# Super-Cannes by J.G. Ballard

3 Hacker News commenters recommended Super-Cannes by J.G. Ballard and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a good starting point for J.G. Ballard, with well-written prose, though critics say he lost his edge in later work.

## Why people recommend it

- Well written prose (1 comments): "They're really well written, but I felt Ballard had lost his edge and didn't have anything insightful to add." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49390201))
- Good starting point for Ballard (1 comments): "Super Cannes should be a perfect place to start for anyone reading this site." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49389640))
- Enjoyable later books too (1 comments): "I really enjoyed some of his later books too." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47870086))
- Shares themes with Cocaine Nights (1 comments): "Super-Cannes, Cocaine Nights, and so on are all about this." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48503871))

## What people warn about

- Lost its edge (1 comments): "They're really well written, but I felt Ballard had lost his edge and didn't have anything insightful to add." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49390201))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crime-and-punishment.md): 39 recommend
- [The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-karamazov.md): 28 recommend
- [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace](https://hackerapproved.com/p/infinite-jest.md): 26 recommend
- [The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/great-gatsby.md): 24 recommend
- [Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atlas-shrugged.md): 23 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0312306091?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780312306090) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Super-Cannes by J.G. Ballard", https://hackerapproved.com/p/super-cannes/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).