The Mote in God's Eye
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelleby Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Shares rank 135 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Commenters recommend the novel and its much later sequel, and no criticism was recorded in the discussions.
Commenters recommend the novel and its much later sequel, and no criticism was recorded in the discussions.
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: recommended
- January 2026: 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
- 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
Read alongside its later sequel
“I recently read The Mote in God's Eye and its (much later) sequel”
Comment from 21 May 2026 in “Project Hail Mary – Stellar Navigation Chart” Preferred model for IP development
“would be my pick if I could get any IP developed with this approach”
Comment from 13 Dec 2025 in “A 'toaster with a lens': The story behind the first handheld digital camera”
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 Mote in God's Eyeby Larry Niven and Jerry PournelleThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
2 of the 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I recently read The Mote in God's Eye and its (much later) sequel”
“would be my pick if I could get any IP developed with this approach”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.