but also they do fear being selected by a Scythe. What is the point of learning a million different ways to kill people? I was expecting a magical, essence-snuffing kind of humane killing but no, it is guns and electrical shock and forty different poisons and thirty different weapons. Why??? And wouldn't it be easier and more humane to reduce the birth rate than to kill so many people? To start with, how about the Thunderhead stop allowing people over 70 years old to de-age back to their 20s and have more kids?
Why do Scythes have a security force? Security from what? Scythes can't be killed but they can kill you and your whole family.
Scythe law says "thou shalt kill with no bias" but then says "thou shalt grant an annum of immunity ... to anyone else you deem worthy" which is the definition of bias.

Though the world-building is a frustrating mess, there is a twist in the plot about halfway through that was interesting enough to keep me going through the end. I will not be reading any more books in the series, however. I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoyed They Both Die At The End, but that one was not for me either.

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Heavy handed and dreary, a Hunger Games wanna be but with a utopic twist. It isn't new and it isn't fun. And the body count is high by the very nature of the concept.

3.5 stars

Overall I enjoyed the premise and the world, it was an easy read.

However I had the following qualms:
lack of relationship between protagonists
Inconsistencies in logic (i.e killing children, wealth discrepency, human scythes beholden to their own laws who decide whom to kill and how they do

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it).

I feel like in a supposedly perfect world run by AI these above issues wouldn't be happening

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I really enjoy the world in this with the ideas about death and mortality and morality. However, the ending seemed rushed. Citra was not an easy character to like especially at the end with her choice of Scythe name and flawed reasoning. I hope the sequel focuses more on Rowan who is a far more

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interesting character.

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Let me just say there is a reason why this book has been getting so much hype across the social platforms. Much like a rollercoaster, it is filled with many twists and turns that I honestly did not see coming. The events happening in this book had me screaming both internally and outloud. The world

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was nicely developed and made it easier to understand the importance scythes have in their society. 100% recommended read!!

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A new dystopian series that has everything I love. Star-crossed (almost) lovers pitted against one another in a battle to the death. Throw in some truly evil characters, a few noble mentors, a handful of mystery, and a very cool computer system (The Thunderhead) and you have the recipe for a great

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series. This is book 1 and book 2 is already on my to be read list.

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Rowen seem to be two halves of a coin. Rowan is quiet, insightful, ready to stand up for what he believes. Citra is very vocal, determined and inquisitive, at times to her own detriment. I thought it was kind of funny when the TH tells Citra how she can communicate with it. Yeah..no big deal.

I

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actually cheered out loud when some of the characters were gleaned who really, truly, absolutely, positively deserved it.

I was hoping more would be explained regarding Madame Marie Curie and her early gleanings. Come on, she cleaned out a whole cabinet and then some. That's worth more than a few mentions. Or more detail of how TH came to be.

Can't wait to see what happens in book two, Thunderhead.

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I highlighted like a pro with this book BUT, as a whole, it wasn't as amazing as its quotes (if that makes sense). The plot was peppered with sporadic action/horrific violence while the rest seemed like it was trying to be deep and introspective....a recipe for disaster?? NOPE, it worked! Kind

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of...was it on the boring side?? Yes! Was the burgeoning love unnatural and painful to witness? Yes! BUT it was ok...not my new favorite but it was a semi interesting read.

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In a future world where natural death no longer occurs humans must be "gleaned." Scythes (grim reapers) are a sacred group entrusted with this practice. They follow a strict moral code and a set of commandments (1. Thou shalt kill.) Citra and Rowan are recruited as (rare) twin apprentices and

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whoever 'wins' the final scytheship must glean the other. And that's only the beginning of their problems! There's murder and mystery and, yes, lots of violence. Gleanings occur mostly off screen and even the bloodier details are kept to a minimum. In between all the death and destruction is plenty to think about: morality, responsibility, faithfulness, and integrity. Pacing is deft and there are plenty of twists and turns. Highly recommended. Readers will tune in for the action and stay for the musings. Boffo dystopic fiction that borders on science fiction.

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Holy cow! I've heard this book get hype, mostly from my teens, but I didn't realize how right they were until I finally plunged in! This book is fantastic! The concept is insanely unique, and the whole story is inventive and over the top amazing! In a world where humans have finally overcome

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disease, old age, war, and injuries there is nothing left to fear or learn. People can reset their clock and be younger, they can also reset their nannites to have higher metabolism, adjust hormones, depression, and other maladies. They can even be brought back to life from extreme accidents. There is nothing to fear, except for the scythe. Since humanity has overcome every obstacle, the only problem now is overpopulation. The scythe are tasked with random killings to keep the world in balance; they are a terrible necessity. Two teens are about to get real intimate with the dark side of humanity when a scythe has chosen them to become his apprentices. They must learn the best ways to "glean" (killing is a dirty word), and how to do so with humanity and humility. A wonderfully different book. My review will not do it justice!

