The Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman

 

    Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe series brings you into a Dystopian sci-fi future where death has been eradicated by the Thunderhead, which is the mind of an all-knowing AI. Still, someone must keep the population under control. The Scythedom is the group of elite killers tasked with keeping the population in check by ‘gleaning,’ which is another word for murder. This book is dark, strange, and quite a page-turner. The story follows two teenagers who are chosen to become scythes and undergo apprenticeship under the scythes who choose them, learning about the role they will take on for the rest of their lives as they face ethical dilemmas that come with the responsibility of taking people's lives. What really brings these serious topics to life is Shusterman’s unique style.

Writing style:

Shusterman has a writing style that I thoroughly enjoyed. Here are a few interesting examples from either journals or internal character dialogue: “There’s a lot written about killers from the mortal age –monsters like Jack the Ripper, or Charlie Manson, or Cyber Sally –and the only difference between them and Goddard is that people let Goddard get away with it. The mortals knew how wrong it was, but somehow we’ve forgotten”(for context, Goddard is a world famous scythe who specializes in mass gleaning in rather controversial manners), “They will find whatever button will make you dance, and dance you will, no matter how hideous the tune”, “Even though the whole world had slid of its axis. Breakfast was breakfast. How dare it be?”. This is a great example of how Shusterman mixes humor with existential dread in such a perfect way.

Beyond the characters and style, the world-building itself is a fundamental part of the book. The societies in this book are complex, which further enhances the immersiveness as you are drawn into the world through the endless details concerning many topics. There are regions, hierarchies, committees, a justice system, a system to become a scythe, including training, tests, journaling, and entire lifestyle changes. There is history in the different political sides and even a religion called Tonism. There is a complicated timeline as well, including lots of history and the switch to the Chinese calendar. In this complex and deeply interwoven society, the Dystopian aspects bring up heavy symbolism and questions the reader’s own morals and beliefs.

Themes and symbolism:

There are many deeper meanings and questions raised by this book. Obvious and hidden meanings are sprinkled throughout, as well as paradoxes, and thoughts or questions meant to keep the reader thinking even after finishing the book. An example of a clearer meaning is how life and death are controlled, which raises questions about morality and how we value a person’s life. A more hidden meaning that you may need to think about to understand or draw out from the text is the change in societal views. An example is how murder isn’t called murder, it’s called gleaning, and this is for a reason. More can be taken away from this, which is an example of a trailing thought, or a thought that is meant to be thought about after completing the book. The paradoxes raise questions about what it means to live, die, and wield power in a world without natural death. An example of a combination of a hidden meaning and trailing thought is how the Thunderhead is almost ‘playing God’. Having obvious as well as hidden meanings and takeaways makes the book more immersive and in-depth for the reader to be more heavily impacted.

After completing the series, I found it rather intriguing to incorporate a God-like figure into a book like this, and after a bit of research, I discovered that Shusterman is Jewish and often adds themes of his Judaism into his writing. The Thunderhead is a higher power figure seen as a worldwide parental unit. It mourns the actions of humanity but isn’t allowed to interfere with scythe affairs. Like the God of the Bible, the Thunderhead doesn’t mess with the free will of people, and thus, being perfect, the plans it puts in place aren’t perfect for the people, as sin is present in the world. It has the absolute best in mind, but because of the actions of humanity, we live in a broken world. The Thunderhead is perfect as it can’t make mistakes, like the God of the Bible, but because of the actions of humanity, someone will always kill another, someone will always be robbed, hurt, or abandoned because of our own ways, not because the Thunderhead is doing it to them, but because we all have free will. Some chose to be in a relationship with the thunderhead. Still, more often than not, we choose what is wrong and hurt people in the process. There is even a prophet of sorts, Greyson Tolliver, who has a special bond and relationship with the Thunderhead, as he was raised as a son by the Thunderhead, and serves as a bridge between the AI and the Scythedom. This is similar to how Jesus Christ came to create a path available to anyone to be in a relationship with God by breaking down boundaries and dying for his children who didn’t deserve his mercy. I didn’t expect to see religious themes in a sci-fi dystopian book, but it works well into the plot. Unfortunately, most books have areas to be critiqued.

Critiques:

A con of the series for some is that certain areas are rather slow, and nearer the end, become a bit more predictable. I personally always found the plot interesting, but not everyone agrees. The 3^rd book becomes more of a typical dystopian book, as opposed to the originally enticing 1^st book, which is centered around those deeper themes and concepts. More often than not, Dystopian books include many deeper meanings and often are warnings of societal problems and the far-off but still possible consequences of these problems. The difference between these more common Dystopian books and this Dystopian book is that I feel that it’s more focused on these concepts and issues as opposed to trying to keep the reader engaged with action and romance. When in the 3^rd book the plot takes off and there are many twists and turns involving much action and romance, it felt more similar to the teen romance dystopian books we all read in middle school. This was off-putting to me, but some people might see this as a pro. You might compare the ending of the 3^rd book to titles like The Hunger Games, Divergent, or the Legend series.

If you’re looking for a new series that will cause you to think deeply about the meanings of life, I would recommend this book to you! This is a very good series to read for essays, for fun, or to pass the time. With the long weekend coming up, it’s the perfect time to dive into this thought-provoking series :)

-Ana Hernandez