Exhalation vs Junkyard Planet: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Scientists, Science Fiction, Fiction
Exhalation
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • Nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories—two published for the very first time—all from the mind of the incomparable author of…
Junkyard Planet
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This novel had its genesis in a much shorter story called "Graveyard of Dreams" (Galaxy, 1958) Piper expanded it to book length, and it appeared in 1963 as Junkyard Planet. Ace later renamed the book The Cosmic Computer…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Exhalation highest: Exhalation 4.3 · Junkyard Planet 3.7.
- Junkyard Planet is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 6 for Exhalation.
- Exhalation has the widest readership — 117628 ratings behind its score.
- Junkyard Planet runs the darker storyline; Exhalation stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Exhalation | Junkyard Planet | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (117628) | — |
| Hardcover | 4.3 (898) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (619) | — |
Reception
| Exhalation | Junkyard Planet | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 117628 | 1 |
| Editions | 17 | 87 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 162009 | — |
| Reading it now | 16528 | — |
| Written reviews | 15058 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 959 | — |
| Pages | 338 | 192 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Exhalation or Junkyard Planet?
Exhalation has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Exhalation 4.3/5, Junkyard Planet 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: Exhalation or Junkyard Planet?
Junkyard Planet is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Junkyard Planet (192 pages, ≈ 3 h 33 m); Exhalation (338 pages, ≈ 6 h 16 m).
Which is harder to read: Exhalation or Junkyard Planet?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Exhalation: Moderate; Junkyard Planet: Demanding.