Gödel, Escher, Bach vs Novacene: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy

Gödel, Escher, Bach Douglas R. Hofstadter · 1979 ★★★★☆ 4.3 777 pages · ≈ 14 h 23 m · Challenging

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize A metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of Lewis Carroll Douglas Hofstadter's book is concerned directly with the nature of "maps" or links between formal systems.…

Künstliche Intelligenz Mathematics Long Now Manual for Civilization

Find on Amazon More like this →

Novacene James Lovelock · 2019 ★★★★☆ 3.8 160 pages · ≈ 2 h 58 m · Challenging

A fascinating new study from the originator of the Gaia Theory, “who conceived the first wholly new way of looking at life on earth since Charles Darwin” (Independent)One of the world’s leading scientific thinkers…

Technology Nonfiction

Find on Amazon More like this →

Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate Gödel, Escher, Bach highest: Gödel, Escher, Bach 4.3 · Novacene 3.8.
Novacene is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 14 for Gödel, Escher, Bach.
Novacene has the widest readership — 2577 ratings behind its score.

Gödel, Escher, Bach: Check price →Novacene: Check price →

Affiliate links: we may earn a commission on purchases.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Novacene ≈ 2h vs 14h for Gödel, Escher, Bach Just want the better-reviewed one? Gödel, Escher, Bach 4.3 vs 3.8 from readers

Scores by source

	Gödel, Escher, Bach	Novacene
Goodreads	4.3 (210)	3.8 (2577)
Hardcover	4.4 (218)	3.4 (7)
Google Books	1.0 (1)	—
Apple Books	2.5 (9)	4.5 (10)
	Check price →	Check price →

Reception

	Gödel, Escher, Bach	Novacene
Ratings	218	2577
Editions	30	9
Citations	200	—
Film adaptations	—	1
Want to read	—	5412
Reading it now	—	295
Written reviews	—	336
Wikipedia attention	19054	633
Pages	777	160
	Check price →	Check price →

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Gödel, Escher, Bach or Novacene?

Gödel, Escher, Bach has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Gödel, Escher, Bach 4.3/5, Novacene 3.8/5).

Which is shorter to read: Gödel, Escher, Bach or Novacene?

Novacene is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Novacene (160 pages, ≈ 2 h 58 m); Gödel, Escher, Bach (777 pages, ≈ 14 h 23 m).

Which is harder to read: Gödel, Escher, Bach or Novacene?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Gödel, Escher, Bach: Challenging; Novacene: Challenging.