Shroud
Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovskyby Adrian Tchaikovsky
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 44 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
People praise it for a convincing, truly alien intelligence and vivid ideas, and call it an easy recommendation. Some find the ending unsatisfying and the characters thin.
People praise it for a convincing, truly alien intelligence and vivid ideas, and call it an easy recommendation. Some find the ending unsatisfying and the characters thin.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 92%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: 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 carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 11 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 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
Convincing, truly alien intelligence
“It is a similar theme with modern writing and convincing aliens as is pretty much expected by now from Tchaikovsky.”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” “I think he did a very capable job of crystallizing the concept of an alien intelligence”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Sins of the Children (Adrian Tchaikovsky)” “Tchaikovsky does very alien ("real" aliens, not "uplifts") very well.”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Sins of the Children (Adrian Tchaikovsky)” Strong, easy recommendation
“Shroud is great, easy recommendation.”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” “Tchaikovsky's excellent "Shroud" novel”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Sins of the Children (Adrian Tchaikovsky)” Enjoyable standalone novel
“Shroud is the only standalone I read from him, I enjoyed it”
Comment from 8 Mar 2026 in “Science Fiction Is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi?” “it's a great book in general, but the bit about our use of a volatile gas for a living environment is pretty neat”
Comment from 2 Apr 2026 in “George Goble died recently – known for first dual-CPU-Unix and fast BBQ lighting”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Ending feels ungratifying
“I liked shroud a lot, but the ending felt very ungratifying.”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” Few people or characters
“Tchaikovsky's ideas are striking and well thought-out, but I did not encounter any people in his books”
Comment from 11 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama”
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 |
| Shroudby Adrian TchaikovskyThis page | 11 | 1 | 92% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
11 of the 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Sanctum already has very capable traffic analysis protections in place in the form of shroud”
“it's a great book in general, but the bit about our use of a volatile gas for a living environment is pretty neat”
“Tchaikovsky's ideas are striking and well thought-out, but I did not encounter any people in his books”
“found him to be completely unengaging as a writer”
“Shroud is great, easy recommendation.”
“I liked shroud a lot, but the ending felt very ungratifying.”
“It is a similar theme with modern writing and convincing aliens as is pretty much expected by now from Tchaikovsky.”
“Shroud is the only standalone I read from him, I enjoyed it”
“I think he did a very capable job of crystallizing the concept of an alien intelligence”
“Tchaikovsky does very alien ("real" aliens, not "uplifts") very well.”
“Tchaikovsky's excellent "Shroud" novel”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.