1. The Instructions by Adam Levin 2. Consider Phlebas by Ian M. Banks 3. The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin 4. Dune by Frank Herbert 5. Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg

The Instructions is a mostly unknown volume. It details four adventurous, mystical and action- and dialogue-packed days in the life of the 10 year-old Gurion Maccabee, who believes he is a messiah (or potential messiah). At over a thousand pages, this is a hard read, but a very satisfying one.

Consider Phlebas is my quintessential action/space-opera. It's both smart and visceral, and introduces the reader to the Culture universe in a unique perspective: it's opponent's.

The Conquest of Bread details, to varying degrees of accuracy, my idea of anarchy-in-action. Obviously it is very dated, and there are many other, more recent, books and online collections that build on it and others, but it holds a certain sentimental value for me, as it introduced me to the concepts and rationale behind anarchism.

Dune for the world within. I feel that if you've read it, this should be fairly self explanatory.

Seems counter intuitive that a book about a man, well into his thirties/in his early forties, coming to terms with his competence leaving him would resonate so loudly with my 17 year old self (at the time). And yet this novel presents some of the best character-driven plot I've had the pleasure of reading. The phrase 'from bad to worse' comes to mind when thinking about this novel, and there isn't a single person I wouldn't recommend it to.