Accelerando by Charles Stross

Long-term owners

the one idea from Accelerando that has stuck with me the most over the 20 years since I first read it

Feb 2026 · comment

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Every quote

The 40 most detailed of 89 comments. Each links to the original.

1. Accelerando and The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi (and that series as a whole) are the best examples of how weird the future is going to get I’ve read.

   Recommends · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

2. I love this book! The part about the implication of digitized minds and long distance space travel was really eye-opening.

   Recommends · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

3. Familiar world, and yet everything is very, very different so you feel more like an explorer than anything else.

   Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “An AI Agent Published a Hit Piece on Me – Forensics and More Fallout”

4. the human relationships portrayed appeared a bit off to me, but much less than in many, many other SF stories

   Mixed · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

5. the one idea from Accelerando that has stuck with me the most over the 20 years since I first read it

   Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “Company as Code”

6. Not only did I find it quite engaging and thought-provoking, it is also proving rather prescient

   Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Charlie Stross – On the non-use of AI in my writing process”

7. The entire thing is an amazing exploration of how the concept of time becomes a bit meaningless

   Recommends · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

8. I would certainly rather live in a world with access to the technology they have than our own.

   Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Charlie Stross – On the non-use of AI in my writing process”

9. love Accelerando , unsure what I was missing; feels like a well-written self-contained story.

   Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Show HN: Books mentioned on Hacker News in 2025”

10. those predictions are eerily accurate and describe the real mechanics pretty well

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

11. Accelerando has prophecies that are coming true and it's scary.

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

12. Accelerando is a particularly fun and worthwhile read

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Who Invented the Transistor?”

13. They are annoying one dimensional stereovtypes of ideologic representations more interested in preaching through cliched interactions

    Criticizes · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

14. The main character is so unlikeable and the weird sex stuff was too repulsive.

    Criticizes · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

15. Your deep understanding of some fundamental issues (like latency) that you turned into consequences instead of brushing them off

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

16. The first part of the book sounded pretty convincing then although I thought it would take a long time to happen.

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Pion, an agent designed to run any company autonomously”

17. Manfred's a smart guy and a worthy hero, but I think we see this mostly from his keen sense of what is ethical.

    Mixed · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

18. it was just chock full of interesting ideas. I think I didn't really "get" it, or enjoy the story that much

    Mixed · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

19. I find them more compelling and interesting than the old "don't play god or bad things happen" narratives.

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Thinking will become a hobby”

20. Even more fitting is the part of the story where a collective of uploaded lobster minds are involved.

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

21. You'll get a few really good ideas about whether or not you want to move to a different part of tech

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Ask HN: Pivot from SWE to What?”

22. One of the founding books that really blew my mind and drove me on the path of software and hacking

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

23. Accelerando has always been a favorite SciFi novel of mine but it hits very different today.

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

24. I think Singularity Skies pales in comparison with the depth and breadth of Accelerando.

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

25. Try Charles Stross's Accelerando and the Laundry Files series if you need good sci-fi.

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”

26. the further away from "the present" it gets, the more like traditional SF it becomes

    Mixed · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

27. do read the chapter in Accelerando where the main character loses his smart glasses

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “Apple's Siri revamp reportedly delayed again”

28. It looks like they're doing something purposeful and coordinated, something vast

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

29. I found it very intriguing though far-fetched, as good SciFi novels often are.

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Pion, an agent designed to run any company autonomously”

30. This book just jumped close to the top of my reading list, thanks for the rec.

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Ask HN: Have I Become a Luddite?”

31. thanks for the recommendation, I've put a hold on it for my library now

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “Company as Code”

32. I really enjoyed accelerando which was a recommendation from a friend

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

33. I was so excited by it, having never read something like it before

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”

34. If you want to see that idea extrapolated to an impressive extent

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “CEO fired developers to make room for AI. Developers create open source AI CEO”

35. probably the best work of Singularitarian fiction ever written

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Charlie Stross – On the non-use of AI in my writing process”

36. That was the idea that stuck with me the most from the novel.

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Pion, an agent designed to run any company autonomously”

37. Probably one of the two deepest sci-fi novels I've ever read

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “An AI Agent Published a Hit Piece on Me – Forensics and More Fallout”

38. I am reading a book called Accelerando (highly recommended)

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “Andrej Karpathy talks about "Claws"”

39. has some wild ideas but feels maybe less directly relevant

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Butlerian Jihad”

40. the libertarianesque naivete detracts from the story a bit

    Mixed · May 2026 · in “Accelerando (2005)”