Nuclear War
Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsenby Annie Jacobsen
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 20 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
People recommend it as a chilling, plausible nuclear war scenario with a well-built timeline. Some readers say it loses pace after the opening days and needed more editing.
People recommend it as a chilling, plausible nuclear war scenario with a well-built timeline. Some readers say it loses pace after the opening days and needed more editing.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 92%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 11 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 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
Chilling, plausible nuclear war scenario
“Just as chilling as her book on nuclear war, in some ways”
Comment from 10 Sep 2026 in “Detecting and countering misuse of AI: September 2026” “the book is much more better at scaring the s out of you”
Comment from 20 Sep 2026 in “Spain orders blocks on Archive.today and its mirrors” “The Nuclear War scenario seemed a lot more plausible”
Comment from 5 Oct 2026 in “Nearly 200 people under observation after Irkutsk lab worker dies from plague” Riveting, well-built timeline
“The first several days of the scenario were riveting, after that less so.”
Comment from 5 Oct 2026 in “Nearly 200 people under observation after Irkutsk lab worker dies from plague” “Well put together, the timeline is interesting”
Comment from 2 Oct 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” Vivid look at nuclear war's insanity
“discusses the insanity of nuclear war”
Comment from 26 Jan 2026 in “Is It Time for a Nordic Nuke?” “Nuclear War is a masterpiece.”
Comment from 2 Oct 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Pace drags after opening days
“The first several days of the scenario were riveting, after that less so.”
Comment from 5 Oct 2026 in “Nearly 200 people under observation after Irkutsk lab worker dies from plague” Needed more editing
“I did like her nuclear war volume, but it could have used some editing.”
Comment from 5 Oct 2026 in “Nearly 200 people under observation after Irkutsk lab worker dies from plague”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Clifford Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| Nuclear Warby Annie JacobsenThis page | 11 | 1 | 92% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
11 of the 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The Nuclear War scenario seemed a lot more plausible”
“I found the prose unbearable and gave up half-way through”
“The first several days of the scenario were riveting, after that less so.”
“I did like her nuclear war volume, but it could have used some editing.”
“Nuclear War is a masterpiece.”
“Well put together, the timeline is interesting”
“the book is much more better at scaring the s out of you”
“Just as chilling as her book on nuclear war, in some ways”
“Having recently read both of Annie Jacobsen’s books — _Nuclear War_ and _Biological War_”
“it brought me fond memories of "Nuclear War" (1989)”
“discusses the insanity of nuclear war”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.