The Iron Heel
The Iron Heel by Jack Londonby Jack London
Ranked 7 of 8 dystopian novels by recommenders
Three commenters recommend this Jack London novel, one preferring it to Martin Eden, and another says an excerpt has stayed with them. No criticisms appear in the quotes.
Three commenters recommend this Jack London novel, one preferring it to Martin Eden, and another says an excerpt has stayed with them. No criticisms appear in the quotes.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- 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: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
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 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
Preferred over Martin Eden
“I prefer "Martin Eden" and "the Iron Heel"”
Comment from 24 Jan 2026 in “Gold Fever Cold and the True Adventures of Jack London in the Wild” Excerpt has lasting impact
“I've thought about this excerpt frequently”
Comment from 10 Sep 2026 in “The Iron Heel by Jack London”
Other dystopian novels people recommend
The four most recommended other dystopian 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984by George Orwell | 42 | 8 | 84% | 11 | — | Approved |
| The Roadby Cormac McCarthy | 27 | 2 | 93% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Nineteen Eighty-Fourby George Orwell | 24 | 0 | 100% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Weby Евгений Иванович Замятин | 11 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| The Iron Heelby Jack LondonThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I've thought about this excerpt frequently”
“Jack London's The Iron Heel”
“I prefer "Martin Eden" and "the Iron Heel"”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.