# Ra by qntm

13 Hacker News commenters recommended Ra by qntm and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Readers recommend it for its interesting ideas and an enjoyable story, and say it is a good entry point to the author's work. Critics say the ending is weak.

## Why people recommend it

- Enjoyable story, strongly recommended (2 comments): "I greatly enjoyed it and would strongly recommend it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49902534)) ""Ra" is one of my all-time favorite books." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47675144))
- Author's other work also praised (2 comments): "in Ra (same author) you get just what you're looking for" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47665948)) "I really enjoyed one of their other stories" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46379833))
- Interesting ideas and worldbuilding (2 comments): "I love when you learn why magic was discovered in the year it was." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47670925)) "in my opinion a better story, doesn't rely on the whole SCP thing" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47669657))

## What people warn about

- Weak or unsatisfying ending (3 comments): "If you end up rewriting your entire world at the end of the book, it is an intellectual failing to tackle the main issues straight on." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46383096)) "He has interesting ideas, but cannot seem to write an ending." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47662080)) "the ending of Ra was a big letdown for me" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47662085))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crime-and-punishment.md): 39 recommend
- [The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-karamazov.md): 28 recommend
- [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace](https://hackerapproved.com/p/infinite-jest.md): 26 recommend
- [The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/great-gatsby.md): 24 recommend
- [Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atlas-shrugged.md): 23 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9798720104047&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9798720104047) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Ra by qntm", https://hackerapproved.com/p/ra/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).