# Reamde by Neal Stephenson

6 Hacker News commenters recommended Reamde by Neal Stephenson and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Readers praise its fast pace and readability for a novel of its length. Critics find the plot too action-heavy and the MMO economics poorly handled.

## Why people recommend it

- Fast-paced and readable (2 comments): "that was very fast paced and barely explained" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48393773)) "Reamde and Fall are quite readable" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46079019))
- Quick to finish for its length (1 comments): "it's definitely the fastest I've managed to get through a novel relative to length" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49883840))

## What people warn about

- Action side trip dominates the book (1 comments): "read like he got way too carried away with a side trip action beat and accidentally made it the whole book" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48394052))
- Fast pace with little explanation (1 comments): "that was very fast paced and barely explained" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48393773))
- MMO economics farcically bad (1 comments): "REAMDE's description of MMO economics is farcically bad. It undermines the whole book." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48395337))
- Slow start, did not engage (1 comments): "I struggled to get past the first few chapters of Reamde. Didn't engage me at all." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49884681))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hunt-for-red-october.md): 7 recommend
- [Freedom by Daniel Suarez](https://hackerapproved.com/p/freedom.md): 7 recommend
- [Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kill-decision.md): 3 recommend
- [The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown](https://hackerapproved.com/p/da-vinci-code.md): 3 recommend
- [Angels and Demons by Dan Brown](https://hackerapproved.com/p/angels-and-demons.md): 3 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062191497?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780062191496) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Reamde by Neal Stephenson", https://hackerapproved.com/p/reamde/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).