@@theautodan7095 Ya know, that's just kind of edgy word soup that doesn't really mean anything. In the context of the story, that "darkness" is dimensional collapse. Not exactly a whole lot of possibilities or mastery to be had at the 1st dimension.
The prologue of the third book which took place in Constantinople had me hooked immediately, though some parts of it didn't make sense to me until I read the later section where Blue Space encounters the 4D fragments. Then it all clicked, Helena saying "I can't go *there*" and the missing top of the minaret reappearing, it's amazing how Cixin Liu sets up mysteries and later it all makes perfect sense
Spoilers ahead: I do not believe the trilogy overall is really depressing since it says that in the end if things go right the universe will be reborn again. In a process similar to the modern cosmological theory of the "Big Crunch". It might even be reborn with 10 dimensions at the beginning. In general, the trilogy is far less depressing than people think, on the contrary, it contains many encouraging plot lines, such as the fact that some humans survive and create a new home among the stars, and the universe is going to be reborn in the end if everyone returns the mass from their mini-universes. It almost has a Hindu-Buddhist philosophical touch to it, an eternal cycle of rebirth and death. That was my impression at least.
I agree, the series can be dark and depressing but it uses that to contrast with it's more hopeful side. The female protagonist of the third book is a great example of this idea. She is compassionate(to a fault) and always wants to do the right thing(even when doing the "wrong" thing would save countless of lives)
That depends on your definition of optimism I guess. Some people are perfectly capable of hacking their fear of personal death by comforting themselves with the idea that information about them will remain. In order to feel comforted by this tale, however, you need to hack your fear even further and feel comforted by the idea that despite everything you are, was and will ever be, along with everything you have ever known will be remade into shapes that are only reminiscent to those familiar to you based on infinite extrapolation of possibility. "It's ok, because you will probably be remade an infinite amount of times."
that was a message sent by the giant civilisations. i dont know if it means it is true, but it has some truth to it. if, newtonion gravity, which is a good measure of gravity in non-relativistic situations, works the same way in other dimensions, then the 2nd dimension would have stronger gravity as a whole, and it can actually collapse on itself (currently it seems the universe just keeps on expanding)
You made me read the whole trilogy. And it was awesome!!! Mind blown. Incredible. The concept of the Dark Forest still haunts me, and the idea that nothing is "natural" anymore, that nothing remains untouched by intelligence, not even spacetime itself, completely overwhelmed me... Thanks Quinn!!!!!!
@@fabiankempazo7055 I wouldn’t say totally logical it’s just only a potential reality but potential doesn’t mean that it’s real. It’s better that we don’t jump at shadows and hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.
I think it will come down to how cost-efficient and difficult it'll be for advanced civs to "terraform" new planets to their liking. If it's comparatively easy, then planets in your immediate vicinity become much more attractive to settle on, than some distant lush green planet. We humans could already do reasonable terraforming ( albeit it'll take generations upon generations in our perception of time ) with our current energy output, that in its majority relies solely on fossil fuels. Imagine a spacefaring civ that can already harness the full energy output of their star.
@@guysome3263 We cant even keep this planet terraformed for our own existence. The difficult part of all of this for me to imagine is intelligent species acting together for thier mutual benefit. Humans would be helpless against any properly organized civilization.
Quinn, I just finished the series after hearing about it on your channel and I am just awestruck. I’m still processing that a human mind produced such a masterpiece. Almost as befuddling is how I’ve never heard the series mentioned outside of your channel! I honestly can’t thank you enough for what you do. This has without a doubt become not just my favorite book series but my favorite work of art in any form and I have you to thank for knowing it. Seriously, thank you so much.
The description of them entering the fourth dimension in the book was truly mind boggling. I had dreams about entering it later that night, and I genuinely feel like it opened up the way I see the universe. Even though it's fiction, it makes sense, and it's description of our perception of it is sound. The books are so out of this world, and yet believable, because of how descriptive they are.
The dark forest theory is definitely terrifying because of that sense that it could be real much the same way with Lovecraft’s fear of the unknown theme. And it’s also a fear that really has no cure for it but it does have a treatment. It’s taught me the importance of remembering that despite the fact we go into space with a lot of fear we must not let that fear dictate our actions. I mean after all if we go in chasing and fearing shadows and shooting at them we will only expect to be shot right back at but if we go and cautious and not shoot first and ask questions later then try to talk we just might MIGHT find at least a pragmatic ally.
@@ivangrossman6876 but it makes no sense for any species to subscribe to the Dark Forest mentality when dimension strikes are a thing. Either you make peace or everyone will die, all other logic is absurd in the face of that. It makes weighing the risk/benefit of war seem trivial. With war there is no survival and with peace there is a slim chance.
@@ivangrossman6876 Indeed but again what I’m just pointing out is that we don’t know and we shouldn’t act on suspicions that we don’t know if they are true. Otherwise we will end up creating our own enemies anyway regardless.
@@mugwump7049 The fear of the unknown is being afraid of what you might find basically like what fear of the dark is. You don’t know what’s out there and your mind plays tricks on you depending on how paranoid you are. The best thing to do is to remind yourself you don’t know and as you said you should only really fear what you know and only when you have a reason to.
Learning that we were a result of aliens toying with physics in their wars left me feeling insignificant in a way like nothing before. That was the craziest idea I’ve ever heard. Best part of the whole series
I've read the books a few years ago and your videos are the perfect way to relive them again. Thanks for making these. I love both the style and the quality.
I don't put too much stock in the dark forest. Humanity has already sent out greeting cards into rhe universe so others might learn about us. Why not others too? With such vast sizes of this galaxy, let alone the universe, there should be lots of resources. Enough that the heat death of the universe will likely get us before we run out. Like the cold war, nuking each other into oblivion just isn't economical. Especially when you figure out that most of the water and iron in the solar system aren't on earth. Makes more sense for aliens to go after titan, mars, and the asteroid belt, where humans are not got to fight to the death over it.
@@whitemagus2000 We havent put out a real signal yet tho. In the book they had to use a star to amplify the message to be heard. We on the other hand are sending out radio signals thinking we are doing something. While we look with a magnify glass at the top of the ocean contemplating what the ocean floor is like. Compared to the civilizations in the novel we are still cavemen. Also extra pessimism here.... look at our governments... do you really think we can pull anything off besides tax breaks for the ultra wealthy lol
I really don't get that fear. We already assume that the universe will end in a heat death. And that heat death will happen in an unimaginably distant future. Why would you worry about humanity's fate in trillions upon trillions of years when it is not even guaranteed that we won't wipe ourselves out within the next few hundred years?
I explained the concept of the Sophon to a friend, badly, like a person shining a flashlight into another person's face. You can't see behind the light, and you become blinded to the things around you. It was a way of distorting another person's perception of reality.
I think its only scary if one clings to the idea that things should last forever. There is not a single piece of existence that lasts forever in a given state. Everything is born, grows, changes and dies. The temporary existence of things is what gives it its inherent value/beauty. The frozen picture isn't what is valuable/beautiful, it is the experience of that moment that is valuable/beautiful. That moment that came and went in an instant. A universe is no different.
