In the Lion's Mouth vs The Long Cosmos: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Space flight, Science Fiction, Fiction

In the Lion's Mouth Michael Flynn · 2012 ★★★★☆ 3.9 303 pages · ≈ 5 h 37 m · Moderate

It's a big Spiral Arm, and the scarred man, Donavan buigh, has gone missing in it, upsetting the harper Mearana's plans for a reconciliation between her parents. Bridget ban, a Hound of the League, doubts that…

Life on other planets Space opera

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The Long Cosmos Terry Pratchett · 2013 ★★★★☆ 3.9 448 pages · ≈ 8 h 18 m · Moderate

The Next--the hyper-intelligent post-humans--realize that the missive they received from the center of the galaxy contains instructions for kick-starting the development of an immense artificial intelligence knows as…

Space and time Artificial Intelligence

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
In the Lion's Mouth is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 8 for The Long Cosmos.
In the Lion's Mouth has the widest readership — 354 ratings behind its score.
In the Lion's Mouth runs the darker storyline; The Long Cosmos stays the lighter read.

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How to choose

Want a one-evening read? In the Lion's Mouth ≈ 5h vs 8h for The Long Cosmos In the mood for something dark? In the Lion's Mouth a darker storyline than The Long Cosmos Want something lighter? The Long Cosmos an easier tone than In the Lion's Mouth

Scores by source

	In the Lion's Mouth	The Long Cosmos
Goodreads	3.9 (354)	—
Hardcover	5.0 (2)	3.8 (89)
Google Books	5.0 (1)	—
Apple Books	—	4.0 (70)
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Reception

	In the Lion's Mouth	The Long Cosmos
Ratings	354	89
Editions	1	16
Film adaptations	—	1
Want to read	331	—
Reading it now	10	—
Written reviews	53	—
Wikipedia attention	—	658
Pages	303	448
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: In the Lion's Mouth or The Long Cosmos?

In the Lion's Mouth has the higher combined reader rating across sources (In the Lion's Mouth 3.9/5, The Long Cosmos 3.9/5).

Which is shorter to read: In the Lion's Mouth or The Long Cosmos?

In the Lion's Mouth is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: In the Lion's Mouth (303 pages, ≈ 5 h 37 m); The Long Cosmos (448 pages, ≈ 8 h 18 m).

Which is harder to read: In the Lion's Mouth or The Long Cosmos?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — In the Lion's Mouth: Moderate; The Long Cosmos: Moderate.