Annihilation
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeerby Jeff VanderMeer
Shares rank 63 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Readers recommend this weird, gripping science fiction novel for being hard to put down and for its unsettling mood, though some find the ending disappointing.
Readers recommend this weird, gripping science fiction novel for being hard to put down and for its unsettling mood, though some find the ending disappointing.
8 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 88%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Later books weaker than this one
“didn’t like the subsequent books of the series so much”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” Ending left some disappointed
“left me feeling a little disappointed at the end”
Comment from 6 Apr 2026 in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Annihilationby Jeff VanderMeerThis page | 7 | 1 | 88% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
6 of the 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I loved Annihilation and it's sequels, not knowing what I was getting into.”
“basically couldn't put it down”
“Sci-fi, no spoilers but great book”
“left me feeling a little disappointed at the end”
“it sticks the landing on those terms in ways this book could have”
“didn’t like the subsequent books of the series so much”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.