Name: Anthony Teo's review of The Three-Body Problem by Ken Liu
Item: The Three-Body Problem
Rating: 4.5
Author: Anthony Teo

Ken Liu

Liu Cixin

"Wildly imaginative, really interesting." —President Barack Obama on The Three-Body Problem trilogy The Three-Body Problem is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience the Hugo Award-winning phenomenon from China's most beloved science fiction author, Liu Cixin. Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision. The Remembrance of Earth's Past Trilogy The Three-Body Problem The Dark Forest Death's End Other Books Ball Lightning (forthcoming) At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The Three-Body Problem

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project's signal is received by an alien civilization on the brink of destruction, which plans to invade Earth; meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion.

Tem Nugmanov

It was impossible to expect a moral awakening fromn humankind itself just like it was impossible to expect humans to lift off the earth by pulling up on their own hair. To achieve moral awakening required a force outside the human race.

Jasper

Over the western horizon, the sun that was slowly sinking into the sea of clouds seemed to melt. The ruddy sun dissolved into the clouds and spread over the sky, illuminating a large patch in magnificent, bloody red.

'My sunset,' Ye whispered. 'And sunset for humanity.'

In the spot where it once stood, the weight of the fallen tree being dragged left a deep channel in the layers of decomposing leaves that had accumulated over the years. Water quickly filled the ditch. The rotting leaves made the water appear crimson, like blood.

After a spate of apparent suicides among elite scientists, nanotech engineer Wang Miao is asked to infiltrate a secretive cabal. During his investigation, Wang is inducted into a mysterious online game that is the key to humanity's place in the cosmos and the key to the extinction-level threat it now faces.

Sven Schmidt

Civilization can only develop in the mild climate of Stable Eras. Most of the time, humankind must collectively dehydrate and be stored. When a long Stable Era arrives, they collectively revive through rehydration. Then they proceed to build and produce.

Read the award-winning, critically acclaimed, multi-million-copy-selling science-fiction phenomenon - soon to be a Netflix Original Series from the creators of Game of Thrones. 1967: Ye Wenjie witnesses Red Guards beat her father to death during China's Cultural Revolution. This singular event will shape not only the rest of her life but also the future of mankind.

Four decades later, Beijing police ask nanotech engineer Wang Miao to infiltrate a secretive cabal of scientists after a spate of inexplicable suicides. Wang's investigation will lead him to a mysterious online game and immerse him in a virtual world ruled by the intractable and unpredictable interaction of its three suns.

This is the Three-Body Problem and it is the key to everything: the key to the scientists' deaths, the key to a conspiracy that spans light-years and the key to the extinction-level threat humanity now faces.

Edward Steel

I agree, we actually have seen it with the Cosmological constant set by Einstein and some of Stephen Hawking's work.

Amira BEN

"Theory is the foundation of application. Isn't discovering fundamental laws the biggest contribution to our time ?"

Yang hesitated and finally revealed his real concern: "It's easy to make ideological mistakes in theory" 

It was impossible to expect a moral awakening from humankind itself, just like it was impossible to expect humans to lift off the earth by pulling up on their own hair. To achieve moral awakening required a force outside the human race

"Should philosophy guide experiments, or should experiments guide philosophy?

Vincent Weisz

"...We're bugs! Bugs that are about to go extinct! Haha ..."

Truman M Halladay

Anthony Teo

First chapters was preparation to what is to come, it was a little all over the place. But afterwards, last 150 pages was goes by like a wind! Author questions and looks into philosophical concepts as well. A good summer sci-fi read. Looking forward to read next books. 

Umit Bulut

First chapters was preparation to what is to come, it was a little all over the place. But afterwards, last 150 pages was goes by like a wind! Author questions and looks into philosophical concepts as well. A good summer sci-fi read. Looking forward to read next books. 

If you liked Contact or Arrival movies, you can read this or vice versa. 

The Three-Body Problem is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience this multiple award winning phenomenon from China's most beloved science fiction author, Liu Cixin.Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.

Chris Dailey

High sci-fi with a focus on quantum mechanics, philosophy and politics. Flashing backwards and forwards over the course of 50 years in China, the novel starts during the Cultural Revolution and evolves from a singular narrative into a fast-paced page turner. Incorporating VR, suicidal scientists, collaborating heads of state and extraterrestrials, the story is mainly about isolation, cynicism, the individual vs. the state, the power of science and adaptation. The translation holds up well, but certainly loses some power of prose. This is a narrative forward book focused on (outer)world-building and delivers thought-provoking concepts with a few "ohhh" moments.

