Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

Thunderhead is book two in the Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman, and it is just as addictive and absorbing as book one. In this novel we see even more of the Thunderhead’s self-awareness, as well as its inability to stop certain catastrophic events from occurring.

The Thunderhead is the all-knowing artificial intelligence that runs the world, but it also adheres to a strict set of laws. While it helps all aspects of human life run smoothly and acts as counselor, parent, and best friend to much of the world’s population, there are still things it can and won’t do. For instance, the Thunderhead won’t interfere in any Scythe business, and there are regions of the world -- such as Texas -- where it intentionally has a significantly reduced presence. But despite its adherence to laws, it does occasionally need someone to act as an intermediary to get things done that it cannot do itself. Enter Greyson Tolliver, a teenager the Thunderhead has selected to be a deep-cover operative and spy. The Thunderhead erases Tolliver’s personal history so that he can become Slayd Bridger, an undesirable who works his way into a team bent on harming the scythes. Only Tolliver and his ‘probation officer’ know about the deal, and when the probation officer is gleaned, Tolliver realizes he might be stuck with his new identity.

Scythe Anastasia (Citra Terranova) is still working with Scythe Curie, but after an attempt on their lives that is foiled by the undercover Tolliver, they take their gleaning on the road. Rowan Damisch, meanwhile, has become the un-official Scythe Lucifer, wearing a black robe and hunting scythes who, in his opinion, need to be gleaned. Since he isn’t really a scythe and can’t officially glean, he must burn the dead-ish bodies to prevent the scythes from being brought back at a rejuvination center.

As in Scythe, the first volume of the series, Shusterman gives the reader a lot of philosophy to consider within the story. How much power should Artificial Intelligence have? What happens when the AI is more moral than humans? The book is filled with plenty of moral dilemnas, but the answers are up to us to find.