# Terra Ignota by Ada Palmer

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/terra-ignota/

5 people recommended Terra Ignota by Ada Palmer in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 12 months, in 4 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended as an ambitious, unique science fiction series that readers call great, with one critic finding the writing did not gel.

Summary written by Claude from 9 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Ambitious, unique, extraordinary series (2 comments in the sample): "one of the most unique and extraordinary series I've ever read" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49716517)) "Incredibly ambitious and unique imo- highly reccommend" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47905113))
- Great read, among the best of the year (2 comments in the sample): "I'm currently reading her Terra Ignota series and it's great" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49896013)) "the best book I read in 2025" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49895516))

## Other science fiction novels people recommend

- [Blindsight by Peter Watts](https://hackerapproved.com/p/blindsight/): 78 recommend, 18 mixed, 23 criticize
- [Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/children-of-time/): 64 recommend, 1 mixed, 4 criticize
- [Accelerando by Charles Stross](https://hackerapproved.com/p/accelerando/): 63 recommend, 7 mixed, 8 criticize
- [There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm](https://hackerapproved.com/p/there-is-no-antimemetics-division/): 57 recommend, 34 mixed, 28 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Terra Ignota by Ada Palmer", https://hackerapproved.com/p/terra-ignota/ (5 recommend, 1 mixed, 1 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.