Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein(Scifi story about a man raised on Mars who comes to earth and becomes a messiah figure. Funny and inspirational), Childhoods End by Arthur C. Clarke( about an alien race coming to earth and starting a golden age, with a surprising twist at the end. Haunting and incredible), Foundation by Isaac Asimov( the Galaxy spanning empire is on the verge of collapse. The scientists of the empire retreat to a remote world to preserve knowledge through the dark ages), and anything by JRR Tolkien and R.A. Salvatore(fantasy).