book review on scythe

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

For Parents
For Educators
Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

Get the app
Movie Reviews
Best Movie Lists
Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best TV Lists
Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
Common Sense Selections for TV
Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

Book Reviews
Best Book Lists
Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Game Reviews
Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Podcast Reviews
Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

App Reviews
Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

YouTube Channel Reviews
YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

Explaining the News to Our Kids

Family Tech Planners
Digital Skills
All Articles
Latino Culture
Black Voices
Asian Stories
Native Narratives
LGBTQ+ Pride
Best of Diverse Representation List

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

Scythe: arc of a scythe, book 1, common sense media reviewers.

Chilling concept fuels sci-fi thriller about life and death.

Scythe: Arc of a Scythe, Book 1 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Explores interesting questions about the meaning o

Knowing that our bodily existence is finite gives

Neither Citra nor Rowan wants to become a scythe,

Scythe contains innumerable scenes of violence, fr

Citra and Rowan develop crushes on each other, but

Language is mild, with under a dozen uses of &quot

Champagne is served to underage drinkers at a part

Educational Value

Explores interesting questions about the meaning of life and death, the value of compassion, and the choice of self-sacrifice.

Positive Messages

Knowing that our bodily existence is finite gives meaning to our lives. Kindness and empathy are more important than ambition and success.

Positive Role Models

Neither Citra nor Rowan wants to become a scythe, but they learn to take their duties seriously. They struggle with conflicting philosophies, but they manage to be true to themselves.

Violence & Scariness

Scythe contains innumerable scenes of violence, from messy suicides to mass killings with flamethrowers to intimate and sudden poisonings or stabbings. There's a literary rationale for this bloody excess, but younger readers might be upset by it.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Citra and Rowan develop crushes on each other, but for the most part they keep their attraction well hidden.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language is mild, with under a dozen uses of "hell" and "damn" and one or two of "ass."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Champagne is served to underage drinkers at a party.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that 2017 Michael J. Printz Honor Book Scythe , by Neal Shusterman , is set in a future where most of the human population is immortal but where a few are chosen to die at the hands of mysterious officials known as "scythes." There are many scenes of violence -- suicides, mass murder, beatings and torture, and intimate killings -- which may upset younger, more sensitive readers. Strong language is limited to under a dozen uses of "hell" and "damn," with one or two instances of "ass." There's an attraction between the two main characters, but they don't act on it.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

Parents say (10)
Kids say (81)

Based on 10 parent reviews

Intense Violence, Clever Writing, Fantastic Concepts

Great message...just have to read to the end., what's the story.

As SCYTHE opens, Rowan and Citra have no intention of becoming scythes, favored officials who rule on matters of life and death in a future where disease has been vanquished and death can be easily thwarted. But when they both become students of Scythe Farraday, they begin to question the meaning of life and death. And when they're pitted against each other, they will have to face the possibility of personal extermination, even as they struggle against the machinations of a corrupt band of renegade scythes.

Is It Any Good?

A fresh, rich central conceit is often the first step toward a superior science fiction saga, and this new novel has a winner of a premise. Readers of Scythe will be with Rowan and Citra every step of the way as they prepare for their duties as dealers of death. Author Neal Shusterman tackles big themes but keeps the action running high, with plenty of twists, reversals, and unexpected secrets. This volume delivers a satisfying reading experience, but it also leaves plenty of room for an exciting follow-up.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how Scythe portrays a world where death is an infrequent occurrence. How would near immortality change civilization? Would human nature change at all?

How is violence used in Scythe ? Is it only used for evil? Do people ever welcome death?

What would it be like to have the power of life and death over someone?

Book Details

Author : Neal Shusterman
Genre : Science Fiction
Topics : Sports and Martial Arts , Friendship
Book type : Fiction
Publisher : Simon & Schuster
Publication date : November 22, 2016
Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 17
Number of pages : 435
Available on : Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated : July 23, 2018

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

The Diabolic, Book 1

Want personalized picks for your kids' age and interests?

The Young Elites, Book 1

Swarm: Zeroes, Book 2

Science fiction books, books like the hunger games, related topics.

Sports and Martial Arts

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

Kirkus Reviews' Best Books Of 2016

New York Times Bestseller

From the Arc of a Scythe series , Vol. 1

by Neal Shusterman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 29, 2016

A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.

Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.

On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.

Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6

Page Count: 448

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT DYSTOPIAN FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION

Share your opinion of this book

IF ONLY I HAD TOLD HER

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024

A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.

In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me , three characters tell their sides of the story.

Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9781728276229

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE

More by Laura Nowlin

by Laura Nowlin

INDIVISIBLE

by Daniel Aleman ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2021

An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.

A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.

Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.

Pub Date: May 4, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FAMILY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

More by Daniel Aleman

by Daniel Aleman

More About This Book

PERSPECTIVES

Tomás Rivera Kids’ Book Award Winners Announced

Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy

Popular in this Genre

Hey there, book lover.

We’re glad you found a book that interests you!

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.

'Scythe,' a super popular dystopian YA book, is perfect for anyone who loved 'The Hunger Games'

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

" Scythe " is a bestselling young adult science fiction novel.
I don't read many sci-fi novels, but I loved the world-building and fast-paced plot in this one.
I recommend it to anyone who likes " The Hunger Games. "

To be honest, I don't read science fiction or fantasy novels often. No matter how well-written they are, I sometimes struggle to imagine the elaborate worlds built by the authors, enriched with advanced technology or complex magic.

But it took me only three days to completely devour " Scythe, " a wildly popular dystopian novel .

"Scythe," a young adult sci-fi book by author Neal Shusterman, was published in 2016 and is the first in a completed trilogy followed by " Thunderhead " and " The Toll ." It's also currently being adapted into a movie by Universal Pictures.

Before I opened the book, all I knew was that it's about a world where humanity has conquered mortality and now the only way humans die is by the hands of a scythe — humans who are designated, trained, and spend their lives in charge of "gleaning" people for population control.

Reading "Scythe," the story follows two reluctant teenagers, Citra and Rowan, who are chosen to apprentice a scythe, even though neither of them wants the role. As they begin to understand the intricacies of scythedom, their journeys are complicated by a stipulation: Only one will become a scythe — and their first act will be to glean the other.

I'm not the only one who's obsessed with this book. "Scythe" has great reviews — 84% of its nearly 200,000 reviews on Goodreads are 4- and 5-stars — and I couldn't agree more. This novel is fast-paced, involves excellent world-building, and — you heard it here first! — has the potential to become the next " Hunger Games. "

Here are the three things I loved the most about "Scythe":

The fantastical world feels a lot like our own, making it easy for non-fantasy fans to follow along. .

I generally have a problem with the elaborate world-building in most fantasy and science-fiction novels. Even with beloved high fantasy series like " Game of Thrones " or " The Lord of the Rings, " it's too difficult for me to keep track of all the different magic, characters, family trees, and histories that are crucial to the plot, making them personally not very enjoyable for me to read.

But in "Scythe," the dystopia (or utopia, depending on how you see it) is built swiftly and easily: It's reminiscent of the world we currently live in, but a few hundred years into the future. 2042 was the year the world decided to combine all the information that's currently stored in the "cloud" into one massive artificial intelligence system known as the Thunderhead.

As the Thunderhead immediately knew the collective knowledge of humanity, it was able to solve world hunger, wealth inequality, and all the other problems in the world. (Sure, you could poke some holes in this, but it's a YA science fiction novel. I just rolled with the information I was given.)

A post shared by Kat’s Book Stacks (@kats.stacks)

In this world, there are public cars that drive themselves, people have "nanites" in their bodies that regulate pain and emotion, and there are machines that can reset your age to any time in adulthood. Because this futuristic world felt plausible and familiar, it helped me become obsessed with the premise as quickly as I did.

"Scythe" presents a series of ethical dilemmas that kept me invested in the story.

Most scythes take the responsibility of taking a life very seriously, acting with a reverence for the gleaned and their families. They glean people in a similar ratio to the present-day mortality rate, randomly choose from a group to eliminate bias, and ensure they're gleaning the population evenly across gender, race, and age.

Each scythe has their own specific method of choosing who to glean. Some strictly follow the statistics of mortality from before the age of immortality, while others choose based on who seems ready to be done with life. Others mirror mass tragedies from history, wiping out hundreds of people at a time, but only a few times per year.

The book poses many ethical dilemmas that I won't spoil, but the main one is this: How does one person choose when another one should die? I still find myself pondering this question, which is one of the main reasons I loved the book so much, and can't wait to read the next ones.

This book is incredibly fast-paced and full of plot twists, which made me order the sequel.

I absolutely couldn't put this book down. Every time the apprentices would seem to conquer a challenge, another one arose. Even in the short moments that seemed like lulls, there were huge overarching problems that needed to be resolved and kept me turning the pages.

My only critique is the book didn't end in a very gripping cliffhanger. I know which problems will be addressed in the next book (not spoiling anything, promise!) but I didn't feel the immediate urge to open the next one until I read the description of the sequel.

That being said, I've already ordered the sequel, " Thunderhead ," and recommended " Scythe " to every single one of my sci-fi-loving friends.

If you're looking for a fascinating dystopian science fiction book with all the page-turning excitement of "The Hunger Games," read this book (and the whole " Arc of the Scythe " series).

Main content

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

Book Review

Scythe — “the arc of a scythe” series.

Neal Shusterman
Drama , Dystopian

Readability Age Range

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Printz Honor Book, 2017; ALA/YALSA Teens' Top Ten List, 2017; and many others

Year Published

Scythe by Neal Schusterman has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine . It is the first book in the “Arc of a Scythe” series.

Plot Summary

In the year 2042, the technological cloud evolved into an entity called “the Thunderhead,” a sentient conglomeration of all the information ever put into computers. Over the years and with the help of the Thunderhead’s abilities, humankind eliminated disease, war, famine and even death. Nanites can heal any damage to human bodies, even aging.

The only way a person can die now is by being gleaned. A selected group of men and women, known as scythes, are allowed kill individuals in order to keep the planet from overpopulation. The Thunderhead does not interfere with their work, nor are they allowed to access its data in order to manipulate who gets gleaned.

Each scythe takes the name of a historical figure. They are supposed to live outside of normal human interaction in order to remain anonymous and relatively free of biases that could influence the people they choose to kill.

Citra, a teenager, is shocked when Scythe Faraday arrives unannounced to her family’s apartment and invites himself to dinner. She and her family are terrified at the thought that one of them might be gleaned. Only Citra has the courage to demand Faraday does it or leave once dinner has been eaten. Faraday admits he is not there to glean any of them, but their neighbor. He allows Citra’s mother to kiss his ring as payment for the dinner he consumed, giving her immunity from gleaning for one year.

Rowan, another teenager, follows Faraday through the halls of his school when the scythe appears there one morning. Faraday explains that he is there to glean Kohl, the star quarterback. Kohl is terrified, and although he barely knows Rowan, he asks him to stay by his side as Faraday administers the electric shock that kills him. Faraday warns Rowan that although his actions were merciful and showed courage, others will not view it that way. Sure enough, Rowan becomes a pariah as other students spread rumors that he asked the scythe to kill Kohl, or killed Kohl himself.

Several months later, Scythe Faraday requests both Citra and Rowan be his apprentices for the next year. In the end, only one will receive a scythe ring, the sign of their authority and the way in which they grant immunity. The other will be allowed to return to his or her life. Although neither wants to be a scythe, they eventually enter into the apprenticeship with Faraday.

The training is difficult, both mentally and physically. They must learn how to use various weapons, poisons — and even their hands — to kill people. They are taught the history and moral code of the Scythedom. Faraday also instructs them on his own rules of decency, which includes attending the funerals of those he gleans, to show his respect to their family.

Three times a year, scythes gather together for a Conclave, in which they test apprentices and discipline scythes that have broken the rules. At the Vernal Conclave, Rowan and Citra see the political rift that is opening between old-school scythes like Faraday and his friend Curie, and those of the modern world, like Scythe Goddard. Goddard and his followers do not glean individually. Although nothing has been officially documented, they prefer to glean groups, and their killings are terrifying and often painful. Goddard is charismatic, however, and easily deflects all accusations.

In their first tests as apprentices, Scythe Curie questions both Citra and Rowan. When it’s obvious they have formed a friendship, one of Goddard’s followers asks that Faraday not be allowed to have two apprentices, as they appear to be helping each other. She suggests that in order to make sure Citra and Rowan both try their best to become scythes, whoever wins should have to glean the other as their first act as a scythe.

Faraday vehemently objects but is overruled by the scythe’s High Blade, Xenocrates. Scythe Faraday, in an effort to save his apprentices from this decision, commits suicide by jumping in front of a subway train. Usually, when a scythe dies, their apprentice is set free. However, High Blade Xenocrates gives his permission for Citra to be Scythe Curie’s apprentice, while Rowan will apprentice under Scythe Goddard. Looming over Citra’s and Rowan’s training is the reality that the one chosen to be scythe will have to kill the other.

Like Faraday, Scythe Curie believes in the old rules of the Scythedom, and trains Citra in the same manner. Citra doubts that Faraday committed suicide and wonders if the Thunderhead has video evidence of the scene. She investigates in secret, as she knows Scythe Curie would not approve.

Rowan learns a completely different view of Scythedom from Goddard, one of violence, power and entitlement. In order to survive, Rowan develops physically and mentally into a fine-tuned killer, but he knows Goddard’s vision of the scythe is wrong. Of the three scythes that live and work with Goddard, only one, a young man named Volta, seems to have the same misgivings as Rowan.

