Mona Lisa Overdrive
Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibsonby William Gibson
Shares rank 145 of 160 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended as a good start alongside Neuromancer and Count Zero in Gibson's cyberpunk books. Critics find the prose dense and the book can become a slog to finish.
2 people recommended Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
1 of the 2 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?”.
Summary written by Claude from 5 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 4 of those comments still count.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 2
- mixed feelings
- 1
- warn against or regret it
- 2
The record
Recommended in 2 of 12 months
In 2 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 2 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1 recommender for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 2 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 2 threadsNeeds 5 or more, not met.
- The biggest thread supplies 50% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 4 of the 5 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Good start with Neuromancer and Count Zero
“I suppose Neuromancer/Count Zero/Mona Lisa Overdrive are a good start.”
Comment from 29 May 2026 in “The Dead Economy Theory”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Dense prose is hard to enjoy
“I don't enjoy the prose, and how dense it is I guess cause I am not a careful reader.”
Comment from 21 Aug 2026 in “We are living in a version of the future out of J.G. Ballard or William Gibson” Becomes a slog to finish
“becoming a real slog to finish”
Comment from 7 Sep 2026 in “Every novel is boring until it isn't” Stories feel bland and weird
“the stories were more bland and weird”
Comment from 11 Mar 2026 in “New HyperCard discovery: Neuromancer / Count Zero / Mona Lisa Overdrive”
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 | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 78 | 18 | 23 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Children of Timeby Adrian Tchaikovsky | 64 | 1 | 4 | 94% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Accelerandoby Charles Stross | 63 | 7 | 8 | 89% | 11 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 57 | 34 | 28 | 67% | 8 | — | — |
| Mona Lisa Overdriveby William GibsonThis page | 2 | 1 | 2 | 50% | 2 | — | — |
Also compared with Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, Dune by Frank Herbert, Anathem by Neal Stephenson and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
What people said
4 of the 5 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“becoming a real slog to finish”
“I don't enjoy the prose, and how dense it is I guess cause I am not a careful reader.”
“I suppose Neuromancer/Count Zero/Mona Lisa Overdrive are a good start.”
“the stories were more bland and weird”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.