Fahrenheit 451 is a science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury, part of the popular Lazy Classics series. The novel is set in a totalitarian society that forbids its members from reading books containing philosophical meaning. Such publications must be burned, and those who dare to approach "harmful" literature are called criminals. The protagonist Guy Montag works as a "fireman", that is, he burns objectionable books, until a crisis occurs in his life that forces him to rethink his core values.