Crash
Crash by J.G. Ballardby J. G. Ballard
Shares rank 135 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended as the best novel from its period, with a less difficult structure than similar works. Some readers find it hard to get through.
Recommended as the best novel from its period, with a less difficult structure than similar works. Some readers find it hard to get through.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 50%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: 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
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1 recommender for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 4 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.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Best novel from its period
“Crash is probably the best from this period.”
Comment from 21 Aug 2026 in “We are living in a version of the future out of J.G. Ballard or William Gibson” Less difficult structure than similar works
“covers a lot of the same material in a less difficult structure”
Comment from 18 Nov 2025 in “Short Little Difficult Books” Shares theme with related novels
“High Rise, Running Wild, Crash, Super-Cannes, Cocaine Nights, and so on are all about this.”
Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “Report on an Unidentified Space Station”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Hard to get through
“I thought I was broad-minded enough to read Crash - I wasn't.”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Illuminated Man: an unconventional portrait of JG Ballard”
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 |
| Crashby J. G. BallardThis page | 3 | 3 | 50% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
5 of the 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Crash is probably the best from this period.”
“High Rise, Running Wild, Crash, Super-Cannes, Cocaine Nights, and so on are all about this.”
“I thought I was broad-minded enough to read Crash - I wasn't.”
“they were trash that hit all the buttons and played the game”
“covers a lot of the same material in a less difficult structure”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.