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This is one of the newer must-reads out there. While Neal Shusterman's Unwind series is good, this one is a whole new level of great. I mean, I was literally only about an hour into it when I went online to buy book two, because I could tell this was a series for the keeper shelf. Set far in the

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future, with a human race that has mastered their planet, including curing both old age and death, a new solution is needed in order to allow for some ability to keep the population under control. While there are some aspects of this world that, like with his previous series, are clear satire for elements of our society, it's all handled quite well here, and the ideas for where the world has gone are extremely engaging. The real question soon becomes, what's to be done when those in charge of doling out virtually the only final death society still has come to start enjoying it a bit too much?

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“My greatest wish for humanity is not for peace or comfort or joy. It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another. For only the pain of empathy will keep us human. There’s no version of God that can help us if we ever lose that.”

I read the book because

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I’m Fascinated by Death and have always wondered what it would feel like to be the Angel of Death. Scythes are different, they’re not supernatural beings but humans task in “gleaning” people in a future where we’ve conquered death, and no one is poor or hungry. Where comfort is a given. I expected the story to be action packed because of my bias for dystopian novels and because it’s YA (hunger games and divergent anyone?) and well, I was wrong. I felt that 70% of the story was focused on Citra and Rowan’s training and world building which is inserted here and there.
Initially, I was wary of their attraction towards each other. It seems that in most YA, there always has to be a romantic relationship between the female and male protagonist and sometimes the love story happens so fast and that it falls into the pit of lovers saving the world and their love. Here, though the relationship is slow burning and by the end, it’s clear to the readers and characters that they do care for each other. The book isn’t about them together, it’s about their journey to scythe hood

The action part’s near the end of the book and I like that in some key parts the author wrote it in a way that could trick you into believing that the characters chose roads that would lead them to the dark path of gleaning (or maybe it was just me secretly hoping for the worst).In addition, I also like that it is written in the two main character’s POV with snippets from the supporting characters before each chapter in the form of a journal entry.

It was not boring but it didn’t really pump an adrenaline or made me randomly rise up from bed while reading.

Will I read the next book? Yes

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Here’s a book that I’ve had on my shelf for some time. Now that I think about it, I’ve had this almost since its release date way back in November of 2016. Ah, the bane of the to-read shelf, or shelves, as the case may be. (Yeah, I know. I’m not proud of my book binge buying and not reading

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habits). Scythe by Neal Shusterman is a young adult dystopian novel about two apprentice scythes, people who ‘glean’ (see: murder) others as a means of population control in a futuristic, utopic world.

Here’s what the book is about.

This story is about Citra and Rowan, two teenagers who become apprentices to a Scythe. The world they live in is a veritable utopia. There is no more disease or death. Government has been replaced by a conscious, benevolent AI system, meaning no more war. The only way a person can die is if they are ‘gleaned’ by a scythe, a prestigious position to be sure, but one feared and generally unliked. Citra and Rowan find themselves apprenticed to one of these scythes, bound to stay in training for a year. Neither want to stay – it wasn’t in either’s plans – but failing has dire consequences.

I really loved this story. While staying distinctly within the young adult genre, it feels more dystopic than some other YA dystopia’s I’ve read. It’s very original, not derivative of the plethora of other YA dystopia’s which have come before.

Now, the story takes place over the course of about a year, quite a long time. There are time skips between one chapter and the next, but it never felt jarring in any way. It was well paced overall, and held my attention throughout. Now, that isn’t to say that there are thrills a minute. This isn’t necessarily a high octane thriller, so keep that in mind if you normally don’t read in this genre.

Our main characters are Citra and Rowan, two high schoolers who catch the eye of Scythe Faraday, a well-known scythe looking for an apprentice. The two are quite different personality wise. Citra strives to be the best in everything she does. Rowan, the middle child of a household of nineteen, is used to being overlooked and has no real need or desire to stand out in a crowd.

There is a little romance in the story, and it’s not very hard to guess who the romantic interests are. If you are a fan of dystopia’s but aren’t a big fan of romance as a main plot device, don’t worry. While present, it isn’t a main plot by any means and doesn’t detract or distract from the main story.

At first glance the world this story is set in looks like a veritable utopia. And, in a lot of ways it is. War is a thing of the past. There is no more hunger. Disease, and even death, have been conquered. Everyone is educated. Everyone has jobs. And anyone can look as young, or old as they want. This, however, is not the case.

