Neal Shusterman's stunning novel, Scythe, is set in future world where they have cured death. If you get a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis, they can cure you. If you get hit by a bus, they can put you back together. Whatever happens, they can bring you back. Of course, with no one dying and everyone having babies, the world would quickly become overpopulated. Therefore, the world's leaders came together and created scythes. These are people who decide who is to be killed and not brought back. The scythe's live by a set of commandments very different from our own. #1: Thou shalt kill. #2: Thou shalt kill with no bias, bigotry, or malice aforethought. #3: Thou shalt grant an annum of immunity to the beloved of those who accept your coming. (This means if you do not resist your death, your family will have one year of protection from death.) #4. Thou shalt kill the beloved of those who resist. (If you fight death, the scythes will kill you and all you love.) This is the story of teens who have been chosen to be trained as scythes. As they get deeper in their training, they discover that when humans play god, bad things happen. I read this book over a year ago, and somehow, I never blogged about it even though it was one of the best books I had read in ages. Shusterman is the Willy Wonka of the teen literature world as he creates innovative plots in a world where there tends to be a lot of repetition. Prepare to be shocked and spellbound as you are sucked into this futuristic world where getting our greatest wish, a freedom from death, causes even greater suffering. The sequel, Thunderhead, was just published, and it has received rave reviews from my students. My students devour Scythe like candy and beg for more. I join them in saying, "Neal Shusterman, please, please keep writing your amazing novels!" Highly recommended!
Sythe by Neal Shusterman
Neal Shusterman's stunning novel, Scythe, is set in future world where they have cured death. If you get a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis, they can cure you. If you get hit by a bus, they can put you back together. Whatever happens, they can bring you back. Of course, with no one dying and everyone having babies, the world would quickly become overpopulated. Therefore, the world's leaders came together and created scythes. These are people who decide who is to be killed and not brought back. The scythe's live by a set of commandments very different from our own. #1: Thou shalt kill. #2: Thou shalt kill with no bias, bigotry, or malice aforethought. #3: Thou shalt grant an annum of immunity to the beloved of those who accept your coming. (This means if you do not resist your death, your family will have one year of protection from death.) #4. Thou shalt kill the beloved of those who resist. (If you fight death, the scythes will kill you and all you love.) This is the story of teens who have been chosen to be trained as scythes. As they get deeper in their training, they discover that when humans play god, bad things happen. I read this book over a year ago, and somehow, I never blogged about it even though it was one of the best books I had read in ages. Shusterman is the Willy Wonka of the teen literature world as he creates innovative plots in a world where there tends to be a lot of repetition. Prepare to be shocked and spellbound as you are sucked into this futuristic world where getting our greatest wish, a freedom from death, causes even greater suffering. The sequel, Thunderhead, was just published, and it has received rave reviews from my students. My students devour Scythe like candy and beg for more. I join them in saying, "Neal Shusterman, please, please keep writing your amazing novels!" Highly recommended!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMs. Smith has been the librarian at Washington HS in Sioux Falls, SD, since 2005. She enjoys reading, watching K-Dramas, Harry Potter and hanging out with her family. Archives
October 2021
Categories
All
|