Concrete Island
Concrete Island by J.G. Ballardby J.G. Ballard
Shares rank 40 of 122 novels by recommenders
People recommend it as an excellent novel by J.G. Ballard, often paired with High-Rise. No critical quotes raise a caveat.
People recommend it as an excellent novel by J.G. Ballard, often paired with High-Rise. No critical quotes raise a caveat.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 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: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 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
Recommended alongside High-Rise
“I can recommend the excellent novels Concrete Island and High-Rise from the same author.”
Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “Report on an Unidentified Space Station” “Loved High rise, Concrete island, Empire of the sun.”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Illuminated Man: an unconventional portrait of JG Ballard” Called an excellent novel
“I can recommend the excellent novels Concrete Island and High-Rise from the same author.”
Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “Report on an Unidentified Space Station” Ballard seen as a legend
“he's a legend with many classic works”
Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “Report on an Unidentified Space Station”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Concrete Islandby J.G. BallardThis page | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
3 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“he's a legend with many classic works”
“I can recommend the excellent novels Concrete Island and High-Rise from the same author.”
“Loved High rise, Concrete island, Empire of the sun.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.