RECOMMENDED READING

In no particular order....

Anything by Frank Herbert; particularly "Dune"
Robert Jordan - the Wheel of Time series (11 books and counting)
The Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse (just read the last story)
The Pawns of Null-A series - A.E.Van Voight. Short and insightful
Foundation Series - Asimov
The Apple Cart - George Bernard Shaw (A brilliant satire of Democracy versus Monarchy)
Anything by Iain Banks - The Wasp Factory is a good place to start. Surprise ending!
(He also does some amazing Science Fiction as Iain.M.Banks [Epic approach])