Princess Doe 

I haven’t had this kind of experience reading a book in a long time. Actually one of the best science fiction books I have ever read

Sebastian Leck

Bizarre, intense, funny, moving, fascinating. It reminds me a little of Kurt Vonnegut, if he wrote about China's Cultural Revolution and philosophized about planetary movements and sub-atomic particles. I read it in two sittings and it's definitely one of my favourite books I've read this year.

Be warned, though, that there are some gory descriptions of violence that could be disturbing.

Luke Daniels

"The Three-Body Problem" by Liu Cixin is a fascinating and thought-provoking science fiction novel that explores complex themes of science, politics, and human nature. The story begins with a mysterious and intriguing premise involving a secret military project during China's Cultural Revolution. As the narrative unfolds, readers are introduced to a virtual reality game that simulates an alien world with unpredictable environmental conditions, hinting at the larger cosmic mystery at play.

Liu Cixin masterfully combines hard science fiction elements with an engaging plot, creating a compelling narrative that challenges readers to think deeply about the nature of the universe and humanity's place within it. The characters, while sometimes feeling secondary to the grand ideas and scientific concepts, serve to drive the story forward and add emotional depth to the overarching plot.

Overall, "The Three-Body Problem" is a remarkable entry into the science fiction genre, offering a unique blend of scientific rigor and imaginative storytelling. It's a must-read for fans of hard science fiction and those looking for a novel that stimulates both the intellect and the imagination.

Erwin Lemuel Oliva

"The Three-Body Problem" by Liu Cixin is a fascinating and thought-provoking science fiction novel that explores complex themes of science, politics, and human nature. The story begins with a mysterious and intriguing premise involving a secret military project during China's Cultural Revolution. As the narrative unfolds, readers are introduced to a virtual reality game that simulates an alien world with unpredictable environmental conditions, hinting at the larger cosmic mystery at play.

Liu Cixin masterfully combines hard science fiction elements with an engaging plot, creating a compelling narrative that challenges readers to think deeply about the nature of the universe and humanity's place within it. The characters, while sometimes feeling secondary to the grand ideas and scientific concepts, serve to drive the story forward and add emotional depth to the overarching plot.

Overall, "The Three-Body Problem" is a remarkable entry into the science fiction genre, offering a unique blend of scientific rigor and imaginative storytelling. It's a must-read for fans of hard science fiction and those looking for a novel that stimulates both the intellect and the imagination.

Sanjay Krishna 

went into this blind and the way the book drew me into such complex ideas with beautiful imagery and prose was absolutely amazing. 

Wingyan Chan

lala

I read this book in English, but the following review is in Indonesian. 

Mantap sih. Jujur. Awalnya agak kurang termotivasi atau gimana karena gak paham sama Revolusi Kebudayaan Cina yang jadi sebagian latar cerita novel ini. Tapi karena udah suka sama tulisan Cixin Liu setelah baca The Wandering Earth, bela belain ngabisin waktu untuk baca baca dan nonton YouTube soal Revolusi Kebudayaan dulu supaya ngerti maksudnya apa. Menurut gue ngerti eksten dari dampak Revolusi Kebudayaan kepada orang-orang yang mengalami jaman itu penting buat paham keputusan-keputusan yang diambil sama karakter di buku ini. 

Yang gue suka dari buku ini salah satunya adalah penjelasan ilmiah yang mudah dimengerti, dan sesuai dengan jalur cerita jadi bacanya nggak “hah?”, penjelasannya juga gak kompleks dan ngejlimet. Padahal bisa dibilang banyak konsep fisika yang dibahas di novel ini, tapi gak ada yang bikin bingung. Mungkin ada beberapa yang pakai istilah teknis tapi gak muter-muter penjelasannya. Kadang bahkan serasa lagi baca buku sains populer pas penjelasan ilmiahnya. Logika alur ceritanya masuk akal, kesinambungan antara satu kejadian ke kejadian lain terjalin dengan baik. Di tengah agak terasa ada bumbu-bumbu misterius dan/atau konspirasi yang bikin bukunya susah banget buat berenti dibaca!! Tapi jujur, salah satu karakter utamanya, Wang Miao kurang menarik untuk diikuti, lebih menarik ngikutin jalur pikirnya Ye Wenjie, salah satu karakter penting berporsi banyak di novel ini. 

