Star Maker
Star Maker by Olaf Stapledonby Olaf Stapledon
Shares rank 56 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Readers recommend it for its vast cosmic scope and philosophical depth. The most common caveat is that it is exhausting to read.
Readers recommend it for its vast cosmic scope and philosophical depth. The most common caveat is that it is exhausting to read.
8 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 8
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 8 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 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
Vast cosmic scope and philosophical themes
“Olaf Stapledon's Star Maker dives deeply into cosmic and philosophical themes”
Comment from 28 May 2026 in “Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon” “Incredible scope and I still think about it often.”
Comment from 26 Aug 2026 in “A Man Who Saw Humanity from Two Billion Years Away” Lasting impact on readers
“Incredible scope and I still think about it often.”
Comment from 26 Aug 2026 in “A Man Who Saw Humanity from Two Billion Years Away” “It made me crave more "future histories."”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” Early ideas later works built on
“Dyson spheres were first postulated there”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question” “Similar themes, full novel, even older.”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “Isaac Asimov: The Last Question”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Exhausting to read
“StarMaker is awesome but really exhausting to read.”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Accelerando (2005)”
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 |
| Star Makerby Olaf StapledonThis page | 8 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
7 of the 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It made me crave more "future histories."”
“A book of that stature being published cutailed in any way should be carefully avoided by all readers.”
“Incredible scope and I still think about it often.”
“Olaf Stapledon's Star Maker dives deeply into cosmic and philosophical themes”
“StarMaker is awesome but really exhausting to read.”
“Dyson spheres were first postulated there”
“Similar themes, full novel, even older.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.