At the Autumn Conclave, Citra tells Rowan about her investigation into Faraday’s death. She believes he was pushed, and the witnesses who claimed he jumped were offered immunity by the scythe who committed the murder. They both know the scythe who had the most to gain from his death was Goddard, but as they can’t prove anything, they must keep their suspicions to themselves.

As a test of their skills, they are forced to use martial arts to battle each other. Citra knows that Rowan is trying to throw the fight, but refuses to let him. In desperation, Rowan breaks her neck. He does it so that she will not hesitate the next time and win the Scythedom. As the winner, she will have to kill him.

Thinking Rowan has embraced his love of violence, Goddard throws an elaborate party in his honor. Rowan is surprised to see High Blade Xenocrates in attendance. Rowan suspects Goddard is blackmailing the High Blade in order to keep Goddard from being censured by the Scythedom.

Rowan’s friend Volta reveals that Esme, a young girl living in their mansion, is Xenocrates’ illegitimate daughter. Not only would he lose his position should the truth come out, but Goddard has threatened to glean her if the High Blade does not support him.

Once Citra is returned to life, she is arrested for the murder of Faraday. As evidence, a page from Faraday’s journal is brought to light in which he admits to being afraid of a female apprentice. Xenocrates tries to force her to sign a confession, but Citra commits suicide. While she is dead, she is considered a private citizen and not a scythe’s apprentice, thereby putting her under the jurisdiction of the Thunderhead, not the Scythedom.

While she is unconscious and being healed by the nanites, the Thunderhead speaks to her, warning that she will play an important role in the future of the scythes. It also tells her the name of the person who killed Faraday: Gerald Van Der Gans. Scythe Curie manages to help Citra escape from the healing center before she can be arrested again.

Curie explains that in the past, she [Curie] had been Faraday’s apprentice. The journal entry was about her, because he feared her behavior until she admitted she was in love with him. The two broke Scythe law and had an intimate relationship. They were censured, forced to die seven deaths, and then to live without contact for 70 years. As scythe authorities near their hideout, Curie gives Citra a piece of paper with a name and address, and she tells her to flee.

As Citra escapes, she sees the name on the paper is Van Der Gans and believes Curie is sending her to kill Faraday’s murderer. She is shocked when she finds the man and discovers he is Faraday. He faked his death to free her and Rowan, and did not know they were made to continue their scythe apprenticeships. Scythe Curie returns to her home and admits Faraday’s journal page was about her and thereby clears Citra for his murder.

Goddard is furious by this turn of events and leads a deadly rampage against an odd, but harmless, religious cult. Goddard orders his followers to kill every single member, including the children. After his friend Volta gleans himself in despair over his actions, Rowan searches for Goddard. Goddard orders Rowan to kill the last remaining victim. Instead, Rowan runs Goddard through with a sword and takes his scythe ring, effectively making him mortal again. Rowan then cuts off the scythe’s head. He also kills Goddard’s remaining followers and sets the grounds on fire, insuring that even the nanites cannot reanimate the corpses.

Then Rowan denies any part in the scythes’ deaths to High Blade Xenocrates. He brings Esme into the room and intimates he knows her relationship to the High Blade. Xenocrates offers to drop the investigation into Goddard’s death, and Rowan asks him to take Esme home to her mother.

No longer a fugitive, Citra returns to attend the Winter Conclave, but Faraday remains in hiding. On the second day of the Conclave, Citra and Rowan take the stage and wait to see which one will be chosen to be a scythe. Rowan knows if he is chosen, he will kill any scythe that tries to force him to glean Citra.

Citra has her own plan, which she enacts when she is chosen to be a scythe. She puts on her scythe’s ring and then punches Rowan in the mouth for “killing” her in their previous fight. When she then draws her weapon to glean him, her ring, along with all the scythes’ rings, lights up, showing he has immunity.

Just as when a person kisses a scythe’s ring, her ring registered the DNA from Rowan’s bloody lip and gave it to him. Citra points to the tray of knives still on the stage with them and tells him there is a car waiting at the east exit. As the furious scythes try to capture and imprison him, Rowan uses the knives to escape. He gets into the waiting car and is shocked to find Scythe Faraday driving it.

The novel ends with a page from Citra’s journal as the newly renamed Scythe Anastasia. She tells of a rumor that there is someone seeking out corrupt scythes and killing them with fire. Although not an ordained scythe, the public is calling him Scythe Lucifer. She intimates that this Lucifer is Rowan, and hopes he would see her as a good scythe.

Christian Beliefs

When Citra expresses her surprise at the uneventfulness of a person’s death, Faraday asks if she expected a choir of angels to sing. In his journal, Faraday refers to the past, when people used to pray to a God that was harsh and rendered terrifying judgements. Then they prayed to a God who was loving and forgiving. Curie writes in her journal that religions became irrelevant when mankind became their own savior.

Goddard refers to himself and the scythes that follow him as the angels of death. They take a helicopter to a gleaning so they can appear to swoop down from heaven. Rowan thinks of them as the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. It is unclear, when no one appears to have read the Bible, how they know of these references.

There is a reference to a winter holiday known as the Month of Lights that commemorated some ancient miracles that no one can remember. People exchange gifts with friends and family.

Other Belief Systems

The Thunderhead is described in godlike terms. Since it knows everything, it is allowed to run everything, thereby creating a utopia on earth. But it is not allowed to determine when someone should be gleaned, as people decided that requires a conscience, and it is unclear whether the Thunderhead has one.

Faraday prays to the void, hoping there is something out there that can guide him and give him peace about the job he has been chosen to do. He believes only the gift of empathy will keep humanity human. If they lose the ability to feel the pain of loss, there will be no god that can help them.

Scythe Curie wonders if there is an eternal world after this life and what fate awaits someone who takes other peoples’ lives. A woman she is gleaning wonders what happens after death, and Curie cannot answer her.

Goddard writes in his diary that he doesn’t miss communicating with the Thunderhead and feels the lack of communication is a blessing. He, Goddard, is the highest power he knows, and he enjoys his position. He calls his junior scythes his disciples. At one of his mass gleanings he tells the victims that he is their completion and their deliverance. He is their gateway to the mysteries of the afterlife.

Some people are part of the Tonist Cult. They dress in sackcloth and worship the vibrations created by sound. Curie thinks they do so to try to make the passing of time more meaningful. A cultist tells Citra that they worship the Great Vibration, which will set them free from stagnation.

Throughout the novel, when people “die,” they do not go to an afterlife. They appear to be in a kind of suspended animation with no thoughts or memories. The Thunderhead, however, is able to access a small piece of Citra’s consciousness and speak to her.

Authority Roles

Citra’s parents are kind. When Scythe Faraday offers her mother immunity for the dinner she served, she asks him to give it to her children instead, but he refuses. Although they do not admit it, Citra knows her parents want her to become a scythe, as it means neither she, nor her brother, can be gleaned, because a scythe’s family is granted immunity while the scythe is alive.

Rowan’s family is large and uninvolved in his life. He calls himself “lettuce,” a garnish that no one really needs in a sandwich. Scythes Faraday and Curie are honorable people, albeit killers. They are humane and respectful to the dead and their families. Scythe Goddard is a narcissistic serial killer who wants to train others to indulge their darkest desires.

Profanity & Violence

God is used with the word my . H— is used alone and with hole . A– is used alone and with smart and candy . B–tard and d—n are also used. Other objectionable words are jeez , crap and p—.

In this world, death is not terminal unless a scythe gleans you. Many people indulge in reckless pursuits, just to feel the thrill. One of Rowan’s friends likes to “splat.” He jumps from high buildings to kill himself because it’s mandatory that his parents pay for him to be revived. He is excited when his latest splat took him four days to recover and that he cracked the marble sidewalk he fell on.

At the Autumnal Conclave, Citra and Rowan must demonstrate their skills at martial arts and fight each other. When Rowan realizes Citra will not let him throw the fight to let her win, he breaks her neck and kills her. She later throws herself from a skyscraper to evade arrest by the High Blade. At the Winter Conclave, the final test to become a scythe is to kill someone close to you.

Citra must kill her little brother, but as she does not yet have a scythe ring, he will be sent to a healing center and healed by the nanites in his body. Although at first she refuses, she eventually stabs him with a knife. Citra is chosen to be a scythe and must glean Rowan. Instead, she punches him in the mouth, thereby getting his DNA on her ring, which gives him immunity for a year. Rowan fights his way out of the Conclave, rather than being jailed for a year.

Faraday and Curie are humane in their gleanings. Faraday tells how he once challenged a fencer to a duel. The fencer stabbed him through the neck once and through the femoral artery the second time. When Faraday finally stabbed him through the heart, during their final duel, the man thanked him for letting him die fighting.

Another man fights his impending death by punching Faraday in the jaw. The scythe then stabs him in the throat. By law, the man’s family should be gleaned as punishment for his disobedience, but after intimating that he would kill his wife and children, Faraday grants them immunity.

Faraday has a cooling chip placed in his scythe ring. When Citra secretly takes it from his nightstand and puts it on her finger, it causes frostbite and pain. Once she tears the ring off, her nanites begin to heal her injuries.

Goddard is introduced to the reader as an unnamed scythe who brings his followers onto an airplane in order to glean all the passengers and crewmembers. He opens his robe to reveal a variety of weapons and says he will kill each of them as the mood strikes him. It is obvious he and his fellow scythes see gleaning more as a sport than a noble responsibility. He tells the victims that he is their completion as he kills them. A businessman chooses to impale himself on Goddard’s knife rather than let the scythe stab him.

Goddard slaughters everyone in the food court of a mall. The scene is told through young Esme’s perspective, as she crawls on all fours under tables as people are stabbed, shot and burned around her. She eventually finds a place to hide until Goddard finds her. He tells her to come with him. One of his followers brings Esme the pizza slice she had abandoned as the slaughter started. And, even as they walk among the dead, it appears as if Esme is going to eat it.

When Goddard takes Rowan as his apprentice, he turns off the boy’s nanites. Then he lets his three followers beat him to a pulp. Without the nanites, Rowan feels the pain of the beating as well as the slow pain of healing. Goddard’s training includes having Rowan use real weapons to kill real people. The people are then sent to healing centers to be reanimated. Rowan is a witness to several horrific gleanings, in which Goddard and his followers stab, shoot and use a flame-thrower to annihilate their victims.

Most disturbing is the rapturous glee Goddard and his followers express as they kill people. As retribution for Citra being set free, Goddard goes on a horrific rampage at a Tonist Temple. After Volta kills a roomful of children, he gleans himself with a knife. Rowan decapitates Goddard, uses a flame-thrower on another scythe and beats the last one with the large tuning fork the cult worships. He then uses the flame-thrower to intentionally burn Goddard’s body and start a fire that engulfs the temple and hides the evidence of his murders.

After Rowan escapes the Winter Conclave, he becomes Scythe Lucifer, a rogue vigilante that kills scythes who espouse Goddard’s beliefs rather than the more honorable rules of the past.

Sexual Content

Citra surprises Rowan by kissing him. It is not a passionate kiss, more like an experiment. Although they have romantic feelings for each other, they never kiss again.

One of Goddard’s female disciples keeps joking about the many lewd things she wants to do with Rowan when he is of age.

Citra remembers buying a dress for a homecoming dance because she thought a boy was going to ask her. She was surprised when he asked another boy instead.

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

Additional Comments

Alcohol: Many of Goddard’s parties include alcoholic drinks. He gives Rowan a glass of champagne even though he is not legally supposed to drink.

You can request a review of a title you can’t find at [email protected] .

Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

Latest Book Reviews

The Minor Miracle: The Amazing Adventures of Noah Minor

The Eyes and the Impossible

Castle Reef 2: Bloodlines

Compass and Blade

Nothing Else But Miracles

Weekly reviews straight to your inbox.

Old School Wednesdays
SFF in Conversation
Women To Read
X Marks The Story
Trash and Treasure
Decoding the Newbery
COOKING FOR WIZARDS, WARRIORS AND DRAGONS

Book Review: Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Title: Scythe

Author: Neal Shusterman

Genre: Horror, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Young Adult

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Publication Date: November 22, 2016 Hardcover: 448 Pages

In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed (“gleaned”) by professional reapers (“scythes”). Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythe’s apprentices, and—despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation—they must learn the art of killing and come to understand the necessity of what they do. Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe’s apprentice. And when it becomes clear that the winning apprentice’s first task will be to glean the loser, Citra and Rowan are pitted against one another in a fight for their lives.

Stand alone or series: Book 1 in the Arc of a Scythe series

How did I get this book: Review Copy from the Publisher

Format (e- or p-): Hardcover

It is the future. Humanity has conquered illness and disease, age and decay. With the miracles of technology, anyone’s accidental stumble into oncoming traffic, their intentional jump off a building, their death by violence, illness, or dumb fate is no longer permanent. Thanks to a combination of nanites and impressive ambulatory measures under the auspices of an all-knowing artificial intelligence called “The Thunderhead”, humans have conquered poverty, racism, war, and death itself.

With old age, sickness, and death a relic of the past–the age of mortality–humanity must resort to other measures to ensure population control and self-governance.

So, the Scythes were created.

