Shikasta
Shikasta by Doris Lessingby Doris Lessing
Shares rank 135 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended as an incredible, unexpected science fiction novel that mixes politics with a more spiritually influenced take on the genre. No recurring caveat appears.
Recommended as an incredible, unexpected science fiction novel that mixes politics with a more spiritually influenced take on the genre. No recurring caveat appears.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: 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
- 3 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
Timely mix of politics and SF
“Shikasta is an incredible book. Completely out of left field for her, and a timely mix of politics and raw SF.”
Comment from 11 Jan 2026 in “"Scholars Will Call It Nonsense" the Structure of Erich von Däniken's Argument” Spiritually influenced take on science fiction
“it really stuck with me as a completely different, more spiritually influenced take on science fiction”
Comment from 11 Jan 2026 in “"Scholars Will Call It Nonsense" the Structure of Erich von Däniken's Argument”
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 |
| Shikastaby Doris LessingThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
2 of the 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Shikasta is an incredible book. Completely out of left field for her, and a timely mix of politics and raw SF.”
“it really stuck with me as a completely different, more spiritually influenced take on science fiction”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.