Am I not quantifiably more benevolent than the various versions of God? I have never brought about a flood, or destroyed entire cities as punishment for their iniquity.

OMG! What a mind-gleaning book!!! It rendered me deadish then revived me to torcher some more. It was so well done. A great sequel to an outstanding first book.
 
I loved Citra in this book and Rowen became my favourite character. I loved how dark and gritty his arc was. My only problem with the book was its pacing. It's a bit slower compared to the first book, and some parts felt like they were being dragged for no reason, specially the part before the ending. I was way too deeply engrossed into the story when the plot took a backseat and touring of the island became the major theme of the book. It was irritating but everything else was just unique and one of a kind.

The main guy in this book is, obviously, the thunderhead. It's an AI that controls pretty much everything except the scythedom; It can't, by design, interfere in scythedom matters, even though it knows scythedom is enroute to a destructive Path. But because it's a benevolent force that wants to protect human beings at all costs, it finds a way to interfere, indirectly. It creates a domino effect that starts with a single person - Greyson Tolliver, and ends with a near collapse of scythedom.

The AI is given a persona of a God. It is an all seeing, all knowing force that is working, from the sideline, for the benefit of human beings. The religious parallels Neal shusterman has drawn are absolutely awe inspiring. I was wondering what the role of Tonists - a religious group that prefer the ways of old age - were for the past two books, it all came together in this book. 

Those who don't follow Thunderhead's laws are marked unsavoury, and they lose, among other things, their right to contact the AI. It's much like us - the sinners. We can't talk to God, right? Do you see the parallel with religion here?  Then there is this train of thoughts where thunderhead admits that with ability to travel through space and time he can truly become a God. This passage was so mind-boggling.

How ironic, then, and how poetic, that humankind may have created the Creator out of want for one. Man creates God, who then creates man. Is that not the perfect circle of life? But then, if that turns out to be the case, who is created in whose image?

⚠ Spoiler Alert ⚠

Greyson was sort of raised by the AI itself and in this regard he is portraying Jesus. When Greyson gets the unsavoury label, he tries to contact the AI and totally fails to notice the symbolic response the AI gives him. Isn't this what happens in real life too? We often ignore the signs and symbols that God lays out for us. I mean just wow.
And then in end thunderhead marks everyone unsavoury except for Greyson.  He sort of becomes a prophet - only person who can talk to the AI and spread his message. I am so looking forward to how this will turn out.

This book is a giant biblical reference.

Oh God! I am just gushing and  rambling non stop. It's going to be excruciating waiting for next book. 🙁

My review of scythe.