There was something in the scene with Singer that made me think of ten dimensional space differently. He mentions how the Starpluckers, Earth, would speak to the other, Trisolaris, and there would be four time grains for messages to travel. It's a distance of four light years from one star to the others, so that makes sense, but the English translation uses the word 'grain', a very small unit of measurement. Could Singer's time grain be the smallest standard unit of time his people use, the equivalent of our word Second? If so, exactly how much time passed between when he noticed Earth and Trisolaris talking and launching his special bomb? More importantly, does him being two dimensional have anything to do with his slow speed? Could he be so big in area that his nervous system needs a year to do what takes us a second? This leads me to a question in the other direction; were four dimensional beings smaller than us? Did they measure time in microseconds, and we would be impossibly slow giants to them? Could the same notion hold true as you gain dimensions? Could ten dimensional beings smaller than an atom have been ruining the universe in a matter of seconds? I am basing all this speculation on a single word in the English translation, but I think it demands consideration.
An entire civilization run off the power of a single LED. I want you to imagine that. Now think of how much we waste in terms of energy when it comes to simply thinking these thoughts. A civilization that has prepared for the Great Heat Death of the universe will have slowed thoughts to measure in Eons to what would take us mere seconds right now.
@@Life-tastic Singer and his tribe were not waiting though, they were engaged in a war with someone else, and it was not going well for Singer and company. If you can wait things out like that, the sacrifice might be worth what you gain.
@@arbiterskiss6692 Of course, however this example was not specifically for Singer. It is only an example of the various reasons and ways species go about it.
Wasn't Singer and the Seed he was living on still three-dimensional though? At the end of the scene, it is pretty much confirmed that their homeworld would make the move into two-dimensional space as a defensive action, but does that mean the species as a whole is already adapted to two-dimensional living, even the individuals on off-world colonies like Singer?
This is one of my favorite parts of Death's End. The Dark Forest concept was so well explained in the previous book through the night time discussion of Luo Ji and Da Shi. There, I loved the combination of logic, informality, and even humor. Here, it's the novelty of the explanation from the ship/ring/tomb.
The way you explained the life cycle of the universe is incredible,I mean I've never even thought to go anywhere near that directional hypothesis.. 10 dimensions ,The Universe in the sense as a Utopia,a complete paradise
Bro I literally started reading this series because of your first video on the subject, just finished the last book and all I can say it wow! Thanks for getting this series more attention. It deserves it!
I love that. It is very scary but also so interessting. You just want to know more about this, the universe. Why is it like that. Cixin Liu's view on this is so refreshing. Thanks quinn for that good stuff. Want to hear more about this series
Thanks for introducing me to this series. It was a great read. The trisolarians, dark forest and end are most creative concepts I have read in sci-fi in years.
This really is one of the most far-reaching epic science fiction books I’ve ever read. Truly chilling and mind bending. Absolutely phenomenal. My only criticism of these books is the relatively bland dialogue. I’m listening to the Foundation series along with this and I have to say, Asimov’s dialogue and character design is beyond compare. I guess that just highlighted the differences in the writing styles. Aside from this, thanks, Quinn, for introducing me to the Three Body Problem series. I’ve also added the Hyperion series to my reading list thanks to your recommendation. Keep up the amazing work!
I loved Remembrance of Earth’s Past. I love Foundation, I love Hyperion, I absolutely love Dune. You should go through The Quantum Thief trilogy. It’s a real mind bender.
Just finished the series this morning. Thank you, Quinn, for recommending this series. It’s what got me into sci-fi. I can’t wait to re-read the series and read more of Cixin Liu and Ken Liu’s work. The scale of this series is so mind blowing and I absolutely adore it.
Hey that's exactly the same, my friend recommended this book to me and I read the whole series in a week, and this book was like the initiation ceremony of SciFi books for me...
Wow, this sounds fantastic. So many brilliant concepts. Sadly, I’m not much of a reader due to an ADD thing, but this might be the book I need to pull me out of it…so to speak. Brilliant break down as well. Clear & concise as always, Quinn.
Just finished Deaths End about an hour ago and had to come watch your videos. It's amazing to hear how much the discussion with the ring / tomb gave away what was happening, at the time it was difficult to grasp what was being said (like Tianmings fairy tales) but it became really clear in the end. Your video summarised it really nicely!
This was a good read second book onto the third. Most sci-fi have aliens at same level of technology were they battle for superiority in a back and forth conflict. This trilogy was wonderful
This is just plain creepy. Well goody, thanks man, now I've got a new series to read. I know that by the time I finish the entire Dune saga, I won't remember this, so I guss I just have to go ahead and grab the first book. I absolutely LOVE your content btw, truly. You've got a very interesting mind, and we seem to have a lot of similar interests. Thanks for this.
You inspired me to read again, Quinn. From Hyperion to Foundation, you've resparked my love of science fiction. I love your vids and I always look forward to the next one. Revelation Space is a fantastic novel that I would love to see you cover, if you have the time. Just putting that out there lol.
Alistair Reynolds is my favourite author ✍️ of modern sci-fi, another that I’ve found recently is Neal Asher!!! Peace out from the police state of north Wales 🏴
In a span of just a few days this channel has quickly grown into one of my favourites! I’ve even ordered a paperback copy of The Children of Time novel thanks to this channel and very much look forward to reading it!
I listened to the audiobook years ago and it still haunts me. Almost every month, I can’t help but think that we are really in the dark forest scenario.. it always begins with me thinking if I was dropped into the Amazon forest alone, would I be shouting at the top of my lungs here I am, to every predator out there your happy meal Is ready. Or would I be quiet until I’m in a position to escape, defend and protect myself. It just makes me wonder
The problem is that real life tends towards stability. The dark forest turns into the enchanted forest. Predators define each others' territories and are subject to natural l Iimitations. Birds squawk. In fact most complex animals are evolved to make noise. This by itself disproves the dark forest theory.
Thank you for helping me revisit this series. I remember looking for explanation videos and visuals when I first read the trilogy a few years ago - I didn't realize how much I needed these videos!
I am so glad you recommended this book on your channel. Remembrance of Earth trilogy is such a great SF work. It is also great introduction for new SF fans, as Three Body Problem reads as quite low SF content book. Then trilogy progress into more advanced and complicated SF ideas. Only issue I have with his books, is a bit odd way of writing by Cixin Liu. Maby fault of translation to my native language ...?
Awesome video, Quinn! I would have been totally for the adaptation if D&D weren't helming it (John Bradley and Liam Cunningham have also signed on). At least it's a finished series, but I don't expect them to properly understand another story as intricate as this, just cherry pick the parts that sound coolest for TV.
Ahh come on. The first few series of Game of Thrones were top top tier stuff. Filmed brilliantly, acted class, and production design etc was top notch. It only lost its way at the end when they ran out of source material. There’s no issue of that happening here
Hey man. I'm your old fan from times of ASOIAF content - your growth is amazing. You already infected me with dune and now this! Respect from Poland my dude.
