Neal Shusterman

This book is such a blast. The Toll is the epic conclusion to a YA dystopian trilogy about a world where death has been cured. Dystopian might be the wrong word, since the book is actually set in a utopia constructed by an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent artificial intelligence. The series explores various consequences of allowing an AI to build such a world. The parallels to gods are not subtle, but the ensuing exploration of religion is extremely fascinating. Equally fascinating are the questions raised around power, data and technology, immortality, overpopulation, time travel, war, knowledge, and genetics.

On a fundamental level, this book is finally addressing the question posed at the beginning of the series: In a world where medicine has advanced to the point that death is a choice, who gets to choose? The answer—as well as the rest of the story—is accessible and digestible, written primarily for a YA audience, yet still full of interesting philosophical quandaries and thought experiments. The same is true for all the other themes explored in the book.

If this series has a weak spot, it lies with the character work. Due to shoehorned YA romance, some of the characters lack believability. However, in this final installment, there is one new character who is rather compelling. Jeri is gender fluid, cunning, and in possession of a strong moral compass. It's always refreshing to see a cold and calculating character use their intelligence for good. (Also refreshing is the adorable queer romance Jeri has with another chatacter.)

Even ignoring the addition of a character who is actually worth caring about, the exciting plot is enough to generate plenty of investment in the story, and it's the book's themes that will keep people thinking about it for a long time after finishing it. It deserves to be regarded as one of the best YA dystopias ever written. Neal Shusterman is undoubtedly a genius.… (plus d'informations)