Imagine a future where war, poverty, crime, illness, disease and death have been conquered. Sounds like paradise, right? But the thing is, without death, the world becomes overpopulated and all the problems return. In Scythe, the first book in a trilogy, Neal Shusterman imagines this world where all knowledge and information is overseen by a god-like universal information storage system called the Thunderhead and where the world population is “managed” by individuals called scythes. Scythes are feared and revered and are an authority unto themselves. Based on scientific algorithms, they determine which lives will be terminated, and they follow a strict code of conduct. Or, at least, this is the way the system is supposed to work. When two teens, Cittra and Rowan, are chosen against their own wishes to apprentice to Scythe Faraday, they learn how the scythedom is supposed to work and also how it can be corrupted. This first novel sets up the relationship between the teens and begins to show the rift among the scythes that could have fatal consequences for Cittra, Rowan and countless innocent lives.
Cittra and Rowan seem like average teenagers. Cittra lives with her parents and little brother, and they are a loving cohesive unit. Rowan has a large family where he is “lettuce” — the joke he and his friend Tyger have for their practically anonymous positions in their families. Rowan is a decent student but could be a standout if he chose; he mostly tries to fly under the radar in school and in life. Cittra and Rowan do not know each other but will be brought together by Scythe Faraday, and that is because he sees a quality in each of them that sets them apart from others — a moral compass and sense of right that are essential to being a scythe. When Faraday approaches the teens and their families about taking them with him to apprentice, it is an honor and pretty much an offer they cannot refuse. Well, they could refuse but there are advantages to apprenticeship and scythedom that Cittra, Rowan and their families know. First, if Cittra and Rowan go with Faraday, Faraday will grant their families immunity for a year, meaning that they cannot be “gleaned” (killed) by any scythe. Moreover, if Cittra and Rowan pass the apprenticeship and become scythes, their families will be immune for as long as Cittra and Rowan live. The teens go with Faraday, understanding that from him they will learn how to kill but they also learn many surprising lessons from this teacher. The fact that neither of them wants to kill is precisely what makes them ideal candidates for scythedom, and even though they hate the idea of killing they find themselves wanting to do well for their teacher. They also find themselves becoming friends or perhaps something more.
The fact that Faraday has taken on two apprentices is unusual in the scythedom, something that the teens will learn fairly quickly. All scythes and their apprentices meet several times a year at conclaves where they discuss scythe business, test apprentices and award the coveted scythe ring to apprentices who pass their tests. The conclaves are significant events and draw the world’s attention. Cittra and Rowan discover at the first conclave that there seem to be two types of scythe. The first, like Faraday, are the old school scythes who lead austere lives and avoid the limelight. Faraday is well known and respected amongst his peers, but there is a new upstart school of scythedom, exemplified by Scythe Goddard, who look and act like celebrities. They are flashy and charismatic, but that is not all. Rumors swirl around Goddard and his followers that they bend the rules of the scythes and perhaps take too much enjoyment and employ unorthodox methods in their gleaning. At the conclave the tension between the two sides erupts in an unexpected way — one of Goddard’s scythes takes exception to Faraday having two apprentices and suggests that only one should ultimately be allowed to become a scythe and that that one should then, as his or her first act, glean the other. This is absolutely unheard of, but the “High Blade” of the Scythes, Xenocrates allows it. Shortly after the conclave, Faraday “self gleans” under suspicious circumstances, and while Cittra and Rowan should have then been released from their apprenticeships, they instead find themselves apprenticed to new masters — Rowan to Goddard and Cittra to Scythe Marie Curie, aka The Grande Dame of Death. Like it or not, they will continue their lessons and have to battle each other before the year is out.
I found this novel both fascinating and cringey (in a good way). Scythes are practicing euthanasia, a topic that always makes me uncomfortable, and the reader can’t help but wonder what they would do if they were in Cittra’s or Rowan’s position. It’s supposed to be a perfect world, but it is far from it, and one of the questions to ponder is whether it is the type of world we should wish for. Removing all danger from the world sounds ideal but is there a downside to that as well? There is also the theme of absolute power, unchecked, corrupting absolutely and what one’s response to that should be. The end of this first novel was great and I definitely want to continue with the series, which has been reviewed quite favorably here on CBR.