Quinn, do you Narrate audio books? You most certainly have the talent for it. Unlike most Audible narrators, you know how to work the microphone, and you have a nice variety of voices to express different characters emotions in dialogue. And your tone is so soothing, I have fallen asleep to many of your vids. I mean that as a compliment, as I need human voice to get me off to sleep, and my brain is very fussy about who it lets do it. Anyway, thanks for inspiring me to consume more great works of modern sci-fi. I've just finished Dark Forest, at your suggestion. Though, I appreciate recaps, as it was so long, and It was difficult for me to keep track of all of the characters. Though I get the feeling one doesn't need to know much about all them, only what their function is in the superorganism of humanity in this world. I also appreciate the various interpretations of greater thinkers than myself. I'm looking forward to Death's End. Though I think I need some time to digest the prior two books. I consumed them too fast, and no doubt missed some key elements. Yet, I get the feeling that might be a feature of the author's style. Like we aren't supposed to know what he doesn't yet want us to know. And often plot points or character interactions are based around metaphors, that require the reader/listener to stop and think. I maybe I'm just a bit on the slow side. Thanks again for your suggested readings. I think I'll like them all.
@Quinn you are a lovely human being and your contribution to literature is immense to me. You describe and discuss and dive into and paraphrase and quote. You just rip apart whatever material you are into and put it back together for us in a digestible form. You are so thorough and I deeply appreciate it. Thank You Quinn.
These books seem so cool. I tried to order the first one but I couldnt tell if it was a Chinese or English print, it was very confusing. Def going to keep looking for them. So far youve gotten me to read the Dune books which I gave up on the first one when I was young, and now Im reading Hyperion (about halfway through book 2). Nice to finally be reading hard scifi again like when I was 14!
the very beginning of Deaths End really made me think about the dimensional bubbles. I'm so happy you got me into this series, Quinn, Three Body is such a great series and I can't wait to read Ball Lightning and Wandering Earth. just getting into Death's End now, and I start to realize and comprehend things I know are plot points but don't fully understand yet. Like when Cheng Xi saves Yun Tianming from euthanasia, then it immediately goes into her boss's plan to send someone out into space to meet the trisolaran fleet. Knowing that he later gets captured and that Cheng Xi is the second Swordholder, it really makes me wonder how it all gets there! Great videos Quinn, I'm so happy I saw your videos and then read the books. You leave out some amazing plot moments that I never expected and it makes the reading experience after having watched your videos that much more amazing. I recommend to anyone that you read all three books. The Dark Forest is a bit of a lul, but I think Ken Liu does amazingly well translating the other two books and it may just be that I prefer his way of translating the books than to the other guys translations. Ken Liu having translated Redemption Of Time makes me yearn to read it next after Death's End!
The First Video from your Channel Ive watched was about the Shrike. Now, two Months later Ive finished reading all four books of the Hyperion Cantos. And this Video right here captures my Attention as much as the Shrike-Vid, so I guess I will read this book series too. Thx for introducing this Austrian boy here to amazing Sience Fiction series, you are one of my favourite UA-camrs Quinn!
This segment actually compliments my Idea of the life part of a living soul itself is fourth deminsional and continues to exist without the body and becomes an indo of what the exo matter was
This part of the book absolutely blew my mind. However the ending of deaths end suggests the universe collapses back into a singularity for another big bag rather than dimensionally collapsing into nothing. Or maybe I’m remembering it wrong. I need to read it again. Killer video though. Love your content.
When they talk about "dimensional collapse", I wonder (I have not read the series yet) that these other dimensions of the original 10 dimensional universe weren't destroyed, but collapsed down and now are the compactified microscopic dimensions of 10 or 11 dimensional string theory...?
They are, they make an appearance in the first book when the Trisolarians start folding protons. Civilizations exist still in other dimensions but are much weaker
Dude your videos are bad ass, well done sir. I keep hearing people say that aliens would never bother trying to take earth because the resources our planet has can be had on uninhabited planets, but what they never take into consideration is the one thing our planet has that no other planet has (so far as we know) and that's habitability. Yeah you can find all the raw materials your civilization might need on airless moons, asteroids etc... but if the thing you're looking for is a planet you can live on, one with a stable climate / atmosphere, liquid water etc... then all the sudden earth becomes a very attractive target. The scientists and astronomers reaching out with messages for any and all civilizations might be signing all of our death warrants. I told my brother in law who is of the "Independence Day" mindset that we could fight back against an invasion, that any invasion would likely just be an invasion of our solar system and the invaders could sit out by Mars and throw large bits of metal (size of an anvil) at us, which would be as destructive as modern nuclear weapons without the nasty radiation and all we'd be able to do is watch, and after humanity is all but wiped out they could come in and take over the planet. Sure their might be a few thousand of us left but with no way to communicate, organize, or access technology we'd be able to do two things, Jack and shit
This was the best modern sci-fi book series I've read. I had a hard time believing that people would be so selfish as to be willing to destroy humanity rather than allow some to live, but the past couple years have shown the truth of that.
I heard great things about this book series. It was announced last year that its going to be adapted into a show for Netflix but I haven't heard anything about the project actually moving forward.
@@vollsticks people are saying they already casted actors for it and production started this November, someone commented this on my other post. Also Dan and Dave are going to be the showrunners.
This is an excellent video, and the incidental music/synth effects are superb ! They really add to the whole mood and ambience of what you are trying to convey here
"The Remembrance of Earth’s past Trilogy is one of the most existentially terrifying book series I’ve ever read. " Hm. Yeah, as solutions to the Fermi paradox go, this one is pretty damned bleak.
Watched this video shortly after it was released. Had to come back to it after finishing the series. I really can't recommend the series enough for how chilling, thoughtful and ultimately hopeful the series is.
Just finished Deaths End, and I’m about to start Redemption of Time. Your videos are terrific btw Quinn. Could you do more videos about this series? They would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for doing what you do 👍
Boy, you are in for a ride. I won't spoil anything but they do reveal the physical appearance of trisolarians there, is NOT what you expect. It's beautiful. God this series are unbelievably incredible
I hadn't' read much sci fi before watching Dune and finding Quinn's channel, other than randomly reading the Forever War as a teen and loving it. Boy am I glad I finally got back to the trilogy though. I devoured these books in a couple of weeks after persevering through The Three Body problem, which I dropped the first time after getting bored with the three body game parts. Even though I no doubt skimmed past certain things reading it so quickly, the descriptions of the Sophons creation, 4d space, the dimension strike (and plenty of other things) have been playing around and around in my head ever since. t's some masterful writing and translation to make such technical writing feel so fantastical and vivid. It allowed me to attempt to picture it all without my head hurting lol. A huge thank you to Quinn for discussing it so eloquently and passionately, you've awakened someone who wants to read much more of the genre.
I love the ideas of this series. I mean, I really didn't think the series as a whole is well developed or well written. But damn, it has some amazing ideas.
"Every Sould shall taste death. Ad we test you with good and evil as trial and to Us is the ultimate return". Love your content, your final prhase resonated with me. These books are sci-fi but they are meta-realistic in that they explore avery real component of our human condition. Lots of love, your Muslim follower!
