Mention of the "young adult'' genre can be enough to put off droves of readers who have left their teens behind.
There's a stereotype that says the fiction is oversimplified, thematically thin and predictable; and to be fair, often it is true.
But Scythe does more than buck the trend. Neal Shusterman wields that magical touch, creating a story that will appeal to teenagers, their parents and probably their grandparents too.
Though the setting is relatively simple, it is brilliantly conceived.
Medical technology has advanced so far that humans are all but immortal and an artificial-intelligence hub called the "Thunderhead'' stores all information and has made crime and poverty a relic.
But without death to control the inevitable population boom, the world has established "Scythes''.
These special few are selected and trained to cull.
They are bound by a strict code and are feared and revered by almost all they meet.
They must avoid bias and meet a quota at the end of every season.
Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch each have a chance meeting with the same Scythe, who notices something in them.
The pair are taken on as apprentices and learn the skills and compassion it takes to deal in death.
But their training regime is suddenly flipped, the protagonists are split up and their paths to scythedom divert.
The old philosophical approach to respectful killing (or "gleaning'' as it is called) is being slowly usurped by a new, flamboyant wave. They seem to take joy in the bloodshed and believe they justifiably walk as gods among men.
While most novelists who turn their eye to the future tend to pit artificial intelligence as a negative factor, Shusterman shows what a perfect system could look like.
It is the Scythes, who operate outside those bounds, that are the corrupting influence.
Shusterman portrays an imperfect political system and the manoeuvrings behind the scenes that are true of all governments.
With a movie adaptation in the pipeline, Scythe is getting the obligatory comparisons to The Hunger Games.
But in truth, it's better.
Shusterman seamlessly combines subtle humour with politics, action with meaning.
The lines between good and evil are blurred and the characters each have their own weaknesses.
The next instalment of the trilogy Thunderhead is out in eight months. It will be eagerly awaited.
Rob Kidd is an ODT court reporter and books editor.
Win a copy
The Weekend Mix has five copies of Scythe, by Neal Shusterman, courtesy of Walker Books, to give away. For your chance to win a copy, email playtime@odt.co.nz with your name and postal address in the body of the email and ‘‘Scythe’’ in the subject line, by Tuesday, April 3.
LAST WEEK’S WINNERS
Winners of the draw for copies of Lullaby, by Leila Slimani, courtesy of Faber & Faber/Allen & Unwin, were: Clare Wereta and C.F. Bretherton, of Dunedin, and Lesley McIntosh, of Oamaru.
