In a world where no one dies naturally, two teenagers are trained to end lives to control the population
A perfect world with a terrible price
In the future, humanity has conquered disease, aging and accidents, and a wise artificial intelligence called the Thunderhead runs the world. To keep the population in balance, a separate order of Scythes is given the right to end lives. Two teenagers, Citra and Rowan, are chosen as apprentices to the respected Scythe Faraday, a role neither of them wants.
Who will enjoy it
Teen and adult readers who enjoy thought-provoking dystopian fiction with moral questions, suspense and memorable characters.
What you will get
A gripping, thought-provoking dystopian novel that raises big questions about life, power and responsibility, with clever world-building and constant suspense.
Scythe Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Young Adult · Dystopia · Mortality · Apprentices
Length
464 pages · ≈ 14 h
More about this book
Shusterman builds a fascinating world. People can turn their bodies back to a younger age, injuries are healed in hours, and the Thunderhead manages almost everything fairly. Only the Scythes act outside its control, following ten strict laws that require them to choose people without bias. Faraday is thoughtful and compassionate, and he believes that a Scythe should never enjoy the work. He chooses Citra and Rowan precisely because they are reluctant.
Their training includes history, weapons and philosophy, and each chapter opens with entries from the journals of Scythes, which explore the ethics of their role. A shocking event forces the apprentices apart, and the rules change: only one will be chosen, and the winner must end the life of the other. Citra trains with the principled Scythe Curie, while Rowan is placed with Scythe Goddard, the leader of a group that sees the work as a source of power and pleasure. The book contains violent scenes, but they serve its serious questions, and the plot is full of twists.
Smart, tense and memorable, a Printz Honor book. About 464 pages in the Simon & Schuster paperback.
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