I'm so obsessed with the trilogy, so many mind boggling ideas, stories and wild imaginations. So, what is the link with the fish in a bowl at the end of the book Death's end? Is it somehow connected with this episode of fourth dimension? If anyone knows, please care to explain.
The fish bowl was essentially a mini universe. A very very simple one, but I think it was more like a terrarium which only needs some sunlight. It can thrive with zero intervention, therefore Cheng Xin decides to leave it behind as a possibly final human "memory". She was allowed to leave behind only memories according to the returners (the beings who took responsibility for ensuring the big crunch happened by imploring every species to return from their mini universes outside of the cosmos). I am not 100% on the deeper meaning behind the fish bowl, but my interpretation is that it served as a small glimmer of hope that a part of Earth survives into the new universe.
Guan Yifan, who ends up with Cheng Xin in the micro-universe at the end of 'Death's End', had a small ecosphere containing fish all the way back when Blue Space and Gravity first interacted with the fourth dimension. The book describes it as his favourite possession. During the discussion with the Ring, where it spoke about puddles and fish, it asked if it could keep the ecosphere. Guan Yifan handed it over. I think that's why Sophon and Cheng Xin make another one for him in the first place. Then, similarly to the fate of the first fish ecosphere, the second ecosphere is left to perhaps communicate with anyone who might come across it, as a memory of humanity. This mirrors the Ring, which describes itself as a tomb; it, too, is a memory of its own civilisation. The ecospheres are described as enclosed ecosystems. Such things exist today, too. I guess they're sort of like miniature universes in and of themselves. (Except they do require heat and sunlight from the external environment, so they're not entirely closed systems.)
I read this book series after first hearing about it from this channel...the best books I've ever read (and have been trying to find something that comes close to it) is the a song of ice and fire books...while this series isn't anywhere near the level of the asoiaf series,it is the best book series I've read since then...absolutely brilliant and thought provoking
I have not been able to stop thinking about this amazing trilogy for 2 years now It's such a mind boggling Especially the opening of the third book; that girl/witch from Constantinople time of crusades, going through the 4th dimension story, and the ending! Epic!
Spoilers: In Death’s End, when our solar system gets a dimensional strike from a higher civilisation and everyone is trying to escape from being turned to two dimensions...man that part really freaked me out on an almost Lovecraft scale. Just wanted to add that in here.
Isn’t the 4th dimension just the geometry of spacetime itself? Causing gravity and time dilation after being bent in the presence of mass? Meaning it’s a property of everyday reality we just don’t perceive clearly because our brains adapted to address 3-dimensional concerns? What does it mean to enter pockets of the 4th dimension, or ‘go’ to the 4th dimension?
That last time I tripped on acid I experienced something I can't quite explain or fully understand. I remember something telling me that everything that is happening now has happened before and that the past, present and future are all happening at the same time. Once you've experienced the future it becomes the present and the past.
Outside this simulation we call "our life" here on earth & as we cross over into the afterlife, time will no longer exist & the soul will be at peace as everything that ever was will be 1 an back home in a true state of nervina (some call it heaven) be running free like a group of wild horses gallouping into infinity my friend :)
"Every soul who ever lived throughout the cosmos, all meet at the end in darkness... Well thanks for watching!"
What do mean???
Darkness is where it all begins. Master darkness and you'll master the self. From there... The possibilities are limitless.
@@manueldelarosa7723 that's how the video ends lol
@@theautodan7095 Ya know, that's just kind of edgy word soup that doesn't really mean anything. In the context of the story, that "darkness" is dimensional collapse. Not exactly a whole lot of possibilities or mastery to be had at the 1st dimension.
"life begins in darkness" - Count Servigny
The prologue of the third book which took place in Constantinople had me hooked immediately, though some parts of it didn't make sense to me until I read the later section where Blue Space encounters the 4D fragments. Then it all clicked, Helena saying "I can't go *there*" and the missing top of the minaret reappearing, it's amazing how Cixin Liu sets up mysteries and later it all makes perfect sense
True. I hadnt thought about It.
Spoilers ahead:
I do not believe the trilogy overall is really depressing since it says that in the end if things go right the universe will be reborn again. In a process similar to the modern cosmological theory of the "Big Crunch". It might even be reborn with 10 dimensions at the beginning. In general, the trilogy is far less depressing than people think, on the contrary, it contains many encouraging plot lines, such as the fact that some humans survive and create a new home among the stars, and the universe is going to be reborn in the end if everyone returns the mass from their mini-universes. It almost has a Hindu-Buddhist philosophical touch to it, an eternal cycle of rebirth and death. That was my impression at least.
I agree, the series can be dark and depressing but it uses that to contrast with it's more hopeful side.
The female protagonist of the third book is a great example of this idea.
She is compassionate(to a fault) and always wants to do the right thing(even when doing the "wrong" thing would save countless of lives)
In fact I found it too optimistic
That depends on your definition of optimism I guess. Some people are perfectly capable of hacking their fear of personal death by comforting themselves with the idea that information about them will remain. In order to feel comforted by this tale, however, you need to hack your fear even further and feel comforted by the idea that despite everything you are, was and will ever be, along with everything you have ever known will be remade into shapes that are only reminiscent to those familiar to you based on infinite extrapolation of possibility.
"It's ok, because you will probably be remade an infinite amount of times."
The thing is, before COVID, most western readers commented saying Liu Cixin had too little faith in humanity. Well... Not anymore.
that was a message sent by the giant civilisations. i dont know if it means it is true, but it has some truth to it.
if, newtonion gravity, which is a good measure of gravity in non-relativistic situations, works the same way in other dimensions, then the 2nd dimension would have stronger gravity as a whole, and it can actually collapse on itself (currently it seems the universe just keeps on expanding)
You made me read the whole trilogy. And it was awesome!!! Mind blown. Incredible. The concept of the Dark Forest still haunts me, and the idea that nothing is "natural" anymore, that nothing remains untouched by intelligence, not even spacetime itself, completely overwhelmed me... Thanks Quinn!!!!!!
Definitely read the redemption of time as well apparently it’s a new ending which even the author gave his consent for
@@muthias4582 Is it a book by another author?
@@askani21 A fanfiction. The author Liu was relatively open-minded about it. But that does not represents Liu's own thought about the real conclusion.
@@askani21 it is but like I said Qixin gave his blessing for it.
@@Albert_C in the end the author has the final say on his own fictional universe and if he says the redemption of time is canon then it’s canon
The dark forest idea is scary because it has the ring of a real possibility to it. A great read! Thanks
yeah. because it is totally logical. I do not believe in it. but since it is a logical equilibrium it is a real possibility...
But think about of the potential profits and fame!
@@fabiankempazo7055 I wouldn’t say totally logical it’s just only a potential reality but potential doesn’t mean that it’s real. It’s better that we don’t jump at shadows and hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.
I think it will come down to how cost-efficient and difficult it'll be for advanced civs to "terraform" new planets to their liking. If it's comparatively easy, then planets in your immediate vicinity become much more attractive to settle on, than some distant lush green planet. We humans could already do reasonable terraforming ( albeit it'll take generations upon generations in our perception of time ) with our current energy output, that in its majority relies solely on fossil fuels. Imagine a spacefaring civ that can already harness the full energy output of their star.