An organization completely independent of the Thunderhead, Scythes alone have the power to glean (that is, permanently kill). Scythes are not permitted to have spouses or children, they are not allowed to own any earthly possessions other than their robes, their immunity-granting rings, and their tools of destruction. Scythes follow a code of ten commandments and must meet a quota of death each year. No Scythe can glean any other Scythe; but a Scythe may self-glean, whenever he or she chooses.

This particular tale opens with two different MidMerican teenagers, sixteen-year olds Citra and Rowan, who are selected by Honorable Scythe Faraday, as his dual apprentices. Every Scythe finds his own way to glean, her own sense of justice and honor for those lives about to be ended–Faraday relies on statistics and patterns from the Age of Mortality, gleaning those who would have died in car accidents, drownings, and other such mundane occurrences. Under H.S. Faraday’s strict code of morality and empathy, Citra and Rowan learn the immense responsibility and heartache it takes to become a dealer of death–though only one of them will graduate from apprentice to Scythe, both take the lessons to heart.

Not all Scythes, however, are like Faraday. At the first Scythe Conclave, Citra and Rowan discover that complex politics and differing ideologies and personal agendas divide the Scythedom–some Scythes kill because they like it, contrary to everything that Faraday has taught them. When the pair of apprentices find themselves split apart by a tragic turn of fate, and pitted against one another in a competition to become an ordained Scythe, they must decide whether or not they will fall in line with the rest of the Scythedom, or if they will ignite the flames of change to burn it all down.

The first in a brand new series from National Book Award-winner Neal Shusterman, Scythe is a harrowing, poignant speculative fiction novel. Examining themes that range from the broadest questions (e.g. What does it mean to be human? What are we now if we cannot die?) to the most personal and specific (e.g. For narrators Citra and Rowan, how can I take someone’s life away forever?), Scythe is a rich examination of mortality, morality, and the meaning of life, when everyone lives in comfort forever.

In a different author’s hands, Scythe could have been a cheesy YA Dystopian star-crossed romance, full of longing sighs and prosaically smoldering exchanges; it could have been a literary adult novel with a dystopian-lite premise, full of self-conscious prose and excessive navel gazing. In Shusterman’s hands, Scythe is both YA dystopia and literary fiction, masterfully blending the best aspects of both genres while neatly sidestepping the trappings of both. Told in chapters alternating between Citra and Rowan’s third person narration, interspliced with journal entries from different Scythes throughout, Scythe never once falters in its heart, authenticity, or voice.

Citra Terranova is the first character we meet in the novel: an overachiever with a desire to prove herself right and question those around her, regardless of age of status. When she meets Scythe Faraday–who enters her family’s home to eat dinner before going next door to glean their neighbor–Citra is frightened but curious, and her blend of forthrightness and bravery pique the Scythe’s interest.

Rowan Damisch is the second narrator we meet: a boy who skims across the surface of life, who is overlooked by his parents who have their other children, but who feels very deeply. Scythe Faraday enters Rowan’s life when he comes to his high school with a mission to glean the school’s beloved quarterback–and instead of walking away from the gleaning, Rowan shows compassion and stays with his classmate through death.

These two characters challenge and compliment each other; they are pitted against each other in melodramatic fashion but never actually waver in their core beliefs (though they are tested sorely–Rowan, in particular). There is no sappy romance here, no cheesy dialogue or protracted melodrama. Instead, Rowan and Citra are driven by their desire to do right by the world, even if it means the end of their own lives and the Scythedom as they know it.

Beyond the characters, though, my favorite thing about this book is how complex and nuanced the moral questions and worldbuilding are. This is a utopian world: one where crime, poverty, and hate have been replaced with complacence and peace. In such a world, though, what becomes of humanity? When we have nothing to strive for, what do we become? In humans that have “turned the corner” (i.e. have been rejuvinated back to youth, but retain all of their memories and experiences) many times over, this can result in a weariness with the world. For those who are charged with the power of gleaning, it can mean an immense burden (as seen with Scythes Faraday and Curie), or a license to live to excess as Gods among Gods.

I loved this book. I was challenged by this book, I was entertained by this book, I was rendered speechless by this book. Scythe is one of my favorite reads of 2016 and will make my top 10 list for the year–I cannot wait to read the next novel in the series.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Chapter 1:

The scythe arrived late on a cold November afternoon. Citra was at the dining room table, slaving over a particularly difficult algebra problem, shuffling variables, unable to solve for X or Y, when this new and far more pernicious variable entered her life’s equation. Guests were frequent at the Terranovas’ apartment, so when the doorbell rang, there was no sense of foreboding—no dimming of the sun, no foreshadowing of the arrival of death at their door. Perhaps the universe should have deigned to provide such warnings, but scythes were no more supernatural than tax collectors in the grand scheme of things. They showed up, did their unpleasant business, and were gone. Her mother answered the door. Citra didn’t see the visitor, as he was, at first, hidden from her view by the door when it opened. What she saw was how her mother stood there, suddenly immobile, as if her veins had solidified within her. As if, were she tipped over, she would fall to the floor and shatter. “May I enter, Mrs. Terranova?” The visitor’s tone of voice gave him away. Resonant and inevitable, like the dull toll of an iron bell, confident in the ability of its peal to reach all those who needed reaching. Citra knew before she even saw him that it was a scythe. My god! A scythe has come to our home! “Yes, yes of course, come in.” Citra’s mother stepped aside to allow him entry—as if she were the visitor and not the other way around. He stepped over the threshold, his soft slipper-like shoes making no sound on the parquet floor. His multilayered robe was smooth ivory linen, and although it reached so low as to dust the floor, there was not a spot of dirt on it anywhere. A scythe, Citra knew, could choose the color of his or her robe—every color except for black, for it was considered inappropriate for their job. Black was an absence of light, and scythes were the opposite. Luminous and enlightened, they were acknowledged as the very best of humanity—which is why they were chosen for the job. Some scythe robes were bright, some more muted. They looked like the rich, flowing robes of Renaissance angels, both heavy yet lighter than air. The unique style of scythes’ robes, regardless of the fabric and color, made them easy to spot in public, which made them easy to avoid—if avoidance was what a person wanted. Just as many were drawn to them. The color of the robe often said a lot about a scythe’s personality. This scythe’s ivory robe was pleasant, and far enough from true white not to assault the eye with its brightness. But none of this changed the fact of who and what he was. He pulled off his hood to reveal neatly cut gray hair, a mournful face red-cheeked from the chilly day, and dark eyes that seemed themselves almost to be weapons. Citra stood. Not out of respect, but out of fear. Shock. She tried not to hyperventilate. She tried not to let her knees buckle beneath her. They were betraying her by wobbling, so she forced fortitude to her legs, tightening her muscles. Whatever the scythe’s purpose here, he would not see her crumble. “You may close the door,” he said to Citra’s mother, who did so, although Citra could see how difficult it was for her. A scythe in the foyer could still turn around if the door was open. The moment that door was closed, he was truly, truly inside one’s home. He looked around, spotting Citra immediately. He offered a smile. “Hello, Citra,” he said. The fact that he knew her name froze her just as solidly as his appearance had frozen her mother. “Don’t be rude,” her mother said, too quickly. “Say hello to our guest.” “Good day, Your Honor.” “Hi,” said her younger brother, Ben, who had just come to his bedroom door, having heard the deep peal of the scythe’s voice. Ben was barely able to squeak out the one-word greeting. He looked to Citra and to their mother, thinking the same thing they were all thinking. Who has he come for? Will it be me? Or will I be left to suffer the loss? “I smelled something inviting in the hallway,” the scythe said, breathing in the aroma. “Now I see I was right in thinking it came from this apartment.” “Just baked ziti, Your Honor. Nothing special.” Until this moment, Citra had never known her mother to be so timid. “That’s good,” said the scythe, “because I require nothing special.” Then he sat on the sofa and waited patiently for dinner.

You can read the full excerpt online HERE .

Rating: 9 – Damn near perfection . This book rekindled my love for the YA dystopian genre, and will absolutely make my shortlist of best books of 2016.

Buy the Book:

Thea James is one half of the maniacal duo behind The Book Smugglers. She is Filipina-American, but grew up in Hawaii, Indonesia, and Japan. A full-time book nerd who works in publishing for her day job, Thea currently resides in Astoria, Queens with her partner and rambunctious cat. COOKING FOR WIZARDS, WARRIORS & DRAGONS (available August 31, 2021) is her first cookbook.

19 Comments

I am really looking forward to this one, so I am extremely excited to see such a positive review from you! It sounds incredibly in-depth and well-developed – I can’t wait until it comes out. I was really impressed by Shusterman’s Unwind books, so I’m sure this one will be just as great. Great review!

Thanks, Jordan! I really hope you love this book as much as I did–if you’re a fan of UNWIND, then this should hit the spot. ENJOY!

I’m half way through and can’t put it down. Im a big fan of Unwind and Scythe is definitely keeping my attention as well.

I just finished it- AWESOME book! There is also a HUGE plot twist near the end. Great book. One of my faves!

this was one of the beast books iv ever read!!!!!!

Sheela Chari

Fantastic review. You are so thorough in your description of the book’s plot and your interpretation of it. Thank you. I loved Scythe, too. I’m running a book discussion on it this week.

I was bouncing on my boys D while reading this. This books really exemplifies the meaning and purpose if life and shows why death is important. Anyway just wish that citra and rowan can make sweet love and have children, but sadly they cant……..maybe citra will be scythe faraday’s second lover? The world shall never know B=============D—–

You can bounce on mine 😉 jk

I can’t wait till Thunderhead comes out

Giveaway: THUNDERHEAD by Neal Shusterman – Fanuendo

[…] by Neal Schusterman, the second book in the Arc of a Scythe series! Thea was a huge fan of Scythe (book 1 in the series), and so was ecstatic when we had the chance to participate in this […]

lmao, i beat my wife

Whats ligma

the best Dystopia book i have ever read

I love this book so much. It is the kind on book that some people may not like/understand. That is because the book brings to light real questions. “What if the world had no death? Would that actually mean eternal happiness or is death a necessity?” “Is killing ever necessary? Is there a truly right or wrong way to kill someone?” These are questions that many people don’t want to to think about and generally avoid going to there in their train of thought. I like that. I am someone who loves to ask all the questions, but people like to avoid anything that questions what is moral. I understand that sometimes there is no ‘correct’ answer, but why are we avoiding talking about it? People want to think that if you avoid bringing up morally gray stuff that will distance themselves from their own humanity. News flash; It doesn’t. Sometimes people find that this kind of stuff will cause them to go to a dark place of mind that they do not like. If they can’t handle the book that is fine. You need to have a certain amount of mental and emotional and comprehensive to fully handle the book. The book has quite a bit of violence and I understand that it has a ‘dark killing undertone’ but you should not decide to read this book if that is your main reason to. That sort of defeats some of the message of the book. Go in ready to experience what is in store and have the openness to understand what is happening.

Book Review: Scythe – The Black and White

[…] https://www.storyman.com/books/scythe/ , https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Scythe/Neal-Shusterman/Arc-of-a-Scythe/9781442472433 , https://www.thebooksmugglers.com/2016/11/book-review-scythe-neal-shusterman.html […]

Follow @booksmugglers on Instagram

Ftc disclaimer.

The Book Smugglers purchase books for review on this site, but also receive free review copies from authors, publishers, and other third parties.

Bowers Bookmarks

Step into my library of rants, raves, and reviews

BOOK REVIEW: Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, Book 1) by Neal Shusterman

Today’s book review is for Scythe, (Arc of a Scythe, Book 1,) by Neal Shusterman , a young adult dystopian novel about unwanted apprentice roles for immortal(ishs!)

All Amazon links are affiliate links. This doesn’t cost you more but does help me with website fees. I was not compensated for this novel and all opinions are my own.

Book Synopsis

Thou shalt kill. A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own. From Goodreads.

“Without the threat of suffering, we can’t experience true joy.”

Category: Dystopian, Young Adult
Tags: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Death, Teen Romance
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Simon & Shuster, November 2016
Where to Find: Amazon , Walmart , Goodreads
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Spoilers Ahead

A young adult dystopian novel by Neal Shusterman, Scythe is the first book in the Arc of a Scythe trilogy. After being on a romantasy kick for the past few months I needed a change of pace, and this was right up my alley.

This book is set in a dystopian future where everyone is immortal-ish. Humans have eradicated all disease, war, hunger, and death. Because no one dies in this utopian world, the population continues to grow. This is where scythes come in. A scythe’s duty is to “glean” (not kill, berceuse killing has a negative connotation) people to keep the population under control. The novel follows Citra and Rowan, who are both selected as scythe apprentices. However, neither of them wanted to become one.

The concept of the book is very different from anything I have read. As our current world population continues to grow alongside medical advances, the earth as we know it will have different obstacles to face. With any dystopian book, it’s fascinating to ponder how our world would react given the same circumstances.

“As I see it, they’re all innocents. Even the guilty. Everyone is guilty of something, and everyone still harbors a memory of childhood innocence, no matter how many layers of life wrap around it. Humanity is innocent; humanity is guilty, and both are undeniably true.”

So Let’s Get Into it…

The two main characters took a while to grow on me. I resonate more with Citra because of her outspoken nature. At times she comes off as whiny, but then I remember she is only a teenager. With Rowan, the reason he was chosen to become a scythe’s apprentice seemed boring in comparison to Citra. However, throughout the book his personality and vigilante ending make him a more likable character.

