Controversial Books

This page shows your 100 most controversial books, as measured by the standard deviation of members star ratings. (This is also the source of the Zeitgeist category "25 Books People Can't Agree on.") To be included, a book must have been rated at least 20 times. Work titles are given.

Standard Deviation	Rating	Title
1.19	3.64	The Pnume by Jack Vance
1.178	3.53	The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
1.132	3.79	Cryptonomicon. 1, Le code Enigma by Neal Stephenson
1.13	3.61	Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
1.099	3.71	On the Road by Jack Kerouac
1.081	3.87	The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
1.062	3.5	Aha! Gotcha: Paradoxes to Puzzle and Delight by Martin Gardner
1.057	3.87	Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
1.03	3.85	Anno Dracula by Kim Newman
1.03	3.87	Servants of the Wankh by Jack Vance
1.029	3.79	Cugel's Saga by Jack Vance
1.029	3.91	Aha! Insight by Martin Gardner
1.022	3.67	A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
1.018	3.85	The Dying Earth by Jack Vance
1.001	3.51	Baudolino by Umberto Eco
0.999	3.94	The Dirdir by Jack Vance
0.979	3.75	The Initiate by Louise Cooper
0.978	3.89	City of the Chasch by Jack Vance
0.977	3.88	Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card
0.975	3.71	The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
0.972	3.64	A Tolkien Bestiary by David Day
0.971	3.75	The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
0.966	3.65	The Possibility of an Island by Michel Houellebecq
0.966	3.76	Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin
0.958	3.82	The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
0.955	3.63	Xenocide by Orson Scott Card
0.952	3.71	No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs by Naomi Klein
0.947	3.92	Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
0.943	3.78	The Master by Louise Cooper
0.943	3.52	Apocalypse Postponed by Umberto Eco
0.94	3.76	Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov
0.939	3.98	Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
0.937	3.48	From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne
0.935	3.85	The Eyes of the Overworld by Jack Vance
0.932	3.66	Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne
0.932	4.01	Foundation by Isaac Asimov
0.932	3.8	The Metaconcert by Julian May
0.931	3.76	The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
0.929	3.53	Eric by Terry Pratchett
0.929	3.78	Rhialto the Marvellous by Jack Vance
0.928	4.18	Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar
0.926	3.89	1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die by Steven Jay Schneider
0.923	4.14	The Persistence of Vision by John Varley
0.922	4.12	The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
0.922	3.82	Blood Music by Greg Bear
0.92	3.2	Downsize This! Random Threats from an Unarmed American by Michael Moore
0.917	3.91	The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Adventures by Malba Tahan
0.912	3.67	The Flanders Panel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
0.911	3.86	Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg
0.908	3.75	The Surveillance by Julian May
0.908	3.76	The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
0.906	3.78	The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett
0.905	3.65	Sloop of War by Alexander Kent
0.904	4.06	The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
0.902	3.73	Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett
0.896	3.81	Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
0.889	3.96	Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov
0.886	4.1	American Gods by Neil Gaiman
0.885	3.99	The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven
0.885	4.25	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
0.885	3.72	Under the Eagle by Simon Scarrow
0.884	4.05	The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
0.884	4.04	A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
0.883	4.02	Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov
0.881	4.14	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
0.88	3.8	Pyramids by Terry Pratchett
0.88	3.84	Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt
0.88	4	Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
0.877	3.82	Factotum by Charles Bukowski
0.873	3.76	Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
0.871	3.98	Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
0.871	4	2001: A space odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
0.868	3.89	Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
0.868	4.26	The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien
0.867	4	The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin
0.866	4.16	The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
0.865	3.54	Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
0.865	3.94	post office: A Novel by Charles Bukowski
0.864	4.16	Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
0.861	4.25	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
0.857	3.63	Beyond the Blue Event Horizon by Frederik Pohl
0.856	3.93	Maskerade by Terry Pratchett
0.854	3.7	Sourcery by Terry Pratchett
0.851	3.89	Books of Blood, Vol. 1 by Clive Barker
0.851	3.64	Did Adam and Eve Have Navels?: Debunking Pseudoscience by Martin Gardner
0.849	3.95	I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
0.848	4.05	Stardust by Neil Gaiman
0.847	3.89	One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters
0.845	4.02	A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
0.844	4.06	Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett
0.844	4.12	Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
0.844	4.01	The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin
0.843	4.31	Dune by Frank Herbert
0.841	4	Way Station by Clifford D. Simak
0.84	3.76	The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg
0.838	4	Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
0.837	4.16	A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
0.836	4.16	A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
0.836	4.27	1984 by George Orwell
0.835	4.38	The fellowship of the ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

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