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Ask HN: What is your favorite fiction book? ↗

The books people recommended

2022-02-19 · 44 points · 83 comments · 144 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. 7

    Dune

    Frank Herbert

    7 here · 250 all-time · #3 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 104,032 ratings on Amazon
  2. 5Use of Weapons

    Use of Weapons

    Iain M. Banks

    5 here · 17 all-time · #376 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.1 out of 5, 6,573 ratings on Amazon
  3. 4

    Snow Crash

    Neal Stephenson

    4 here · 119 all-time · #16 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 20,720 ratings on Amazon
  4. 4

    Foundation

    Isaac Asimov

    4 here · 110 all-time · #20 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 36,591 ratings on Amazon
  5. 4

    Anathem

    Neal Stephenson

    4 here · 83 all-time · #40 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 5,275 ratings on Amazon
  6. 4

    A Fire Upon the Deep

    Vernor Vinge

    4 here · 47 all-time · #93 overall

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

    Nineteen Eighty-Four

    George Orwell

    4 here · 43 all-time · #108 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 15,224 ratings on Amazon
  8. 4The Culture

    The Culture

    Iain M. Banks

    4 here · 37 all-time · #133 overall

    Buy on Amazon3.8 out of 5, 182 ratings on Amazon
  9. 4

    The Book of the New Sun

    Gene Wolfe

    4 here · 27 all-time · #211 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 3,428 ratings on Amazon
  10. 3

    Neuromancer

    William Gibson

    3 here · 117 all-time · #17 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 20,213 ratings on Amazon
  11. 3

    The Lord of the Rings

    J.R.R. Tolkien

    3 here · 114 all-time · #18 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.9 out of 5, 14,620 ratings on Amazon
  12. 3Permutation City

    Permutation City

    Greg Egan

    3 here · 73 all-time · #45 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 2,604 ratings on Amazon
  13. 3

    Blindsight

    Peter Watts

    3 here · 70 all-time · #48 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 8,527 ratings on Amazon
  14. 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
  15. 2

    The Martian

    Andy Weir

    2 here · 103 all-time · #25 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 187,449 ratings on Amazon
  16. 2

    The Fountainhead

    Ayn Rand

    2 here · 90 all-time · #36 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 12,667 ratings on Amazon
  17. 2

    Project Hail Mary

    Andy Weir

    2 here · 88 all-time · #38 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 281,070 ratings on Amazon
  18. 2

    The Master and Margarita

    Mikhail Bulgakov

    2 here · 67 all-time · #57 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 4,777 ratings on Amazon
  19. 2

    Catch-22

    Joseph Heller

    2 here · 46 all-time · #96 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 14,669 ratings on Amazon
  20. 2

    War and Peace

    Leo Tolstoy

    2 here · 41 all-time · #117 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 3,710 ratings on Amazon
  21. 2

    Blood Meridian

    Cormac McCarthy

    2 here · 41 all-time · #118 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 21,706 ratings on Amazon
  22. 2

    A Deepness in the Sky

    Vernor Vinge

    2 here · 41 all-time · #121 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 3,418 ratings on Amazon
  23. 2

    The Name of the Wind

    Patrick Rothfuss

    2 here · 30 all-time · #190 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 89,463 ratings on Amazon
  24. 2

    A Canticle for Leibowitz

    Walter M. Miller Jr.

    2 here · 28 all-time · #205 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 5,243 ratings on Amazon
  25. 2

    Roadside Picnic

    Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

    2 here · 25 all-time · #237 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 4,708 ratings on Amazon
  26. 2Invisible Cities

    Invisible Cities

    Italo Calvino

    2 here · 18 all-time · #362 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 2,773 ratings on Amazon
  27. 2The Stranger

    The Stranger

    Albert Camus

    2 here · 15 all-time · #416 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 12,720 ratings on Amazon
  28. 2The Magic Mountain

    The Magic Mountain

    Thomas Mann

    2 here · 15 all-time · #426 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 1,367 ratings on Amazon
  29. 2The Mysterious Island

    The Mysterious Island

    Jules Verne

    2 here · 13 all-time · #495 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 932 ratings on Amazon
  30. 2Pandora's Star

    Pandora's Star

    Peter F. Hamilton

    2 here · 12 all-time · #538 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 7,049 ratings on Amazon
  31. 2VALIS

    VALIS

    Philip K. Dick

    2 here · 11 all-time · #591 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 1,214 ratings on Amazon
  32. 2Watchmen

