by TPS reader lutzr22
Thunderhead by Neil Shusterman is set in a world where nothing is wrong. It is probably the closest you can get to a Utopia in a YA novel. No one is able to naturally die, so to cope with overpopulation, select individuals, called scythes, are chosen to “glean” people in the public. With the first book having established the universe and characters, its sequel shows how even in a perfect world, people will cause problems. Within the Scythedom there is corruption, instead of gleaning as a part of their job, the new order does it with malice. The different protagonists, attempt to combat this corruption in different ways. They are made different, as none of the main characters are connected with the Thunderhead, the program that maintains society. Rowan, though not officially a scythe, calls himself Lucifer and gleans those who he believes are corrupted. Citra tries to fight the problem from the inside, moving up the ranks and gaining power. Greyson, after direction from the Thunderhead, is deemed a criminal, having saved Citra. This has outcast him from society and through a series of miscommunications leads him to conspire in an assassination of Scythes. As the characters fight the societal corruption, they also cope with isolation from the known.
I really love this series. The characters’ actions make sense, and their motivations are clear. The plot is woven well and the ending is a complete surprise. The books don’t follow the typical formulaic plots that some novels seem to fall into; it avoids tropes and is a unique and fresh idea. I really would recommend this book to everyone.
TPSreads 