# The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter

5 Hacker News commenters recommended The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Clarke and Baxter's science fiction novel about a wormhole that lets people look back at any point in time, with readers praising its take on privacy and surveillance.

## Why people recommend it

- Privacy and surveillance themes (2 comments): "Basically a wormhole where people can look back at any point in time, ending all notion of privacy." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46228236)) "It's worth a read in these surveillance heavy times." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48477493))
- Explores disruptive tech's unexpected consequences (2 comments): "Tells a good tale of unexpected externalities of disruptive technology introduction." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47669005)) "seems a hell of a lot more interesting than a quadrillionth appeal to Orwell" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49094015))
- Emotionally moving favourite story (2 comments): "It's worth a read in these surveillance heavy times." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48477493)) "I loved his "The Light of Other Days"" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49128608))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir](https://hackerapproved.com/p/project-hail-mary.md): 117 recommend
- [There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm](https://hackerapproved.com/p/there-is-no-antimemetics-division.md): 98 recommend
- [Blindsight by Peter Watts](https://hackerapproved.com/p/blindsight.md): 96 recommend
- [Dune by Frank Herbert](https://hackerapproved.com/p/dune.md): 82 recommend
- [Accelerando by Charles Stross](https://hackerapproved.com/p/accelerando.md): 71 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0765322870?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780765322876) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter", https://hackerapproved.com/p/light-of-other-days/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).