Tau Zero
Tau Zero by Poul Andersonby Poul Anderson
Shares rank 80 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended as one of the best sci-fi novels, about a spaceship doomed to accelerate at 1G, and loved by readers for decades.
Recommended as one of the best sci-fi novels, about a spaceship doomed to accelerate at 1G, and loved by readers for decades.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 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
One of the best sci-fi novels
“It's one of the best sci-fi novels of all time, read it!”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Where did all the starships go?” Great story about endless 1G acceleration
“It's a great little sci fi novel about a spaceship doomed to accelerate at 1G indefinitely.”
Comment from 7 Nov 2025 in “Analysis indicates that the universe’s expansion is not accelerating” Loved for over forty years
“I love Tau Zero - I first read it over 40 years ago”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “Where did all the starships go?”
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 |
| Tau Zeroby Poul AndersonThis page | 6 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It's one of the best sci-fi novels of all time, read it!”
“I love Tau Zero - I first read it over 40 years ago”
“Other books I enjoyed reading this year in no particular order”
“It's a great little sci fi novel about a spaceship doomed to accelerate at 1G indefinitely.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.