Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The sequel to The Three Body Problem has humanity facing some serious problems. A trisolarian invasion fleet is en-route and due to arrive in 400 years, and intelligent subatomic particles called sophons created by the trisolarians mean that strategic deception and advances in physics are impossible.
The Dark Forest follows astronomer and cosmic sociologist Luo Ji, as he attempts to come to terms with what is going on. Luo is the target of repeated assassination attempts by the fifth-column Earth-Trisolar Organization, and then is promoted to Wallfacer, one of four senior strategists with an unlimited remit to create private defense against the alien threat. While the other Wallfacers have plans, as well as ETO operatives to break them, Luo retires to a luxury villa to live a life of peace with his literal dream woman. After all, victory is impossible.
Then his wife and child disappear into long-term hibernation to prompt Luo to action. He comes up with a plan to cast a spell on a star, to reveal it's location to the galaxy, and goes into hibernation as well. He emerges in a utopian future, where after a climate disaster that killed billions, humanity lives a life of plenty in underground cities, while powerful battlecruisers patrol the solar system. It seems like humanity will vanquish the oncoming ETO fleet, when a single trisolarian probe destroys all but a handful of ships. It turns out fundamental advances in physics are desperately needed.
But at the last minute Luo finds out that the spell he cast worked, the star was destroyed. The solution to the Fermi paradox is that the galaxy is a dark forest, full of predatory species that pounce on any species foolish enough to reveal itself in preemptive self-defense. Luo has a plan to reveal the location of Earth and the trisolarian world. The two species would join each other in death. With this mutually assured destruction in place, the trisolarians sue for peace.
There are some parts of the book I thought worked quite well. The build up of the might of Earth's fleet, and its destruction, was quite emotionally effective. The idea that the space force would have political officers to ensure faith in victory across centuries is both sensible, and a distinctly Chinese approach to space navies. Liu Cixin touches on weighty ideas beyond the titular dark forest, including future politics, ecological collapse, underground cities, and limited mind control, but the story has a little more room to breath. Almost too much room to breath, as chapters are wasted on Luo Ji's indulgences. I much preferred Ye Wenjie as a protagonist.
The Dark Forest follows astronomer and cosmic sociologist Luo Ji, as he attempts to come to terms with what is going on. Luo is the target of repeated assassination attempts by the fifth-column Earth-Trisolar Organization, and then is promoted to Wallfacer, one of four senior strategists with an unlimited remit to create private defense against the alien threat. While the other Wallfacers have plans, as well as ETO operatives to break them, Luo retires to a luxury villa to live a life of peace with his literal dream woman. After all, victory is impossible.
Then his wife and child disappear into long-term hibernation to prompt Luo to action. He comes up with a plan to cast a spell on a star, to reveal it's location to the galaxy, and goes into hibernation as well. He emerges in a utopian future, where after a climate disaster that killed billions, humanity lives a life of plenty in underground cities, while powerful battlecruisers patrol the solar system. It seems like humanity will vanquish the oncoming ETO fleet, when a single trisolarian probe destroys all but a handful of ships. It turns out fundamental advances in physics are desperately needed.
But at the last minute Luo finds out that the spell he cast worked, the star was destroyed. The solution to the Fermi paradox is that the galaxy is a dark forest, full of predatory species that pounce on any species foolish enough to reveal itself in preemptive self-defense. Luo has a plan to reveal the location of Earth and the trisolarian world. The two species would join each other in death. With this mutually assured destruction in place, the trisolarians sue for peace.
There are some parts of the book I thought worked quite well. The build up of the might of Earth's fleet, and its destruction, was quite emotionally effective. The idea that the space force would have political officers to ensure faith in victory across centuries is both sensible, and a distinctly Chinese approach to space navies. Liu Cixin touches on weighty ideas beyond the titular dark forest, including future politics, ecological collapse, underground cities, and limited mind control, but the story has a little more room to breath. Almost too much room to breath, as chapters are wasted on Luo Ji's indulgences. I much preferred Ye Wenjie as a protagonist.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh my god I'm so glad this slog of a read is over.