@@guysome3263 We cant even keep this planet terraformed for our own existence. The difficult part of all of this for me to imagine is intelligent species acting together for thier mutual benefit. Humans would be helpless against any properly organized civilization.
Quinn, I just finished the series after hearing about it on your channel and I am just awestruck. I’m still processing that a human mind produced such a masterpiece. Almost as befuddling is how I’ve never heard the series mentioned outside of your channel! I honestly can’t thank you enough for what you do. This has without a doubt become not just my favorite book series but my favorite work of art in any form and I have you to thank for knowing it. Seriously, thank you so much.
The description of them entering the fourth dimension in the book was truly mind boggling. I had dreams about entering it later that night, and I genuinely feel like it opened up the way I see the universe. Even though it's fiction, it makes sense, and it's description of our perception of it is sound. The books are so out of this world, and yet believable, because of how descriptive they are.
The dark forest theory is definitely terrifying because of that sense that it could be real much the same way with Lovecraft’s fear of the unknown theme. And it’s also a fear that really has no cure for it but it does have a treatment. It’s taught me the importance of remembering that despite the fact we go into space with a lot of fear we must not let that fear dictate our actions. I mean after all if we go in chasing and fearing shadows and shooting at them we will only expect to be shot right back at but if we go and cautious and not shoot first and ask questions later then try to talk we just might MIGHT find at least a pragmatic ally.
Problem is all it takes is for one society to not follow that same protocal. We extend a hand and they wipe us out. One mistake and its over
@@ivangrossman6876 but it makes no sense for any species to subscribe to the Dark Forest mentality when dimension strikes are a thing.
Either you make peace or everyone will die, all other logic is absurd in the face of that. It makes weighing the risk/benefit of war seem trivial. With war there is no survival and with peace there is a slim chance.
@@ivangrossman6876 Indeed but again what I’m just pointing out is that we don’t know and we shouldn’t act on suspicions that we don’t know if they are true. Otherwise we will end up creating our own enemies anyway regardless.
My curious explorer mind doesn't understand this "fear of the unknown" mentality. To me, one can only be afraid of what one knows.
@@mugwump7049 The fear of the unknown is being afraid of what you might find basically like what fear of the dark is. You don’t know what’s out there and your mind plays tricks on you depending on how paranoid you are. The best thing to do is to remind yourself you don’t know and as you said you should only really fear what you know and only when you have a reason to.
Learning that we were a result of aliens toying with physics in their wars left me feeling insignificant in a way like nothing before. That was the craziest idea I’ve ever heard. Best part of the whole series
"I am the tomb. It's the tomb speaking to you. I'm dead."
That made me laugh...
I've read the books a few years ago and your videos are the perfect way to relive them again. Thanks for making these. I love both the style and the quality.
I could not sleep after reading this series. 😂 The whole "dark forest" thing is scary af.
J
Wha? That’s the coolest part, you gotta fight for your right to paaaaaartaaaay
I don't put too much stock in the dark forest. Humanity has already sent out greeting cards into rhe universe so others might learn about us. Why not others too?
With such vast sizes of this galaxy, let alone the universe, there should be lots of resources. Enough that the heat death of the universe will likely get us before we run out.
Like the cold war, nuking each other into oblivion just isn't economical. Especially when you figure out that most of the water and iron in the solar system aren't on earth. Makes more sense for aliens to go after titan, mars, and the asteroid belt, where humans are not got to fight to the death over it.
@@whitemagus2000 thats a great analogy
@@whitemagus2000 We havent put out a real signal yet tho. In the book they had to use a star to amplify the message to be heard. We on the other hand are sending out radio signals thinking we are doing something. While we look with a magnify glass at the top of the ocean contemplating what the ocean floor is like. Compared to the civilizations in the novel we are still cavemen. Also extra pessimism here.... look at our governments... do you really think we can pull anything off besides tax breaks for the ultra wealthy lol
I spent a whole month crawling through the quicksand of existential dread after reading the series and now you just tossed me back into it. Goddamnit.
LMFAO BRO this description is me rn i am DROWNING in the dread
I really don't get that fear. We already assume that the universe will end in a heat death. And that heat death will happen in an unimaginably distant future. Why would you worry about humanity's fate in trillions upon trillions of years when it is not even guaranteed that we won't wipe ourselves out within the next few hundred years?
Are you out or escape velocity's insufficient? 😅
I explained the concept of the Sophon to a friend, badly, like a person shining a flashlight into another person's face. You can't see behind the light, and you become blinded to the things around you. It was a way of distorting another person's perception of reality.
Ok, this makes a lot of sense then, had some issues trying to completely understand how that was applied.
I think its only scary if one clings to the idea that things should last forever. There is not a single piece of existence that lasts forever in a given state. Everything is born, grows, changes and dies. The temporary existence of things is what gives it its inherent value/beauty. The frozen picture isn't what is valuable/beautiful, it is the experience of that moment that is valuable/beautiful. That moment that came and went in an instant. A universe is no different.
Very wise comment
Even atoms will eventually decay into nothing but quarks
Every atom in me was made in stars and ever atom will return to stars. Life is a brief candle.
I mean, in our univers3
This is impermanence in hindu/buddhist philosophy!
There was something in the scene with Singer that made me think of ten dimensional space differently.
He mentions how the Starpluckers, Earth, would speak to the other, Trisolaris, and there would be four time grains for messages to travel. It's a distance of four light years from one star to the others, so that makes sense, but the English translation uses the word 'grain', a very small unit of measurement. Could Singer's time grain be the smallest standard unit of time his people use, the equivalent of our word Second?
If so, exactly how much time passed between when he noticed Earth and Trisolaris talking and launching his special bomb? More importantly, does him being two dimensional have anything to do with his slow speed? Could he be so big in area that his nervous system needs a year to do what takes us a second?
This leads me to a question in the other direction; were four dimensional beings smaller than us? Did they measure time in microseconds, and we would be impossibly slow giants to them? Could the same notion hold true as you gain dimensions? Could ten dimensional beings smaller than an atom have been ruining the universe in a matter of seconds?
I am basing all this speculation on a single word in the English translation, but I think it demands consideration.
An entire civilization run off the power of a single LED.
I want you to imagine that.
Now think of how much we waste in terms of energy when it comes to simply thinking these thoughts.
A civilization that has prepared for the Great Heat Death of the universe will have slowed thoughts to measure in Eons to what would take us mere seconds right now.
Now think of that LED being an entire civilization to conserve energy and material.
The objective is to simply wait, to survive the End of Everything.
@@Life-tastic Singer and his tribe were not waiting though, they were engaged in a war with someone else, and it was not going well for Singer and company.
If you can wait things out like that, the sacrifice might be worth what you gain.
@@arbiterskiss6692
Of course, however this example was not specifically for Singer.
It is only an example of the various reasons and ways species go about it.
Wasn't Singer and the Seed he was living on still three-dimensional though? At the end of the scene, it is pretty much confirmed that their homeworld would make the move into two-dimensional space as a defensive action, but does that mean the species as a whole is already adapted to two-dimensional living, even the individuals on off-world colonies like Singer?
