Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

Have I ever expressed how frustrating I find reading a book and then having to wait for the next one to be written? Darn you Shusterman! (rending of hair and clothes will now commence)

Not really.

However, he really kicked over the hornet's nest at the end of this one and, dash it all, I want to know what happens. I have to wait for book three to come out: The Toll. I'm not even sure there is a release date yet. I hate waiting.

Alright, so, I got into the series as part of my larger mission to read all the Printz prize books. Scythe won a Printz honor. Then I found out that it was the beginning of a series and here we are. The thing is, it is probably worth the suspense. Shusterman has a knack for creating interesting worlds and working through interesting philosophical questions.

In the Arc of the Scythe series, Shusterman is working through two philosophical questions. 1. What would humanity be like if individuals did not face death? 2. What would a benevolent AI be like? In Thunderhead, he seems to be working on the character of the world controlling AI, Thunderhead. The AI only barely shows up in the first book.

In Thunderhead it becomes clear that the AI is, in its way, trying to do its best to protect humanity. However, because it is constrained by rules and because it is a computer and must follow its rules, it comes into conflict. This causes it to play an elaborate game of chess for high stakes and its pawns aren't generally aware they are being played.

This was a disturbingly good read. The interplay between the narratives for Citra, Rowan, and Greyson (new character) contrasts well with the snippets of editorial from the Thunderhead's point of view. Shusterman does an excellent job balancing the multiple view points and plot lines.

Worth the read.