Songs of Distant Earth
Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarkeby Arthur C. Clarke
Shares rank 135 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Readers who love this Clarke novel praise it and think it would make a good movie. Some mention the Mike Oldfield album with the same name.
Readers who love this Clarke novel praise it and think it would make a good movie. Some mention the Mike Oldfield album with the same name.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not 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 1 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
Strong personal affection for the book
“As much as I love "Songs of Distant Earth"”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” Would make a good movie
“out of the Clarke novels, "Songs of Distant Earth" would make a good movie adaptation”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” Same-named album sparked electronic music interest
“I think its time to finally read the book”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” Worth finally reading
“I think its time to finally read the book”
Comment from 9 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 |
| Songs of Distant Earthby Arthur C. ClarkeThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
All 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“As much as I love "Songs of Distant Earth"”
“one of my favorite albums that got me into electronic music as a young boy”
“I think its time to finally read the book”
“out of the Clarke novels, "Songs of Distant Earth" would make a good movie adaptation”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.