The Light of Other Days
The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxterby Stephen Baxter and Arthur C. Clarke
Shares rank 88 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
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.
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.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: 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: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 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
Privacy and surveillance themes
“Basically a wormhole where people can look back at any point in time, ending all notion of privacy.”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Auto-grading decade-old Hacker News discussions with hindsight” “It's worth a read in these surveillance heavy times.”
Comment from 10 Jun 2026 in “Magnetoelectric antennas could transform how underwater robots talk” Explores disruptive tech's unexpected consequences
“Tells a good tale of unexpected externalities of disruptive technology introduction.”
Comment from 7 Apr 2026 in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division” “seems a hell of a lot more interesting than a quadrillionth appeal to Orwell”
Comment from 29 Jul 2026 in “DEF CON bans Meta-style 'pervert glasses'” Emotionally moving favourite story
“It's worth a read in these surveillance heavy times.”
Comment from 10 Jun 2026 in “Magnetoelectric antennas could transform how underwater robots talk” “I loved his "The Light of Other Days"”
Comment from 31 Jul 2026 in “The End of an Era”
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 Light of Other Daysby Stephen Baxter and Arthur C. ClarkeThis page | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
All 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I loved his "The Light of Other Days"”
“seems a hell of a lot more interesting than a quadrillionth appeal to Orwell”
“One of my favourite stories, heartbreaking though it is.”
“It's worth a read in these surveillance heavy times.”
“Tells a good tale of unexpected externalities of disruptive technology introduction.”
“Basically a wormhole where people can look back at any point in time, ending all notion of privacy.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.