Eifelheim

This book is astonishing. The story is unique, the writing is so dense that across 500 pages every word seems to be meaningful, and its one of the rare cases where a completely separated sidestory actually adds something.

even if its more sophisticated entertainment than a philosophical lesson that carries over to real life, its one of the best books ive read in a while, if not ever, just because of the the density, creativity and consistency of this "what-if" scenario.