Scythe (2016, Novel)

Bibliographic Information: 

Title: Scythe

Author: Neal Shusterman

ISBN: 9783737356985

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Copyright Date: 2016

Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Adventure

Format: Print Book/eBook

Awards/Honors: Honor Book for the Michael L. Printz Award for Teenage Novels (2017)

Reading Level/Interest Level: Ages 12+

Plot Summary: 

The world is immortal, there is no food or housing shortage, knowledge is free and accessible, and no one feels pain anymore. These advantages come with a singular cost - every once in a while, someone gets gleaned. Scythe’s, professionals who are trained to glean three hundred citizens per year per Scythe, must help keep the population from growing too out of control. Some Scythe’s research their potential victims as to not show bias - others commit massacres in large groups so that they only have to leave the house once every month. While everyone is immortal, Scythe’s can only die from self-gleaning, meaning suicide. To make sure there is an appropriate amount of Scythe’s at any time, whether because of self-gleaning or the population growing too quickly, Scythe’s are at times authorized to take on an apprentice. 

Scythe Faraday did the unthinkable by taking on two apprentices, Citra and Rowan, and they now will train together for an entire year only for one of them to advance to Scythe and then have the duty of killing the failed apprentice. Yet, things are not always what they seem, and there is an undercurrent that perhaps not everything that is supposed to happen will…

Author Background: 

To call Neal Shusterman an accomplished author would be to discredit his many, many achievements. With more than 50 awards and accolades under his belt, and numerous stories being turned into television series and movies - Shusterman is the epitome of dedication to the craft. He recently won the ALAN Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2024 Margaret A. Edwards Award for the amount of amazing work he has produced. For Shusterman, his writing journey began in the ninth grade when his English teacher saw how much he enjoyed writing and offered him extra credit for every story he wrote in a month. Catalyzing his love for writing that has certainly paid off, Shusterman not only passed her class but found his passion. He plans to continue writing without any end in sight (About Neal Shusterman).

Critical Evaluation: 

Now this is the dystopian novel I can get into - a perfect world where everyone can live forever without so much as a care in the world, unless you are a Scythe. Shusterman craftily made world building interwoven within the plot of the story that both set the scene but also gave insight into how the world even grew to be so idyllic. While at first it seems like there is no consequence for the actions of Scythes or even just normal citizens living in this world, the minor threat that any of them could be gleaned at any time kept me on the edge of my seat. There was also never a dull moment within the pacing of the novel, which aided in my reading of it as I finished the book within 3 days (unfortunately I had work, otherwise the book would have been finished in one sitting).

Shusterman looks at an utopia and makes you question if it really would be paradise if you were chosen to be a Scythe, knowing that you would have to kill people, some of whom had lived hundreds of years and others who had only lived for twenty. The idea of having that weight on your shoulders should be enough to know that the world Shusterman created is not actually perfect, but rather a basic idea of perfection that has many flaws within the system regardless.

Creative Use for a Library Program: 

The robes that Scythe’s wear go into great detail: none of them are black, most of them are white or off white, but many of them are incredibly plain except for the Scythes who are a little more dramatic in their gleanings. With this being said, I think having a fashion design day where young adults could design their own Scythe robe and then explain why they made the color choices they did would be interesting. If someone chose bold colors like Scythe Goddard, why? If they did pastels like Scythe Curie, why?

Speed-Round Book Talk or Short Book Trailer: 

The world is now perfect: no one needlessly dies, no one feels pain, world hunger is solved and everyone is nearly immortal. Of course, this means the population is constantly growing, so there has to be a way to keep the numbers down, right? That is where the Scythes come in - highly trained professionals who “glean”, meaning they do not kill brutally, but carefully help the person pass and then allow their family a year of immunity where no other scythe can take someone from that family. Citra and Rowan were two teenagers who were chosen to be apprentices under Scythe Faraday, but will they ever come to terms with the fact that they are training to become glorified killers? Or will they see their job as honorable like all other Scythes do?

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: 

One of the most glaring issues I found with Scythe is the way that in this future world there is no religion - and in fact people who claim to practice a religion are made fun of. Indeed, people commonly refer to themselves as gods because of the fact that they are immortal, can “turn the corner” and look younger whenever they want, and the threat of environmental factors will no longer kill them. I could see this being an issue as those who are religious could take this as an insult to their religious feelings - to defend the book we would remind people that this is a work of fiction, and that it is also technically protected by freedom of speech.

Reason for Inclusion: 

Given the amount of awards and accolades that Shusterman has received for his many novels, as well as their popularity amongst young adults themselves, it made sense to make sure to include at least one of his books on this project. Specifically speaking, this novel fit the bill perfectly for Assignment 5, and also adds in more science fiction and dystopian genres into my blog.

References:

(n.d.). About Neal Shusterman. https://www.storyman.com/about/