Some things about scythes that are important to note:

Scythes abide by their own rules, separate from the Thunderhead (more on the Thunderhead to come)
No one can take a scythe’s life. The only way they can die is through self-gleaning.

As apprentices under Scythe Faraday, Citra and Rowan are taught different methods of gleaning and how to chose someone for gleaning. It becomes clear that there are two different types of scythes. Faraday falls under the “Old Guard.” Old Guard scythes respect the traditions that came with the role, live simple lives, and do their job out of duty not because they enjoy gleaning. “New Order” scythes are more interested in a celebrity lifestyle and enjoy taking lives. Scythe Goddard is the face of New Order scythes – hosting lavish parties and committing mass gleanings.

Here is a quote from Scythe Goddard’s journal and I think it explains all you need to know about him:

“I see a day when new scythes will be chosen not because of some esoteric moral high ground, but because they enjoy the taking of life. After all, this is a perfect world – and in a perfect world, don’t we all have the right to love what we do?”

There is no real reason why Scythe Faraday took two apprentices since only one can become a scythe. During the Spring Conclave, there is a discussion on whether or not Scythe Faraday should be able to have two apprentices. There is no rule stating that he can’t, but it is decided that whoever becomes a scythe will to have immediately glean the other. Citra and Rowan have grown close and do not want to glean each other.

Rowan and Citra are then told that Faraday self-gleaned which ends their apprenticeship. However, two scythes agree to become their mentors. Citra will go with Scythe Curie (Old Guard), and Rowan will be under Scythe Goddard (New Order). Citra believes that the death of Scythe Faraday is suspicious and begins looking into it only for her to be accused of murdering him. There is a whole chase that ensues for Citra until Scythe Curie is able to clear her name. The story ends with Citra becoming a scythe and Rowan escaping and going into hiding.

Shusterman has some great twists and turns throughout this book. As soon as I thought I knew the direction the plot was going, something else was revealed. There are so many other plot points I could write about – my initial review was six pages! Also I don’t want to spoil everything .

Not quite cons, but things I wish were more detailed:

Politics of the Scythedom
More backstory on scythes, in particular: Faraday, Goddard, and Xenocrates
More backstory on how this dystopian future became a reality
More journal entries – I just really enjoyed reading them

WEAK love story : I know this is a work of fiction but there is a total lack of chemistry between Citra and Rowan. I can understand them growing close, but they are pitted against each other from the beginning. Citra and Rowan falling in love was predictable but so boring. Though the book is long, I would’ve appreciated some sort of build up between the two or at least some scenes of them getting to know each other.

The Thunderhead: I still don’t understand the Thunderhead. With the second book in the series named, “Thunderhead,” I’m hoping Shusterman brings more clarity.

“Mortals fantasied that love was eternal and its loss unimaginable. Now we know neither is true. Love remained mortal, while we became eternal.”

So… Bookmark or Bin it?

Conclusion: Bookmark it

This book is 400+ pages and packed with content. I finished reading it in two days because I couldn’t put it down! It is also different than any other dystopian book that I have read, and I really enjoyed the change of pace. Also… If YA dystopian is your thing I would highly recommend the Unwind series by Neal Shusterman.

Fun Extra Tibit

My husband and I were going through and packing up his books (and let me tell you, he has A LOT of books) from his parents’ house to bring back to our house. He has an entire shelf dedicated to signed copies of books. He has a signed copy of UnWholly (second book in the Unwind dystology) by Neal Shusterman. Shusterman is my favorite dystopian author, and I am so excited to display it in our home.

Thanks so much for reading my book review for Scythe, (Arc of a Scythe, Book 1,) by Neal Shusterman ! Now it’s your turn! Have you read this novel or any others by Neal and if so, what are your thoughts? Please feel free to share in the comments below!

Happy reading 😊

I always read the same styles so maybe after reading one of your reviews I will branch out into something completely different. I do enjoy your writing style. Looking forward to what you have coming up. Good luck with Bowers Bookmarks. Karen

BOOK REVIEW: In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros

BOOK REVIEW: The Simple Wild (Wild Book #1) by K.A. Tucker

BOOK REVIEW: Faking Ms. Right: A Hot Romantic Comedy (Dirty Martini Running Club, Book 1) by Claire Kingsley

My Rating System: Bookmark or Bin It

Reading Challenges

Young adult book review: scythe (arc of a scythe #1) by neal shusterman.

Posted August 5, 2022 by jrsbookr in Horror / 0 Comments

A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) Two teens must learn the “art of killing” in this Printz Honor–winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology. A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own. Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award–winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.

In a world where death has concurred, the disease is a thing of the past, no government, no crime, no starvation, and all the world’s significant problems are entirely wiped out. It sounds ideal; who wouldn’t want to live in this world, but it’s not that simple? Enter the scythes. Scythes were created to keep the balance, take life through gleaning, and manage population control correctly. They have laws and rules to follow, but they are governed entirely by themselves, selected and trained as teens to become conscientious killing machines. Scythes live in normal society with one task: killing. It’s a great premise, and that alone made the novel enjoyable because you can instantly put yourself into everyone’s shoes. How you’d feel if a scythe lived next door, how you’d feel if you were selected to be one, the world-building is excellent, and you can’t ask for much more from Shusterman on that front.

I found the scythes themselves fascinating; the differences in their personalities and methods and the internal politics were what kept the novel going. However, I discovered that the extremeness from one to the next sometimes made for a rather gory reading. But, on the other hand, I thought the author did justice to those in the extreme mass slayings, so that made me happy.

I enjoyed every chapter, and I was so pleased I took the chance to read Scythe. It blasted through my expectations. If you’re a young adult fan or not, you may be surprised by how much there is to enjoy out of Scythe. It felt like an urban fantasy story, even though it was set on future Earth.

About neal shusterman

Neal Shusterman is the author of many novels for young adults, including Unwind, which was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers, Everlost, and Downsiders, which was nominated for twelve state reading awards. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows such as Animorphs and Goosebumps. The father of four children, Neal lives in southern California.

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)

Scythe by Neal Shusterman – Book Review

Scythe by Neal Shusterman has “best read of the year written all over it.”

What a way to start a review, right?

Nothing like cutting straight to the chase.

I was blown away by this book and I’m kicking myself for letting it sit on the shelf for so long.

I’d planned on reading this book when it came out all the way back at the end of 2016. (That’s strange to say isn’t it? It’s been a little over 3 years already).

For some reason, I never got around to it. And I’ve been missing out. But in some ways, I’m lucky, because I get to read the whole series in one go now.

Within seconds of finishing Scythe, I immediately began Thunderhead , Book 2.

I was warned the beginning of Scythe was slow, but right out the gate I felt an immediate draw to the characters, to the plot, and to the world of Post-AI America where the overlord computer doesn’t immediately want to kill everyone.

You read so many books and see so many movies these days about bad AIs and if the robots take control, but it was refreshing to discover a world where the AI actually improved life and brought humanity to a point where we can no longer die.

Yes, you read that right.

I loosely knew the plot of the book from the blurb. Two teens are selected to become a Scythe. A person whose job it is to kill people.

And sure, you might infer that if it’s someone’s job to kill, then perhaps there’s a reason death doesn’t happen naturally. But it doesn’t really prepare you for just how well developed this dystopian world is.

And make no mistake, this book is a Dystopian novel more than it is Fantasy.

Don’t let that designation dissuade you though.

I know Dystopia is so 2012, but Scythe is really a gem of a book and worth reading for any avid fantasy fan. YA or otherwise.

But let’s get into the meat of the book.

Scythe Book Review

The beginning.

Scythe starts off with a scared family as Honorable Scythe Faraday appears on their doorstep.

It is quickly explained that Scythes all take the names of important historical figures of the Mortal Age to honor the great influence they had on society and remember what mankind used to be.

HS Faraday of course chose Michael Faraday. The scientist from the 1800s, not Daniel Faraday from Lost, lest any of you be confused.

In any case, this family is afraid he’s there to “glean” them. A dolled up word for killing which you will become quite familiar with as you read the story.

It was mentioned toward the end that they were named Scythes to be signified as the weapon or tool of death instead of Reapers which would more portray agency.

It is customary for people to provide for Scythes and feed them, so this family cooks him dinner all the while wondering which one of them will be dead by the end of the night.

They can’t resist.

They can’t fight him.

To resist gleaning would bring death upon your whole family, not just you.

If you submit graciously, your family is granted immunity from gleaning for one year to consul you for your loss.

In their perfect society where death no longer occurs naturally, some people can live to be hundreds, if not thousands of years old, should they avoid gleaning for so long. At a certain age they “turn the corner” which seems to be an analogy for flipping over the hourglass and resetting their age to somewhere in their 20s.

Thus Scythes are sent to quell the population, lest it get out of control.

So here sits Scythe Faraday eating in this family’s home when he gets up and asks to borrow a butcher’s knife from their knife block.

He then goes next door and gleans their neighbor.

When he returns, he hands the knife to Citra Terranova, our main character. She makes an impression on Scythe Faraday and in just a few early chapters, she is invited to become his apprentice.

Does any of that sound interesting to you? Because wow it really grabbed me.

I’m in love with Scythe so much.

Before too long, we’re introduced to some unsavories.

What’s a good book without some unsavory characters right?

You need someone to hate, and boy does Scythe present you with a good one.

There’s really not much to hate early on. You feel a bit uncomfortable at a few select scenes, but nothing that screams “I’m a bad guy, hate me!”

But you quickly come to discover that one of the Honorable Scythes is not so honorable at all.

He gleans for pleasure and he desires to do so in spectacular form with what they call Mass Gleanings, much like a mass murderer. This is no mere coincidence, as it’s Shusterman’s intentional way of telling you he’s bad early on.

There still doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of conflict, though, for our main characters until just about the 30-40% mark of the book.

I’m not positive on when that happens exactly as I read this book via audiobook. Don’t get me started on whether audiobooks count as reading .

But when the point comes, you’ll know it. And it will all be orchestrated by Mr. Not-So-Honorable-Scythe.

What happens next is a whirlwind of change, emotions, and blood pumping action.

Nothing will happen as you expect it.

Sure, there’s a few twists the astute can spot, but Shusterman knows how to keep you on your toes. Just when you think the story is going one way, there’s another gut-wrenching turn that throws you for a loop.

Did you love how I slammed all those colloquialisms together?

Sorry for any readers who aren’t native English speakers. That reminds me of my Korean roommate who thought we meant it literally when we said we had butterflies in our stomachs…

Annnnnnd let’s get back on track.

The ending.

Oh, the ending!

Remember I told you I was reading this via audiobook?

The audiobook is so slow. So very very slow. Reading every word (how rude, right?) at the same speed with which the whole book was read, preventing me from skimming and speed reading.

It was torture! But glorious torture.

The ending of this book was so fantastic, so phenomenal, I literally devoured the last 3-4 hours of this book in…well 3-4 hours of course.

But whereas I normally listen to audiobooks only during my daily commute to work or while I’m on my lunch break, when I reached the end of this book, I was finding myself excuses to do mundane data entry tasks just for the opportunity to spend more time with my headphones plugged in so I could listen during work.

I just could not get enough.

Did I guess some of the twists? You bet I did.

Was I still surprised? Absolutely.

Early on in the story, you wonder if Shusterman was going to pull a Hunger Games, and while he sort of does, it’s not in the same manner as Hunger Games.

I can’t say any more than that because I don’t want to ruin anything for you. But I mention Hunger Games so that maybe some of you will be so intrigued to find out how it’s like Hunger Games that you’ll run out and buy this book right now.

Buy it now.

I’ll even provide you with a button. Here you go:

Scythe by Neal Shusterman gets a solid 5/5 stars from me . I’d give it 6, 7, hey maybe even 8 stars if I could.

Want more Scythe?

Check out these resources:

13 Books Like Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Thunderhead Book Review

The Toll Book Review

If you enjoyed this review, please share it on Facebook and Pinterest.

2 thoughts on “ Scythe by Neal Shusterman – Book Review ”

I need to hurry up and get to this one!!

Yes. Yes you do.

About Kasey

2 responses to review: scythe by neal shusterman.

Oh yay, glad you liked Scythe! It is one of my all-time favorites, so I definitely agree! And I think Thunderhead is just as awesome, so I hope you feel the same when you read it. Great review!

Ooooooh! I was a little bit on the fence about Thunderhead only because I’m ridiculously behind on reviews, but now I kinda have to read it! 🙂

Never Miss a Story

Get reviews and book recommendations in your email inbox!

your email here

Donate Your New or Used Books

Follow For More Stories

Search stories reviewed, stories coming soon.

My Book for Authors

Subscribe by Email

Get reviews and book recommendations in your inbox.

Email Address

Follow The Story Sanctuary

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers:

Discover more from The Story Sanctuary

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Skip to main content
Skip to primary sidebar

Roger's Reads

Author & Book Reviewer

Review of Scythe by Neal Shusterman

March 12, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I am completely new to Neil Shusterman; this was the first novel of his that I’ve read and I am hooked! I loved this book and the world that Mr. Shusterman has created.

The blurb is as follows:

Two teens must learn the “art of killing” in this Printz Honor–winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology. A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

The Setting

This novel takes place in a utopian society in future at a time where hunger, disease, crime and even death no longer exist. Once people begin to age, they can opt to go through a procedure called “turning the corner” in which they can once again inhabit the body of a 21-year-old (or older, if they so choose).

