Q&A with Neal Shusterman, author of ‘The Grim Reaper’

Neal Shusterman arrived in Brazil in 2017 with the launch of ‘The Reaper’ (Next ed.). First book in the trilogy The Scythe, Shusterman presents the perfect world, where humanity has overcome hunger, disease, wars and even death. Nimbocumulus, a large data cloud, has taken control of the planet. Benevolent and omniscient, artificial intelligence is responsible for solving all of humanity’s problems, or rather… almost all of them.

With the advancement of society, planet Earth became too small to be occupied by the immortal mass. Thus came the Harvest: humans who became ‘bringers of death’. For a long time, humanity lived an almost utopian story, where the end of life came to be controlled by reapers. But faced with the greed and greed for power of those designated to collect lives, destiny began to be threatened thanks to the bloodthirsty plans of the reaper Goddard.

In an exclusive interview with the Recreio team, Neal Shusterman talks about the success of The Scythe trilogy and gives details of the recently launched ‘The Scythes’. The author also tells who he would choose as his historical patron if he became a grim reaper and makes a first-hand revelation about a new project involving his literary universe. Check out the chat!

Recreio: In almost every science fiction or futuristic technological work we are presented with the scenario that humanity collapsed due to the dominance of artificial intelligence. But in the The Scythe saga This plot is completely different, with the cumulus nimbus acting only for the well-being of people. Why are we condensed into always imagining a catastrophic future? These failures in technological conduct would be because we think of machines as better versions of ourselves, and we know that we are naturally flawed; or because we are too narcissistic to think that the world would ever be perfect enough if we stopped running it?

Neal Shusterman:I believe our inclination to imagine catastrophic futures involving artificial intelligence comes from a combination of factors. First, there is an inherent fear of the unknown and the potential loss of control when machines become smarter than us.

Secondly, as I said, it reflects our recognition of our own flaws and biases, projecting them onto AI. However, the cumulus nimbus presents an alternative perspective — one where technology evolves to prioritize human well-being. I chose to do this because I felt like we had already seen so many versions of “evil AI”, I wanted to offer an alternative — and since it was supposed to be the most perfect world we can create, I felt this necessitated the inclusion of “perfect” AI. , that, for the first time, she didn’t become evil.

It challenges the conventional narrative and leads us to consider that a harmonious coexistence between humanity and AI is possible. It’s a reminder that our perceptions of the future are not set in stone; they can be shaped by our choices.

In his saga we live in a perfect society, but, as a consequence, humanity suffers from overpopulation and needs reapers to contain this population growth. The Reaper is the only nucleus that is not controlled by the Nimbo-cumulus. But if humanity’s biggest problem was precisely people’s inefficiency, why let a subgroup of them control something as important as life? Going further, if we overcome all this and start to have a more superficial life, what becomes the real meaning of our existence?

That is, in fact, the question! I wanted to explore the consequences of getting everything we honestly want to achieve — because there are always consequences, even if we get what we really want. In building my world, I realized that the cumulus nimbus he would refuse to make life or death decisions because he felt like a non-biological entity, he had no authority.

Life and death could only be faced by the imperfect beings who experienced them. Allow a group like the Harvest Exercising such authority over life and death raises questions about the balance between efficiency and individual autonomy. As we conquer basic questions, deeper questions arise about the meaning of our existence.

In theory, the Reaping would have to be a necessary evil: priests who give up life as we know it to be part of the sickle cult. But many become celebrities and gain hero status because they are rightly treated that way by people who fear them. Is this a reflection of today’s society: raising a character to a higher standard than he should achieve just because of the need to worship something? How can we define the people we admire beyond a life of appearances?

Ceifa’s elevation to celebrity status reflects a social tendency to idolize figures of power or authority. History — and current events — are full of cases in which people are placed on pedestals beyond what is rational. The best reapers are like the Jedi: they remain humble and understand that they are only servants of humanity. But the less honorable side of human nature often gets in the way.

Although Harvest has its 10 commandments, the reaper Goddard distorts its interpretations for its own benefit. And we see a lot of this in our reality: people who use despicable but convincing arguments to gain public approval and power. Goddard Is it proof that people don’t need to be convinced to be bad, they just need a spokesperson to convey who they are? How did you approach exploring the ethical complexities associated with the reapers’ absolute power and how does this reflect on our own current society?

The manipulation of the Harvest Commandments by Goddard echoes real-world examples of individuals using charisma and rhetoric to influence public opinion. This reminds us that not all manipulation requires convincing; sometimes it simply requires exploring pre-existing biases.

It is very dangerous when an authority figure gives people permission to behave badly. Exploring the ethical dimensions of such manipulation serves as a cautionary tale about the power of rhetoric—and how thin a society’s ethical veneer can be.

If you lived in your literary universe, would you become a grim reaper if given the chance? Which figure would you adopt as your historical patron?

If I existed in the Reaper universe, becoming a reaper would be a profound decision. And as I would never want to be, I can be chosen to be, because not wanting is the first requirement! Ultimately, I would probably accept the apprenticeship because it would mean my family would be immune from being collected. I would do it for them, not me — and that’s why Citra makes the choice. If I took the name grim reaper, I would be grim reaper Kurt Vonnegut; one of my favorite authors.

Still in line with the previous question, you used historical personalities to name the Reapers: we have Michael Faraday, Marie Curie… What was the process of choosing these figures like and how to separate who belongs to the Old Order and the New Guard sides of history? And what captivated you about Anastasia Romanov’s story?

I created a spreadsheet with dozens of people in history who left their mark. Artists, writers, great leaders, philosophers, scientists, etc. Then I tried to associate the name with Ceifa — not because they were necessarily like the people they chose, but because I admired them.

For example, the faraday reaper chose the name because Michael Faraday, although he is one of the most important scientists in history for his work on electricity, he is not remembered as well as many others. I thought he would be someone a good, humble reaper would choose.

And I didn’t choose Anasastia Romanov — Citra yes! Putting myself in Citra’s shoes, I thought “who in history captured people’s imagination, was young, and through circumstances was denied the opportunity to have an effect on the world?” That was Citra’s reasoning — and Anastasia immediately came to mind

In The Scythe we are introduced to a universe with a great diversity of characters. How careful were you to use these representations of gender and ethnicity; and how important is discussion in literature?

When it comes to ethnicity, I wanted to represent as many people as possible, but at the same time create a world where no one identifies by ethnicity anymore. All ethnicities are mixed and even the concept of race no longer exists. In the world of ‘The Reaper’, everyone is simply a member of the human race, and that is all that matters.

That being said, I wanted to celebrate different cultures and so I made sure the series spreads across the world and represents everyone. So when I realized that the story absolutely required a non-binary character (I won’t say why as it’s a spoiler), I was thrilled to have the opportunity to create the character of Jeri.

I started reading The Scythe because of a recommendation from someone very special to me, and I devoured one book after another. It was a very immersive and captivating experience. I would like you to comment on the expectations we can have with ‘As Sickles’ and what your future projects are!

I’m very happy to know that you liked the series The Scythe engaging and captivating. How much ‘The Scythes’, even though the trilogy is complete, I felt like there was so much more to explore in the world. Different corners that I didn’t have the opportunity to illuminate. Plus, I really wanted to show stories of characters like Grim Reaper Curie and Grim Reaper Goddard. ‘The Scythes’ is a collection of stories from the world of The Scythe that I hope readers will enjoy!

And — here’s a surprise announcement — I’ll be writing a prequel to The Scythe! This will happen in the near future, when Nimbo-Cúmulo becomes aware of it for the first time and a group of teenagers come up with the idea for Ceifa. They will become the founding reapers.