Thunderhead | Neal Shusterman

    Over the past few weeks, I've been reading a science-fiction novel called Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman, a very well known American author. Thunderhead is the second book in the "Scythe" trilogy, a series of books. Upon finishing Thunderhead a few days ago, I have already managed to get my hands on the third and final installment of this series, but that's for another time.

    The very first thing to do before I start sharing my thoughts on this novel, is to provide some background information. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Scythe trilogy, it is a set of three science-fiction novels set in the future, where humanity has conquered death. The human race has learned almost everything there is to know, perfected virtually every known skill, and has advanced medical research to unconceivable levels. Now, since no humans can die of natural causes such as old age or sickness, it is up to special assassins named 'Scythes' to keep the population stable. Established Scythes take on apprentices in order for newer generations of Scythes to continue doing their business. The series follows the development of two apprentices- (who are already Scythes upon beginning 'Thunderhead') Rowan, and Citra.  I've always been a fan of science-fiction, especially dystopian novels like this one. So naturally, I have a lot of good things to say about this book, and the series in general. However, there are few downsides I must mention, about 'Thunderhead' in particular. 

    First of all, I very much enjoy this concept of 'Scythes' and the world they live in. I find this alternate universe so similar to ours, packed with assassins with literal fanbases- It's so unrealistic, but it sill manages to pull of a certain credibility, in a way...as if in a century or two, this will become a reality. I always seem to enjoy books with thoroughly developed settings, with lots of information and details that just help the readers picture the scenes more vividly. Although there are numerous positive things I could say about this novel, there are a few cons that I would like to mention here. Probably the most important downside; the abrupt ending. Some people may disagree with me here, but personally, I think that the novel's ending as a whole could have been less suspenseful, and more polished. I can't mention exactly what happens in the ending because of spoilers, but it has to do with a massive catastrophe as a result of corruption in the Scythedom (Scythe government system basically). The ending here is indeed a little sudden, and I remember feeling a distinct longing for just a few more pages of conclusion. I'm aware that this cliff-hanger is also there to 'market' the final installment, but some extra wrap-up chapters would have been nice. The whole book literally ends with some conversation between the Thunderhead (Really smart AI that's sort of like google assistant) talking to Greyson Tolliver. (You don't have to know him for the sake of this review). "'Hello Greyson,' said the Thunderhead. "We need to talk."' (Shusterman 504). This just seems like a very overused/cliche ending to me, and yeah, some more stuff happening at the end would have really made the whole experience better.

   Overall though, I believe giving the 'Scythe' trilogy a read maybe over winter break would be a worthwhile experience. I am indeed a little late to this, as the books were released quite a while ago (2019 for the latest installment), but I would definitely suggest these books to whomever is searching for some interesting science-fiction novels to read. So far, the novels have provided lots of rich use of language, while also not being as demanding to read such as many classics. (Like '1984'. That one took me like three tries to get past the first 80-100 pages because it starts so slow..) 

    Anyway, I hope this brief insight on this new novel convinces you to read the series soon, because I got this recommended by a few friends a while back, and I did not regret it.

-Josh :|