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andra_mihaela_s's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Ok...soo....how do I start this....well...I didn't see this one coming! :))))
After finishing the first book, I thought we'll explore a number of things and characters based on the ending from the previous book,BUT..you guys....this was something else...ENTIRELY SOMETHING ELSE!!!!>..<
Long story short, I LOVED IT!
We follow Luo Ji, a failed astronomer, as he and other 3 people are chosen to represent a sort of defence against Trisolaris --> the project name: Wallfacer! All the rest are either extremely important people (political, military, scientific figures) , but only he is wanted dead by the enemy! 0_0
Once again, Liu Cixin's genius left me with my jaw on the floor...this mix of thriller-mystery-sci-fi is perfect!
I don't want to spoil anyone especially if you haven't read book 1, so...I'll try my best to give you a feeling of book 2 without mentioning anything! ^_^'
First of all, I suggest you go into this series, book by book, as blind as possible...my edition could have spoiled me for quite a nice turn of events if I've read what was written on the back of it; so, remember...go in blind.
In terms of plot, we have some old faces next to the new ones, in a well-crafted character-study...?...slice of life?....literary fiction plot????..>..>...for a good portion of the book...only to later shift gears into actual sci-fi realm. The world as envisioned by the author makes so much sense..that's scary!0_0...loved the limitations established in the previous book and how they are sooo relevant here! Loved the absolute character study at a global scale and the different variation of psyche represented in a select few! The whole project on which the plot is based basically has one specific function...to tell the reader how self-absorbed, delusional and cynical one can be...and how most skilled people will try to solve this horrible predicament for humanity...I'm sad to say, but probably their answer would be mine as well..:(....and here comes our MC...
Well..let's just say..Luo Ji is not your typical sci-fi protagonist..i think (haven't read that many yet, but that's what my gut tells me) and you're not supposed to like him, understand him or even find him interesting..quite the contrary!... and many will read him and go...wtf?....why are we following this guy???...but trust the author, I tell you!...He knows what he wants you to see and understand.
Basically he is an embodiment of one very human and very unpleasant emotion..a mix of greed and indifference...and that's why, he's perfect for this job! ^^
As I started with Luo Ji, an unlikable MC, why not go on with others, although this was supposed to be about the plot.....-_-...anyway...I'm happy how Da Shi and Ye Wenjie from book 1 had a role in this! Loved a lot of the members of the Wallfacer Program (from actual chosen people to staff and administrative members); as the ones from the opposition! ^_^
The human race is evolving(if we can call it that ^^') and changing is such an extraordinary but soooo natural way...we see time flow by, we see how people throw away and adopt concepts and style of living, we see how the human mind, the greatest threat to the Trisolarian civilisation, is constantly trying to adjust to life...it's a beautiful and sad picture...Oh! The technology in this sci-fi is great!>..>... and the way of living...sooo much sense after we take into consideration people as a species, history, ambitions on a national level, suspicions,class and hierarchy, what is valued in our society, crises of any kind and human capacity to sometimes be like cockroaches!
Finally, the ending was sublime...I've lost hope midway through part 3, especially after what happened with Zang Beihai (I know this is logical and probably the most accurate in such a scenario with this type of people,but...it was hard...:(... ), and THAT was the moment Liu Cixin showed me why Luo Ji was important. ^^
This is not a character-driven story, but a concept-driven one! I guess you can call it a study in human psyche if you wish...
In the end, I do believe the dark forest is real, and probably a great answer to programs like SETI ^_^' ..but I digress...hopefully the 3rd book is just as great as this one, maybe even better!
I highly recommend this series! If you're interested in hard sci-fi, please pick it up!
Enjoy
After finishing the first book, I thought we'll explore a number of things and characters based on the ending from the previous book,BUT..you guys....this was something else...ENTIRELY SOMETHING ELSE!!!!>..<
Long story short, I LOVED IT!
We follow Luo Ji, a failed astronomer, as he and other 3 people are chosen to represent a sort of defence against Trisolaris --> the project name: Wallfacer! All the rest are either extremely important people (political, military, scientific figures) , but only he is wanted dead by the enemy! 0_0
Once again, Liu Cixin's genius left me with my jaw on the floor...this mix of thriller-mystery-sci-fi is perfect!
