Book Review: Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Well, all I can say is, Neal Shusterman has done it again! I've become a huge fan of his the past couple years since reading Unwind and Challenger Deep. Now, after reading Scythe, my love and admiration for his books has grown even more. 

Citra and Rowan live in a society that has conquered all of the problems that humanity faces today: hunger, disease, poverty, and even death. Their world is governed by an all-knowing-all-seeing artificial intelligence dubbed "the Thunderhead" (think gargantuan cloud) that keeps everything running smoothly. Save for the potential problem of over-population in a world where nobody dies, their lives are nearly pain and worry free.

Enter the scythes. As a means to maintain the optimal number of people on the planet, an elite group of people (scythes) are selected to "glean" their fellow citizens, meting out death with dignity and compassion. Highly respected Scythe Faraday selects teens Citra and Rowan to be his apprentices, preparing them for a life they would never choose but which they both ultimately embrace. 

The success of this society is totally dependent on the moral and ethical behavior of scythes. When a faction of scythes starts to deviate from the accepted code of conduct, the balance of power is shaken and things start to unravel. Both Citra and Rowan become central players in the scythedom conflict, each choosing to fight for what they believe, in very different ways.

Neal Shusterman continues to shine in this book with brilliant writing, engaging and believable characters, genius plot twists, and a thought-provoking premise. I was particularly taken with his treatment of AI, and where our dependence on computers could ultimately lead us as a society.

Note: As soon as I finished Scythe, I read the sequel Thunderhead. It was amazing! Can't wait for the next book to come out!

This book is currently available at AHS, BCHS, ECHS, GVHS, & MHS and is coming soon to LHS.

Warcross by Marie Lu

From the Marie Lu author of Legend, comes a new twist on the not-so-distant future. Emika Chen is living on her own in New York; she has been since her father died seven years earlier. She has an apartment with her friend, but they are barely getting by and face eviction weekly. Emika makes money as a bounty hunter, finding people who bet illegally on Warcross, a virtual reality, world-wide game. For many, Warcross is beyond just a game, it is more a way of life. Emika isn't only a fan and player of Warcross, she's also a hacker... a really good one.

On the day of the opening games of the International Warcross Championship, Emika accidentally glitches herself into the game, visible to everyone in the world, including Warcross' creator Hideo Tanaka. Tanaka gives her an irresistible offer to help him hunt down another hacker who threatens his entire gaming empire. Emika does it all: player, hunter, hacker, and pawn... but will these roles bring her down??

This book was on-the-edge, non-stop action, and unputdownable. Although it is clearly fiction, real world technology is moving so fast that one cannot help but wonder exactly how close we really are to worldwide VR gaming. Although this type of book is not within my normal genre of reading, I absolutely loved it!

This book is available at AHS, BCHS, ECHS, GVHS, LHS, & MHS
Go to the website for more! playwarcross.com