"WE." Like 1984, but better

If you've read Orwell's "1984" and liked it, or even if you hated it, you'll love "WE" by Yevgeny Zamyatin. It has the same futuristic, dystopian themes, and the same pessimistic, less-than-suave main character. But the writing itself is stunningly beautiful in some places, and enticingly mysterious in others. This book is the only one ever written by Zamyatin, a man who was exiled from Finland and said to have "dangerous ideas," and the novel was not widely published until after he died. In fact, it was originally banned in the Soviet Union until the 1980's (it was written in 1921). English translations of the Russian text appeared before the book was even available in Russia. Far less depressing and dreary than "1984," this book is not only still relevant, but stunning.