Press Enter ▮
Press Enter ▮ by John Varleyby John Varley
Shares rank 88 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended by readers as a favourite by an author praised for both short and long fiction, and it holds up well on technology despite its age.
Recommended by readers as a favourite by an author praised for both short and long fiction, and it holds up well on technology despite its age.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- 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: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: 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 2 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
Favourite book of a reader
“"Press [ENTER]" is one of my favourite books.”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “John Varley has died” Author praised for imaginative fiction
“He was a very imaginative author, and expert in both short and long fiction.”
Comment from 12 Dec 2025 in “John Varley (1947-2025)” Technology holds up well
“It holds up surprisingly well on the technology front.”
Comment from 16 Dec 2025 in “John Varley has died”
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 |
| Press Enter ▮by John VarleyThis page | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
3 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It holds up surprisingly well on the technology front.”
“"Press [ENTER]" is one of my favourite books.”
“He was a very imaginative author, and expert in both short and long fiction.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.