The Three-Body Problem (Spoiler Free) | REVIEW
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- In which I review The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu...
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Written by an electrical engineer working at a small power plant in a remote town of China. Pretty mindblowing.
I like him
The whole trilogy is excellent, the audiobooks are well done as well. Some great ideas in there, the best sci fi I've come across for a while. RE-HYDRATE!
the author said in multiple occasions: i don't care about the characters, i don't feel them, i don't related to them, i don't care if they were men or women i don't care about their personalities. all the characters and nothing more than a tool to develop the story and unfold the sci-fi ideal. He also claimed multiple times, literature at this point is most dead, we have already told every possible kind of story we could ever think of, and every new book from now leaning more and more towards narcissistic word games, and more about the way to tell a story than the story itself. he said the only fresh source of new story that we still got left is science, science is the only source of unknown and surprise.
And That , is exactly why i think 3body can touch me at a higher level than other books
I wouldn’t have thought of this as one you might pick up. Well done you for giving it a shot.
SFF180 thank you! Yeah 2017 was the year I affirmed hard sci-fi isn't the sci-fi for me.
The style of this book is that most of its characters are symbolized, Cixin Liu used these characters to drive the story when he needed, the book is mainly about the sci-fi framework and mind blowing concepts introduced by Liu. He tossed any as many details of the characters as he can. It's quite different than most of other fictions.
What concepts in the book are mind blowing exactly? I read it and it wasn't anything I hadn't read before.
Thanks for the review. I am planning on reading this so it's good to help me prepare for what I'm about to delve into. Similar to the author, I grasp scientific theories quite quickly and "see" it quite easily so I'm interested to see how I can get on with it.
YES. I LOVE THESE BOOKS. The second one gets better, and the third one is absolutely amazing. Death's End was one of my top 5 reads of the year.
I used this book as part of a report on Chinese SF and I even said that parts of it were like reading a textbook. And I 100% get when you said the plot was like, meandering, beacsue it does. The latter two books home in one like 1 plot though, and it's a lot less chunky. I gave the first one 4 stars, and the second two both 5 stars
Agreed! The series improves with each book, the third book was 5 stars for me as well.
Totally, I think the series is absolutely amazing. I don't think the characters are empty, Ye Wenjies experience is crazy. The plot is stunning, best series I have ever read.
Yes the second one was great as well and the third was just nuts.
I would say this trilogy contains very little chinese cultural reference. Part of the reason I think the English translation worked so well - is that the major background of the story is really sci fi. With part 2 Dark Forest, no it is really not some chinese perspective as most people want to say, putting ourselves in the shoes of the native americans as a sort of reference to the scenario when humanity meet another more technologically advanced alien civilisation. This isn't really chinese though, its blatantly obvious to any non white non european people.
I would recommend reading The Wild Swan, its a semi autobiography. If you want to get some contemporary chinese history and cultural immersion. I would advise against reading translation of chinese classic though, which all have too much cultural and historical references, reading them in translated version is like reading bullet points.
“Sunset for humanity” gives me chills every time I read it.
I read this book a few months ago and I agree 100% with your review! It’s such a complex book but I think you’re right that if someone is into hardcore sci-fi they will probably appreciate it a lot more. My husband is Chinese so I want to read more books written by chinese authors or set in china etc. but I don’t think this was the right book for me to start of with cos it went so over my head lol. I did ask him if it’s common for characters in Chinese literature to be written this way and he said in his experience he’s read many books with characters who have deep and meaningful relationships and have a lot of character development but that’s just from the books he’s read and he’s not a massive reader and doesn’t read sci-if at all. So I’m not sure if maybe the character development was lost a bit because it focused so much on the science or it was lost in translation or it’s something that will be developed more in future books but I agree, I prefer reading about characters that I care about a lot more. Great review :) !
Chinese have their comedies and many light-hearted stuffs.
