The Big U
The Big U by Neal Stephensonby Neal Stephenson
Shares rank 135 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended as an enjoyable early novel by Neal Stephenson, with commenters calling it really good and worth tracking down.
Recommended as an enjoyable early novel by Neal Stephenson, with commenters calling it really good and worth tracking down.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not 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.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Enjoyable early Stephenson novel
“Even lesser stuff like The Big U or In the Beginning Was the Command Line were really, really good.”
Comment from 30 Oct 2026 in “Neal Stephenson on AI and What Comes Next [video]” “I even enjoyed his first book, the Big U.”
Comment from 31 Oct 2026 in “Neal Stephenson on AI and What Comes Next [video]” Described as really good
“Even lesser stuff like The Big U or In the Beginning Was the Command Line were really, really good.”
Comment from 30 Oct 2026 in “Neal Stephenson on AI and What Comes Next [video]” Worth seeking out
“Try to find a copy of The Big U by Neal Stephenson.”
Comment from 8 Sep 2026 in “2026 Hugo Awards”
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 |
| The Big Uby Neal StephensonThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I even enjoyed his first book, the Big U.”
“Even lesser stuff like The Big U or In the Beginning Was the Command Line were really, really good.”
“Try to find a copy of The Big U by Neal Stephenson.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.