The Wake
The Wake by Paul Kingsnorthby Paul Kingsnorth
Shares rank 74 of 122 novels by recommenders
Recommended for its apocalyptic take on the Norman Conquest, told in a markedly different language suited to the subject.
Recommended for its apocalyptic take on the Norman Conquest, told in a markedly different language suited to the subject.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: 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: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not 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
Unusual language suited to its subject
“treats the Norman Conquest in apocalyptic terms using a language markedly different and appropriate”
Comment from 21 Feb 2026 in “How far back in time can you understand English?” Apocalyptic take on the Norman Conquest
“treats the Norman Conquest in apocalyptic terms using a language markedly different and appropriate”
Comment from 21 Feb 2026 in “How far back in time can you understand English?” Interesting review on a literary substack
“There is an interesting review of The Wake on the PSmiths literary substack”
Comment from 21 Feb 2026 in “How far back in time can you understand English?” Moved a wish list item into cart
“That has moved it out of a wish list and into my cart for my next purchase.”
Comment from 21 Feb 2026 in “How far back in time can you understand English?”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Wakeby Paul KingsnorthThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“That has moved it out of a wish list and into my cart for my next purchase.”
“There is an interesting review of The Wake on the PSmiths literary substack”
“treats the Norman Conquest in apocalyptic terms using a language markedly different and appropriate”
“no context-switching to paste logs”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.