The Mountain in the Sea
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Naylerby Ray Nayler
Shares rank 53 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended as a strange, well-built near-future science fiction novel that engages with consciousness, AI and corporate power. Its world building is praised as sophisticated without being overwhelming.
Recommended as a strange, well-built near-future science fiction novel that engages with consciousness, AI and corporate power. Its world building is praised as sophisticated without being overwhelming.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 9
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 9 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
Thought-provoking themes on consciousness and AI
“I found it very good, with primary themes centered around the nature of consciousness, robots, AI, and corporatism.”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” “great read, very pertinent as well for the discussion of AGI and what is consciousness”
Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “ZuckOff is a free app that sees Meta glasses before they see you”
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 Mountain in the Seaby Ray NaylerThis page | 9 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
7 of the 9 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The surrounding world building is quite sophisticated without being overwhelming”
“I found it very good, with primary themes centered around the nature of consciousness, robots, AI, and corporatism.”
“something a bit strange and wonderful”
“great read, very pertinent as well for the discussion of AGI and what is consciousness”
“still an interesting read”
“is a good read that touches on this”
“A plot line in Ray Naylers great book The Mountain in the Sea that plays in a plausible, strange, not-too-distant future”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.