The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adamsby Douglas Adams
Hacker ApprovedRanked 14 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
People recommend it for its very funny, witty satire and its sharp philosophical ideas, and many reread it. Critics mostly fault the film and the game's puzzles.
People recommend it for its very funny, witty satire and its sharp philosophical ideas, and many reread it. Critics mostly fault the film and the game's puzzles.
35 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 31
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 89%
Recommended in 11 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 31 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 7.8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 11 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
Loved and reread for years
“The Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.”
Comment from 16 Oct 2026 in “Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?” “I also loved The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”
Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “Why I Am a Programmer” “I've always loved The Hitchhiker's Guide”
Comment from 22 Jan 2026 in “Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide over "heroes"” - Comment from 2 Jan 2026 in “Ukraine fakes commander's death to trick Russia into paying $500k bounty”
- Comment from 2 Jan 2026 in “Ukraine fakes commander's death to trick Russia into paying $500k bounty”
Very funny, makes readers laugh
“always make me burst into uncontrollable laughter”
Comment from 13 May 2026 in “Is This Why Science Advances One Funeral at a Time?” “Douglas Adams is absolutely hilarious”
Comment from 18 Aug 2026 in “Ask HN: Does anyone else feel like nothing matters anymore?” Must-read, brilliant for sci-fi fans
“Hichhikers guide to the galaxy is a must for everyone no matter what”
Comment from 4 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?” “It's a brilliant read—pure fuel for my sci-fi-loving brain.”
Comment from 10 Mar 2026 in “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” Deep philosophical implications
“Hitchhiker's Guide had a slightly deeper philosophical implication though”
Comment from 27 Feb 2026 in “Dan Simmons, author of Hyperion, Song of Kali, dead at 77” “Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy created a deep appreciation”
Comment from 27 Feb 2026 in “Rob Grant, creator of Red Dwarf, has died”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Game puzzles are hard to solve
“It's entertaining, but insane what you have to figure out to get the babel fish”
Comment from 14 Dec 2025 in “The Rise of Computer Games, Part I: Adventure” “I recall the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy one being exceptionally rough”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Solving the "Zork" Mystery” Film adaptation is very poor
“That movie was an abomination. The studios should he ashamed of what they made.”
Comment from 10 Oct 2026 in “Trump administration is suspending Microsoft from a green card program” “the movie is by far the worst”
Comment from 27 Oct 2026 in “Genie 4”
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 |
| The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxyby Douglas AdamsThis page | 31 | 4 | 89% | 11 | — | Approved |
What people said
27 of the 35 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the movie is by far the worst”
“I also loved The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”
“Oh the Hitchhikers guide is also a good movie.”
“The Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.”
“That movie was an abomination. The studios should he ashamed of what they made.”
“That is one of my fave quotes from that book, and I use it often in situations just like this one.”
“I definitely recommend all.”
“I think it holds up well.”
“Douglas Adams is absolutely hilarious”
“I recall the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy one being exceptionally rough”
“the best way to read Pratchett or Adams is in original”
“always make me burst into uncontrollable laughter”
“the newest editions of Hitchiker's Guide seem to have been laid out without any regard to the inner margin.”
“the train crashes from a broken clock was extremely prescient”
“It's a brilliant read—pure fuel for my sci-fi-loving brain.”
“Hitchhiker's Guide had a slightly deeper philosophical implication though”
“Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy created a deep appreciation”
“I like how the other story that has this premise is Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.”
“pure cosmic despair in the face of the bureaucratic void”
“American culture has historically included all the best of the British.”
“I've always loved The Hitchhiker's Guide”
“The towel section was my favorite part of the book growing up!”
“Big fan of hitchhikers guide though.”
“Big fan of hitchhikers guide though”
“It's entertaining, but insane what you have to figure out to get the babel fish”
“Hichhikers guide to the galaxy is a must for everyone no matter what”
“Also fun fictional books with impressive protagonists.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.