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maddie_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.75
I usually prefer faster pace books but I really enjoyed this one.
I really enjoyed
I really enjoyed
- writing style
- the tension and mystery
And learning more about
- China's cultural revolution
- Science concepts - a lot were explained well enough that I could understand without a science background
I never felt bored listening to this but some of the science parts went completely over my head and I didn't want to look them up out of fear of spoilers so I felt a bit lost during some of the super science heavy parts.
Spoilers:
Fyi it ends on a cliffhanger.
I love books that make me say wtf lol dried out people rolls?? What the fuck! Cutting a boat in half with a nano string?? Destroying microcosm societies??love it, absolutely loved the part at the end with the bug metaphor- The Bugs have never truly been defeated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Alcohol, Murder, Violence, Torture, Colonisation, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Xenophobia, Death, Gore, Genocide, Blood, and War
monsty's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Moderate: Murder, War, and Suicide
atalea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
At the beginning it was a five star read for me, but at the end it became a little too science heavy for me which deflated my interest a bit. I do love how the author explains difficult scientific concepts, it made it easier to follow. Very interested to see how things continue!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Mental illness, Pregnancy, and War
lighterthaneyre's review against another edition
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I've heard repeatedly that this book is amazing from lots of men whose opinions I respect.
This is a very dense, hard sci fi book. I found it a little tedious from a pacing perspective, and I found the main character an irritating emptiness. He is often an excuse for other characters to contemplate upper level physics.
The descriptions of the physics, and the extremely human reaction to the ideas ka fascinating. This book presents a lot of ideas that were interesting to think about. This might not be on any of my "all time best" lists but I absolutely want to hear the author expand on the ideas he has set up.
Also it's so refreshing to get a very un-American/non-Western voice for sci Fi. Another reason to look forward to the next book
This is a very dense, hard sci fi book. I found it a little tedious from a pacing perspective, and I found the main character an irritating emptiness. He is often an excuse for other characters to contemplate upper level physics.
The descriptions of the physics, and the extremely human reaction to the ideas ka fascinating. This book presents a lot of ideas that were interesting to think about. This might not be on any of my "all time best" lists but I absolutely want to hear the author expand on the ideas he has set up.
Also it's so refreshing to get a very un-American/non-Western voice for sci Fi. Another reason to look forward to the next book
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: War and Police brutality
krzzykitty92's review against another edition
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Heavy sci-fi: very science and math focused. Even the video game in the book is heavy sci-fi lol there is no escape. The characters a dull and all have the same personality. The plot though! It has twists and turns and it hinges on one rogue decision after another. If you accept
That its plot driven you will be in for a fun ride because yes the characters make it have some humor too.
TW: difficult child birth, violent murder
That its plot driven you will be in for a fun ride because yes the characters make it have some humor too.
TW: difficult child birth, violent murder
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
nilocennis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Three Body Problem is a remarkable science-fiction novel that takes some very big ideas and explains them effectively without it coming across as an info-dump. It places all of this against the background of a period in Chinese history I know too little about (though translator Ken Liu helpfully fills in some gaps), using this period of political strife as the springboard for the broader plot.
The book has a breakneck pace and rarely lets up; though there were some sequences that fell a bit flat for me (the “game” stuff never totally works), there were also some sequences that are so grand in scope that it’s impossible not to be awed at the sheer enormity of Cixin’s imagination. Characters are a bit stock, but in a fun way, and the entire thing has a very cinematic quality to it.
The only major gripe I have with it is that it feels very much like the first part of a broader story, and
while there is a fine enough conclusion, it also feels like I’m seeing to be continued . . . floating before my eyes.
The book has a breakneck pace and rarely lets up; though there were some sequences that fell a bit flat for me (the “game” stuff never totally works), there were also some sequences that are so grand in scope that it’s impossible not to be awed at the sheer enormity of Cixin’s imagination. Characters are a bit stock, but in a fun way, and the entire thing has a very cinematic quality to it.
The only major gripe I have with it is that it feels very much like the first part of a broader story, and
while there is a fine enough conclusion, it also feels like I’m seeing to be continued . . . floating before my eyes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
lvl52_grant's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book has been sitting around my bookshelf for a long time, and I'm so happy I finally got to it. It's so different from most other sci fi I've read, which is part of the reason I said the book is a mix up above. Coming from a different cultural context, some things felt a little odd, came across emotionally flat. However, that did only detracted a little bit from the desolation and isolation the book describes. I personally had a hard time following all the science that took place, but the author and translator do a good job at describing the implications so that they are digestible. I thought it jumped around a lot, and didn't make a lot of sense, but once you get to the end, it all clicks, and you'll almost wish they hadn't.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Gun violence, and Suicide
seaofbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical trauma
Minor: Animal death, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
hannahlabi's review against another edition
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: War and Violence
ali1311's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
I'd heard a lot about this book, which was why it was such a bummer to find it so disappointing! At first, I thought it was just me and my love of romance/an emotionally driven character or sci-fi not being my preferred genre that made me feel like the story fell flat, but upon reading some other reviews, it seems it's not just me. Which is a relief because I thought I was being a real hater for no reason. Alas, there is reason. The book was interesting but the writing reads as somewhat robotic and I wouldn't say we know any of the characters well. In fact, I think there were too many characters and we didn't get to really attach ourselves to a specific character as our protagonist for much of the book. I also don't have enough of a STEM brain for this book. The science didn't interest me much, and with no interesting characters to supplement the complex science, I spent a lot of the book feeling lost and a bit bored. Overall, I see what the author was trying to do and I can see why someone would enjoy this book, but I thought it was a bit bland.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: War, Violence, and Suicide
Minor: Murder