Scythe is a novel by Neal Shusterman and is the first in the Arc of a Scythe series. Set in the far future where death by natural causes has been pretty much eliminated thanks to advances in technology. And an advanced computer AI called "The Thunderhead" controls society. Scythes are an independent organization who gets to decide who must die as overpopulation has remained a problem in this advanced world. The book follows two teenagers, Citra Terranova, and Rowan Damisch, who undergo training as they are recruited into the organization by Scythe Faraday.