This is one of my favorite parts of Death's End. The Dark Forest concept was so well explained in the previous book through the night time discussion of Luo Ji and Da Shi. There, I loved the combination of logic, informality, and even humor. Here, it's the novelty of the explanation from the ship/ring/tomb.
The way you explained the life cycle of the universe is incredible,I mean I've never even thought to go anywhere near that directional hypothesis.. 10 dimensions ,The Universe in the sense as a Utopia,a complete paradise
Bro I literally started reading this series because of your first video on the subject, just finished the last book and all I can say it wow! Thanks for getting this series more attention. It deserves it!
I love that. It is very scary but also so interessting. You just want to know more about this, the universe. Why is it like that. Cixin Liu's view on this is so refreshing. Thanks quinn for that good stuff. Want to hear more about this series
y’all got me worried about how I’m gonna react to 4th dimensional intelligence when I’m not even nearly smart enough to understand calculus😂😂
More vids about the trilogy please! (maybe about humanity's evolution within the series)
IKR I’m luvin this narration 😭🙏🏾🔥
We need more 😮
Yes please!
NO FK U finish mysts of avalon!!!!
I just checked out the Kindle version of The Three Body problem from my local library. So far I'm only a few pages in. I hope it lives up to the hype.
@@spiritbond8 no one cares about low quality garbage no one has heard about.
Thanks for introducing me to this series. It was a great read. The trisolarians, dark forest and end are most creative concepts I have read in sci-fi in years.
This really is one of the most far-reaching epic science fiction books I’ve ever read. Truly chilling and mind bending. Absolutely phenomenal. My only criticism of these books is the relatively bland dialogue. I’m listening to the Foundation series along with this and I have to say, Asimov’s dialogue and character design is beyond compare. I guess that just highlighted the differences in the writing styles.
Aside from this, thanks, Quinn, for introducing me to the Three Body Problem series. I’ve also added the Hyperion series to my reading list thanks to your recommendation. Keep up the amazing work!
I loved Remembrance of Earth’s Past. I love Foundation, I love Hyperion, I absolutely love Dune. You should go through The Quantum Thief trilogy. It’s a real mind bender.
Other than remembrance of earth which I have not read.. it’s as if I wrote this post almost exactly…
Thank you for introducing me to this series!!!! You're a gifted orator and select the components you choose to explore very well, great job Quinn 👍🏼
Just finished the series this morning. Thank you, Quinn, for recommending this series. It’s what got me into sci-fi. I can’t wait to re-read the series and read more of Cixin Liu and Ken Liu’s work. The scale of this series is so mind blowing and I absolutely adore it.
Hey that's exactly the same, my friend recommended this book to me and I read the whole series in a week, and this book was like the initiation ceremony of SciFi books for me...
Well, Ken Liu is the translater althoug he writes very good science fiction too.
@@ericdraven3654 yup 👍
I was really impressed by the books. The idea of dimension dissolving is mind-blowing.
Thanks for the video
Wow, this sounds fantastic. So many brilliant concepts. Sadly, I’m not much of a reader due to an ADD thing, but this might be the book I need to pull me out of it…so to speak. Brilliant break down as well. Clear & concise as always, Quinn.
Have you tried audiobooks?
The books on Audible was a great listen
@@qaztim11 no I haven’t. That’s a great idea, thanks! 😎👍
Was going to suggest audiobooks.. but someone beat me to it.. ADD here too.. I love audiobooks while doing other stuff...
The audio book is superb. I listen to it while I work
Just finished Deaths End about an hour ago and had to come watch your videos. It's amazing to hear how much the discussion with the ring / tomb gave away what was happening, at the time it was difficult to grasp what was being said (like Tianmings fairy tales) but it became really clear in the end. Your video summarised it really nicely!
This was a good read second book onto the third.
Most sci-fi have aliens at same level of technology were they battle for superiority in a back and forth conflict.
This trilogy was wonderful
This is just plain creepy. Well goody, thanks man, now I've got a new series to read. I know that by the time I finish the entire Dune saga, I won't remember this, so I guss I just have to go ahead and grab the first book. I absolutely LOVE your content btw, truly. You've got a very interesting mind, and we seem to have a lot of similar interests. Thanks for this.
You inspired me to read again, Quinn. From Hyperion to Foundation, you've resparked my love of science fiction. I love your vids and I always look forward to the next one.
Revelation Space is a fantastic novel that I would love to see you cover, if you have the time. Just putting that out there lol.
Amen
It’s not fiction lbs
Alistair Reynolds is my favourite author ✍️ of modern sci-fi, another that I’ve found recently is Neal Asher!!! Peace out from the police state of north Wales 🏴
.
In a span of just a few days this channel has quickly grown into one of my favourites! I’ve even ordered a paperback copy of The Children of Time novel thanks to this channel and very much look forward to reading it!
I listened to the audiobook years ago and it still haunts me. Almost every month, I can’t help but think that we are really in the dark forest scenario.. it always begins with me thinking if I was dropped into the Amazon forest alone, would I be shouting at the top of my lungs here I am, to every predator out there your happy meal Is ready. Or would I be quiet until I’m in a position to escape, defend and protect myself. It just makes me wonder
i do think the moral of the story is to enjoy the moment and live your life fully. As Luo Ji continues to promote
The problem is that real life tends towards stability. The dark forest turns into the enchanted forest. Predators define each others' territories and are subject to natural l Iimitations. Birds squawk. In fact most complex animals are evolved to make noise. This by itself disproves the dark forest theory.
@@trequor what ? no,
This is definitely thought provoking & mind expanding! Pure genius 💯
Thank You Quinn 🙏🏾
Thank you for helping me revisit this series. I remember looking for explanation videos and visuals when I first read the trilogy a few years ago - I didn't realize how much I needed these videos!
I am so glad you recommended this book on your channel. Remembrance of Earth trilogy is such a great SF work. It is also great introduction for new SF fans, as Three Body Problem reads as quite low SF content book. Then trilogy progress into more advanced and complicated SF ideas. Only issue I have with his books, is a bit odd way of writing by Cixin Liu. Maby fault of translation to my native language ...?
Awesome video, Quinn! I would have been totally for the adaptation if D&D weren't helming it (John Bradley and Liam Cunningham have also signed on). At least it's a finished series, but I don't expect them to properly understand another story as intricate as this, just cherry pick the parts that sound coolest for TV.
Wait there is a adaptation going on?
@@luclin92 Yeah, it was announced late last year for Netflix. They recently made a cast announcement.
I'm extremely excited and weary at the same time
@@qaztim11 *wary. Weary means tired.
Ahh come on. The first few series of Game of Thrones were top top tier stuff. Filmed brilliantly, acted class, and production design etc was top notch. It only lost its way at the end when they ran out of source material. There’s no issue of that happening here
There's nothing like this anywhere else on UA-cam. Your content is excellent dude keep it up
Two videos in the span of one morning? Madness! However, both are great with intriguing content. Thank you.
Woot!
