The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is an incredibly popular book that is almost as much a romantic story as it is one of science fiction. Following a character with an unpleasant tendency to jump from one time period to another with no warning, the book also jumps from his point of view to that of his wife. The real emotional depth achieved by Niffenegger in this science fiction adventure about an intense romantic relationship adds to the tension and creates a fine resolution.

1984 by George Orwell is a classic science fiction triumph. The unnerving book takes the reader into what was then the future of the year 1984 and shows the reader what the world might be like. Envisioning a totalitarian society that is at once horrible and fascinating, Orwell inspires fear and suspense, as well as curiosity. Through complex emotional and mental deterioration of the main characters, the society of the future slowly exerts its power. This is a must read for all science fiction fans.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut is the story of Billy Pilgrim, who is “unstuck in time.” This classic of absurdist philosophy and science fiction follows Pilgrim on a space odyssey and all the phases of his life at once.
Illustrating the devastating effects of war, the main character also experiences one of Vonnegut’s own memories, that of being held as a
prisoner of war in World War II. Usually considered Vonnegut’s most powerful book, the story pits a protest against brutality with a surprisingly funny perspective on the world and human nature.

Digital Fortress: A Thriller by Dan Brown follows the popular author’s spy novel success but adds a bit of technological fiction into the mix. An internet spy novel, the book allows even the novice reader to understand the quest for code by initiating you into the world of encryption technology.
The book follows main characters all over the world of earth and of cyberspace in a clever and suspenseful adventure into what would happen if all our information was controlled and directed by the wrong
people. As with most of Brown’s books, you will not be able to put this
one down until you know all the answers.

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth is a masterful fictional account of an alternate reality. The premise of the novel is the defeat in 1940 of Franklin Roosevelt by Charles Lindbergh. Roth uses Lindbergh’s actual radio address from the time to jump start what becomes an incredibly plausible alternate world in which America becomes the center of anti-Semitism and general religious persecution. Famous historical figures are recreated and shown to abandon common morality in favor of self promotion and greed. Roth also includes a fictional account of his own family and illustrates the division of popular opinion in times of political and social strife.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is the story of a utopian state with the motto “Community, Identity, Stability.” The famous story of a world in which everyone consumes an anti-depressant, babies are born in labs instead of in hospitals, and movies have become multi sensory experiences, the book challenges the idea that a perfect world can exist.
There is no violence, and everything seems okay on the surface, but the main character is unsettled with the limited existence.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is an in-depth look at the ongoing battle between censorship and freedom of expression, or in this case, freedom of thought. A very relevant book in today’s political climate, the story shows a future in which books are illegal. However, rather than feel outraged at this censorship, the public is oblivious. They spend all their time watches wall sized televisions and listening to inner ear radios.
The main character, a fireman who goes from book burning to censorship protesting is a great illustration of the struggle of a few to save the privileges of the many.