The Road
The Road by Cormac McCarthyby Cormac McCarthy
Hacker ApprovedRanked 2 of 8 dystopian novels by recommenders
Recommended as a grim but moving post-apocalyptic novel with a hopeful core. The common caveat is that it is very bleak.
Recommended as a grim but moving post-apocalyptic novel with a hopeful core. The common caveat is that it is very bleak.
29 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 27
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 93%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 27 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 14 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 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
Hopeful, humane ending about kindness
“For me “carrying the flame” is the lasting message of the book and it’s one of hope and courage.”
Comment from 31 Oct 2026 in “Cormac McCarthy's Library” “it actually ends on what I would consider to be a hopeful note, a moment of true kindness”
Comment from 30 Oct 2026 in “Cormac McCarthy's Library” “It's a very grim book, but it's also fundamentally about the goodness of people.”
Comment from 30 Oct 2026 in “Cormac McCarthy's Library” Gripping, immersive, hard to put down
“The list of books that are gripping from the start”
Comment from 7 Sep 2026 in “Every novel is boring until it isn't” “I read it when it came out in a day or two.”
Comment from 30 Oct 2026 in “Cormac McCarthy's Library” “A really immersive reading experience.”
Comment from 30 Oct 2026 in “Cormac McCarthy's Library” - Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”
Great, bleak, rewarding classic
“The Road is a great book. One of the greatest books ever.”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” “It is bleaker than bleak but incredibly rewarding.”
Comment from 30 Oct 2026 in “Cormac McCarthy's Library” “Very bleak, but nonetheless a must read.”
Comment from 30 Oct 2026 in “Cormac McCarthy's Library” - Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”
- Comment from 30 Oct 2026 in “Cormac McCarthy's Library”
Best read on dark winter days
“It is a great book for the bleak days of winter.”
Comment from 18 Nov 2025 in “Short Little Difficult Books” “It's best read in the pit of a cold winter.”
Comment from 18 Nov 2025 in “Short Little Difficult Books”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Grim, intense, emotionally harrowing
“If you have a kid it might be too much. I couldn't finish it; too much.”
Comment from 31 Oct 2026 in “Cormac McCarthy's Library” “Grim sometimes brutal but not gratuitous”
Comment from 31 Oct 2026 in “Cormac McCarthy's Library” “The Road hurt me spiritually”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”
Other dystopian novels people recommend
The four most recommended other dystopian 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984by George Orwell | 42 | 8 | 84% | 11 | — | Approved |
| The Roadby Cormac McCarthyThis page | 27 | 2 | 93% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Nineteen Eighty-Fourby George Orwell | 24 | 0 | 100% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Weby Yevgeny Zamyatin | 11 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| The Handmaid's Taleby Margaret Atwood | 6 | 2 | 75% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
30 of the 33 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“If you have a kid it might be too much. I couldn't finish it; too much.”
“For me “carrying the flame” is the lasting message of the book and it’s one of hope and courage.”
“Grim sometimes brutal but not gratuitous”
“I read it as a single male in university and loved it.”
“It was a great book nonetheless, especially for someone who doesnt usually enjoy fiction.”
“Very bleak, but nonetheless a must read.”
“The Road, however, is a classic.”
“A really immersive reading experience.”
“It is bleaker than bleak but incredibly rewarding.”
“It's a good book but personally, I don't think it's among his best.”
“I read it when it came out in a day or two.”
“It's a very grim book, but it's also fundamentally about the goodness of people.”
“it actually ends on what I would consider to be a hopeful note, a moment of true kindness”
“It was my first McCarthy book and have been hooked since.”
“As a dad it brought me to tears. It's so good.”
“The Road hurt me spiritually”
“Horrifying, but quite a masterpiece.”
“Both were pretty satisfying reads.”
“after that I could not stop reading”
“Earlier this year I read 'The Road' which I loved, and highly recommend.”
“I'll just list them while saying that they all come highly recommended by me.”
“The list of books that are gripping from the start”
“really quick read and very meticulously structured, I loved it”
“Just finished The Road, would definitely recommend.”
“The Road is a great book. One of the greatest books ever.”
“The Road invites comparisons with other post-Apocalyptic fiction”
“It's very intense, and the passages deserve to be read carefully.”
“I read the road by Cormac McCarthy on the train. That was a mistake.”
“It is a great book for the bleak days of winter.”
“It's best read in the pit of a cold winter.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.