People who do end up getting killed from accidents are only considered “dead-ish” and immediately after their demise, helicopters show up to whisk the dead-ish individual to a revival center where they are restored to their former selves, usually within three days or so. Thus, people in this new, improved society are more or less immortal (the only exception of fire – if you die by fire, you’re dead for good).

Additionally, each person has “nanites” in their system which control pain and speed up the healing process.

Enter the Scythes

But humans still reproduce, meaning that there needs to be some sort of population control — and that control falls under the jurisdiction of a legal authority called the “Scythdom”, which is made up of individual Scythes.

Scythes are the only individuals in society that are allowed to take a human life. Each Scythe is charged with going out and killing a certain number of people every year (about 240 or so, if I remember correctly). When a Scythe kills someone, it’s referred to as “gleaning”, and that person can no longer be revived. They are dead for good.

Now the thing about Scythes is that they must be of the highest moral discipline and possess qualities of empathy, humaneness, and compassion. As such, a Scythe must choose their individual victims with careful consideration allowing no bias, bigotry or malice to enter into their choice of victims (this is one of the Scythe’s “10 Commandments”). The author provided plenty of detail of the day to day activities in a Scythe’s life, which I found fascinating, as well as the training regiment of the apprentice Scythes.

Speaking of apprentices, it is only through deep study and training by the apprentice and intense scrutiny by the Scythdom that a person is ordained as a Scythe. Oh — and one of the first rules of becoming a scythe is that the person must not want to become a Scythe. I think this would be a good rule for politicians as well. But I digress.

The “Not So Good” Scythe’s

Of course, the ideal is not always the reality and somehow, a few “bad apples” manage to squeeze through the Scythdom cracks — and this is where things get really interesting (we’re introduced to some of these not-so-moral Scythes pretty early on in the book). These bad apples are Scythes who take pleasure in killing and even toy with their victims before gleaning them.

They may not have started out so heartless and cruel, but as scythes are given the ultimate power of life and death, it’s not surprising that there would be those who would be corrupted by that much power. Power does have a tendency to corrupt, as we have all seen over and over in our history books.

Scythes are, after all, placed above civilization and are even referred to as “Your Honor” by anyone who crosses their path. It’s not surprising that some would abuse this power much like many organizations or governments become corrupt with too much power.

I loved the villain in this story — he was definitely someone that you “loved to hate”. The author did an excellent job of provoking feelings of anger, disgust, and heartache in the reader through the villain’s actions – a testament to the author’s ability to portray vivid and realistic characters.

The Scythe’s Apprentices

In this novel, the story revolves around two main characters, Citra and Rowan who are chosen by a particularly well-respected Scythe, the Honorable Scythe Faraday, to be his apprentices. What follows is the adventures these two go through, as they train to be effective killers, compete with each other and struggle with romantic feelings that emerged as they got to know each other (romantic involvement with anyone is strictly forbidden for Scythes). Now I will say that is is NOT a romance novel. Though romance may perhaps place a small part in some of the decisions of the characters, this is not what drove the plot of the story.

I really liked Citra and Rowan and enjoyed getting to know them as the story progressed. As the plot moved forward, we learn that these two are quite complex and multi-layer characters, especially when faced with impossible choices. What I really liked about them is that they were strong both as individuals and as a team.

Citra and Rowan, along with their Scythe teachers, attend these Scythe quarterly conclaves, where we enter deeply into the realm of Scythe politics, which I found incredibly interesting and eye-opening, especially once we learned about rampant corruption in the Scythdom.

The Thunderhead – Good or Evil?

It’s worth mentioning that there are no longer any governments in this society – all jurisdiction falls under what is called The Thunderhead (evolved from the Internet’s “Cloud”). The Thunderhead is the ultimate jurisdiction and knows everything about everyone, and intervenes when necessary. It’s like the Internet at some point evolved into a sentient being (which is kind of how I understood it). As a society, nobody fears the Thunderhead; on the contrary, it is revered, almost like a god. The Thunderhead protects and provides for everyone.

The only exception to the Thunderhead intervening in the lives of others is when it comes to Scythe business. It was agreed upon long ago that the Thunderhead would have no jurisdiction when it came to Scythes —- and it completely and always stays out of Scythe business — which may not always be a good thing as we’ve seen with the power-corrupted Scythes.

Thus, the “Scythedom” is a self-governing entity whose success and efficacy relies upon the moral compass of the individuals who belong to it. When certain individuals gain too much power, then the entire entity is in danger, which is what we get in this book.

The Scythe’s Journals

One of the requirements of being of a Scythe is keeping a journal, and each chapter in the book opens with a short excerpt from the journals of one of the Scythes in the story, such as Scythe Faraday and Scythe Curie (the Grande Damme of Death). These snippets provide not only additional insight into Scythe politics but also gave essential information about the current society in which the story takes place.

I especially enjoyed the comparisons of the current society to the “Mortal Age” before technological advances enabled people to potentially live forever.

Twists and Turns

Just when I had pretty much figured out the premise of the book and had a general idea where the story was going to take me, the author threw a major wrench in the works, that I did not see coming at all.

At this point, the entire plot of the story changes as it veers off into directions I couldn’t have anticipated. I loved the twists, turns and surprises that the author threw in, adding even more layers to this already fascinating story. And just when you think you got a handle on what was going on, the author throws in another twist.

The Verdict

This was a compelling story with excellent world-building that kept me guessing until the book’s end. The character development in this book was also amazing as each character, even the secondary ones, were quite multifaceted and complicated.

This is the kind of novel that will get you thinking, especially as it pertains to moral ambiguity — those “gray areas” of right and wrong, and what the decisions we make say about the kind of person we are. It also demonstrated nicely how our environment can affect the kind of person we become. This was illustrated in the differences of the morality of the Scythes, depending on who trained them.

As it turns out, this book is part of a duology but you’d never know it. I felt that the story is nicely wrapped up at the conclusion of the book, and it felt finished and complete to me. In my humble opinion, this is the perfect example of how books in a series should be (I loathe cliffhangers, but that’s another discussion for another time).

All in all, I loved this story and can’t wait to read the next book ( Thunderhead ) in this series. I also look forward to reading more of Mr. Shusterman’s work. Recommended!!

You can check out Scythe here at Amazon or at The Book Depository

Reader Interactions

Scythe by Neal Shusterman, A Summary

Scythe book summary.

By Neal Shusterman

Buy the book at Bookshop.org

Summary of the book, “Scythe”

Set in a futuristic dystopia where science has made the unthinkable possible, “Scythe” presents not only a wonderful action story, but poses questions about the decisions we make when technology has surpassed our wildest dreams. In this world with no hunger, no disease and no natural death, a group of so called Scythes is in charge of keeping the population in check. High schoolers Citra and Rowan are chosen to be Scythe apprentices, a role that neither of them want to take. Through their journey of becoming apprentices, Citra and Rowan gain insight to a political culture – and potentially corruption – that they had known nothing about previously. Scythe forces us to ask big questions and consider the future that might truly be ahead of us.

Introduction to Characters:

Citra terranova:.

Citra is one of the apprentices chosen by Scythe Faraday. She is clever, and she takes the apprenticeship in order to ensure the protection of her family. Throughout the book, Citra’s characteristics drive her to want to make her world more fair and just.

Rowan Damisch:

Rowan is the other apprentice chosen by Scythe Faraday. Being more rebellious than Rowan he frequently defies the common practices of the Scythedom, and he elevates the story by bringing conflicts to the next level.

Scythe Faraday:

Scythe Faraday is a respected, fair Scythe that is looked up to throughout the entire Scythedom. Faraday is seen as a mentor to rowan and Citra, and he is known as one of the few remaining “good” scythes.

Questions to Consider:

Do you think people are more scared of death in the Scythe world even though there is no way for them to die besides Scythe?
What do you think about the Scythe’s naming themselves after scientists?
How realistic is the Thunderhead? Would modern society be able to create a powerful computer that can eradicate death itself? Why or why not?
Do Rowan and Citra actually like each other or do they just feel bound to each other through the circumstances of their situation?
Consider the role of the Thunderhead. Do you think that it is possible for something to be so all knowing? Does or will such an entity ever exist?
Think about the relationship between Citra and Rowan. How have their circumstances influenced the development of their relationship? How do you think it would have been different if they knew each other in a different setting?
Think about the relationships between Citra and Curie and that of Rowan and Goddard. Can you see any underlying similarities in the relationships?
Consider the government system the Scythes have put into effect. Where do we see the flaws in the system? If you had the power to make it less corrupt, how would you do so?

Other reviews and summaries of “Scythe”

Goodreads: “Scythe” has an overall rating of 4.35 stars out of 5 on Goodreads, with over 400,000 reviews. You can find the reviews on this link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28954189-scythe
The New York Times: The New York Times reviewed “Scythe” in 2016 and praised its world-building and thought-provoking themes. You can read the review here: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/books/review/neal-shustermans-scythe-and-more.html
Kirkus Reviews: Kirkus Reviews gave “Scythe” a starred review and called it “a thought-provoking and compelling dystopian thriller.” You can read the review here: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/neal-shusterman/scythe-shusterman/
School Library Journal: School Library Journal gave “Scythe” a starred review and called it “a standout in the genre.” You can read the review here: https://www.slj.com/?reviewDetail=scythe
NPR: NPR reviewed “Scythe” in 2016 and praised its unique concept and characters. You can read the review here: https://www.npr.org/2016/11/29/503595528/scythe-is-a-morbidly-mesmerizing-young-adult-thriller

Audience Reader Level:

Mature 7th/8th graders and high schoolers. Kids who liked Divergent, Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies.

Functional details about the book “Scythe” by Neal Shusterman:

ISBN: The ISBN for the hardcover edition of “Scythe” is 978-1442472426, while the paperback edition has the ISBN 978-1406379242.
Number of pages: The hardcover edition of “Scythe” has 448 pages, while the paperback edition has 512 pages.
Publisher name: “Scythe” was published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
First publish date: “Scythe” was first published on November 22, 2016.
Has it been made into a movie, TV or other streaming format? As of April 2023, there has been no official announcement regarding a movie, TV, or streaming adaptation of “Scythe.”
BISAC Categories: The BISAC categories for “Scythe” include Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopian, and Death & Dying.

More about the author, Neal Shusterman

Scattered Summary by Penny and Abby

Teen & Young Adult
Literature & Fiction

Buy new: $8.90

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, 1) MP3 CD – MP3 Audio, June 13, 2017

Purchase options and add-ons.

Two teens must learn the "art of killing" in this Printz Honor-winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times best-selling Unwind Dystology series.

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: Humanity has conquered all those things and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life - and they are commanded to do so in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe - a role that neither wants. These teens must master the "art" of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award-winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.

Book 1 of 3 Arc of a Scythe
Language English
Publisher Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio
Publication date June 13, 2017
Grade level 9 - 12
Reading age 14 - 17 years
Dimensions 6.75 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
ISBN-10 9781543617948
ISBN-13 978-1543617948
See all details

Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Similar items that may deliver to you quickly

Editorial Reviews

About the author.

Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty award-winning books for children, teens, and adults, including The Unwind Dystology, The Skinjacker trilogy, Downsiders , and Challenger Deep , which won the National Book Award. Scythe , the first book in his newest series Arc of a Scythe, is a Michael L. Printz Honor Book. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows. The father of four children, Neal lives in California. Visit him at Storyman.com and Facebook.com/NealShusterman.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1543617948
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio; Unabridged edition (June 13, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781543617948
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1543617948
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 - 17 years
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
#2,724 in Teen & Young Adult Science Fiction Action & Adventure
#4,964 in Teen & Young Adult Dystopian
#19,664 in Books on CD

About the author

Neal shusterman.

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Reviews with images

Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Newsletter
About Amazon
Accessibility
Sustainability
Press Center
Investor Relations
Amazon Devices
Amazon Science
Sell on Amazon
Sell apps on Amazon
Supply to Amazon
Protect & Build Your Brand
Become an Affiliate
Become a Delivery Driver
Start a Package Delivery Business
Advertise Your Products
Self-Publish with Us
Become an Amazon Hub Partner
› See More Ways to Make Money
Amazon Visa
Amazon Store Card
Amazon Secured Card
Amazon Business Card
Shop with Points
Credit Card Marketplace
Reload Your Balance
Amazon Currency Converter
Your Account
Your Orders
Shipping Rates & Policies
Amazon Prime
Returns & Replacements
Manage Your Content and Devices
Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
Conditions of Use
Privacy Notice
Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
Your Ads Privacy Choices

The Student News Site of Northwest Yeshiva High School

The Mane Idea

Book review: ‘scythe’ by neal schusterman.

Neal Schusterman’s “Scythe” presents the problems that come with a world where disease, war, crime, and poverty no longer exist.

Shoshana Behar , Co-Editor-in-Chief | March 20, 2021

“We must by law keep a record of the innocents we kill,” starts Scythe , leaving the reader with a variety of questions: Who is killing innocent people, why are they killing innocent people, and what is the value of keeping a record of these crimes?

The Scythe, we later learn, is a professional class of people trained to keep the population under control through killing. The book follows two teenagers, Citra, a girl, and Rowan, a boy, who have been chosen as apprentices to a scythe named Faraday. Neither Citra nor Rowan is interested in taking on this disturbing task.

