Looking Backward, 2000-1887 vs Son of Man: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Time Travel, Science Fiction, Fiction
Looking Backward, 2000-1887
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A man being put into a hypnotic sleep, is awakened 113 years later to an entirely new social structure.
Son of Man
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1972 Locus Poll Award nominee, best SF novel IN THE BEGINNING... there was no Brooklyn, no St. Louis, no Shakespeare, no moon, no hunger, no death... IN THE BEGINNING... there were no real men, no real women, nothing…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Looking Backward, 2000-1887 has the widest readership — 7079 ratings behind its score.
- Looking Backward, 2000-1887 reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 189 times.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Looking Backward, 2000-1887 | Son of Man | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.3 (7079) | 3.4 (599) |
| Hardcover | 3.2 (18) | 2.6 (5) |
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Reception
| Looking Backward, 2000-1887 | Son of Man | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 7079 | 599 |
| Editions | 68 | 14 |
| Citations | 189 | 2 |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 2815 |
| Pages | 237 | 212 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Looking Backward, 2000-1887 or Son of Man?
Son of Man has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Son of Man 3.4/5, Looking Backward, 2000-1887 3.3/5).
Which is shorter to read: Looking Backward, 2000-1887 or Son of Man?
Son of Man is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Son of Man (212 pages, ≈ 3 h 56 m); Looking Backward, 2000-1887 (237 pages, ≈ 4 h 23 m).
Which is harder to read: Looking Backward, 2000-1887 or Son of Man?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Looking Backward, 2000-1887: Challenging; Son of Man: Moderate.