The Three-Body Problem

This book is primarily plot-driven with a LOT of hard-science-ish jargon rants. Those combined with a slowly unraveling plot, I was very happy when it was over. I think I missed any larger themes I would otherwise find interesting because I was so distracted by the science dumps. The audiobook didn't help. Although the narrator did good voice acting work, his narration itself was like listening to a war documentary, which did not work for me. It's not a bad book obviously, it won a Hugo, it was just missing the sci-fi aspects I enjoy in sci-fi and the character development/relationships were weak to not there.

I admit I flipped through the first few pages at the bookstore and noped it right back on the shelf. I've little knowledge of the Cultural Revolution and it seemed a far cry from the expansive sci-fi promised on the cover. But Ye Wenjie witnessing the death of her father in these opening chapters informs her motivations going forward as she becomes an astrophysicist who makes first contact.

I've never really examined my pollyanna notions of first contact, informed by Zefram Cochrane and his contact with the Vulcans in Star Trek lore. Rationally it would be more akin to colonizers landing in the new world spreading small pox, religious indoctrination and mass genocide - Earth, just another world ripe for plunder. And of course there would some among us hungry for this alien annihilation believing it a punishment we so rightly deserve.

And then there's the alien Trisolarans who, understanding that an invasion will take 400 years, can admit that our current explosive technological progress might quickly outpace their alien knowledge in the ensuring centuries. That something must be done. That they must kill our science.

I'm giddy with the slow burn of first contact and the ideas explored here. This is hard-sci-fi that still manages to be absolutely wild with a wonderful translation by Ken Liu.

Yo ma boi Cixin, ya do this boi a favour and go read that postscript ya wrote for this book?
Tea and biscuits next week?
I'll send you a telegram.

Love,
Ya boi

Fascinating. Very clever.The threads were... scary... slicing the thing like that... and the description of the consequences... brrr....The computer made of soldiers... wow...Reminds me of [b:The Gods Themselves 41821 The Gods Themselves Isaac Asimov https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1351076141l/41821.SY75.jpg 1253407] and [b:The War of the Worlds 8909 The War of the Worlds H.G. Wells https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320391644l/8909.SY75.jpg 3194841]

Fairly engaging.

Can't claim to understand the science, will Youtube later.

I listen to this on audiobook I wonder if it would be a different experience reading the text. I feel I would need to relisten or reread the book several times to fully grasp the events.
I struggled with the coldness and almost disconnected emotions of several of the characters seemed antisocial and sociopathic. These characters bothered me a lot more than potential contact with extraterrestrial beings.
The storyline and social/political elements were interesting and eye-opening. I do not think I will continue the series but I'm glad to have experienced this book.

Fascinating but comes with a warning

I'll get the warning right of of the way: this book heavily revolves around theoretical science. This means there are many terms, many explanations and a whole load of times you may be confused. However I don't want this to dissuade people as it is a fascinating insight into how earth could really communicate with extraterrestrial life. This is not an easy read with a smooth flowing story, but as stated: it is a fascinating one!!

I'm very conflicted with this book. I so wanted to enjoy it but it was extremely hit and miss for me. I loved some of the character interaction immensely, but at other times found it extremely wooden.
Go into this understanding that it is hard sci-fi. And for me there was too much science and not enough fiction.
There would be times where I found myself finally connecting with the characters only to then have them ripped away from me by 2 chapters of scientific exposition. By the time I slogged through that I had lost the connection I had just made with the characters.
I enjoy reading the science that drives a story, but I just found that there was far too much here and it broke up the flow of the book for me.
Ironically, the final few pages had some of my favourite character work, but at that point I was too exhausted to care much.

That said, I'm glad I read this, and I'm left with a dilemma because if the areas of strong character work that I loved are carried through to the second book more consistently, and the exposition is toned down, I would love to read it.
However I'm not sure I'm willing to take the risk.

Although this book is really physics-inspired (just look at the name), it is not actually intended for physicists, and more for the general public (which is good! Just not expected). Let me explain:

I just finished my B.A. in physics, and although I'm in no means an expert, I do have certain knowledge in the field. This caused an unexpected problem for me.

The physicists in the book (except Ye Wenji maybe) aren't believable. They lack basic knowledge that all physicists have, or understand the situation far slower than expected.

For example, let's look at the 3body game. As a non-expert with limited knowledge, I was able to understand the mechanics of the game within the first chapter of it. For Wang, en expert with years more of experience it took 3 another several chapters.

Of course, this is not a problem for most people (I guess), since most people didn't a whole course named “Chaos Theory” last semester. Therefore of course the reader would have to introduce those concepts at a slower pace.
But it is a problem for the people who did, and so we get to my earlier statement:

This is a great physics-inspired sci fi book for the general public. But if you have physics knowledge, don't expect to be surprised too much.

