Reviews with content warning for Suicide - The Three-Body Problem

I had been eyeing this book in the library for a few months now, and I finally got round to reading it. It was definitely a fascinating concept and a new twist on science fiction, although for me, with a humanities background there was a lot of science in here that I found a little difficult to grasp. It might be faster paced for someone who understood everything, I found myself slowing down and re-reading sections.
The characters were amazing, I really found myself caring about them and their stories, and I didn't see the plot twist coming. Looking back, I could see the foreshadowing was in place for it, I just hadn't picked up on them because I was so invested in the characters.

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pretzelocity's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Fantastic sci-fi, both abstract and eerily real. A poignant reflection on scientific progress and what it means to be part of humanity. Only thing I didn’t like was the main character being a little flat, he’s just a vehicle in the story.

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dawntin's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This is science fiction that goes really hard on the science. The explanations were long-winded and a slog to read through. I thought the majority of the characters were flat, with Ye Wenjie being the most interesting one.

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nerdkitten's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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petiteqamar's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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alex_luck's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Im so biased, but i love this kind of sci fi

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mrstorycraft's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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alexutzu's review against another edition

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adventurous informative reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

This book took me ages to get through. Was it worth it? Honestly, there's no clear answer to this question. It's not that the book had no good parts, but the "meh" elements really outweighed the better ones. I enjoyed the mix of historical/political details with the science parts, but the fictional side of this was not really my thing. After finding out about the controversies surrounding the author and his perspectives, I struggled even more with thinking about the book on a positive note. I doubt that I will continue this series.

😍 The good:
The scientific descriptions were researched and complex, making me wonder if these things could really happen in daily life. There were a bunch of interesting quotes and ideas, specifically in the first and second part of the book. Due to its complexity, it is fun and easy to come up with many theories related to this. I personally also liked learning more about the history of China and this novel encouraged me to research and understand the related sociopolitical phenomena better.

😅 The not-so-good:
The characters were flat and not that interesting and I felt at times that the plot has some holes. The literary style was barely existent in my opinion, as the book was really heavy to process and packed with too many details that felt more like a thesis than a novel. Overall, the general idea related to cultish alien invasions was not my really cup of tea, so the last part of the book was really dragging for me and I had to speed-read it. I also felt that there were too many story lines and plot points to keep track of and some of them seemed redundant or absurd.

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