I don't want to spoil anyone especially if you haven't read book 1, so...I'll try my best to give you a feeling of book 2 without mentioning anything! ^_^'
First of all, I suggest you go into this series, book by book, as blind as possible...my edition could have spoiled me for quite a nice turn of events if I've read what was written on the back of it; so, remember...go in blind.
In terms of plot, we have some old faces next to the new ones, in a well-crafted character-study...?...slice of life?....literary fiction plot????..>..>...for a good portion of the book...only to later shift gears into actual sci-fi realm. The world as envisioned by the author makes so much sense..that's scary!0_0...loved the limitations established in the previous book and how they are sooo relevant here! Loved the absolute character study at a global scale and the different variation of psyche represented in a select few! The whole project on which the plot is based basically has one specific function...to tell the reader how self-absorbed, delusional and cynical one can be...and how most skilled people will try to solve this horrible predicament for humanity...I'm sad to say, but probably their answer would be mine as well..:(....and here comes our MC...
Well..let's just say..Luo Ji is not your typical sci-fi protagonist..i think (haven't read that many yet, but that's what my gut tells me) and you're not supposed to like him, understand him or even find him interesting..quite the contrary!... and many will read him and go...wtf?....why are we following this guy???...but trust the author, I tell you!...He knows what he wants you to see and understand.
Basically he is an embodiment of one very human and very unpleasant emotion..a mix of greed and indifference...and that's why, he's perfect for this job! ^^
As I started with Luo Ji, an unlikable MC, why not go on with others, although this was supposed to be about the plot.....-_-...anyway...I'm happy how Da Shi and Ye Wenjie from book 1 had a role in this! Loved a lot of the members of the Wallfacer Program (from actual chosen people to staff and administrative members); as the ones from the opposition! ^_^
The human race is evolving(if we can call it that ^^') and changing is such an extraordinary but soooo natural way...we see time flow by, we see how people throw away and adopt concepts and style of living, we see how the human mind, the greatest threat to the Trisolarian civilisation, is constantly trying to adjust to life...it's a beautiful and sad picture...Oh! The technology in this sci-fi is great!>..>... and the way of living...sooo much sense after we take into consideration people as a species, history, ambitions on a national level, suspicions,class and hierarchy, what is valued in our society, crises of any kind and human capacity to sometimes be like cockroaches!
Finally, the ending was sublime...I've lost hope midway through part 3, especially after what happened with Zang Beihai (I know this is logical and probably the most accurate in such a scenario with this type of people,but...it was hard...:(... ), and THAT was the moment Liu Cixin showed me why Luo Ji was important. ^^
This is not a character-driven story, but a concept-driven one! I guess you can call it a study in human psyche if you wish...
In the end, I do believe the dark forest is real, and probably a great answer to programs like SETI ^_^' ..but I digress...hopefully the 3rd book is just as great as this one, maybe even better!
I highly recommend this series! If you're interested in hard sci-fi, please pick it up!
Enjoy
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Murder, War, and Violence
runefactories's review against another edition
challenging
informative
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? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny
alxjasper's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
cloud_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Alcohol
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Suicide, Death, and War
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, and Alcoholism
Minor: Cancer
inlibrisveritas's review against another edition
challenging
informative
tense
slow-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
3.0
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Car accident
shermansays's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: War, Death, and Murder
Minor: Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Genocide, Suicide, Gun violence, Sexism, and Medical content
mlewis's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Gore, Murder, War, Violence, Body horror, and Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
tree_branch's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
savvylit's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The Dark Forest was a chore to read. The main focus of this novel is the incredibly irritating character of Luo Ji. Luo Ji has an insane obsession with Zhuang Yan. Before even meeting Yan, Luo Ji conjures her up as his "dream lover" and constantly fawns over her beauty, purity, and innocence. Gross! She is never characterized beyond his perception. Zhuang Yan is one of the most egregious examples of the manic pixie dream girl trope I have ever encountered. It's tired, it's sexist, and it took me out of the story.
Additionally, another aspect of this book that I did not enjoy was the focus on intergalactic war and military theory. This may sound harsh, but I simply am not interested in old men talking about bombs; a subject that takes up large portions of this novel.
Lastly - and without spoiling anything - the best part of this book was the establishment and explanation of the Dark Forest theory of extraterrestrial contact. What a fascinating and terrifying concept!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, War, and Misogyny