It took me a really long time to get into this book, I must have been a third of the way through before I started enjoying it. It was actually really good, think Contact set in China.

Nothing wrong with the writing, which was really good. I just really don't like hard core sci fi.

This books stands at the unique intersection of ‘hard' science-fiction, philosophy and mystery- the kind of book that makes you want to look up everything mentioned in the plot a second time. Suffice to say, its the best sci-fi I have read this summer.

A psychics/mathematical/cosmological hard sci-fi which tends to focus heavily on technical details making it feel very grounded in reality. I liked it a lot!

Note: Try to read the book without reading the summary.

Definitely not what I expected, even after getting a few chapters into the book. It's a creative, imaginative, unusual story that mixes in the historical aspect really well. And so well written. Most times I couldn't even tell it was translated, that is also done very well.

Translation left a lot to be desired understood.

For some reason, this book reminded me of Andrew Weir's Martian, and because I liked that book, I guess that other people who liked Martian would like this one. There is a lot of technical details and physic theory, but knowledge of these is not required to enjoy this book.

Anyway, this is a really refreshing take on science fiction and first contact scenarios, with a cultural backdrop that was very unfamiliar and almost as alien as the actual alien society in the story.

From the author's postscript:
“I've always felt that the greatest and most beautiful stories in the history of humanity were not sung by wandering bards or written by playwrights and novelists, but told by science. ... Only, these wonderful stories are locked in cold equations that most do not know how to read.”

4.5 because of the pace in places. But so many novel ideas, and the insights into the turbulent years of the cultural revolution. Definitely worth the read!

Take the Cultural Revolution - one of the most unprecedented phases in Chinese history, the actions of which could be easily labelled as an Orwellian.

Now add micro-dimensions (postulated dimensions existing beyond the normal four dimensions of space and time), first contact (debating on how humans will establish contact with aliens, and its consequences), and the three body problem (a famous classical mechanics problem which states that in a system of three bodies, it is impossible to predict any future configuration) to the already volatile mix.

Add in dry character development, and what looks like a clichéd plot at first glance. The result should have been an implosion - but thankfully, it is not. It is, instead, one of the greatest sci-fi novels ever produced. It is fine, distilled art in a hitherto unforeseen form.

There is no point in putting my words in this review - because it is impossible to write down the emotions evoked. Tranquility and anger to sheer, unbridled awe - this novel makes you feel them all, and more.

TL;DR - if you're a fan of hard sci-fi (tinged with a significant dose of reality, so not recommended for the casual reader) novels, or are thinking of getting into them, give this a chance. You'll never be the same again.

My first “hard science” read, but had me immediately inspired to learn more about physics.

I really enjoyed this book - and I loved the science it discussed. It got me watching youtube videos on physics and asking questions about how things work and made me want to learn more.

The story itself spanned a full lifetime, starting around the 1960s (in fact earlier) and follows through to (what I presume) is modern day. The book is full of historical references (and my Chinese knowledge is practically nil, so this was great) and chock full of amazing, believable physics questions that had me pondering over between reading sessions.

Great stuff.

I don't know what I feel about this book. Will keep going through the trilogy though.

This was actually very interesting to read so soon after Childhood's End. There some similarities. I don't have a very strong understanding of physics so some of the science in this book was tough for me but overall I was fascinated.

Tom Clancy meets Ringworld. It's a fun read, and pays homage to some cool scientists. That being said, this feels a little too much like respecting the cult of science, rather than being written by someone who clearly knows what they're talking about. The ending in particular attributes too many miracles to “science,” but conveniently ignores things like the no communication theorem.

I haven't read many sci-fi books, but this is by far the best in my bookshelf. The story is weird, but it makes sense at the same time. I enjoyed Liu's writing style and how he combined different topics such as history, philosophy, science and mystery.

Honestly, this book baffled me. I kept reading it because I kept hoping that it would get better, that it would start to make sense (spoiler: it didn't). Reviews seemed to fall squarely into two categories: “wow this book is terrible” and “best book, amazing life-changing experience”. I guess I'm in the first camp.

Pros: Usually, the more you know about the underlying science, the less believable/engrossing a sci-fi book is. Three-Body Problem is that rare sci-fi book that is better if you know more of the science it engages with. As a physics guy, I loved that. It's also really clever in employing science concepts as plot devices; from the famous three-body problem you see early on, to the use of non-digital computing, to nano technology, everything feels authentic. Also, from my own experience in the sciences, I thought the way that Earth scientists dealt with anomalies was handled in exactly the right way. Also, the author's afterward is excellent.

Cons: pretty technical at times; I was a physics major and still had to Google a few things. Because it's translated, it's also a little clunky in places. Together, these can make a few chapters drag on a bit.