The Dead Past
The Dead Past by Isaac Asimovby Isaac Asimov
Shares rank 110 of 160 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended by Hacker News readers as a worthwhile Asimov read, with its idea of lost privacy seen as relevant today.
3 people recommended The Dead Past by Isaac Asimov in Hacker News comments and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
3 of the 3 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Profession by Isaac Asimov”.
Summary written by Claude from 3 comments.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- mixed feelings
- 0
- warn against or regret it
- 0
The record
Recommended in 1 of 12 months
In 1 different thread.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: 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: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
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 1 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 1 threadNeeds 5 or more, not met.
- 3 of its 3 recommenders came from one threadNeeds half or less, not met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 3 of the 3 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Relevant to HN discussions
“similarly relevant to much of what is discussed on HN for similar reasons”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Profession by Isaac Asimov” Lost privacy idea feels current
“the idea of lost privacy is relevant today”
Comment from 19 Jan 2026 in “Profession by Isaac Asimov” Recommended as worth checking out
“Do check out "The Dead Past" as well”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Profession by Isaac Asimov”
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 | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 78 | 18 | 23 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Children of Timeby Adrian Tchaikovsky | 64 | 1 | 4 | 94% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Accelerandoby Charles Stross | 63 | 7 | 8 | 89% | 11 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 57 | 34 | 28 | 67% | 8 | — | — |
| The Dead Pastby Isaac AsimovThis page | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
Also compared with Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, Dune by Frank Herbert, Anathem by Neal Stephenson and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
What people said
All 3 opinions about it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the idea of lost privacy is relevant today”
“Do check out "The Dead Past" as well”
“similarly relevant to much of what is discussed on HN for similar reasons”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.