Frankenstein
Frankenstein by Mary Shelleyby Mary Shelley
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 33 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
People recommend this 1818 novel as readable, beautifully written science fiction that still feels relevant today. Critics mostly object to how the Guillermo del Toro film adaptation handles the monster.
People recommend this 1818 novel as readable, beautifully written science fiction that still feels relevant today. Critics mostly object to how the Guillermo del Toro film adaptation handles the monster.
22 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 7
- approval share
- 68%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not 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 carries the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.1 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 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
Del Toro film praised as visual masterpiece
“I just watched "Frankenstein" (by Guillermo del Toro) from last year, and thought it was pretty fantastic.”
Comment from 9 Feb 2026 in “Roger Ebert Reviews "The Shawshank Redemption"” “I really enjoyed it and have become a fan of Guillermo del Toro works recently”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros” “Frankenstein and Death by Lightning were two standout successes recently.”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros” - Comment from 9 Dec 2025 in “We Need to Die”
- Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros”
Readable, well-written science fiction
“She writes long (wordy?) sentences that are clear, and even feels beautiful to read.”
Comment from 2 Dec 2025 in “10 years of writing a blog nobody reads” “Superb science fiction, very readable even though written 200 years ago.”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” Themes still relevant today
“The themes in this book are more relevant now than at any time since publication in 1818, and to nobody more than ML coders.”
Comment from 3 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?” “accurately critiques a future it never saw like a laser beam cutting across time”
Comment from 26 Feb 2026 in “$30B for laptops yielded a generation less cognitively capable than parents”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Film humanizes the monster too much
“The entire premise depends on him being a monster, not some sort of misunderstood, sympathetic EMO.”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros” “This movie failed at effectively portraying this conflict by humanizing the monster too much.”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros” “ruined his monster by removing the inner rage he felt and expressed towards the world”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros” Cheap makeup, effects and lighting
“The makeup was awful, the effects were cheap, the monster... wasn't a monster!”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros” “looks oddly cheap and fake with really bad lighting in many scenes”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros” “The makeup was awful, the effects were cheap”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros”
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 |
| Frankensteinby Mary ShelleyThis page | 15 | 7 | 68% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
19 of the 24 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the OG of science fiction has been in the public domain for decades”
“accurately critiques a future it never saw like a laser beam cutting across time”
“I just watched "Frankenstein" (by Guillermo del Toro) from last year, and thought it was pretty fantastic.”
“Superb science fiction, very readable even though written 200 years ago.”
“What a visual masterpiece that movie was.”
“I really enjoyed it and have become a fan of Guillermo del Toro works recently”
“I thought the movie handled both of those fairly well.”
“ruined his monster by removing the inner rage he felt and expressed towards the world”
“This movie failed at effectively portraying this conflict by humanizing the monster too much.”
“Super long, droll, the casting was misstepped, and they changed the ending.”
“The makeup was awful, the effects were cheap, the monster... wasn't a monster!”
“looks oddly cheap and fake with really bad lighting in many scenes”
“The entire premise depends on him being a monster, not some sort of misunderstood, sympathetic EMO.”
“The makeup was awful, the effects were cheap”
“I did really enjoy Frankenstein.”
“Frankenstein and Death by Lightning were two standout successes recently.”
“Take the latest Frankenstein for example.”
“The themes in this book are more relevant now than at any time since publication in 1818, and to nobody more than ML coders.”
“She writes long (wordy?) sentences that are clear, and even feels beautiful to read.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.