Infinite Jest vs The sleeping army: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Family life, Humorous stories, Fiction
Infinite Jest
“I am seated in an office, surrounded by heads and bodies.”
A gargantuan, mind-altering comedy about the Pursuit of Happiness in America Set in an addicts' halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwed-up family to come along in recent fiction,…
vs
The sleeping army
Freya is an ordinary girl living in modern Britain, but with a twist: people still worship the Viking gods. One evening, stuck with her dad on his night shift at the British Museum, she is drawn to the Lewis Chessmen…
The verdict
- Readers rate Infinite Jest highest: Infinite Jest 4.3 · The sleeping army 3.5.
- The sleeping army is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 20 for Infinite Jest.
- Infinite Jest has the widest readership — 105452 ratings behind its score.
- Infinite Jest runs the darker storyline; The sleeping army stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The sleeping army
≈ 4h vs 20h for Infinite Jest
Just want the better-reviewed one?
Infinite Jest
4.3 vs 3.5 from readers
New to the genre?
The sleeping army
Light vs Moderate for Infinite Jest
In the mood for something dark?
Infinite Jest
a darker storyline than The sleeping army
Want something lighter?
The sleeping army
an easier tone than Infinite Jest
Scores by source
| Infinite Jest | The sleeping army | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (105452) | 3.5 (234) |
| Hardcover | 3.0 (4) | 3.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (572) | — |
Reception
| Infinite Jest | The sleeping army | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 105452 | 234 |
| Editions | 24 | 2 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 399898 | — |
| Reading it now | 37358 | — |
| Written reviews | 13966 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 57039 | — |
| Pages | 1088 | 224 |