Light

Name: Light
ISBN: 0553382950

by M. John Harrison · first published 2002

7mentions

6recommended by

7HN commenters

2011–2026first – last mentioned

86% recommend14% neutral

Why HN recommends it

Literary science fiction with a strong command of prose style. It is a modern new wave novel and a well-written entry point into Harrison's work for readers who want sci-fi with literary weight.

Summarised by Claude from recommending comments

Science Fiction Fiction & Literature

[Comment from Jon Courtenay Grimwood][1]: Light is the kind of novel other writers read and think: "Why don't I just give up and go home?" That was certainly my first reaction on reading its mix of coldly perfect prose and attractively twisted insanity. It's also the only book to bring me unpleasantly close to sympathising with a serial killer. But this is M John Harrison: so antihero Michael Kearney is a mathematically brilliant, dice-throwing, reality-changing hyper-intelligent serial killer haunted by a horse-skulled personal demon. Harrison's genius is to tie Kearney's narrative

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View on Open Library ISBN 0553382950

Mentions per year

What Hacker News says

akanet · Jan 2, 2015 · Recommends

…wave (and an emphasis on stylism in general) has done a lot to rehabilitate sci-fi. Personally, I think Gene Wolfe and M John Harrison deserve a lot of praise for pushing the genre along. Harrison's "Light"[2] comes to mind as a modern incarnation of a new wave novel that still manages to earn its sciency stripes. 1: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/11289765/The-Hobbit-... 2: http://www.amazon.com/Light-M-John-Harrison/dp/0553382950
on “The Anti-Tolkien” ↗
jnsquire · Sep 9, 2011 · Recommends

I'm really surprised Charles Stross didn't get into the list. One of the best futurists currently writing, IMHO. I also highly recommend M. John Harrison's 'Light' http://www.amazon.com/Light-M-John-Harrison/dp/0553382950.
on “The Best Science Fiction Books (According to Reddit)” ↗
mattlutze · Jan 2, 2015 · Recommends

Getting a little meta, but while Harrison's "Light" was indeed a refreshing blast of sea air, "Nova Swing" I found almost intolerable in what felt like a haphazard reapplication of some of the time-independent concepts that made Light so wonderful. It…
on “The Anti-Tolkien” ↗
davedx · May 12, 2020 · Recommends

The Magus, John Fowles Dune (all 6) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M. Pirsig Manufacturing Consent The Demon-Haunted World, Carl Sagan If This Is a Man, Primo Levi Light, M. John Harrison
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗
watt · May 17, 2026 · Recommends

try M. John Harrison - he has similar command of the word. His Kefahuchi Tract trilogy (Light, Nova Swing, Empty Space).
on “Accelerando (2005)” ↗
antonvs · Aug 23, 2026 · Recommends

…example. Try The Book of Daniel, Ragtime, Billy Bathgate, Loon Lake. In the scifi genre (aside from the Shikasta series already mentioned), M. John Harrison is worth a look. He’s got a long bibliography but Light might be a good starting point. Umberto Eco: The Name of the Rose, Foucault’s Pendulum. Some of Ursula Le Guin’s more serious books might fit the bill, like The Dispossessed or The Left Hand of Darkness.…
on “To become a better writer, read as much as you can” ↗
latch · Jun 3, 2011 · Mentions

Just started Light by M. John Harrison The Takeshi Kovacs novels, by Richard Morgan, are next on my list.
on “Ask HN: What books are you reading” ↗