Southern Reach trilogy
Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeerby Jeff VanderMeer
Shares rank 88 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
People recommend it for its cosmic, unknowable atmosphere and call it well worth reading. One critic doubts it meets the standard of good.
People recommend it for its cosmic, unknowable atmosphere and call it well worth reading. One critic doubts it meets the standard of good.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: 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
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 5 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
Unknowable cosmic, eldritch atmosphere
“It's more on the cosmic/eldritch side, but similar sense of unknowable.”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” Well worth reading
“Annihilation is well worth reading.”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” Loved the trilogy
“I loved the Southern Reach trilogy”
Comment from 6 Apr 2026 in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Doubts it meets the standard of good
“I'm not sure it meets the criteria of "good."”
Comment from 19 Jan 2026 in “Sins of the Children (Adrian Tchaikovsky)”
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 |
| Southern Reach trilogyby Jeff VanderMeerThis page | 5 | 1 | 83% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I loved the Southern Reach trilogy”
“It's more on the cosmic/eldritch side, but similar sense of unknowable.”
“I'm not sure it meets the criteria of "good."”
“Annihilation is well worth reading.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.