I enjoyed these books immensely, but the characters never felt quite human to me. They spoke without any recognizable empathy or emotion. Very odd. I assumed something was lost in translation.
i think the first book is already mind blowing. but after reviewing the comments, sounds like 2 and 3 are even a lot more mind-blowing
I finished reading it a month ago and I'm done, the first part is slow but it's very important for development and outcome; when you enter the second part you want to solve the problem but ... boom the author gives a twist to the plot and then another and at the end ... of the novel ends with an iconic frace that He has accompanied me from my childhood until I die ... I am reading The Dark Forest and boom another twist in the plot ....., highly recommended books
I'm trying to read it atm. Thanks for the spoiler-free review!
I picked this book without even reading the sinopsis, and I really loved it now I’ll start reading the dead’s end 💙
This book has been on my TBR FOR-EV-ER. I'm really excited to get to it now and see what my experience is with it.
Im at about 230 pages through the book, I love it.
Its something I was looking for.
Really glad I read this book (and the rest of the trilogy). I'm hoping the theatrical / tv adaptation is good! There's a lot of visual stuff in the book that would be really cool to see.
I got this book as an audiobook but considering your thoughts, maybe I should actually read a physical copy...
What are some discussion questions about this book?
Im midway through the second part of the trilogy now and I'll say this, if this wasn't really your cup of tea, but you somewhat liked it, continue on; the second part (and from what I've heard the last part) get better and a bit more plot/action-driven
Aw hell, you haven’t even made it to the best part. The droplet attack is one of the most epic scenes in sci-fi history.
I'm really curious about this as I am a scientist but it's not high on the priority list atm.
Thank you for your review. I thought I was weird for not getting it. Maybe I am, but I’m not alone.
Hard sci-fi isn't for everyone, I'm 3/4 through the first book, if you have any interest in First Contact scenarios, or realistic ways that first contact could be made. this is a must!
Amazingly written and incredibly translated, please don't pass this up if you're even slightly curious.
Don't let this review put you off!
I'm excited to read this eventually. It sounds unique.
I loved this book but absolutely loved the series so I was looking forward to your review of this. I totally get where you're coming from though, this book can be a slog and is super heavy. The way I interpreted some of the characters was that they were just weirdos, and that was why the dialogue could be stilted, but also some of the secondary characters are flat or just ridiculous to the point of being cartoony. In some cases (in the next book in particular), I thought that might be Cixin Liu's commentary on society and/or politics. The next two books are more character focused, a little less science dumping, and more fast-paced and actiony so I hope that you might continue eventually :) I listened to this series on audio which might make it easier to get through.
Agree, can’t wait to see the Netflix series!
I only want to read this series because Obama has a blurb on the cover of third book. He says it was amazing and so I wanna read it. But I have no idea what this series is about, so thank god for your review.
ThePenguinPub The book is great!!- Hope you read it.
You might want to watch some other reviews of this series on UA-cam to get more ideas about them.
I have been tempted to pick this one up. After your review, ive realized I probably won't enjoy it! Thanks for being so honest, as always!
Lolzz.. I was blown by the book.. And loved Ye Winjie... I think the drabness you are talking about is her life in itself... So it's justified, what she did. That's how I read her characters. In fact it was very emotional for me to see her not have those emotions that a normal human would have... To what she was reduced to...
Really great review! Thank you
Did this review sound a bit similar to Ninefox Gambit, or is it just me? =) I've read neither but I've recommended Ninefox Gambit to a friend based on your review and she like it, so I'm thinking maybe this is like that one?
yeah it definitely feels in the same subgenre as Ninefox. More hard scifi. Although Ninefox had more life to its characters than this one did.
Im curious about this. While I can’t grasp the mathematics of it all, I do really like different scientific theories. For shits and giggles I just went and watched a pronunciation guide for this book 😂
I purchased all three books from bookoutlet during their Black Friday sale. I was able to get them for about the price of one. I was just going to get the first one but for the price I figured it wouldn't be a huge waste if I didn't end up liking the first one. It sounds decent but I have heard a few people saying that the book was complex and that it might not be for everyone.