Faraday selects Citra and Rowan as apprentices precisely because they hate scythes and don’t want to kill anyone. Eventually, however, the teens agree to be apprentices because they learn that the family members of scythes are protected from being killed. The catch? O nly one of them will be able to become a scythe and the other will be forced to return to their old life. Throughout the apprenticeship, they both begin to realize what is on the line. Both of their lives have changed drastically, and going back to their old lives would be impossible.

Not only have their lives permanently changed, but the way Citra and Rowan view each other has changed as well. Training together every day brings the two closer, but they begin to realize how complicated their relationship is knowing that one of them will eventually be cut from becoming a scythe. Citra and Rowan continue to face many obstacles together and have to make very important decisions that could affect many people around them. This book kept me hooked until the end, and I needed to know where both of them ended up on their journey.

Despite a significantly longer life expectancy due to advanced technology, people within Scythe’s dystopian world still fear death. When people see a scythe walking outside, at an airport, or even in a supermarket, everyone becomes scared, because they can be the one killed by the scythe. They think about death so much more because they know how they will end up dying—they just have absolutely no idea when.

I also enjoyed that the book was one giant ethical dilemma. Is it moral to prevent overpopulation if illness and old age do not naturally cause death? Scythe prompted me to contemplate the risks and benefits of extensive technological innovation.

Schusterman not only succeeds in putting in new concepts that will make the reader think, but he also has a unique ability to put you inside the mind of the two protagonists. I enjoyed the book because I was able to see all of their struggles and feel their emotions. I was taken on a rollercoaster ride of plot twists that did not let up until the very last page. Schusterman lets you in on secrets that the characters don’t yet know. I found myself wanting to scream out at Rowan and Citra to help guide them in the right direction.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a dystopian setting with strong character development and riveting situations.

Arts & Culture

Realism makes a comeback with BeReal

Cruise passengers waiting at Island Crust

A kosher cruise causes chaos at Island Crust

5 local Va’ad-certified companies you’ve probably never heard of

Israeli Avocado Toast topped with feta cheese and a sunny side up egg (via @eatatmuriels/Instagram)

Seward Park’s kosher bagel spot is a success so far

Testing viral TikTok recipes

Opinion: Why schools must publicly condemn Hamas

School is for more than learning. NYHS needs school pride, too.

Opinion: NYHS should implement Holocaust education

Tips for time management

Predictions and selections for the 2021 Grammy Awards

Maror: Bitter herbs eaten at the Passover Seder.

Jewish Life

Bitterness and liberation: the significance of Maror in the Pesach seder

Girls’ basketball season comes to an end

NYHS boys’ varsity basketball concludes season with Crescent School defeat

NYHS boys defeated by Muckleshoot in playoff game

Comments (1)

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Chaim Hecht • Aug 24, 2021 at 1:19 pm

I think the theme that you alluded to – Shusterman’s decision to keep people worrying about their fate in such a world – sets the novel in its necessary dark stage. It provides the backdrop for the extreme relevance of the Scythedom and the importance for Citra and Rowan’s respective positions in the world with their initial selection. The sequels succeeded at building upon the progressing dystopia where, I think, Schusterman’s true talent lies. Enjoyed reading the review!

Where Do I Start?
Our Beliefs
Our Philosophy and Practice
Our Ratings
Frequently Asked Questions
What Our Readers Say
How to Submit a Book for Review
Latest Reviews
Starred Reviews
Picture Books
Easy Readers
Middle Grades
Family Read Alouds
The Good Book
Redeemed Reader Series
The Hive: Resources from Gladys Hunt
Reflections
Your Account
Golden Key Fellowship Benefits
Silver Key Fellowship Benefits
Free Member Printable Resources

Click here for a FREE Best Bibles Guide

Arc of a scythe trilogy by neal shusterman.

The Arc of a Scythe Trilogy is a thought-provoking dystopian series for mature teens; it has problematic elements but raises good questions about the essential nature of humanity.

Arc of a Scythe Trilogy by Neal Shusterman. Simon & Schuster.

Scythe , 2017. 464 pages.
Thunderhead , 2019. 512 pages.
The Toll , 2020. 640 pages.

Reading Level: Teens , ages 12 and up.

Recommended For: Teens , ages 15 and up. (See below for considerations)

Neal Shusterman recently won the Margaret A. Edwards Award, a prestigious award from the American Library Association, that recognizes an author’s “ lifetime achievement in writing for young adults .” Several of his works were specifically mentioned, including his Arc of a Scythe trilogy. Unwind and Challenger Deep also garnered praise, both of which Janie has reviewed. Challenger Deep also won the National Book Award the year it was published. Scythe , the first book in the Arc of a Scythe trilogy, won a Printz honor (the award for YA literature that is roughly analogous to the Newbery for younger readers).

As you might surmise, when an author of this calibre writes a dystopian trilogy, it’s going to be well-written and thought-provoking. The problems arise when this same skillful author includes elements that we might squirm over: they appear compelling and our defenses are down. But before we dive in, am I the only one who finds these book covers utterly striking?

Arc of a Scythe #1: Scythe

I reviewed this book earlier on its own because I think it stands alone, and it’s the best of the three. It’s also free of some of the more troubling aspects the second two books include.

To recap, Citra and Rowan are selected to be scythe apprentices to Scythe Faraday; together, they will learn the art (and skill) of gleaning under his wise, capable leadership. In their futuristic society, all natural means of death (such as illness) have been eradicated. Additionally, healing nanites can repair any injury, even ones that cause death. The only way a person can be permanently removed is to be gleaned (um, killed) by a scythe. Scythes are the only ones granted this power, and they are governed by their own set of commandments. All other citizens, and, indeed, all of society and infrastructure, are governed and managed by the Thunderhead, an all-knowing “cloud” much like our current AI attempts. As Citra and Rowan get closer to their final tests, both learn more about the underside of the Scythe organization. And they are presented with a terrible option at the end.

Arc of a Scythe Trilogy #2: Thunderhead

Note: it’s impossible to review the following two books without significant spoilers for the first volume!

Rowan has gone rogue as Scythe Lucifer; he is single-handedly wielding vigilante justice against scythes (such as Scythe Goddard) who have abandoned their precious role of stewardship in favor of the more sinister killing and mass gleaning. Citra is earning respect the traditional route in her new role as Scythe Anastasia; she works closely with the much-lauded Scythe Curie. Meanwhile, we meet a new character, Greyson.

Greyson has lived a normal, uneventful life up to this point. He has a peculiar relationship with the Thunderhead, the AI cloud that governs their world. The two “talk” or communicate, much like an uncle and nephew or mentor and mentee. Greyson takes a new job working directly for the Thunderhead, but he is abruptly cast out, marked “unsavory.” Is this because he needs to spy for the Thunderhead? To go undercover, as it were? Or is the Thunderhead malfunctioning? And if scythes are going rogue, can the Thunderhead intervene? Is Greyson supposed to help?

Thunderhead raises so many questions ! It’s impossible to read this novel without simultaneously evaluating our own growing dependence on AI platforms and tools. Will our tools become sentient? Will they get “too big for their britches”? How should ordinary humans respond? What is our responsibility? And, in light of Rowan’s vigilante spirit, when do we—if ever—have the right to kill in order to eliminate the truly unsavory elements of society? Is Citra’s law-abiding, but slower, route better? And who is trying to eliminate her? And the rest of the scythedom? Is someone nefarious out there pulling the strings? Is he or she bent on eliminating the entire scythedom?!

This book is a quick read, despite its hefty page count. It races to a true cliffhanger of an ending. And it raises more questions than it answers, as all good dystopian books do. However, it comes at a heftier price tag, in terms of considerations, than its predecessor above.

Considerations:

Language : Profanity: Several instances of “oh my g–“, some “d—,” “h—“; Vulgarity: scattered common vulgar terms (a–, screw, b—-, …). Given the length of this book, this is not over the top, but nonetheless, the “language” consideration is more for this book than for the first.
Sexuality : Nearly all of these instances are in reference to the villains or disreputable characters and serve to illustrate their character’s, well, character. One “unsavory” character, who is pretty unsavory by all normal definitions of the term, has male genitalia tattooed on her cheek. She also lives up the clubbing lifestyle, constantly seducing the aforementioned Gavin into her lifestyle. Casual banter relating to sexuality (“gonna join me in the shower?”) and mentions of sex by another two characters. Musings by the Thunderhead on at least one occasion of “closed-door-activity” as it calls sexual activity (the Thunderhead can see all and knows all). One character who reflects briefly on having seduced both the high school homecoming queen and king. One woman flat-out offers herself to her male superior (opening her robe, etc.), but no details are given. The final scene of the book is a discreet, but clear, reference to an unmarried man and woman becoming one.
Violence : Given that this is a book about people who are tasked with killing in order to maintain the population, there is a significant amount of violence. Most isn’t gruesomely described.

Arc of a Scythe Trilogy #3: The Toll

Running in the background of the previous two books is a pseudo-religious following called the “Tonists” who worship the “Toll.” Monasteries abound, and the followers of the Toll are exempt from some citizen/community requirements. This group is a thorn in the side of the “bad scythes,” and ignored by most other groups. Until now.

When a society crumbles, figureheads arise and lead the fragile people. Sometimes, these leaders are despotic, seizing upon a leadership vacuum in order to foster their own evil plans. Other times, a person is in the right place at the right time and accepts the mantle of leadership. Greyson has taken up sanctuary in a Toll monastery. When society is flailing in the wake of the mass destruction of so many scythes (end of book 2), Greyson becomes the Toll—or, rather, the voice of the Toll. In reality, he is communicating with the Thunderhead, but in a very roundabout manner. He, you might say, is the “good leader.” Scythe Goddard, on the other hand, has capitalized on the power vacuum and, like all good despots, is wielding a brutal scythe, literally and figuratively.

The Thunderhead is absolutely forbidden from communicating with scythes, or interfering with scythe business. But as society collapses, a now sentient Thunderhead is pondering big questions, including how to help the good scythes rebuild society.

Scythe Faraday returns in this volume, bent on solving an age-old mystery from scythe lore.

And Citra and Rowan resurface, also anxious to lead society towards healing.

It’s hard to describe this giant volume succinctly because so many of the details depend on a working knowledge of the first two books. Shusterman also adds an entirely new layer in this volume, with many new characters and technology. And, he includes yet more “considerations.”

Language : several “d—” and “h—,” one “a–,” one “batsh–,” one “sh–, one “p—ing”
Sexuality : A key character in this third volume is gender fluid, adapting to sunlight and shadow as he/she switches back and forth. This raises all sorts of issues, particularly when he/she is romantically attracted to others. The closing scene from book 2 is mentioned again near the beginning of this volume (again, no details).
Violence: Same song, third verse.

Arc of a Scythe Trilogy as a Whole

The Arc of a Scythe trilogy is a fascinating thought experiment. What would happen if our technology advanced to such a level that it could function as the Thunderhead does? Will there ever be a time when we have truly eradicated all natural causes of death? When the earth’s resources are perfectly managed on behalf of everyone? What is the role of religion? Does it matter what that religion is?

Christians will have different answers for these sorts of questions than the average Scythe reader, but they are good ones for us to mull over. The Arc of a Scythe books urge us to reflect on what makes us truly human, what role our technology should play in our lives, how much power we should grant to that same technology, and what our future goals as a planet should include. This series also prompts us to reflect on our relationships with one another and with authority. Turns out, even in a futuristic society with no natural death, people are still people. Leaders rise and fall, through nefarious means or legitimate. People still fall in love. Individuals are still faced with moral and ethical conundrums, big and small. And even a technologically “perfect” world is still flawed. We can’t change the problem of the human heart by technology, can we?

This series comes with a long list of considerations, but mature teens should be able to handle it. The books read quickly, which means the language goes in one ear and out the other. Sexuality is certainly referenced, but is never graphically depicted, and the violence is similar. If your teens are reading classics like Brave New World , the Arc of a Scythe trilogy would make for very interesting companion reading.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Literary/Artistic Rating: 4
Worldview Rating: 3.75/5

Stay Up to Date!

Get the information you need to make wise choices about books for your children and teens..

Our weekly newsletter includes our latest reviews, related links from around the web, a featured book list, book trivia, and more. We never sell your information. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Support our writers and help keep Redeemed Reader ad-free by joining the Redeemed Reader Fellowship.

FREE Bible Guide!

Get a guide to the Best Bibles for Children and Teens. Perfect for an Easter gift.

Betsy Farquhar

We'd love to hear from you!

Our comments are now limited to our members (both Silver and Golden Key ). Members, you just need to log in with your normal log-in credentials!

Not a member yet? You can join the Silver Key ($2.99/month) for a free 2-week trial. Cancel at any time. Find out more about membership here.

ANNI SEZATE

Author, teacher, bookworm, book review: scythe, scythe by neal shusterman my rating: 4 of 5 stars.

Scythe takes place in a “perfect” world. There is no crime, no hunger, no age, not even death. Society has a solution to all of life’s problems. Yet… with that comes its own set of problems, such as how do humans live their lives when they don’t only have 80-odd years to live? How can humans grow without any true challenges and no real consequences? And the biggest concern, what happens to the population if it keeps growing and no one ever dies? That’s where the Scythes come in. The Scythes are tasked with keeping the population in control. In this book, a Scythe teaches two apprentices in the art of killing… but killing with compassion and without bias. (Does that sound strange and backward? Yep! That’s why it’s interesting.)