Hey man. I'm your old fan from times of ASOIAF content - your growth is amazing. You already infected me with dune and now this! Respect from Poland my dude.
Quinn, do you Narrate audio books? You most certainly have the talent for it. Unlike most Audible narrators, you know how to work the microphone, and you have a nice variety of voices to express different characters emotions in dialogue. And your tone is so soothing, I have fallen asleep to many of your vids. I mean that as a compliment, as I need human voice to get me off to sleep, and my brain is very fussy about who it lets do it.
Anyway, thanks for inspiring me to consume more great works of modern sci-fi. I've just finished Dark Forest, at your suggestion. Though, I appreciate recaps, as it was so long, and It was difficult for me to keep track of all of the characters. Though I get the feeling one doesn't need to know much about all them, only what their function is in the superorganism of humanity in this world. I also appreciate the various interpretations of greater thinkers than myself.
I'm looking forward to Death's End. Though I think I need some time to digest the prior two books. I consumed them too fast, and no doubt missed some key elements. Yet, I get the feeling that might be a feature of the author's style. Like we aren't supposed to know what he doesn't yet want us to know. And often plot points or character interactions are based around metaphors, that require the reader/listener to stop and think. I maybe I'm just a bit on the slow side.
Thanks again for your suggested readings. I think I'll like them all.
Absolutely true.
@Quinn you are a lovely human being and your contribution to literature is immense to me. You describe and discuss and dive into and paraphrase and quote. You just rip apart whatever material you are into and put it back together for us in a digestible form. You are so thorough and I deeply appreciate it. Thank You Quinn.
I am going to read this series next! Thanks for this breakdown.
Can you do a breakdown on the Broken Earth Series?
You never disappoint, great job as always👍
These books seem so cool. I tried to order the first one but I couldnt tell if it was a Chinese or English print, it was very confusing. Def going to keep looking for them. So far youve gotten me to read the Dune books which I gave up on the first one when I was young, and now Im reading Hyperion (about halfway through book 2). Nice to finally be reading hard scifi again like when I was 14!
bookrepository ships worldwide and have them, and a lot other books
Nothing compares to being 14. Check, for instance the music charts from when you were that age, the just published comics, the popular movies...
Great great story telling watching/ listening to your 3 body problem playlist. It's the best!
I love this book series! Finished the final book only yesterday. Great content as always Quinn!
the very beginning of Deaths End really made me think about the dimensional bubbles. I'm so happy you got me into this series, Quinn, Three Body is such a great series and I can't wait to read Ball Lightning and Wandering Earth. just getting into Death's End now, and I start to realize and comprehend things I know are plot points but don't fully understand yet. Like when Cheng Xi saves Yun Tianming from euthanasia, then it immediately goes into her boss's plan to send someone out into space to meet the trisolaran fleet. Knowing that he later gets captured and that Cheng Xi is the second Swordholder, it really makes me wonder how it all gets there!
Great videos Quinn, I'm so happy I saw your videos and then read the books. You leave out some amazing plot moments that I never expected and it makes the reading experience after having watched your videos that much more amazing. I recommend to anyone that you read all three books. The Dark Forest is a bit of a lul, but I think Ken Liu does amazingly well translating the other two books and it may just be that I prefer his way of translating the books than to the other guys translations. Ken Liu having translated Redemption Of Time makes me yearn to read it next after Death's End!
Yes! I was hoping for more videos about this trilogy
Have not read the books but I am watching all of these videos! Love your content! ❤🎉
Liu Cixin is a genius. I'll need to reread this series
The First Video from your Channel Ive watched was about the Shrike. Now, two Months later Ive finished reading all four books of the Hyperion Cantos. And this Video right here captures my Attention as much as the Shrike-Vid, so I guess I will read this book series too. Thx for introducing this Austrian boy here to amazing Sience Fiction series, you are one of my favourite UA-camrs Quinn!
One of the best reads ever !! Thank you for making me aware of this book series Quinn!
finally you are covering my favorite sci-fi book series of all time!
This segment actually compliments my Idea of the life part of a living soul itself is fourth deminsional and continues to exist without the body and becomes an indo of what the exo matter was
This part of the book absolutely blew my mind. However the ending of deaths end suggests the universe collapses back into a singularity for another big bag rather than dimensionally collapsing into nothing. Or maybe I’m remembering it wrong. I need to read it again.
Killer video though. Love your content.
If we as humans will subdue to powers like a Dictatorship....we may as well end up soo pessimistic..
When they talk about "dimensional collapse", I wonder (I have not read the series yet) that these other dimensions of the original 10 dimensional universe weren't destroyed, but collapsed down and now are the compactified microscopic dimensions of 10 or 11 dimensional string theory...?
@bryce burchett That’s exactly right. Cixin Liu explains it that way in the books
They are, they make an appearance in the first book when the Trisolarians start folding protons. Civilizations exist still in other dimensions but are much weaker
Man - found your content years ago when GoT was on the go, glad to see you're still putting out content. Great stuff!
I listened to the first audiobook and became a fan, thanks for finding and doing a video on it💭
Dude your videos are bad ass, well done sir. I keep hearing people say that aliens would never bother trying to take earth because the resources our planet has can be had on uninhabited planets, but what they never take into consideration is the one thing our planet has that no other planet has (so far as we know) and that's habitability. Yeah you can find all the raw materials your civilization might need on airless moons, asteroids etc... but if the thing you're looking for is a planet you can live on, one with a stable climate / atmosphere, liquid water etc... then all the sudden earth becomes a very attractive target. The scientists and astronomers reaching out with messages for any and all civilizations might be signing all of our death warrants. I told my brother in law who is of the "Independence Day" mindset that we could fight back against an invasion, that any invasion would likely just be an invasion of our solar system and the invaders could sit out by Mars and throw large bits of metal (size of an anvil) at us, which would be as destructive as modern nuclear weapons without the nasty radiation and all we'd be able to do is watch, and after humanity is all but wiped out they could come in and take over the planet. Sure their might be a few thousand of us left but with no way to communicate, organize, or access technology we'd be able to do two things, Jack and shit
Please make more videos on this trilogy! It is truly excellent.
Every time I watch one of the videos on this I want to reread the series. Your videos are a great companion to this and many other series.
Thank you, Quinn. You are a fresh voice to me. I appreciate you: just what I needed to hear when I needed to hear it. Best wishes for your success.
You have a skill Quinn, for making this more interesting than I think Cixin Liu is capable of making it.
If you've been to enough Greatful Dead Shows you would see all 13 dementions.
Acid will do that to you
Shall we go,
you and I while we can,
through the transitive nightfall of diamonds?
@@jybrokenhearted And lead to 'demention' dementia
This was the best modern sci-fi book series I've read. I had a hard time believing that people would be so selfish as to be willing to destroy humanity rather than allow some to live, but the past couple years have shown the truth of that.
I heard great things about this book series. It was announced last year that its going to be adapted into a show for Netflix but I haven't heard anything about the project actually moving forward.
If any book series is the absolute definition of "unfilmable", it's this one!
@@vollsticks people are saying they already casted actors for it and production started this November, someone commented this on my other post. Also Dan and Dave are going to be the showrunners.