My boyfriend likes sci-fi, I am not certain if he likes hard sci-fi though. We have talked a bit about the types of sci-fi he likes but I have a pretty bad memory so can't remember. :) Thanks for the review though, I tend to trust your reviews on most books. If I don't end up liking them I might see if my boyfriend wants to try them out.
When an X is used in Chinese, it's pronounced kind of like "sh."
and to make it sounds more authentic, you just need to pronounce it without letting anyone noticing you are speaking, in another word, as little mouth movement from outside as possible
@@jorjiang1 huh. Fascinating!
Been meaning to read this...the TBR list is too long!
Are you still planning to read too like the lightening?
GelisVb yes!
Thoughts on Tomes I bought the book and I was curious about your opinion
Interesting review! I read it recently and really liked it, but listening to someone who clearly didn't enjoy it at all made me think about the book in a different way. I've also heard people say that the book is quite sexist in its portrayal of women (especially how Ye Wenjie fails to recognize the real threat in contacting Trisolaris), or that it condones authoritarianism in the face of an unpredictable universe (as portrayed by the Trisolaran civilization itself). I don't personally agree with these views, but I'm curious if someone else has thought about it.
why didnt anyone mentioned the mission on killing the earth traitors? slicing their cruise!!!! that was mind blowing
I like his books!
I’m here to recommend a series called The Three Body Problem Minecraft(season 3), if you finished reading this book you can try to watch it.
I’ve been interested in this book forever. Honestly, have hesitated because...everyone I saw that read it either loved it or hated it. Lol. But the books were well received with SFF fans..? How hard is the science anywyay? Is it more engineering or theoretical physics? 😅
It's really hard. Like theoretical physics hard. And I'm not exaggerating.
It's not hard at all. And there is no science dumping like she said.
I have just read the book.
It is a very good book, specially the second half of the book.
The books is a long series of real scientific ideas that are stretched into fantasy territory.
Unfortunately it does not go much deeper into any of those ideas.
But there are lots of plot holes.
A solar system with 3 suns would be too unstable to exist.
All planets in orbit would sooner or later completely fall apart and not only an advanced civilization would be impossible, life itself would never exist in such a system.
If an advanced civilization wanted to relocate to another planet, would they bother coming to Earth?
All they need is a habitable planet, it doesn't need to be Earth.
I felt some of the physics were so familiar, like some overly exaggerated text book theories,
in standard chinese high school education. He is either a really good student, or one that's hated by all the teachers.haha
Excellent book!
Looking forward to the Netflix series!
7:16 There was a note at the back from the author.... apologizing!
As a bit of a science geek, the science was not really a problem for me. However, I agree with everything else you said. I think many people assume they would like it better if they understood it better, but trust me, it makes little difference. It's either dry and lengthy explanations of things you don't understand or dry and lengthy explanations of things you do. I will admit that the bit about folding dimensions was quite interesting to me, but overall it was like dry toast. If the rest of the story had been better, enduring the exposition would have been an acceptable sacrifice, but the characters and their motivations didn't feel real and I couldn't get invested or immersed in any of it. Many people say this story made them think. It made me think "What is all the hype about?" and "How did this win a Hugo?"
First I thought it's the famous physics problem then I thought it
I haven't read this particular book but I'm starting to realize that hard sci-fi is not really my jam. Character-driven/space opera? Yes. Mixed with other genres? Absolutely. But probably not something like this! Haha. I guess I like heavier on the "fiction" than the "science." Also: already missing your Christmas exit music! LOL. Happy New Year!
Wilde Book Garden I completely agree! Space opera I believe is my SF of choice.
I feel the exact opposite about it. I SO don't give a shit about "character driven" space operas, because they are usually fantasy adventures with a new coat of paint. Which may work as a cheap, entertaining escapism, sure, but it's rarely particularly interesting.
I like science fiction the most when it's strongly focused on being a commentary on the science theory that is being speculated about, its impact on society, etc.