    Watchmen

    Alan Moore

    2 here · 10 all-time · #631 overall

  33. 2Replay

    Replay

    Ken Grimwood

    2 here · 10 all-time · #632 overall

  34. 2Sandman

    Sandman

    Neil Gaiman

    2 here · 8 all-time · #799 overall

  35. 2I Am Not a Serial Killer

    I Am Not a Serial Killer

    Dan Wells

    2 here · 6 all-time · #1113 overall

  36. 2Mars trilogy

    Mars trilogy

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    2 here · 6 all-time · #1128 overall

  37. 2Tau Zero

    Tau Zero

    Poul Anderson

    2 here · 6 all-time · #1181 overall

  38. 2The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

    The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

    Claire North

    2 here · 5 all-time · #1391 overall

  39. 2Mockingbird

    Mockingbird

    Walter Tevis

    2 here · 5 all-time · #1479 overall

  40. 2Story of Your Life and Others

    Story of Your Life and Others

    Ted Chiang

    2 here · 3 all-time · #2441 overall

  41. 1

    Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

    Robert Pirsig

    1 here · 193 all-time · #5 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 13,921 ratings on Amazon
  42. 1

    The Count of Monte Cristo

    Alexandre Dumas

    1 here · 70 all-time · #50 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 12,487 ratings on Amazon
  43. 1The Brothers Karamazov

    The Brothers Karamazov

    Fyodor Dostoevsky

    1 here · 69 all-time · #51 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 3,359 ratings on Amazon
  44. 1

    Brave New World

    Aldous Huxley

    1 here · 67 all-time · #55 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 48,055 ratings on Amazon
  45. 1

    Seveneves

    Neal Stephenson

    1 here · 58 all-time · #64 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 31,865 ratings on Amazon
  46. 1

    Stranger in a Strange Land

    Robert A. Heinlein

    1 here · 55 all-time · #70 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 12,077 ratings on Amazon
  47. 1

    Moby Dick

    Herman Melville

    1 here · 51 all-time · #82 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 16,756 ratings on Amazon
  48. 1

    Crime and Punishment

    Fyodor Dostoevsky

    1 here · 50 all-time · #85 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 5,186 ratings on Amazon
  49. 1

    Animal Farm

    George Orwell

    1 here · 48 all-time · #90 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 94,716 ratings on Amazon
  50. 1

    Diaspora

    Greg Egan

    1 here · 45 all-time · #101 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 2,393 ratings on Amazon
  51. 1

    The Expanse

    James S. A. Corey

    1 here · 43 all-time · #112 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 38,667 ratings on Amazon
  52. 1

    The Dispossessed

    Ursula K. Le Guin

    1 here · 42 all-time · #113 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 9,037 ratings on Amazon
  53. 1

    Don Quixote

    Miguel de Cervantes

    1 here · 33 all-time · #161 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 3,758 ratings on Amazon
  54. 1

    The Baroque Cycle

    Neal Stephenson

    1 here · 32 all-time · #176 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 2,191 ratings on Amazon
  55. 1

    The Illuminatus! Trilogy

    Robert Shea, Robert Anton Wilson

    1 here · 30 all-time · #192 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 1,268 ratings on Amazon
  56. 1

    The Odyssey

    Homer

    1 here · 28 all-time · #200 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 5,214 ratings on Amazon
  57. 1

    Player of Games

    Iain M. Banks

    1 here · 28 all-time · #202 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 11,218 ratings on Amazon
  58. 1Bobiverse

    Bobiverse

    Dennis E. Taylor

    1 here · 28 all-time · #207 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 34,413 ratings on Amazon
  59. 1

    The Dark Forest

    Cixin Liu

    1 here · 27 all-time · #210 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 34,505 ratings on Amazon
  60. 1

    A Song of Ice and Fire

    George R. R. Martin

    1 here · 26 all-time · #219 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 83,380 ratings on Amazon
  61. 1

    Shogun

    James Clavell

    1 here · 26 all-time · #223 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 27,634 ratings on Amazon
  62. 1

    Ubik

    Philip K. Dick

    1 here · 25 all-time · #234 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 7,135 ratings on Amazon
  63. 1The Old Man and the Sea

    The Old Man and the Sea

    Ernest Hemingway

    1 here · 23 all-time · #256 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 42,509 ratings on Amazon
  64. 1Kafka on the Shore

    Kafka on the Shore

    Haruki Murakami

    1 here · 22 all-time · #270 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 22,113 ratings on Amazon
  65. 1

    Nexus

    Ramez Naam

    1 here · 21 all-time · #288 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 3,715 ratings on Amazon
  66. 1

    Exhalation

    Ted Chiang

    1 here · 21 all-time · #298 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 14,849 ratings on Amazon
  67. 1The Cyberiad

    The Cyberiad

    Stanisław Lem

    1 here · 21 all-time · #304 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 805 ratings on Amazon
  68. 1We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

