This combo book containing two of George Orwell’s classic works is essential reading in today’s world. 1984 depicts a dystopian world not only of near-total surveillance but of totalitarian control of both thought and speech. Animal Farm is a cautionary tale of a failed utopia, showing how our hubris can lead to a tyranny worse than any oppressors we might seek to overthrow. When most people think of Orwell, they automatically think of 1984 and the dangers of “Big Brother,” but the lessons of Animal Farm may be even more important in a world that is once again captivated by the ideas of communism and marxism.

While 1984 depicts a dystopian society of surveillance and heavy-handed tyranny, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World portrays a kind of “soft” totalitarianism where control of the population is maintained through sex and drugs, pleasure and entertainment. Others have argued that we are currently living in a world that is a hybrid of 1984 and Brave New World. I think this is largely accurate, though there are also aspects of Fahrenheit 451 that appear in some parts of society. Perhaps more worryingly, there are increasing calls for a world that would also include the worst horrors of The Giver.

Ray Bradbury’s classic novel tells the story of Guy Montag, a fireman who begins to question the government policy of burning printed books. There are honestly too many parallels between the burning of books in Fahrenheit 451 and the efforts of many in our modern society to suppress “misinformation,” “disinformation,” and other “dangerous” ideas. Much like the Ministry of Truth in 1984, the efforts to control both thought and speech in Fahrenheit 451 should serve as a prophetic warning of the dangers of censoring ideas with which one disagrees. 

Perhaps one of the most well-known works of fiction of all time, The Lord of the Rings stirs my heart to love what is good and to courageously fight for the sake of others. This box set (“The Middle-Earth Treasury”) of J. R. R. Tolkien’s most famous works includes the complete Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as The Hobbit.

C. S. Lewis’s most well-known series is a timeless tale of courage and self-sacrifice. This box set includes all seven titles in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; and The Last Battle.

This lesser-known trilogy by C.S. Lewis includes three books: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. Much like The Chronicles of Narnia Box Set, the Space Trilogy—and in my opinion especially That Hideous Strength—contains themes that we would do well to remember and learn from today.

As explained more in my top-twelve book list, this series rivals both The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings and may turn out to be one of the best fictional works of this generation. The link below directs to the complete original series (note that while this is a 4-book set, an actual “box” set is not currently available).

This four-book set includes the first two books of the Archer Series and the Tales of Old Natalia, two excellent Green Ember stories that fill out the history of the original series. This set includes The Last Archer and The First Fowler from the Archer Series and The Black Star of Kingston and The Wreck & Rise of Whitson Mariner from the Tales of Old Natalia. My oldest daughter has read me both complete series, and I can testify that they are just as good if not better than the the original!

In this final book of the Archer Series, Jo Shanks assists Emma on a mission to unite the citadels in a battle against the Preylords. This book is my oldest daughter’s favorite Green Ember book of all time!