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

Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

28 reviews

imaginary_space's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I will have to eye-read this again to form a final opinion, so take this with a grain of salt. I had to rush through the book because I could only lend it for 7 days, not my usual reading speed. But I definitely liked it enough to want to read it again, more slowly, to let all the concepts sink in and mull them over in my head.

What I liked:

It started very strong, the Revolutionary Struggle Session really got to me.
All those sweet Cosmic Horror elements and moments.
I was very engaged in the ideas presented. They are interesting, out there and yet believable. Great combination.
I wanted to know how the story would progress.
Loved how the Three-Body-Problem and its eventual revelation was incorporated into the story.
The computer chapter.
The Adventists. I get them.

What I didn't like:

The pacing constantly switched between fast and slow, which made for a somewhat incoherent experience.
It had its lengths.
There was so much exposition, which is not completely unavoidable in a book like this, I guess. But as the book progressed, it got more and more and towards the end there was just so much of it I couldn't sit through another chapter of somebody explaining something to somebody else.
The aliens
are very similar to humans
, not very believable. But maybe it will be explained in one of the next books.

I am definitely going to read the 2nd book in the series.

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becksusername's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

I was so intimidated by this book, but once I got started I was immediately sucked in and found it not only very readable, but incredibly thought-provoking. I feel like I'm smarter for having read it. And I can't wait to get my hands on the next two books!

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katrinarose's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

The most unique sci fi book (or really book of any genre) that I’ve ever read. My only two complaints were the tendency of the author to info dump and a lack of in depth character development. However, I think the plot and ideas do make up for it, just be warned if you need really good character development to enjoy a story. I really enjoyed the background of the story being set in China, parts of it during the Cultural Revolution. The footnotes were a big help to understand more context, and I found it very interesting. I loved the complexity of how the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence impacted the minds and opinions of humans. Would recommend if you are interested in very science-y science fiction, the idea of alien life, thinking about humanity, and a sprinkling of historical fiction.

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f18's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

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tungstenmouse's review

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adventurous informative reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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writer_of_minds's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

An interesting and thoughtful book. Starts from a basis of hard science, but also veers out into wildly speculative territory. As in a lot of great SF, the scientific and technical wonder is used as a frame for thought-provoking questions about the worth and guilt of humanity, how people might react to first contact, the likely moral qualities of alien civilizations, and more. It's alien invasion literature, but it's different from any other book of the genre I've ever read ... because it covers what happens while the invasion is anticipated, but still hundreds of years in the future.

The alien species imagined in this book has qualities that are both unique and interesting, and derived in a straightforward fashion from its native environment. The Chinese historical backdrop was also refreshingly different and educational for this US reader.

The one aspect of the science background that I found dubious was the use of quantum entanglement to communicate faster than light. Though quantum entanglement does seem to affect particles across distance at faster-than-light speeds, it's been my understanding that it does not enable the transfer of *information.* But the plot does not really hang on this point, so it's a fairly minor complaint.

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frankensteinteen's review against another edition

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littleflyleafreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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