Something I really liked about this book was its thoughtful view of life and death. I’ve gotten so tired of stories where death is handed out like candy to anyone who gets in the protagonist’s way. There is little thought to the lives taken or the consequences of such a choice. While there is quite a bit of death in this book, it is not taken lightly. The mentor to these apprentices teaches them to respect those that must die, and that they should never get used to killing. It should always sting, always hurt, because that’s how they know they’re still human. I was touched by the way they spoke to those that would pass away and how they dealt with their families. One early chapter had me crying because of the compassion and sorrow expressed by one of the apprentices.

Another thing I appreciated was the vivid characterization. I really felt like I knew who these characters were, and I liked who they were. I rooted for them. Rowan in particular. This is a slight spoiler, but he goes down a bit of a dark path, but I always rooted for him because of his deep compassion he’d shown early on. I appreciated Citra’s strong and driven attitude. I loved Scythe Faraday and all the many layers to his characters. We see him scoff, scold, laugh, and weep like a child. Scythe Curie was another favorite. I imagined her as Judie Dench because both women can command a room like no other.

All in all, a very interesting beginning. I look forward to the next two books.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Scythe

In 2041, what we currently call "the cloud" morphed into a version of AI called "the Thundercloud" that was able to solve all of the world's problems. Death has been basically eliminated - all manner of illness and injury can be cured, and pain is a thing of the past. Thundercloud stops the effects of global warming, and calculates how to best use the world's resources so that no one goes hungry. It's also made government completely irrelevant. However, to stop overpopulation, people called Scythes have to glean, or permanently kill, random members of the population. Scythe follows two teens, Citra and Rowan, as they reluctantly apprentice to become a Scythe.

I think Shusterman has another "Unwind" type of hit on his hands. As the book develops, the seemingly Utopian society gets darker and darker and more dystopian - but really only because of the gleaning. The Scythes have a rich history, and it was interesting to learn about them and their different approaches to gleaning. The book is absolutely at its best when examining humanity and the moral obligations and quandaries that come along with being a scythe - I ended up reading the occasional sentence out loud to my partner, which is something to which I rarely subject him. The ethical implications of gleaning are pretty huge, and the examination of killing and its purpose are what really makes the book a fun read. Also, no surprises here, Shusterman, a National Book Award winner, can WRITE.

I did feel that the book had some premise issues. As the book explains it, your chances of being gleaned, or even knowing someone who has been gleaned, are pretty rare. So why is gleaning even necessary? The book addresses this, but the answer was not satisfactory. I can also easily think of solutions to this problem that don't involve random killing. For example, why not impose some sort of birth limit (people have dozens of children in this version of the future)? Or maybe only those that have children are eligible for gleaning? Or maybe you only get "9 lives". The tenth time you die, it's for real. There wouldn't have been a book without the gleaning, but the book also never managed to convince me that gleaning was a thing that actually needed to happen. I also found it terribly convenient/nonsensical that the Scythes were the only group of people that operated outside of Thundercloud. Like, why? Thundercloud literally solved ALL of humanity's/the earth's problems, but this, life and death, one of the arguably most important problems, we're going to leave up to humans? Mmmmmmmmmmk. Oh, and then Citra and Rowan are eventually pitted against each other, and the rationale as to why makes absolutely no sense. Especially after a certain event transpires, and they STILL are in a fight to the death. It doesn't seem consistent with the rest of the world-building; it felt like a contrived (and unsuccessful) plot device.

Premise problems aside, I really did enjoy the book. If you like near future books, dystopians or ethics, it's definitely worth a read. 3.5 stars.

International edition
Australia edition
Europe edition

Private Revolutions by Yuan Yang review – an intimate account of how China is changing

A social and economic revolution observed through the lives of four women in their 30s

Y uan Yang, the former Financial Times China correspondent, has written an engrossing new book that meticulously reports on a country in the throes of change, using the lives and choices of four women from her own generation as a lens.

Leiya, Sam, June and Siyue, born in the late 80s and 90s, all hail from different regions and social classes – but they share the trait of being “unusually accomplished idealists”. Lieya, who drops out of school to work in a factory, later goes on to run a childcare collective. Sam, “born into a special sliver of her generation: the urban middle class”, is drawn into the world of labour activism after interviewing an injured factory worker for a university sociology course. June is just 13 when her mother is killed – crushed on a conveyor belt in a coal mine. She becomes the only one of her village primary school classmates to make it to high school, and then university. Headstrong Siyue’s stressful childhood is characterised by the rising and falling fortunes of her parents, who try their hands at various business ventures (repairing Nokia handsets, for example). Later, as a single mother, she is adamant about parenting her daughter differently – and giving her own mother (who she tricks into going on her first ever holiday, to Bali) a new outlook on life, too.

Yang is herself a product of this period but brings an outsider’s perspective. Born in 1990, she spent the first four years of her life living in the company town, or danwei , of the factory that employed her maternal grandparents in China’s mountainous south-west. She grew up hearing the national anthem blasted on a loudspeaker each morning and bathing in the “bountiful hot water” of the danwei ’s communal showers (they had no running hot water at home). “My grandparents expected their danwei to take care of them, and it did,” Yang writes. But this would not hold true for the generations to come. In the decade after 1993, 50 million workers were laid off during the programme of “Reform and Opening Up”, which saw state-owned enterprises privatised. By then, Yang had left for the UK with her parents.

Returning to China in 2016 as a journalist, she saw a country anxious about its own transformation: “Before I went back … I knew the optimistic giddiness of my parents’ generation, where they could expect to out-earn their parents no matter what, so long as they got out of the village.” What she found instead were rural families who feared that the gap between village and city living standards had grown insurmountable, while their urban counterparts worried that their own financial security was only attributable to “luck and timing and an unrepeatable economic boom”. How could they ensure their children would enjoy the same opportunities?

Many of these fears – of “falling off the ladder” and the feeling of precarity that comes with it – aren’t unique to young people living in China. “Back in the UK, my friends shut out of London call themselves ‘Generation Rent’,” Yang writes; meanwhile, her friends in Beijing are “Generation Involution” – a tag that uses a term from anthropology to invoke “a system which absorbs ever more effort for ever less return”.

What sets the story told in Private Revolutions apart, however, is the speed and magnitude of the upheaval, captured by Yang with palpable admiration for the women negotiating these seismic shifts one day at a time. “Any mass transformation of society requires, and results in, massive change at the level of individuals, friendships and families,” Yang writes. “Yet it is also easy, at a time of such breakneck change, to lose sight of what it feels like to be alive.” Private Revolutions takes care to keep Leiya, Sam, June and Siyue’s individuality in focus without forgetting the broader stakes. As Leiya reminds herself: “I’m not the only one in this situation.”

after newsletter promotion

Society books
Book of the day
History books
Biography books

Erik Larson vividly captures the struggle for Fort Sumter

‘the demon of unrest’ zooms in on a place, time and small group of actors whose individual dramas encapsulate broader events in the run-up to the civil war.

So many books on the American Civil War have been published in the past 160 years that it’s been estimated they average out to at least one per day since the surrender at Appomattox. Still, they keep coming, rank upon rank, a relentless army of paper and ink.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Every generation revises its understanding of the conflict and its causes, heavily influenced by the context of the times. A century or so ago, in an era of racial denialism, historians groped for any explanation besides slavery to define the war’s origins. Half a century later, in the aftermath of the civil rights movement, White scholars began paying serious attention to the roles African Americans played in the conflict’s onset and outcome. (Black scholars had been doing so since the 19th century.) A decade ago, after the election of America’s first Black president, the war could be portrayed as an awakening of the national conscience that, despite its awful cost, would eventually bend history’s arc toward justice.

Now, the popular historian Erik Larson has written a Civil War story that — as he says in the book’s first paragraphs — was shaped by the events of Jan. 6, 2021 , when the U.S. Capitol was stormed by a mob of self-proclaimed American patriots (some of whom, with no apparent sense of irony, brandished Confederate flags while howling imprecations against “traitors”).

“As I watched the Capitol assault unfold on camera,” Larson writes in “ The Demon of Unrest ,” “I had the eerie feeling that present and past had merged. It is unsettling that in 1861 two of the greatest moments of national dread centered on the certification of the Electoral College vote and the presidential inauguration. … I realized that the anxiety, anger, and astonishment that I felt would certainly have been experienced in 1860-1861 by vast numbers of Americans.”

Although the book’s subtitle promises a Civil War “saga” — suggesting an epic sweep across years and battles — this isn’t quite right. Rather, as he has done artfully in his previous books (which have together sold some 10 million copies), Larson zooms in tightly on a specific place, time and small group of actors whose individual dramas are supposed to encapsulate broader historical events. His main narrative ends before the war’s first drop of blood has been shed.

The object of Larson’s concentrated focus is the five-month period between Abraham Lincoln’s election to the presidency, in November 1860, and the surrender of Fort Sumter by a small federal garrison, which had held on while surrounding Southern states proclaimed their secession from the Union. Meanwhile, leaders in Washington and the nascent Confederacy maneuvered to determine the fate of the South Carolina outpost, the last significant bastion of federal authority in the rebel South. The fort finally struck its colors on April 13, after two days of relentless artillery bombardment by Confederate forces encircling Charleston Harbor, a battle that nonetheless concluded with only a few minor injuries on each side.

Perhaps no other historian has ever rendered the struggle for Sumter in such authoritative detail as Larson does here. Having picked his way through a vast labyrinth of primary and secondary sources (some of them contradictory), he emerges with a narrative that strides confidently from one chapter to the next. Few historians, too, have done a better job of untangling the web of intrigues and counter-intrigues that helped provoke the eventual attack and surrender — how a few slightly different decisions by leaders on both sides could have led to dramatically different outcomes in the secession crisis, ones that might not have involved a war at all.

Larson begins each section of his book with an epigraph taken from a 19th-century manual on the intricate protocols of dueling. This points to a central theme: that the Sumter contest was a match of strength and wits by gentlemen on both sides whose behavior was governed not just by differing strategies and ideologies, but by a strict sense of honor.

Yet it also points to some of the book’s deficiencies. Larson’s Civil War is a “mano a mano” between a few elite White men in Washington and Charleston, while the other 30 million Americans remain a vague offstage presence. This is despite the fact that the rapidly shifting tides of public opinion in both North and South ultimately determined the course of the Sumter standoff — just as much as, or even more than, the political leaders’ thrusts and parries. It’s also an odd choice given Larson’s initial claim that his narrative was shaped by the storming of the Capitol — as if he had seen that recent moment as simply a test of wits between President Donald Trump on one side and President-elect Joe Biden on the other.

Black Americans are almost always treated as an unnamed, undifferentiated mass of passive victims: Although Larson unmasks the cruelty and hypocrisy of wealthy White enslavers, Frederick Douglass appears just once in the book’s 500 pages. Other Black activists, authors and strategists never do. Abolitionists (White as well as Black) are hardly mentioned, and then only as radical irritants to both sides whose inconvenient existence inflamed the tensions that led to disunion. In this sense, “The Demon of Unrest” sometimes reads more like a product of the 1920s than of the 2020s.

Even in his portrayals of the White elite, Larson makes puzzling choices. Very early in the book, he devotes more than 30 pages to the prewar life of a loathsome planter turned senator, James Henry Hammond of South Carolina, seeming to set him up as one of the narrative’s major characters. But then Hammond largely disappears, popping up just a few times in passing.

Overall, the Confederate figures in Larson’s book are more fully fleshed out than those above the Mason-Dixon Line, with the sole exception of Lincoln. It’s difficult to find new things to say about the 16th president, but Larson has an eye for the illuminating detail. For instance, he describes a “yard sale” of household goods (including six chairs, a mattress and some comforters) that the Lincolns held in early 1861 to help fund their train journey to the inauguration. It’s a sign of just how middle-class the family was, a stark contrast to nearly all who occupied the White House before or since.

The most fascinating character in “The Demon of Unrest” is Maj. Robert Anderson, the reserved, gray-haired U.S. Army officer who held Fort Sumter for half a year, despite the vast military superiority of his massing Confederate foes and the feeble, vacillating support of the Buchanan administration. A Kentuckian and former enslaver, Anderson nonetheless did his duty, knowing that — in the words of another officer at the fort, Abner Doubleday — “the first shot fired by us would light the flames of a civil war that would convulse the world.” A willing withdrawal from Sumter, meanwhile, would have signaled the federal government’s acquiescence to secession and possibly sealed the nation’s dissolution.

The portrait of Anderson is Larson at his best. It is also a reminder of the intricate contingencies of history, whose outcomes do sometimes depend — at least partly — on the decisions of a single person.

Adam Goodheart is a historian at Washington College and the author of “1861: The Civil War Awakening.”

The Demon of Unrest

A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

By Erik Larson

Crown. 592 pp. $35

More from Book World

Love everything about books? Make sure to subscribe to our Book Club newsletter , where Ron Charles guides you through the literary news of the week.

Best books of 2023: See our picks for the 10 best books of 2023 or dive into the staff picks that Book World writers and editors treasured in 2023. Check out the complete lists of 50 notable works for fiction and the top 50 nonfiction books of last year.

Find your favorite genre: Three new memoirs tell stories of struggle and resilience, while five recent historical novels offer a window into other times. Audiobooks more your thing? We’ve got you covered there, too . If you’re looking for what’s new, we have a list of our most anticipated books of 2024 . And here are 10 noteworthy new titles that you might want to consider picking up this April.