    We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

    Dennis E. Taylor

    1 here · 21 all-time · #306 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 34,413 ratings on Amazon
  69. 1

    The Gulag Archipelago

    Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

    1 here · 20 all-time · #313 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.8 out of 5, 5,474 ratings on Amazon
  70. 1

    The Stars My Destination

    Alfred Bester

    1 here · 20 all-time · #317 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 4,493 ratings on Amazon
  71. 1Remembrance of Earth's Past

    Remembrance of Earth's Past

    Liu Cixin

    1 here · 20 all-time · #321 overall

  72. 1Hyperion Cantos

    Hyperion Cantos

    Dan Simmons

    1 here · 19 all-time · #342 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 18,239 ratings on Amazon
  73. 1Malazan Book of the Fallen

    Malazan Book of the Fallen

    Steven Erikson

    1 here · 18 all-time · #344 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 16,649 ratings on Amazon
  74. 1Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

    Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

    Philip K. Dick

    1 here · 17 all-time · #367 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 25,618 ratings on Amazon
  75. 1Excession

    Excession

    Iain M. Banks

    1 here · 16 all-time · #394 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 6,008 ratings on Amazon
  76. 1Piranesi

    Piranesi

    Susanna Clarke

    1 here · 16 all-time · #406 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 48,471 ratings on Amazon
  77. 1Notes from Underground

    Notes from Underground

    Fyodor Dostoevsky

    1 here · 15 all-time · #414 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 5,859 ratings on Amazon
  78. 1A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

    A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

    Becky Chambers

    1 here · 15 all-time · #425 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 30,763 ratings on Amazon
  79. 1Pride and Prejudice

    Pride and Prejudice

    Jane Austen

    1 here · 14 all-time · #447 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 39,261 ratings on Amazon
  80. 1The Lathe of Heaven

    The Lathe of Heaven

    Ursula K. Le Guin

    1 here · 14 all-time · #452 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 8,654 ratings on Amazon
  81. 1A Scanner Darkly

    A Scanner Darkly

    Philip K. Dick

    1 here · 14 all-time · #455 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 4,019 ratings on Amazon
  82. 1Consider Phlebas

    Consider Phlebas

    Iain M. Banks

    1 here · 13 all-time · #477 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.1 out of 5, 14,019 ratings on Amazon
  83. 1The Idiot

    The Idiot

    Fyodor Dostoevsky

    1 here · 13 all-time · #481 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 1,847 ratings on Amazon
  84. 1The Confessions

    The Confessions

    Augustine of Hippo

    1 here · 13 all-time · #484 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 2,059 ratings on Amazon
  85. 1Glasshouse

    Glasshouse

    Charles Stross

    1 here · 12 all-time · #517 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 875 ratings on Amazon
  86. 1Cannery Row

    Cannery Row

    John Steinbeck

    1 here · 12 all-time · #520 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 9,068 ratings on Amazon
  87. 12001: A Space Odyssey

    2001: A Space Odyssey

    Arthur C. Clarke

    1 here · 11 all-time · #572 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 11,089 ratings on Amazon
  88. 1The Silmarillion

    The Silmarillion

    J.R.R. Tolkien

    1 here · 11 all-time · #573 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 24,821 ratings on Amazon
  89. 1The Rosie Project

    The Rosie Project

    Graeme Simsion

    1 here · 11 all-time · #583 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 79,434 ratings on Amazon
  90. 1Little Brother

    Little Brother

    Cory Doctorow

    1 here · 11 all-time · #590 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 2,324 ratings on Amazon
  91. 1The Three Musketeers

    The Three Musketeers

    Alexandre Dumas

    1 here · 10 all-time · #645 overall

  92. 1Aubrey-Maturin series

    Aubrey-Maturin series

    Patrick O'Brian

    1 here · 10 all-time · #670 overall

  93. 1Station Eleven

    Station Eleven

    Emily St. John Mandel

    1 here · 9 all-time · #704 overall

  94. 1Cloud Atlas

    Cloud Atlas

    David Mitchell

    1 here · 9 all-time · #725 overall

  95. 1The Man in the High Castle

    The Man in the High Castle

    Philip K. Dick

    1 here · 9 all-time · #747 overall

  96. 1Watership Down

    Watership Down

    Richard Adams

    1 here · 8 all-time · #784 overall

  97. 1Contact

    Contact

    Carl Sagan

    1 here · 8 all-time · #785 overall

  98. 1The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

    Mark Haddon

    1 here · 8 all-time · #793 overall

  99. 1Oryx and Crake

    Oryx and Crake

    Margaret Atwood

    1 here · 8 all-time · #823 overall

  100. 1The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

    The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

    Stephen R. Donaldson

    1 here · 8 all-time · #883 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 4,283 ratings on Amazon
  101. 1Going Postal

