The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3)

My god I have so many thoughts about Neal Shusterman’s magnificent third installment in his Scythe series, aptly named The Toll.  I honestly don’t even know where to start, my mind and heart are still buzzing from finishing this thought-provoking series.

If you’ve read my previous reviews on both Scythe and Thunderhead, you should already know my thoughts on the characters and the general synopsis. But for those who have not, I’ll give a brief overview. 

The world is perfect. Human beings have conquered sickness, corruption, and even death. People don’t die anymore, they become deadish, a term used synonymously with temporarily out-of-order until they are revived, good as new.

There is no more hunger, poverty, or injustice. People have as much food as they want, money as they want, can even turn back their age and change their appearance at will. 

This perfect world is due to the actions of one being, if you could even call it that: the Thunderhead. Essentially, the Thunderhead is a complex evolved form of “the cloud” or even “the internet.” It is a benevolent omnipotent being that ensures worldwide happiness and maintains the perfection of the world.

There are no leaders, no mayors, no president, just the Thunderhead, a being that everyone can consult, talk to, ask for help or guidance. And it is happy to do so. Until it isn’t. 

This is not a rogue AI story (thank God). The Thunderhead remains an all powerful servant to humanity, but it cannot interfere with one thing and one thing only: scythes. The bringers of death, as the one problem the Thunderhead cannot fix is the overabundance of population.

So scythes are tasked with killing people in order to keep this under control. But as Shusterman points out, human beings are imperfect creatures. What happens when imperfect creatures inhabit a perfect world?

That is essentially the theme of The Toll, as Shusterman explores the effects of a corrupt scythedom at the hands of Goddard, the new Overblade, the desperate lengths people will go to obtain and hoard power, the power of religion and zealots, the draw of love and friendship, and the idea of purpose and fulfillment. There are so many important themes that this book draws upon that I cannot even realistically list them all. 

There are several POV’s and characters that this book follows, notably Citra and Rowan, Goddard and Rand, Morrison, Greyson Tolliver (aka The Toll), Munira, Faraday, Loriana, Possuelo, Jeri, the Thunderhead itself and a whole slew of others. Normally, this constant switching of characters is irritating and droll, as I often only wish to read about one character,  but in this case, Shusterman does it so masterfully and it is so enthralling that I don’t mind at all.

It adds so much to the story to see the differing perspectives and Shusterman is a master of even giving his villains backgrounds and motives. As a reader, you are given access to everyone's minds and the gift of that is unfathomable, as you are able to see even why the worst of characters are doing what they are doing. It’s as difficult to write as it is magnificent to read.

This last installment deals with the after effects of the gruesome murder of the Grandslayers by sharks (still can’t get over that ending honestly), Goddard’s increading advance in power, Greyson’s role as the sole remaining person alive that the Thunderhead communicates with, Citra and Rowan’s goal to find each other and peace, Faraday and Munira’s goal of finding the Founder’s fail safe, and the Thunderhead’s secret construction plans on a hidden island out in the Pacific ocean. 

As you can see, there are multiple overlying plot points that all intersect beautifully and all layer over one another in a complex web of intrigue, deception, action, and morality.

Shusterman not only manipulates time in this book, but he also manipulates POV, characterization, and even the occasional intersection of charts, journals, and commentary that all act like little breadcrumbs leading up to the ending of the series. 

Everything about this book makes me think. Which I absolutely love. I often feel that YA books often cater to their readers, that plot points and characters are dumbed down in fear that young readers won’t catch on. Shusterman holds no such view. He throws you in the midst of his book and you either catch on or you don’t, and I adore that.

It’s not that it’s over complicated and filled with jargon like other books, it’s that the plot is complicated and going in a thousand different directions and you are only offered a view of a handful of them at the beginning, with your lens slowly expanding as the book goes along. 

This book is amazing. This whole series is amazing. I cannot sing its praises enough. Strangely enough, my favorite character became the Thunderhead itself. I found it to be such a tragic character, and I actually felt bad for something not quite machine, not quite AI, and not quite human at the end.

All the characters were engaging and fleshed out and so interesting. I enjoyed how many powerful women there were, the complexity of the characters, the differences in their views, their goals, their thinking, all of it. 

If my abundance of compliments are not enough to sway you, then you should go out and get a copy of Scythe yourself and start from the beginning. It’s worth it, trust me. 

Recommendation: This book has something for everyone. I guarantee there will be a character you like, a plot point you enjoy, something that makes you feel, a tidbit that makes you ponder your own life and the consequences of your actions, a moment that makes you smile for every moment that makes you cry. If you like intrigue and good characters and an awesome storyline this book is for you. Give yourself the gift of The Toll and the whole Scythe series as a whole this holiday season. 

Score: 9/10