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Hard comp-fi reading list ↗

The books people recommended

2019-09-30 · 425 points · 155 comments · 43 books named by at least one person here and at least 3 people overall. The number on the left is how many people named it in this thread.

  1. 8

    Cryptonomicon

    Neal Stephenson

    8 here · 106 all-time · #23 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 8,425 ratings on Amazon
  2. 7Permutation City

    Permutation City

    Greg Egan

    7 here · 73 all-time · #45 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 2,604 ratings on Amazon
  3. 5

    Neuromancer

    William Gibson

    5 here · 117 all-time · #17 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 20,213 ratings on Amazon
  4. 4

    The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

    Robert A. Heinlein

    4 here · 38 all-time · #127 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 9,404 ratings on Amazon
  5. 3

    Daemon

    Daniel Suarez

    3 here · 52 all-time · #78 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 6,091 ratings on Amazon
  6. 3

    A Fire Upon the Deep

    Vernor Vinge

    3 here · 47 all-time · #93 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 5,097 ratings on Amazon
  7. 3

    Nexus

    Ramez Naam

    3 here · 21 all-time · #288 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 3,715 ratings on Amazon
  8. 3We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

    We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

    Dennis E. Taylor

    3 here · 21 all-time · #306 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 34,413 ratings on Amazon
  9. 3True Names

    True Names

    Vernor Vinge

    3 here · 9 all-time · #763 overall

  10. 3The Adolescence of P-1

    The Adolescence of P-1

    Thomas Joseph Ryan

    3 here · 4 all-time · #1920 overall

  11. 2

    The Three-Body Problem

    Cixin Liu

    2 here · 152 all-time · #11 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 53,978 ratings on Amazon
  12. 2

    Ready Player One

    Ernest Cline

    2 here · 69 all-time · #52 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 155,485 ratings on Amazon
  13. 2

    The Diamond Age

    Neal Stephenson

    2 here · 64 all-time · #58 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 5,358 ratings on Amazon
  14. 2

    Diaspora

    Greg Egan

    2 here · 45 all-time · #101 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 2,393 ratings on Amazon
  15. 2

    Accelerando

    Charles Stross

    2 here · 33 all-time · #162 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 1,553 ratings on Amazon
  16. 2

    Freedom

    Daniel Suarez

    2 here · 23 all-time · #260 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 5,152 ratings on Amazon
  17. 2Foucault's Pendulum

    Foucault's Pendulum

    Umberto Eco

    2 here · 22 all-time · #282 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 2,373 ratings on Amazon
  18. 2Childhood's End

    Childhood's End

    Arthur C. Clarke

    2 here · 13 all-time · #480 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 15,230 ratings on Amazon
  19. 2Halting State

    Halting State

    Charles Stross

    2 here · 9 all-time · #745 overall

  20. 2Rainbows End

    Rainbows End

    Vernor Vinge

    2 here · 8 all-time · #866 overall

  21. 2Colossus

    Colossus

    D. F. Jones

    2 here · 6 all-time · #1158 overall

  22. 2The Lifecycle of Software Objects

    The Lifecycle of Software Objects

    Ted Chiang

    2 here · 3 all-time · #2547 overall

  23. 1

    A Deepness in the Sky

    Vernor Vinge

    1 here · 41 all-time · #121 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 3,418 ratings on Amazon
  24. 1

    Stories of Your Life and Others

    Ted Chiang

    1 here · 34 all-time · #154 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 16,602 ratings on Amazon
  25. 1

    The Name of the Wind

    Patrick Rothfuss

    1 here · 30 all-time · #190 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 89,463 ratings on Amazon
  26. 1Reamde

    Reamde

    Neal Stephenson

    1 here · 26 all-time · #218 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 5,708 ratings on Amazon
  27. 1

    Exhalation

    Ted Chiang

    1 here · 21 all-time · #298 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 14,849 ratings on Amazon
  28. 1The Cyberiad

    The Cyberiad

    Stanisław Lem

    1 here · 21 all-time · #304 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 805 ratings on Amazon
  29. 1The Last Question

    The Last Question

    Isaac Asimov

    1 here · 17 all-time · #383 overall

    Buy on Amazon3.8 out of 5, 25 ratings on Amazon
  30. 1Unsong

    Unsong

    David Z. Albert

    1 here · 12 all-time · #548 overall

  31. 1The Fall

    The Fall

    Albert Camus

    1 here · 7 all-time · #968 overall

  32. 1The Machine Stops

    The Machine Stops

    E. M. Forster

    1 here · 7 all-time · #979 overall

  33. 1The Shockwave Rider

    The Shockwave Rider

    John Brunner

    1 here · 7 all-time · #1000 overall

  34. 1Axiomatic

    Axiomatic

    Greg Egan

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1079 overall

  35. 1The City and the Stars

    The City and the Stars

    Arthur C. Clarke

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1116 overall

  36. 1Walkaway

    Walkaway

    Cory Doctorow

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1195 overall

  37. 1Blood Music

    Blood Music

    Greg Bear

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1281 overall

  38. 1Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

    Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

    Cory Doctorow

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1436 overall

  39. 1Schild's Ladder

    Schild's Ladder

    Greg Egan

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1443 overall

  40. 1Twilight

    Twilight

    Stephenie Meyer

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1647 overall

  41. 1The Star Fraction

    The Star Fraction

    Ken MacLeod

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1768 overall

  42. 1The Stone Canal

    The Stone Canal

    Ken MacLeod

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2070 overall

  43. 1Otherland

    Otherland

    Tad Williams

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2153 overall