    Going Postal

    Terry Pratchett

    1 here · 7 all-time · #919 overall

  102. 1The Dog Stars

    The Dog Stars

    Peter Heller

    1 here · 7 all-time · #920 overall

  103. 1Gateway

    Gateway

    Frederik Pohl

    1 here · 7 all-time · #921 overall

  104. 1World War Z

    World War Z

    Max Brooks

    1 here · 7 all-time · #922 overall

  105. 1The Earth Abides

    The Earth Abides

    George R. Stewart

    1 here · 7 all-time · #952 overall

  106. 1Last and First Men

    Last and First Men

    Olaf Stapledon

    1 here · 7 all-time · #954 overall

  107. 1The Phantom Tollbooth

    The Phantom Tollbooth

    Norton Juster

    1 here · 7 all-time · #994 overall

  108. 1All the Light We Cannot See

    All the Light We Cannot See

    Anthony Doerr

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1068 overall

  109. 1Wolf Hall

    Wolf Hall

    Hilary Mantel

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1073 overall

  110. 1Dhalgren

    Dhalgren

    Samuel R. Delany

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1126 overall

  111. 1Nine Princes in Amber

    Nine Princes in Amber

    Roger Zelazny

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1127 overall

  112. 1The Night's Dawn Trilogy

    The Night's Dawn Trilogy

    Peter F. Hamilton

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1273 overall

  113. 1The Gap

    The Gap

    Stephen R. Donaldson

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1359 overall

  114. 1The Andromeda Strain

    The Andromeda Strain

    Michael Crichton

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1388 overall

  115. 1The God of Small Things

    The God of Small Things

    Arundhati Roy

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1389 overall

  116. 1Little, Big

    Little, Big

    John Crowley

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1390 overall

  117. 1The Man Without Qualities

    The Man Without Qualities

    Robert Musil

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1392 overall

  118. 1100 Years of Solitude

    100 Years of Solitude

    Gabriel García Márquez

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1393 overall

  119. 1The Years of Rice and Salt

    The Years of Rice and Salt

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1567 overall

  120. 1Demons

    Demons

    Fyodor Dostoevsky

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1581 overall

  121. 1The Postman

    The Postman

    David Brin

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1586 overall

  122. 1The Chrysalids

    The Chrysalids

    John Wyndham

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1590 overall

  123. 1Judas Unchained

    Judas Unchained

    Peter F. Hamilton

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1597 overall

  124. 1Persuasion

    Persuasion

    Jane Austen

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1598 overall

  125. 1Emma

    Emma

    Jane Austen

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1599 overall

  126. 1Rainbow's End

    Rainbow's End

    Vernor Vinge

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1600 overall

  127. 1Devotion of Suspect X

    Devotion of Suspect X

    Keigo Higashino

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1601 overall

  128. 1Imperial Radch

    Imperial Radch

    Ann Leckie

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1766 overall

  129. 1The Gospel According to Jesus Christ

    The Gospel According to Jesus Christ

    Jose Saramago

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1899 overall

  130. 1Only Forward

    Only Forward

    Michael Marshall Smith

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2005 overall

  131. 1One Second After

    One Second After

    William R. Forstchen

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2017 overall

  132. 1Dream Park

    Dream Park

    Roger Zelazny and Robert Sheckley

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2028 overall

  133. 1False Memory

    False Memory

    Dean Koontz

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2053 overall

  134. 1Titus Groan

    Titus Groan

    Mervyn Peake

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2054 overall

  135. 1The Garden of Forking Paths

    The Garden of Forking Paths

    Jorge Luis Borges

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2055 overall

  136. 1The Princess Bride

    The Princess Bride

    William Goldman

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2056 overall

  137. 1The Aleph

    The Aleph

    Jorge Luis Borges

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2057 overall

  138. 1The Crow Road

    The Crow Road

    Iain Banks

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2058 overall

  139. 1This Book Is Full of Spiders

    This Book Is Full of Spiders

    David Wong

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2059 overall

  140. 1Murderbot

    Murderbot

    Martha Wells

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2060 overall

  141. 1The Tripod Trilogy

    The Tripod Trilogy

    John Christopher

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2061 overall

  142. 1Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

    Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

    Robin Sloan

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2062 overall

  143. 1The Girl with All the Gifts

    The Girl with All the Gifts

    M.R. Carey

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2063 overall

  144. 1My Side of the Mountain

    My Side of the Mountain

    Jean George

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2442 overall