“The War of the Worlds” (1889)
Author: H.G. Wells
Plot: Aliens from Mars invade the Earth and nearly succeed in enslaving man.
Importance: The novel was originally intended as a criticism of the British Empire and colonialism, but it still holds relevance today. Even in modern times, people tend to forget the disadvantages of conquest. Humankind is not saved by weapons, and the smallest of implements is able to topple empires.

“The Metamorphosis” (1915)
Author: Franz Kafka
Plot: Gregor Samsa wakes up one day to find out that he has turned into a bug and lives with all the complications of the situation.
Importance: It can’t honestly be said that Kafka writes happy stories. However, “The Metamorphosis” does present interesting questions of the importance of conventions. Do people accept something because that thing accepts them? That question is simply the tip of the giant philosophical iceberg Kafka proposes with this book.

“Welcome to the Monkey House” (1968)
Author: Kurt Vonnegut
Plot: A series of short stories with large implications.
Importance: Anyone who has ever read Vonnegut and ignored this book is doing themselves a disservice. These short stories are the first attempts of one of America’s great confessional authors. To experience the fledgling ideas that spawned works like “Slaughterhouse-Five” and “Player Piano,” crack the spine of “Welcome to the Monkey House.”

“Brave New World” (1932)
Author: Aldous Huxley
Plot: A world where Ford-engineering and people created with genetic manipulation is hard to accept for an outsider from the savage lands.
Importance: While Huxley may have led a life that is beyond the description of questionable, “Brave New World” offers a haunting vision of what society becomes when divine purpose is removed and people decide to take an apathetic step into the future.

“The Proud Highway” (1998)
Author: Hunter S. Thompson
Plot: A collection of letters sent by and to Thompson from the mid ’50s to the late ’60s.
Importance: In the movie “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” Hunter S. Thompson became a character played by Johnny Depp who takes drugs and goes on crazy rants that make the audience laugh. But this collection of Thompson’s letters reveal the hard work and true dedication that this figure of new journalism lived his life by.

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