That threw me off BIG time as well.
SPOILER
They were going on and on about tiananmen square, which went down a little differently than most remember (cough), and then everyone is talking about Marxism, being revolutionaries, and then "oh by the way, I'm a physicist that works on nano technology and all my friends are renowned physicists too." I had a hard time caring for a while. And the nuggets of the real story were dropped very far and few in between
I read this book... last year some time I can't remember when but I came away from it basically feeling exactly as you did. I'm also a very character driven reader and no one in the book felt like a person. They were all just words on a page. It's nice to see I'm not the only one who was disappointed by it in the end.
yeah I'm glad I read it but now I know for sure that I'm not a hard scifi reader!
I just finished this with my book club. I also glossed over the more sciency info-dumpy bits. However, I think I'm going to try reading it again at some point so that I can continue on with the series.
Absolutely read the next two. The story is so amazing and its impossible to predict where the story goes. Dont give up on the series.
I am so torn on this. It doesn't sound like anything I have read before and is therefore intriguing. I do love some Sci fi, but this sounds like more work than I might want to do while pleasure reading.
This book is like sci fi + grand novel (like War and Peace), definitely not a light read but definitely worthwhile.
Wow! You look so much like Shirley Manson! (That's a compliment.)
thank you! I've gotten a few comments like that and I smile every time.
I honestly thought it was pretty mediocre, but it does have a pretty loyal fan-base that will defend it to the death so hush xD
yes I know they've found me before lol
yes, the character building is not excellent, 'cos this novel focus on society and culture, not particular personalized ppl.
this is the shortage of this book.
The plot sounds as complex as every Chinese webnovel I’ve read 😅
I thought it was o-kay, nothing more. And felt cheated at the end, because I did not know it's part of a trilogy. The author (and/or translator) is not good at describing emotions, feelings, metaphors, internal character thought. Or maybe I'm just too spoiled with Murakami. Apples and oranges, but I do dare to compare.
I read it. I understood it. I am sadly disappointed with it. It was dry, cold, flat, and ultimately quite full of plot holes and logical errors. It is full of some late 20th century Chinese history and a lot of info dumps about modern science so if you just want to read it for that and you don't need a story that makes sense, characters that you care about or a plot that stays coherent and believable then sure, you might like it...
I appreciate you taking the time to review this. I've heard good things about it, but I just don't think it's for me. I don't mind some hard science, but I definitely lean towards space opera
thank you :) yeah just goes to show that award winning isn't always for everyone.
Is the Science in this Book really that hard to understand for "Non Science" People?
eh I'd say yes... it definitely has a lot of complex theory stuff if you aren't into that
I like hard sci-fi but I hate the "science" in the book. It wouldn't qualify to me as hard sci-fi because the science explained ressembles more closely magic than science. Especially the end, I was mad reading the "science"-mombo-jumbo-pseudo-crap-talk".
Its pronounced tsu shin leo instead of sexin lu lol
I've heard it pronounced a number of different ways even by native speakers so... shrug..
what so they pronounce then? I have yet to hear another version of it being pronounced
Thank you for the explanation. I didn't finish it in Chinese. I'm getting very Western after years in US and Europe... Somehow when approached from a Western point of view, it's easier to understand. Geee. I used to write sci-fi and poems in Chinese, even published 2 books of poetry. But now I hardly read in Chinese...or watch Chinese TV. I found they boring..😂
lot's of spoilers for being "spoiler free"
not really
I tried to like this one from the persistence of one of my annoying coworkers. But damn, I got so incredibly bored halfway through...
So basically you hated it.
I disliked it
then this book is not for you. next
yes.... as I said in the review :)
Great book but The narration of The Three Body Problem on Audible is HORRIBLE!
Whatever filter or edits they did SUCKS!
The three body problem is a sci fi book and the narration sounds like a Western Cowboy imitation talking about Aliens/Space.
you lost me. man i don't care