My favorite books (fiction)

Civilization has changed, lifestyles are vastly altered, and humanity must somehow unite under a common threat in order to survive. This is what viscerally appeals to me the most about dystopian fiction — it takes the survival genre and combines it with overarching themes of morality and integrity under the veiled guise of a grim, morose setting.

1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451 are classic examples of the big hitters in this genre and remain at the top of my list. The former two are of a similar vein, where they expose the dangers of over-surveillance or childhood conditioning and society’s response to it. Fahrenheit 451 is a powerful meta-commentary about the importance of spreading knowledge and why we must not restrict it.

Science-fiction, on the other hand, introduces unfamiliar elements which allows for an intriguing read and unexpected suspense arcs. Every earthling is excited about the prospect of space exploration, and it’s a magical page-turner when a book manages to capture the immense wonder and expanse of our Universe.

Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy is an absolute treat, time-skipping frequently to show how society adapts and changes based on knowledge of past events and hints about the future. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy remains a fan-favorite for its narrative style and witty humor, while Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles is a lighthearted yet mind-bending collection of short stories about human expeditions to Mars.

All the books mentioned above sit safely on my bookshelf, timelessly preserved for eternity and waiting to be re-read. I do read novels outside of these genres as well — A Song of Ice & Fire remains my favorite fantasy series that I’ve ever read. Kurt Vonnegut’s absurdist dark humor novels are a delightful twist. Dan Brown’s suspense stories make for a thrilling read. And of course, the Harry Potter series, of which I’m on my fourth re-read.

Reading fiction is a wonderful way of boosting imagination and creative thinking abilities. As an added bonus, it helps you become a better writer and storyteller if you’re the type who pays close attention to things like sentence structure and how the author paints a scene in your head while starting a chapter.

There’s nothing quite like getting lost in a good book.