Scythe
2016 • 464 pages

Ratings452

Average rating4.1

15

Contains spoilers

The premise was interesting, but the characters and world building were completely implausible.

I know it's sci-fi. I love sci fi and fantasy, so I'm used to some level of impossible to make the story work. It's only interesting though if the people are still recognizably human. In the world of scythe, teenagers can execute strangers in cold blood and not be completely fucked up. The rich elites somehow allowed a system that renders them as vulnerable to death as anyone else. People have a perfect system of wealth redistribution, and immunity to natural death, but somehow choose to keep unlimited reproduction while agreeing to random violent death. The reapers use knives, and drowning, and fire to kill people instead of something quiet and humane?

The whole thing reels of "I have a thought experiment and I'm going to ignore absolutely everything that makes it implausible"

For context, The Culture books by Iain M Banks are set in a world with hyper intelligent AI, immunity to most natural death, and have a post scarcity economy. The people are still recognizably people, and the stories are still interesting because they have recognizable reactions to horrible situations.

January 5, 2025