The Toll by Neal Shusterman Sci-Fi

The Toll is the third book of The Arc of a Scythe series. It is set in the far future where death by natural causes has been virtually eliminated thanks to advances in technology, and an advanced computer system known as the "Thunderhead" controls society. The Thunderhead is a form of artificial intelligence that does not make mistakes or have regrets. However, the Thunderhead can communicate with others. The Scythedom is an organization separate from the Thunderhead tasked with deciding who must die, as overpopulation has remained a problem. Scythes, who are those who "glean"—or permanently kill—people, must glean a certain number of people each month. Citra and Rowan have disappeared. Endura is gone. It seems like nothing stands between Scythe Goddard and absolute dominion over the world Scythedom. With the silence of the Thunderhead and the reverberations of the Great Resonance still shaking the earth to its core, the question remains: Is there anyone left who can stop him? The answer lies in the Tone, the Toll, and the Thunder. It’s been three years since Rowan and Citra disappeared; since Scythe Goddard came into power; since the Thunderhead closed itself off to everyone but Greyson Tolliver. Greyson becomes the toll and has a sort of cult dedicated to him with scythe Morrison becoming his close friend. He eventually decides that the thunderhead isn’t to help him anymore and so leaves him. Although there is the implication the thunderhead might forgive mankind one day.

This series has been a joy to read from start to finish and this final installment is everything I needed it to be! One of my favorite things about this book is that the layout is a little unconventional and so it keeps your attention rapt. The story covers a wider length of time than in the previous two books, so the story is split into parts. Each chapter alternates between different characters and what they’re getting up to, prefaced by a snippet of either historical documents related to the chapter or conversations with the Thunderhead. It’s this touch that makes the series so fun to read, in my opinion. There’s less of a focus on Rowan and Citra in this book, which I appreciate because it means that the story that regards the fate of all of humanity rests in the hands of a larger group of people rather than just two teenagers. Everyone that’s been introduced in the cast of characters has a role to play in this and the clever plotting that the author has laid down reaches an explosive conclusion. This story contains several dystopian themes, which I find really fascinating. The central one seems to be ‘power corrupts’, and there are so many examples of this throughout the book as well as the ways that some characters are able to wield power without becoming total monsters. The ripple effects of all of the choices of these powerful characters are what causes humanity’s current predicament. As endings go, I don’t think I could have asked for anything more satisfactory. It was unexpected, suspenseful and leaves room for future stories if the author wants to expand. This series is something to be enjoyed by readers of all ages (from teens up, it’s probably a bit heavy with all the semi-graphic murder for younger readers even if I totally would have read this before the age of 10), it manages to convey a very complex story and lines of thought in a compelling series of books.

Reviewed by Jason S. 8th Grade