@@sydnitheromantictaylor112 Dan and Dave?! Game Of Thrones Dan and Dave?! Ohhh deary me
@@vollsticks Cixin Liu has commented and seems to be supportive of the Netflix show.
@@HEYabbot or really supportive of money
Shockingly, I never heard of it! It sounds great. Will defiantly pick them up. Thanks!!
great content as always
This is an excellent video, and the incidental music/synth effects are superb ! They really add to the whole mood and ambience of what you are trying to convey here
"The Remembrance of Earth’s past Trilogy is one of the most existentially terrifying book series I’ve ever read. "
Hm.
Yeah, as solutions to the Fermi paradox go, this one is pretty damned bleak.
Try reading pushing ice
Interesting stuff, my older sister told me about this series a little over a month ago. Wild stuff.
This series reminds me so much of the Half-Life video games. The Trisolarians may as well be the Combine from Half-Life.
Watched this video shortly after it was released. Had to come back to it after finishing the series. I really can't recommend the series enough for how chilling, thoughtful and ultimately hopeful the series is.
Just finished Deaths End, and I’m about to start Redemption of Time. Your videos are terrific btw Quinn. Could you do more videos about this series? They would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for doing what you do 👍
Boy, you are in for a ride. I won't spoil anything but they do reveal the physical appearance of trisolarians there, is NOT what you expect. It's beautiful. God this series are unbelievably incredible
Yes I was waiting for you to cover this!!!
Long live Zhang Beihai and Yun Tianming, the true MVPs of this series...
I hadn't' read much sci fi before watching Dune and finding Quinn's channel, other than randomly reading the Forever War as a teen and loving it. Boy am I glad I finally got back to the trilogy though.
I devoured these books in a couple of weeks after persevering through The Three Body problem, which I dropped the first time after getting bored with the three body game parts. Even though I no doubt skimmed past certain things reading it so quickly, the descriptions of the Sophons creation, 4d space, the dimension strike (and plenty of other things) have been playing around and around in my head ever since. t's some masterful writing and translation to make such technical writing feel so fantastical and vivid. It allowed me to attempt to picture it all without my head hurting lol.
A huge thank you to Quinn for discussing it so eloquently and passionately, you've awakened someone who wants to read much more of the genre.
I love the ideas of this series.
I mean, I really didn't think the series as a whole is well developed or well written.
But damn, it has some amazing ideas.
The plot jumps around a lot and the character arcs were a bit sloppy, but I also think a lot of nuance might have been lost in translation.
"Every Sould shall taste death. Ad we test you with good and evil as trial and to Us is the ultimate return". Love your content, your final prhase resonated with me.
These books are sci-fi but they are meta-realistic in that they explore avery real component of our human condition.
Lots of love, your Muslim follower!
I'm so obsessed with the trilogy, so many mind boggling ideas, stories and wild imaginations.
So, what is the link with the fish in a bowl at the end of the book Death's end? Is it somehow connected with this episode of fourth dimension?
If anyone knows, please care to explain.
The fish bowl was essentially a mini universe. A very very simple one, but I think it was more like a terrarium which only needs some sunlight. It can thrive with zero intervention, therefore Cheng Xin decides to leave it behind as a possibly final human "memory". She was allowed to leave behind only memories according to the returners (the beings who took responsibility for ensuring the big crunch happened by imploring every species to return from their mini universes outside of the cosmos).
I am not 100% on the deeper meaning behind the fish bowl, but my interpretation is that it served as a small glimmer of hope that a part of Earth survives into the new universe.
Guan Yifan, who ends up with Cheng Xin in the micro-universe at the end of 'Death's End', had a small ecosphere containing fish all the way back when Blue Space and Gravity first interacted with the fourth dimension. The book describes it as his favourite possession.
During the discussion with the Ring, where it spoke about puddles and fish, it asked if it could keep the ecosphere. Guan Yifan handed it over.
I think that's why Sophon and Cheng Xin make another one for him in the first place. Then, similarly to the fate of the first fish ecosphere, the second ecosphere is left to perhaps communicate with anyone who might come across it, as a memory of humanity. This mirrors the Ring, which describes itself as a tomb; it, too, is a memory of its own civilisation.
The ecospheres are described as enclosed ecosystems. Such things exist today, too. I guess they're sort of like miniature universes in and of themselves. (Except they do require heat and sunlight from the external environment, so they're not entirely closed systems.)
@@sherp1796 very interesting!!
Thank you so much for explaining. 👍
Thanks for still doing videos on this trilogy! Your first video was the reason I even chose to start it
I just finished this series this morning. The end was a let down but all together it was very interesting.
I read this book series after first hearing about it from this channel...the best books I've ever read (and have been trying to find something that comes close to it) is the a song of ice and fire books...while this series isn't anywhere near the level of the asoiaf series,it is the best book series I've read since then...absolutely brilliant and thought provoking
OMG!! Pls dont stop.
Quinn, it was on your recommendation that I checked out this series, and its fantastic. Once again, you're spot on. Thanks!
I have not been able to stop thinking about this amazing trilogy for 2 years now
It's such a mind boggling
Especially the opening of the third book; that girl/witch from Constantinople time of crusades, going through the 4th dimension story, and the ending!
Epic!
I have been waiting for this video for ages !!!
Please do more in depth on this I've been wanting to read them but I never have the time
Your dissection of this story makes it even more foreboding.
Nice one Quinn, great to see you covering the magnificent ROEP. Have you read The Redemption of Time, the epilogue book?
An epilogue? What? I read the whole trilogy, and it scarred me for life lolll. I need to read this epilogue too. What's it about?
Quite intriguing indeed, that is definitely on my reading list. Thanks again, you are like that friend who's read and recommends a book
Spoilers:
In Death’s End, when our solar system gets a dimensional strike from a higher civilisation and everyone is trying to escape from being turned to two dimensions...man that part really freaked me out on an almost Lovecraft scale. Just wanted to add that in here.
I had to put the book down after that chapter.
Please do more videos on this trilogy. Your first video got me to pick up the first book.
Isn’t the 4th dimension just the geometry of spacetime itself? Causing gravity and time dilation after being bent in the presence of mass? Meaning it’s a property of everyday reality we just don’t perceive clearly because our brains adapted to address 3-dimensional concerns?
What does it mean to enter pockets of the 4th dimension, or ‘go’ to the 4th dimension?
I'm pretty sure the 4th dimension is mind
I had never heard about this author and series before. Sounds interesting. Thanks Quinn!
BTW, nice psychedelic visuals in this video.
That last time I tripped on acid I experienced something I can't quite explain or fully understand. I remember something telling me that everything that is happening now has happened before and that the past, present and future are all happening at the same time. Once you've experienced the future it becomes the present and the past.
Outside this simulation we call "our life" here on earth & as we cross over into the afterlife, time will no longer exist & the soul will be at peace as everything that ever was will be 1 an back home in a true state of nervina (some call it heaven) be running free like a group of wild horses gallouping into infinity my friend :)
Love your narrations, Quinn. Keep up the good work, man! XD