High-Rise
High-Rise by J.G. Ballardby J. G. Ballard
Shares rank 63 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
People recommend it as a sharp, prescient novel about how modern society and its class divides can break down, with a fast, unsettling read. No recurring caveat appears in the quotes.
People recommend it as a sharp, prescient novel about how modern society and its class divides can break down, with a fast, unsettling read. No recurring caveat appears in the quotes.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- 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
- 7 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
Excellent, interesting 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” “are both excellent reads with very interesting stuff going on”
Comment from 7 Apr 2026 in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division” “Loved High rise, Concrete island, Empire of the sun.”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Illuminated Man: an unconventional portrait of JG Ballard” Part of a worthwhile body of work
“There's like at least two or three dozen articles, short story collections and novels of his that are worth reading.”
Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “Report on an Unidentified Space Station” “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”
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 |
| High-Riseby J. G. BallardThis page | 7 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
6 of the 9 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“High Rise, Running Wild, Crash, Super-Cannes, Cocaine Nights, and so on are all about this.”
“There's like at least two or three dozen articles, short story collections and novels of his that are worth reading.”
“I can recommend the excellent novels Concrete Island and High-Rise from the same author.”
“He was prescient about what modern and current day society looks like.”
“Loved High rise, Concrete island, Empire of the sun.”
“are both excellent reads with very interesting stuff going on”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.