Still need more reading inspiration? Super readers share their tips on how to finish more books . Or let poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib explain why he stays in Ohio . You can also check out reviews of the latest in fiction and nonfiction .

We've detected unusual activity from your computer network

To continue, please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot.

Why did this happen?

Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy .

For inquiries related to this message please contact our support team and provide the reference ID below.

Supported by

Barbara Walters Did the Work

In “The Rulebreaker,” Susan Page pays tribute to a pioneering journalist who survived being both a punchline and an icon.

Share full article

The image portrays a seated Barbara Walters in 1976, wearing a striped lavender and pink cardigan, with a microphone clipped to the shirt.

By Lisa Schwarzbaum

Lisa Schwarzbaum is a former critic for Entertainment Weekly.

Barnes and Noble
Books-A-Million

When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.

THE RULEBREAKER: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters, by Susan Page

Much of the material in “The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters” has been told before, with persuasive narrative control, by the late television journalist herself in her dishy 2008 memoir, “Audition.” Don’t let that stop the reader of this thorough, compassionate biography by Susan Page: It’s a valuable document, sobering where “Audition” aimed for sassy.

If anything, the 16 long years between autobiography and biography endow the two books, taken together, with a memento mori gravitas for any student of Walters, or of television journalism, or of the past, present and future of women in the TV workplace — or, for that matter, of Monica Lewinsky. More on her in a moment.

Walters called her autobiography “Audition” to emphasize the need she always felt to prove herself, pushing her way to professional success in a world that never made it easy for her. Nearly 80 then and still in the game, she acknowledged that personal contentment — love, marriage, meaningful family connections — lagged far behind. She wrote of being the daughter of an erratic father, who bounced — sometimes suicidally — between flush times and financial failure as a nightclub owner and impresario.

She told of her fearful mother, and of the mentally disabled older sister to whose welfare she felt yoked. She wrote of the three unsatisfying marriages, and of her strained relationship with the daughter she adopted as an infant.

She breezily acknowledged the ease she felt throughout her life with complicated men of elastic ethics like Roy Cohn and Donald Trump. She leaned into her reputation as a “pushy cookie.”

Page, the Washington bureau chief of USA Today, who has also written books about Barbara Bush and Nancy Pelosi, tells many of the same stories. (“Audition” is an outsize presence in the endnotes.) But in placing the emphasis on all the rule-breaking Barbara Jill Walters had to do over her long life — she died in 2022 at 93 — the biographer pays respect to a toughness easy to undervalue today, when the collective memory may see only the well-connected woman with the instantly recognizable (thanks to Gilda Radner’s “SNL” impression) speech impediment.

There was no one like her — not Diane, not Katie, not Judy, not Connie, not Gwen, not Christiane. Not Ellen. Not Oprah. Having created her niche, Walters fought all her life to protect it. Because no one else would. Would that be the case today? Discuss.

“At age 35,” Page writes, “she had finally found her place, a space that bridged journalism and entertainment and promotion. Traditionalists viewed the combination with consternation. She ignored their doubts as she redefined their industry. She saw herself as a journalist, albeit of a new and evolving sort. In some ways, she would make herself a leader in the news business by changing what, exactly, that could include.”

Walters broke rules to save her father from debt and jail. She broke rules to secure on-air status — and pay — equal to that of the often hostile men around her. Walters broke rules to land scoops, gain access and bag interviews.

The account of the driven competition she felt with her fellow TV journalist Diane Sawyer is both fun and silly/sad in its evocation of a catty rumble: Isn’t such competition the everyday reality of the bookers working for the famous men who currently host late-night talk shows? Aren’t those late-night hybrids now the closest thing we have to influential news interviews — except, perhaps, on the women-talking daytime show “The View,” invented in large part by Barbara Walters?

Walters didn’t break rules to get the first on-air interview with Monica Lewinsky — she just worked her tuchis off, from the day the news of an affair broke to the night of March 3, 1999 — watched by 74 million Americans.

Walters was nearly 70 and famous; Lewinsky was a private 25-year-old woman whose affair with her married boss had thrown a country into hypocritical hysterics. The process of establishing trust could not be rushed.

The older woman asked the younger woman a chain of tough questions about sex and intimacy and character and judgment that no human should have to endure on national television. The younger woman answered with a dignity currently out of fashion both in celebrity self-presentation and on the floor of the U.S. Congress.

In the quarter-century since that extraordinary event — the essence of a Barbara Walters Interview — Lewinsky has demonstrated an inspiring power to live on her own terms and not on the assumptions of others. The achievement required rules to be broken, and has come with a price.

Barbara Walters knew what that was like.

THE RULEBREAKER : The Life and Times of Barbara Walters | By Susan Page | Simon & Schuster | 444 pp. | $30.99

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

Salman Rushdie’s new memoir, “Knife,” addresses the attack that maimed him in 2022, and pays tribute to his wife who saw him through .

Recent books by Allen Bratton, Daniel Lefferts and Garrard Conley depict gay Christian characters not usually seen in queer literature.

What can fiction tell us about the apocalypse? The writer Ayana Mathis finds unexpected hope in novels of crisis by Ling Ma, Jenny Offill and Jesmyn Ward .

At 28, the poet Tayi Tibble has been hailed as the funny, fresh and immensely skilled voice of a generation in Māori writing .

Amid a surge in book bans, the most challenged books in the United States in 2023 continued to focus on the experiences of L.G.B.T.Q. people or explore themes of race.

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

IMAGES

Book review: ‘Scythe’ by Neal Schusterman
Book Review: Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Scythe Book Review (Arc of a Scythe)
Opinion—Book Review of Scythe By Neal Shusterman
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Book Review: Scythe

VIDEO

Scythe Book Trailer
Scythe, Ania's Book Review plus Reading update
Scythe Book 2
"Scythe" Book Trailer by Pete B
Review
Scythe Chapter 9

COMMENTS

Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1) by Neal Shusterman
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants.
Scythe: Arc of a Scythe, Book 1 Book Review
Parents need to know that 2017 Michael J. Printz Honor Book Scythe, by Neal Shusterman, is set in a future where most of the human population is immortal but where a few are chosen to die at the hands of mysterious officials known as "scythes."There are many scenes of violence -- suicides, mass murder, beatings and torture, and intimate killings -- which may upset younger, more sensitive readers.
SCYTHE
11. Our Verdict. GET IT. Kirkus Reviews'. Best Books Of 2016. New York Times Bestseller. Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world. On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called ...
'Scythe' Book Review: a YA Book Bound to Be the New 'Hunger Games'
Neal Shusterman's "Scythe" is the first book in a young adult, dystopian science fiction series. ... "Scythe" has great reviews — 84% of its nearly 200,000 reviews on Goodreads are 4- and 5 ...
Scythe
Scythe by Neal Schusterman has been reviewed by Focus on the Family's marriage and parenting magazine. It is the first book in the "Arc of a Scythe" series. ... Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The ...
Book Review: Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Rating: 9 - Damn near perfection. This book rekindled my love for the YA dystopian genre, and will absolutely make my shortlist of best books of 2016. Buy the Book: A poignant tale of post-mortality, SCYTHE by Neal Shusterman is a harrowing read that restores faith in the YA dystopian genre.
BOOK REVIEW: Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, Book 1) by Neal Shusterman
A young adult dystopian novel by Neal Shusterman, Scythe is the first book in the Arc of a Scythe trilogy. After being on a romantasy kick for the past few months I needed a change of pace, and this was right up my alley.
Review
These teens must master the "art" of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own. Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award-winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price. Initial Thoughts.
Young Adult Book Review: Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1) by Neal Shusterman
Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award-winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price. Review: In a world where death has concurred, the disease is a thing of the past, no government, no crime, no starvation, and all the world's significant ...
READING FOR SANITY BOOK REVIEWS: Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, Book 1
A Prince Honor Book, Scythe is the debut of a thrilling new series by National Book Award-winning author Neal Shusterman. (Summary from back of book - Image from amazon.com) My Review: Dystopian fiction is my jam. I love reading about messed-up societies parading around as utopia and the perspectives of ordinary people who fight against the ...
Arc of a Scythe Series by Neal Shusterman
Book 1-3.5. The Arc of a Scythe Collection (Boxed Set): Scythe; Thunderhead; The Toll; Gleanings. by Neal Shusterman. 4.71 · 31 Ratings · 2 editions. Two teens must master the "art of killing" in this…. Want to Read.
Scythe Book Review (Arc of a Scythe)
Scythe Book Review The Beginning. Scythe starts off with a scared family as Honorable Scythe Faraday appears on their doorstep. It is quickly explained that Scythes all take the names of important historical figures of the Mortal Age to honor the great influence they had on society and remember what mankind used to be.
Review: Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Scythe Neal Shusterman Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers Published on November 22, 2016 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads About Scythe Thou shalt kill. A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of ...
Review of Scythe by Neal Shusterman
The author provided plenty of detail of the day to day activities in a Scythe's life, which I found fascinating, as well as the training regiment of the apprentice Scythes. Speaking of apprentices, it is only through deep study and training by the apprentice and intense scrutiny by the Scythdom that a person is ordained as a Scythe.
The "Scythe" Book by Neal Shusterman, Review and Summary
Summary of the book, "Scythe". Set in a futuristic dystopia where science has made the unthinkable possible, "Scythe" presents not only a wonderful action story, but poses questions about the decisions we make when technology has surpassed our wildest dreams. In this world with no hunger, no disease and no natural death, a group of so ...
Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, 1)
Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty award-winning books for children, teens, and adults, including The Unwind Dystology, The Skinjacker trilogy, Downsiders, and Challenger Deep, which won the National Book Award. Scythe, the first book in his newest series Arc of a Scythe, is a Michael L. Printz Honor Book.He also writes screenplays for motion pictures ...
Book review: 'Scythe' by Neal Schusterman
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a dystopian setting with strong character development and riveting situations. Neal Schusterman's Scythe is a novel set in a dystopian future where disease, war, crime, and poverty are all things of the past. While such a world may seem ideal, there is a downside: the danger of ...
Arc of a Scythe Trilogy by Neal Shusterman
Note: it's impossible to review the following two books without significant spoilers for the first volume! Rowan has gone rogue as Scythe Lucifer; he is single-handedly wielding vigilante justice against scythes (such as Scythe Goddard) who have abandoned their precious role of stewardship in favor of the more sinister killing and mass gleaning.
Book Review: Scythe
Neal Shusterman published Scythe in 2016. It is the first book in his trilogy, Arc of a Scythe. The story is set in a distant future, completely different from today's reality. In Scythe, everything such as disease, government, and even mortality has been abolished. Humans have figured out a way to live in a society where no one really dies ...
Book Review: Scythe
Scythe by Neal Shusterman My rating: 4 of 5 stars Synopsis Scythe takes place in a "perfect" world. There is no crime, no hunger, no age, not even death. Society has a solution to all of life's problems. Yet… with that comes its own set of problems, such as how do humans live their lives […]
Scythe Book Review
A Printz Honor Book, Scythe is the debut of a thrilling new series by National Book Award-winning author Neal Shusterman. Description from the back cover of the book written by Neal Shusterman. "He began to feel like a ghost in his own life, existing in a forced blind spot of the world."-Narrator Book Rating and Thoughts: Wow. Wow oh wow.
The Latest in Y.A. Fantasy
SCYTHE By Neal Shusterman 433 pp. Simon & Schuster, $17.99. (Young adult; ages 14 and up) ... Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review's podcast to talk about the latest news in ...
Book Review: Scythe
Scythe follows two teens, Citra and Rowan, as they reluctantly apprentice to become a Scythe. I think Shusterman has another "Unwind" type of hit on his hands. As the book develops, the seemingly Utopian society gets darker and darker and more dystopian - but really only because of the gleaning. The Scythes have a rich history, and it was ...
If You Read One Romance Book This Spring, Make It This One
April 24, 2024. Spring! There's no better time of year for a baseball romance. We'll wind up the column with a much-anticipated book by Cat Sebastian, but we lead off with KT Hoffman's ...
New Crime and Mystery Novels
This year's it's ANOTHER DAY'S PAIN (Mysterious Press, 232 pp., $26.95) by K.C. Constantine, the pseudonym of Carl Kosak (1934-2023). He wrote about small-town Rust Belt Pennsylvania and ...
Review of Sophie Grégoire Trudeau's memoir Closer Together
Billed as a memoir, it has little dish. Review by Karen Heller. April 24, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. EDT. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. (Maude Chauvin) Former unofficial first lady of Canada Sophie Grégoire ...
Private Revolutions by Yuan Yang review
Y uan Yang, the former Financial Times China correspondent, has written an engrossing new book that meticulously reports on a country in the throes of change, using the lives and choices of four ...
Review
Erik Larson vividly captures the struggle for Fort Sumter. 'The Demon of Unrest' zooms in on a place, time and small group of actors whose individual dramas encapsulate broader events in the ...
How the US Stole $600 Billion From African Americans: 'Black Tax' Book
An unpaid tax bill—either because of financial hardship or trickery, as in Edmonson—led to the seizure of many of the 11 million acres Black people lost in the 20th century. The compounded ...
Book Review: 'The Rulebreaker,' by Susan Page
Don't let that stop the reader of this thorough, compassionate biography by Susan Page: It's a valuable document, sobering where "Audition" aimed for sassy. If anything, the 16 long years ...