Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1)

by Neal Shusterman

"A true successor to The Hunger Games." Maggie Stiefvater

In a perfect world, what is there left to fear? A chilling and thought-provoking sci-fi novel from New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman.

A dark, gripping and witty thriller in which the only thing humanity has control over is death.

In a world where disease, war and crime have been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed ("gleaned") by professional scythes. Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythes' apprentices, and despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation, they must learn the art of killing and understand the necessity of what they do.

Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe's apprentice and as Citra and Rowan come up against a terrifyingly corrupt Scythedom, it becomes clear that the winning apprentice's first task will be to glean the loser.

• ISBN10: 1481485261
• ISBN13: 9781481485265
• Publish Date: 22 November 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 17 June 2021
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Edition: Export ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

Scythe has been on my to-read list for two years, but I never could muster up the courage to read it. I started Unwind years ago and couldn't get into it, so I wasn't sure this super hyped Shusterman book was for me. Over the summer, though, I got a copy of Dry and LOVED it, so I knew I had to give Scythe a chance and thank goodness I did!

Citra and Rowan live in a future America where there is no death and the population is controlled by scythes. The scythes live under their own law and must meet (but not exceed) quotas of people "gleaned," although they're free to glean in whatever way they see fit. Everyone fears and respects them - Citra and Rowan are chosen as apprentices. Scythe Faraday goes against convention and takes two apprentices, planning for one to become a scythe at the end of their training. Of course, things go awry and nothing works out as planned.

I really loved both Citra and Rowan, although I liked Rowan a tiny bit more. I definitely appreciated them more when they were separated and were able to explore their strengths individually. Both characters were forced into terrible situations and faced them in believable ways that made me love them even more than I did to begin with. Of course there is a hint of romance, but it's extremely minor as far as YA goes. The villains in this story are also incredibly well written. Their motivations are complex and totally within the realm of believability. Morally gray characters are my favorite and there are many of them here.

One thing Neal Shusterman definitely excelled at was world building. I love dystopian novels and the best ones truly make me see them as real. The Handmaid's Tale and The Hunger Games are so great because the worlds are believable. Scythe belongs right up there at the top of the list. This world is so well written that I felt like I could picture myself there (yikes) while reading!

There are so many things to love about Scythe! The concept of having to control Earth's population because humans have overcome death is fascinating to me. The way the scythes were developed and the way they discussed these difficult issues in their journals was amazing and really made me think about morality in a different way. I also loved how intense things felt at times. There were definitely many slow moments, which was honestly my main issue, but there were other moments that felt so urgent that I couldn't turn the audio off.

Scythe is a must-read if you're a fan of dystopian fiction! There are definitely quite a few slow points but it will be worth it if you can get through them. I definitely plan on picking up Thunderhead as soon as possible!

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: 4.5 Stars

RTC; on to Thunderhead

[arronkau]

Quite readable, and well-paced, but I just wasn't ever quite able to believe in the world as constructed.

[KitsuneBae]

Actual: 4.5 stars

Can you excuse me for a mo'? I'm kinda busy picking up the pieces of my brain atm..

[Berls]

Okay so I started this book for book club as an ebook. And then I had to drive and didn't want to listen to ANYTHING else because my brain was in Scythe. So I bought the audiobook too - yes, I paid for the ebook and the audiobook. I rarely do this when it's not a sale.

And then I DEVOURED it. The world building is on point. What a great world. Yes, I still have questions - but not that distracted from my ability to enjoy the book. More just, I was so immersed in this world I want to know everything about it. The characters are great. They are flawed as hell. They grow. They learn. They are likable from beginning to end. So clever. The romance is minimal, but enough.

While it does not end on a cliff hanger at all -- the ending was very satisfying and if I HAD to wait I could -- I was thrilled book 2 was already out. I bought it immediately (even though it's really expensive for an ebook) and I even got the audiobook, because yeah I knew I was going to want to whispersync it. And I'm seriously considering buying this series in hardback to have on my shelves. It's a great one, so far. Really excited for book 2.

[Kelly]

Unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

[writehollydavis]

An awesome world where Neal is the master at spreading out information, never info dumpy. Kept me on the edge of my seat til the last page! Can't wait for the sequel!

[lisbethwhite]

This was an amazing read. So many twists - every time you think you know where it's going, the author surprises you. I can't wait to see the next book in the series.

[Stephanie]

More like a 4.5. This was solid. And definitely relevant for today, despite its futuristic elements.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
I have made no secret that I think that Neal Shusterman is an absolute genius. Not just in his writing, which is extraordinary, but his storytelling is just... it's masterful. I haven't read a book of his yet that hasn't completely blown my mind, been incredibly thought provoking, and full of emotion. I tell you this because you need to know that this book was so hyped in my head that I was kind of scared for it. And yet, through all my self-hype, somehow it exceeded my expectations, because that is just how freaking amazing Neal Shusterman is.

Where do I even start? Okay. So sometimes when I read books I make notes on little flags. Only when something really makes me think, or needs to be remembered. Well... practically everything in this book made me think, gave me something to ponder. So I have lots of flags. All the flags, basically.

Let's talk a bit about particular components of this book that I extra adored, shall we? Great.

Life & Death

Obviously, death is kind of the whole basis of the plot. Or rather, the lack of death. But of course that becomes a problem, as you can imagine because of overpopulation. The questions this book poses are too numerous to list here, but it will make you think. Would you want to live forever? What would you do if you were a Scythe? Or chosen by one? Does life lose meaning if it never ends? See, you're thinking already, and this is literally just the tip of the iceberg.

Little bits of humor and humanity in a lovely cast of characters

The little moments that are interjected throughout the endlessly heavy ones are absolute perfection. Citra and Rowan are just teens, after all, and I like that though they are going through this life altering apprenticeship, they still have a lot of thoughts and emotions like normal teens would. Even the scythes themselves have personality, little quirks that set them apart from just being all business all the time. And after (in some cases) centuries of scythedom, they retain their core humanity.

Presents a plethora of complex moral issues

"Will we all be renaissance children, skilled at every art and science, because we've had the time to master them? Or will boredom and slavish routine plague us even more than it does today, giving us less of a reason to live limitless lives? I dream of the former, but suspect the latter."

This book is so incredible at making the reader question so many things. The "good guys" aren't all good, the "villains" not all bad. It's far more complicated, and left me reeling, in the best possible way. Even if I hated a character, I sometimes understood them. And even the most honorable of characters were prone to mistakes. At the end of the day, these were human beings deciding on which fellow human beings lived and died, and nothing can be more morally complex than that.

The relevance in our current social climate is on point

I read this pre-election, and I dare say it is far more relevant now. It speaks of political upheaval and corruption, religious and personal freedoms, and who exactly decides what is deemed ethically "correct". I am not going to get into it past that, because you need to read this book yourself.

Bottom Line: Hands down, one of my favorite books of all time. Incredibly thought provoking, beautifully written, and full of the complexity I have come to expect from Neal Shusterman. Go forth and read.