The best novellas, according to hackers
8 novellas were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
Top pick
The most recommended novella with the badge. Each figure is 2 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Satire of power and propaganda
Recommended as a short, well written satire on power and propaganda that works as a story on its own. Critics find its parable form too heavy-handed.
We may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
We may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
All 8 novellas, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Animal Farmby George Orwell | 22 | 5 | 81% | 10 | — | Approved |
| 2 | The Little Princeby Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | 18 | 4 | 82% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 3 | Flatlandby Edwin Abbott Abbott | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 3 | Notes from Undergroundby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| 5 | A Short Stay in Hellby Steven L. Peck | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 6 | Heart of Darknessby Joseph Conrad | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 6 | Jonathan Livingston Seagullby Richard Bach | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 6 | White Nightsby Fyodor Dostoyevsky | 3 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same novella in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to novellas that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.