Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - The Dark Forest

My complicated relationship with this series continues. So much about this one is brilliant, but it is absolutely buried in things that made me so frustrated.

Too many times did characters suddenly have a nose dive in intellect so that the science can happen, when the science in question is so far beyond what they were capable of any way that it didn't need them to spend 10 mins scratching their heads. The human element was so weirdly clinical and inconsistent, but half of them spoke like they were all vying to get the perfect soundbite. Plus it added pages just to explore the human element but somehow still managed not to add much depth to any character other than Luo Ji. It's bizarre how many pages were devoted to this and I still barely know any of them.

I loved the actual plot and I think so many of the ideas were beyond creative, but it was just brought down by the weird need to 'but wait there's more!' its way to the next section.

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azalya01's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This book was such an excellent continuation from the first installment! I felt like the was a plot twist on every other page. This book really stands apart from other sci-fi stories, because it allows us to capture a complex and ever-changing view of humanity. At times throughout this story, I had a strong disdain for humanity's weaknesses, and other times I was reminded that our unique strengths make us so powerful when we are united. Overall, I loved the book, and I can't wait to read the final installment in the series.

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shermansays's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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mlewis's review against another edition

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

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

5.0

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solanum's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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dburn15's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Started off very slow but picked up towards the end of the book.

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sequelmage's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

This is a follow up to the book “The Three Body Problem”, but it is very different. I’d say this has more philosophy baked in than hard sci-fi. It’s also a bit slower paced.

That said it is still a very good read and I highly recommend it.

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