3/4 dari baca novel ini masih ada beberapa pertanyaan yang belom kejawab, terus langsung diborong terjawab di bab-bab akhir, agak aneh sih pacingnya tapi tetep masuk akal?? Semua pertanyaan besar terkait plot ceritanya terjawab dengan baik di akhir buku dan pembaca ditinggalkan dengan rasa penasaran dengan harapan tinggi untuk karakter-karakter di dalam bukunya. Puas banget habis baca buku ini, dan agak sedikit sedih dan hampa juga karena nyelesainnya terlalu cepet hahaha.. tapi gak sabar banget buat baca lanjutannya!! ❤️❤️✨✨

I liked this most when it felt like what it wasn't (historical fiction) and least when it felt like what it definitely is (hard sci fi). I appreciated the questions it explored and I'm glad to have read it. I'm also glad to be done with it.

elizabeth

Omar 

without a doubt, three body problem is one of my favourite books of all time

it is the exact kind of measured, philosophical, deeply intelligent and profound work that science fiction must be. As you live through the tale, you also inevitably expand your worldview, and heed the authors warnings of various technologies and turns of events. Unique to three body is the equal amount of knowledge gained about philosophy, sociology, and cosmology. You can safely say that you are a more learned, more wise individual once you cross the sea of this book.

At the same time, there is no lack of entertainment and genuine excitement to be derived from the work. Yes, so much intelligence is woven into the tapestry of the book, but it remains riveting, entertaining, and beautifully distilled. The emotions of its events is enhanced by the inherent emotion that the exploration of science and space has - awe, wonder, fear; they backdrop the events of the story and enhance them in the way the place an art piece is hung influences the pieces perception. 

Above all, the author has a deep deep love for science and space, and this love has allowed him to delve deeper into the science than many stories have. It allows him, then, to cast magic at his readers: for the average individual, it is difficult to see where to separate science from science fiction, where the reality ends and the imagination begins. He keeps enough cards in his sleeves, showing them to the audience in bursts of misdirection, that you are left wondering if the events of his novel could ever really transpire. This is an enchanting feeling, that few books can elicit.

This same love transmits to the reader across the wavelength of the book, carried from one continent to another by words and phrases and events. You’re left with an impression of an author so deeply and passionately in awe of the universe, yet just as eager to consume it while. It ignites in you a love for this same topic, or perhaps it rekindles it, and sets a fire of childlike wonder and curiosity in the mind. Suddenly, I feel eager to explore some of the things mentioned in the book, eager to pick up a treatise on cosmic sociology, eager to delve into the science of the stars. That feeling is irreplaceable.

Luke Harkness

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!!

Lindy

In order to enjoy The Three-Body Problem you must have some level of appreciation for Asimov and Clarke and their outdated/wrong ideas about civilization, science, and "progress." If Foundation or Childhood's End make you bang your head on a table, so will this.

Pedro Figueiredo

I loved the story, but It would have benefited from a better translation - hence the 3 stars. The sequel, which I started on straight after, seems to have fixed this.

vanessa

this was conceptually very interesting but i’m not sure the prose really lured me in.

Loved every page. What a mind Liu Cixin has, and what a remarkable bit of translation Ken Liu has done. A useful guide to the cultural revolution and brain bend-ingly smart bit of sci-fi. 

Daniel Bower

Loved every page. What a mind Liu Cixin has, and what a remarkable bit of translation Ken Liu has done. A useful guide to the cultural revolution and brain bend-ingly smart bit of sci-fi. 

On to the next book.

Tobias V. Langhoff

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. The cultural revolution sets the stage for the inception of an interesting antagonist that changes the fate of the human race. Like how communists dampened science during the cultural revolution, in the present day a global conspiracy is hampering science and causing scientists to die mysteriously or commit suicide. We follow a family through the revolution, the cold war and to the present day, with a gallery of characters that made me grateful for Kindle’s X-Ray feature.

Apart from the Chinese history and criticism of the cultural revolution (which makes me wonder how the book was published without incident), there are a lot of interesting sci-fi concepts in this book: SETI and first contact, virtual reality, quantum mechanics, astrophysics (like the eponymous three-body problem of orbital mechanics), alien culture and physiology (although we only learn bits and pieces in this first novel in the trilogy), nanotechnology, and much more.

The first half of the book I couldn’t really decide whether or not I liked it. Stuff happened that I didn’t see how the author would resolve. A lot of fantastical stuff occurred that seemed like magic out of a fantasy novel. The protagonist experiences unexplainable and supernatural “miracles”, for lack of a better word, that challenge his world view.

These parts reminded me of the Arthur C. Clarke quote “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”, because everything that occurs is ultimately “explained” with quantum mechanics (and perhaps a few info-dumps too many) around the half-way point. The book is actually reasonably hard sci-fi although some things are too crazy to actually be possible.

By the end of the book, the only criticism I really had left was that the translations of dialogue seemed a little stiff, or else literal, verbatim translations of the Chinese dialogue that didn’t really sound natural in English – but in the translator’s end notes, he defended that as a conscious way to retain the way culture impacts how people speak to each other – a bit like a weak Whorfian concept.

