Top 5 Speculative Fictions To Re-read Over Break

By Samantha Alsina on March 22, 2016

Now that spring break is here and finals are finally behinds us, its a great opportunity to relax, sit back, and read a book. Any individual who doesn’t have the cash to travel to some faraway beach gateway can travel infinitely through the words on a page. Here are my top 5 reads for an enlightening dystopic science fiction-y spring break :

1.      Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Originally published in 1922, the story follows Siddhartha, a protagonist who becomes an ascetic transient in his search for spiritual illumination. Anyone who is into mind-trippy novels that deal with spirituality and mind expansion should definitely read this. This is a book that would be found in the bags of hippies at Woodstock in 1969. Since its first publication, the novel continues to be read for its great insight into human suffering and the basic sanctity that we call life: a good book to contemplate and reflect with on a leisurely afternoon.

 

 

2.      1984 by George Orwell

If you are more into dystopian fiction, this one’s another great read. Known for his other works like Animal Farm (1945) that was blatantly in opposition to Stalinism; Orwell continues to fascinate readers with his striking prose, dystopian society, and social critiques of totalitarianism. Originally published in 1949, the novel follows your every day London man Winston Smith. The bleak future he lives in monitored by Big Brother and where telescreens in every room are monitored by the Thought Police. This classic will keep you on the edge of your seat.

3.      Anthem by Ayn Rand

In some near future, Equality 7-2521 apologizes for his desire for solitude. Where privacy is nearly non-existent and most institutions punish the notion of difference, this young protagonist intends to beat the odds and reclaim the meaning of the unspeakable word of his time: “I”. Besides Ayn Rand’s other classics like Atlas Shrugged (1957) and The Fountainhead (1943), she also constructed her system of philosophy called Objectivism which is clearly influential via the novels she wrote.

4.      A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

I read this book in high school and I still love Atwood for her amazing fresh take on dystopian fiction. Her short fictions are also great reads. In this post-nuclear wasted society where most women are infertile and unable to carry, the story follows a young handmaid whose job is basically that of a incubator. Atwood’s work is great in its imagination and refreshing take on the role of women and sex in a dystopian future. She took speculative fiction to a whole other level!

 

5.      The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Published in 1988 in Portuguese, the Brazilian author Coelho wrote the story following a young Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago and his journey to Egypt for his treasure. Heavily suggested for its another good novel about life experience and growth. Plus, if you like reading about dreams and omens, then you’ll find this book satisfying to the end.

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