Spook Country by William Gibson

William Gibson is one of the finest writers around, evocative of early Ray Bradbury with effortless descriptions of our symbiotic relationship with technology, and its profound effect on our relationships with each other. This book takes place in the same present as Pattern Recognition, which was also a beautifully written, haunting book.

Spook Country looks at society with eyes wide open to the new realities of government surveillance, but like all Gibson's novels, it creates a palpable sense of being part of something larger than yourself, while at the same making you feel strangely disconnected, an observer and no longer just a participant. It's hard to describe what it's like reading his books, but the prose is so fluid it almost becomes a dream state, so that you're living in this world he's created rather than just voyeuristically reading about it.

Gibson is a writer that consistently changes the way I look at my world. Check him out to see for yourself.

Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi

This book is hands-down one of the best thrillers written in the last decade. An uncompromising look at modern Russian, Volk's Game has the pacing of a Lee Child thriller and the texture of a Martin Cruz Smith novel featuring Arkady Renko.

Brent Ghelfi introduces Volk, my favorite anti-hero and one of the more badass literary creations you're likely to meet. A scarred veteran of the war in Chechnya, he is a ruthless man leading a double life. His story gives readers a street-level, unflinching look at post-Soviet Russia.

The sequel Volk's Shadow is just as terrific, and don't feel obligated to read them in order. In a crowded market of copycat thrillers, these books stand apart. They are wholly original and impossible to put down.