The dystopic elements of the story are small, and more subtle than many other novels touching upon similar themes. The phenomenon of being nearly immortal is relatively new. It’s only been a few hundred years since this technology was developed, and the long term effects on society and the earth as a whole are unknown. Despite having much added time on their hands, the human race doesn’t seem to have done too much in terms of major inventions since then, and have, in fact, given up in certain areas. A series of disasters led to the abandonment of space programs such as colonization of Mars. Even the arts seems to have a certain level of abandonment. Immortal humans seem to have a very real disconnect from those who lived mortal lives. Much of the art, literature, and music we know today doesn’t connect with them, as they have no concept of things like fearing the death of a loved one, fighting for your beliefs in war, etc.

This is a very interesting, but subtle twist. Not only are Citra and Rowan in a position they don’t want to be in – both are horrified at the prospect of being scythes – but they don’t have much of a reference for it. Death is unknown to them. They’ve never really seen it before. They have little framework for what it really means. But so too do the scythes themselves as demonstrated by vastly differing outlooks on what it means to be a scythe and how they should go about their task.

I must admit that characters and themes tend to fall a bit more into the good vs. evil as opposed to shades of gray. Part of this, I feel, is that there is a such a disconnect from our current, mortal world, and the future immortal one. I don’t think this detracts from the story, but it is something to keep in mind if you don’t like more straightforward themes and concepts while reading.

I really can’t recommend Scythe by Neal Shusterman enough. It was a fun read, had a few good twists, and I highly recommend reading it. When the next book in the series, Thunderhead, comes out I will most definitely be reading it. If you like dystopian stories, young adult books, or Neal Shusterman’s other works, read this book. If you don’t enjoy dystopian tales, or enjoy more characters with a grayer moral spectrum this one may not be for you.

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Citra and Rowan are chosen to be apprentices to Scythe Faraday in a world where people have conquered death and a Thundercloud computer has taken on responsibility for governance. Action-packed and ethically complicated, the two trainees have experiences with a variety of mentors while they are

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immersed into the Scythedom, the one human controlled thing about the world - reaping, bringing death to people who otherwise could live forever. This book had me hooked.

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Very entertaining read. Great book for teens, but can't guarantee all will like it based on the moral conflicts within( I think some may be uncomfortable with their own thoughts). I had heard Shusterman was a little strange based on the morbid plot lines of his books. I can definitely see that

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criticism, but I don't agree with it. In this book he is addressing a high interest topic, with characters that take very debatable actions. You can see how the scythes are just an exponentiation of thoughts we practice in reality. The implications this book has could fit philosophy classes and discussions for teens that could be really interesting. Looking forward to the sequels.

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Another science fiction page turner from Shusterman. Immortality and its consequences. Looks like there could be sequels. It's very good, but not quite the Unwind Dystology, so far. I don't know, I couldn't stop reading, but I didn't feel much when I finished. So I hope there is a sequel.

A science-fiction novel, Scythe will discuss death, eternity, morality, and good vs. evil.

After humans conquered death, it was decided that there is no other earth, so population numbers have to be controlled. They determined that Scythes’ only job would be to “glean” (kill) people. The

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Thunderhead, the AI (artificial intelligence) controls everything else. Usually in science fiction, the AI takes over and it’s evil. In this novel, the AI control humanity better than any government ever could. There is no hunger, war, or disease. The one area the Thunderhead has no control is the world of the Scythes.

Scythe Faraday notices Citra and Rowan and decides to take them as apprentices. This is not the life they planned. They learn pretty quickly that there are factions and different beliefs about the role of the Scythes. These factions manipulate the system so that either Citra or Rowan will be a Scythe; the chosen one will be given a difficult task that no other scythe apprentice has ever been given. It’s not fair, but it is their reality. They are now on a deadline to figure out how to save each other from the misguided.

I am so limited by what I can say because I don’t want to give anything away. When I began the book, I was disturbed by this world created. I’m usually able to handle anything in a book because I know it’s fake. As the book progressed, I became more and more interested and I saw the ideas the author is toying with: humanity, power, morality, change, tenacity, and conflict. If you’ve read Neal Shusterman, you know that you’ll get a heavy book that is interesting and thought-provoking

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This book was amazing. I enjoyed the story and cannot wait to read Thunderhead. The story is easy to understand and it had me thinking about life and what it means to be alive. I would recommend this book to everyone.

A world created and enjoyed. All the elements of a good read.

