# Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco

5 Hacker News commenters recommended Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a novel that handles its themes in compelling ways, with one commenter calling it a genius book; one reader gave up early on it.

## Why people recommend it

- Better novel with compelling themes (1 comments): "I think Foucault's Pendulum is a significantly better novel that uses the basic themes in more compelling ways." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46659383))
- Praised as genius by a reader (1 comments): "That was the genius bit of the book, IMVHO." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49403635))
- Admired alongside Ursula Le Guin (1 comments): "Umberto Eco and Ursula Le Guin I agree on." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49409057))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crime-and-punishment.md): 39 recommend
- [The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-karamazov.md): 28 recommend
- [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace](https://hackerapproved.com/p/infinite-jest.md): 26 recommend
- [The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/great-gatsby.md): 24 recommend
- [Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atlas-shrugged.md): 23 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0099287153?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780099287155) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco", https://hackerapproved.com/p/foucault-s-pendulum/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).