Here is a fan-made soundtrack for the book: https://site.douban.com/TBOST/room/13...

Anton

A different kind of sci-fi. 

I’ve enjoyed reading this book because of it’s accurate scientific details. It is nice to read how some scientific theories can be connected into a book.

Very imaginative world-building with lots of speculative science. If you hate reading very physics-y sci-fi, I would skip, but if you enjoy that kind of thing, would definitely recommend!

Ashley Freeman

Jay Harris

I've read this twice now and enjoyed it both times. 

I love Cixin Liu's short stories, especially his collection To Hold Up The Sky, which has some of my favorites like "The Time Migration". 

For me, The Three Body Problem sometimes feels more like a short story collection than a novel: the characters and plot mostly seem like an excuse to explore a series of big sci-fi ideas like (view spoiler)[nanotech, VR games, first-contact-as-symbol, conspiracy theories and higher-dimension computers (hide spoiler)]. The journey between those big ideas might sometimes feel contrived, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the ride.

Le problème à trois corps

Sésame

Comment s'organiser face à une menace extraterrestre dont on connaît l'existence mais qui n'arrivera sur Terre que dans 450 ans ?
Le Problème à trois corps raconte cette histoire dans un récit vertigineux à plusieurs voix et plusieurs temporalité. Je l'ai lu à toute vitesse, n'étant pourtant pas très fan de hard-science. Malgré tout, je n'ai pas été aussi embarqué que ce que toutes les critiques m'avaient fait penser.
Les questions politiques et existentielles sont nombreuses, et c'était aussi la première fois que je lisais de la science-fiction non-occidentale : ça fait vraiment du bien.
Mention spécial au jeu-vidéo mis en scène dans le livre qui est vraiment fascinant, bien que la retranscription littéraire de l'expérience vidéo-ludique ne soit pas forcément parfaite.
Gros point noir tout de même, la représentation des personnages féminin est assez insupportable, particulièrement quand elles sont décrites du point de vue des hommes. On a heureusement un personnage féminin fort et défini par autre chose que son physique et ses relations amoureuses, mais cela n'empêche pas de nombreuses descriptions vraiment sexistes.

Quinn Tenorio

After sitting on this book for a minute after reading, I think this is one of my favorites in the world of science fiction. There are so many interesting facets to this book that they all work towards one harmonious story. Ultimately, I think it deserves a half point extra.

[Mild spoilers below]

Initially, I did struggle to stay focus and interested in the historical portions, especially coming into the book expecting something more along the lines of Foundation or Dune. But then Cixin starts dripping in a bit of science fiction themes here and there which serves as a decent hook to keep reading. But then there is a back and force shifting of modern day and the past, which made me question, "is this book really going to progress to anything related to science fiction?" The answer is yes, but that theme is really just woven throughout this story of history and society, from the point of view of the "Eastern" world.

By then end I understood what Cixin was trying accomplish in weaving these explorations of science, history, society, internationalization, and so many other topics. After that last page, it leaves you questioning what is and isn't science fiction. This book is certainly more of an exploration of something closer to this moment in time than far far in the future. Plus, I am particularly fond of the non-Western viewpoint of what a more science fiction future holds.

But, this book does have its struggles. The first I mentioned above with the heavy reliance on history and other topics for a large portion of the book. The other is the particular granularity of physics and science jargon. With a background in science and math, I found myself able to follow the story, but at times my knowledge lapsed. I have no doubt that others would struggle with the physics-heavy topics, despite Cixin's delicate hand at explaining them.

Geoffrey Froggatt

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction juggernaut of enormous scope and vision. This book does a great job at explaining scientific concepts and big scale events, although there were times that I had trouble connecting to the characters, especially in the beginning. I loved the descriptions of big scale events, grand conspiracy theories, and scientific horrors. I loved how this book depicted scientists discovering “forbidden” knowledge and being unable to cope with it. I’ve seen some reviewers say that the real world science depicted in this book was too difficult to understand or was depicted incorrectly, but I felt like it was depicted in a way that was understandable enough to advance the story, even if some of it went over my head. While I did like this story and the ideas it explored, I do feel like I’ll appreciate this story a lot more once I get to the second and third books in the trilogy, as this book was mostly set-up for bigger ideas and stories later in the series. I don’t think a lot of people are going to like reading this book, and those who do will want to immediately read the following book in the series to reach the more satisfying parts of this story.

Steve C

I think my mind isn't ready for Sci-fi yet lol, it's interesting but loads of concepts to wrap around

> Placing on DNF @ Ch 6 - might comeback to it later

Anthony Teo &
The Three-Body Problem by Ken Liu

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