Ah, where do I start with this one? Scythe by Neal Shusterman is every bit YA as it ever could be, and historically I tend to rate YAs a bit lower than my usual fair of books, maybe because it all seems so underwhelming and teen characters are still teens and growing into themselves. That being

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said, this is among the best YAs I've read lately. The premise is a bit morbid, but it speaks to issues that are always of the highest importance: morality, ethics, compassion, and empathy. If you like a fast-paced read and appreciate a tale of good versus evil (and where justice prevails), check it out.

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Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Arc of a Scythe. I listened to this as an audiobook from Audible.com

Audiobook Quality (5/5): This was an amazing audiobook. There are two narrators and they both did an amazing job. This is definitely a series I would recommend listening to and I

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will continue to listen to the series on audiobook.

Story (5/5): Most of the story involves two characters, Citra and Rowan, who are vying for a position as a Scythe. Scythes are humans who kill other humans to keep population down in a world where no one dies anymore. There was a lot of food for thought here. For example, what happens to families when no one ever dies? What is the best way to choose who dies? It makes for a very engaging story and a tense one at times. My only complaint would be that this book is not the most uplifting, lots of discussion about death and suicide.

Characters (5/5): While the characters took a bit of a back seat to the world-building in this book, they were still incredibly well done. Citra and Rowan were very engaging and had a lot of depth. However, the characters I found most intriguing were the long-acting Scythes that Citra and Rowan are trained by.

Setting (5/5): Absolutely amazing world-building here. The world is really well thought out and very unique. I love the idea of the Thunderhead and am excited to learn more about this AI in future books. The world-building and history were really the highlight of this book.

Writing Style (5/5): This is written in a very typical Shusterman style. Good dialogue, easy to follow, and generally well written. Shusterman is a very solid writer and, while I don’t absolutely adore his writing style, I really have no complaints about this book. Shusterman always takes a crazy idea (in this case people not dying and needing to be killed) and builds a world and story around that. This is the best book by him so far, it was much more complex and well thought out than some of his other books/series.

Summary (5/5): Overall I was surprised by how much I loved this and I am excited to see where the story goes in “Thunderhead”. I really enjoyed that there was a main story as well as a broader mystery. I would recommend to Shusterman fans and to anyone who finds the concept of a society where no one ever dies intriguing. I definitely plan on continuing the series.

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*Free e-book ARC provided by the publisher through Edelweiss/Above the Treeline in exchange for an honest review. No money or other goods were exchanged, and all views are my own.*

In a future where disease, pain, and need is gone, all humanity would live immortally except for Scythes. These

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particular humans are above the law and necessary to society - after all, the population would get out of control if there wasn't a bit of judicious gleaning. Rowan and Citra, two teens living very different lives, are suddenly brought together by Scythe Faraday, who takes them on as apprentices. They must compete with each other to become a Scythe, and soon they're drawn in to this dark and political world with high stakes for the winner and loser.

I enjoy Neal Shusterman's books for their provocative, eerily possible premises that engage a teen (or adult) audience with real-world issues. Scythe is no exception. For a book about death and immortality, it's not ridiculously graphic or gratuitously violent, but it is in a dark topic and there are some mass murder scenes, so go in with eyes wide open. I couldn't read it before bed, or I would've finished it even faster.

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You know I bought this book a few weeks back and Hurricane Michael stole it from me, but thanks to Riveted (Simon & Schuster), I had the chance to read it online in its entirety...and you know what? It was AMAZING! True, I guessed one of the BIG surprises, but even so, it kept you on your toes,

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allowing readers to imagine this "perfect" world and yet see the flaws hiding just beneath the surface. I simply can't wait to read the next book!

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This book is a breath of fresh air. Scythe is something special, even amongst the dystopia genre. It's such a cool concept: in a world where no one dies, there are those who are trained to kill to keep the population stable. And, thankfully, the book itself is even COOLER than it sounds.

I don't

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want to say much, because I think the fun of it is going into this book blind. The world created might seem strange at first but trust me: it gets stranger. What I really loved was how I came to realize that death, one of the world's greatest fears, is a much better thing than I ever realized. Who would have thought that a world without death would be so.... not ideal.

I'll let you discover why.

The characters are great. In fact, I kept wanting them to be even worst, and make even messier mistakes, but they pleasantly surprised me every time with their strong moral codes. Not saying what they do is "right," but I did enjoy the opposing morals, and how much they believe what they're doing is right. I also loved how they started off so similar but were allowed to grow in unexpected ways (I'm trying to remain spoiler free here, and I don't think it's working).

So yes, this book is amazing and yes, it deserves all the praise it's received, and YES you should start reading immediately.

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