I feel as if there was often no room left for a reader's interpretation. Society and certain scientific tools were overly explained, making me have to skim read certain parts to be able to make it to the end. I'd rather just use my imagination to fill in the gaps.
There were also multiple moments in the book where possible potholes were explained via an awkward dialogue between characters. It made me feel as if the author was trying to impress me with how smart they were. Much was written as if it was an unlikable science teacher explaining to you that whatever scientific theories they taught you was the absolute truth and you were just expected to be impressed.
I found it hard to identify with some of the characters reasoning to do some drastic actions, but that's just personal so that's fine to me. I am surprised that no human figured out Luo Ji's plan. It was oddly simple even for someone without a background in the related fields.
The misogyny felt icky but could be explained away with "oh this is just how the main character thinks", but I would've liked to see more strong female characters.
I am again impressed by seemingly very unrelated scientific concepts being blended together into one fictional story. It was just much slower and longer than the story deserves.
I'm fine just stopping the series after this book and not bothering with the third.
I feel as if there was often no room left for a reader's interpretation. Society and certain scientific tools were overly explained, making me have to skim read certain parts to be able to make it to the end. I'd rather just use my imagination to fill in the gaps.
There were also multiple moments in the book where possible potholes were explained via an awkward dialogue between characters. It made me feel as if the author was trying to impress me with how smart they were. Much was written as if it was an unlikable science teacher explaining to you that whatever scientific theories they taught you was the absolute truth and you were just expected to be impressed.
I found it hard to identify with some of the characters reasoning to do some drastic actions, but that's just personal so that's fine to me. I am surprised that no human figured out Luo Ji's plan. It was oddly simple even for someone without a background in the related fields.
The misogyny felt icky but could be explained away with "oh this is just how the main character thinks", but I would've liked to see more strong female characters.
I am again impressed by seemingly very unrelated scientific concepts being blended together into one fictional story. It was just much slower and longer than the story deserves.
I'm fine just stopping the series after this book and not bothering with the third.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Police brutality, Trafficking
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Classism
Minor: Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Human trafficking by government
Misuse of power by government/people working for government
Terminal illnesses are solved via hibernation
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not sure how to rate this book. Really liked the beginning and set up as well as the Dark Forest theory I think it was explained well, but my god was the rest so much bullshit meandering. Everything was either too slow or too fast that these huge events didn’t feel meaningful at all. This book was not nearly as philosophical and mysterious as the first and I was disappointed. Also what happened with the women characters in this book I do not remember the previous one being like this. Manic pixie dream girls, hated it. Not sure if I want to read the third one with how this ends I am satisfied to not continue.
heavy on the science which often slows down the reading of this book series but that's fine i skim over those parts. i've often tried to slow down to try to figure that shit out but it's still to hard to comprehend. lol.
this guy's vision of the future and what alien invasion can look like is like nothing i've read/seen before. so cool. there's a scene towards the end of the book that had me SHOOK! what a great series.
this guy's vision of the future and what alien invasion can look like is like nothing i've read/seen before. so cool. there's a scene towards the end of the book that had me SHOOK! what a great series.
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Oh to be the ant that was there for it all.
The ideas were all there but the translational execution was poor, I wanted to gouge my eyes out just as much as I wanted to know what would happen next, this is a really frustrating read for such an intriguing plot.
The ideas were all there but the translational execution was poor, I wanted to gouge my eyes out just as much as I wanted to know what would happen next, this is a really frustrating read for such an intriguing plot.
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-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
Viewed from this distance, the blastoff looked like a sped-up sunrise. The floodlights did not follow the rocket as it lifted off, leaving its massive body indistinct except for the spurting flames. From its hiding place in the dark of night, the world burst forth into a magnificent light show, and golden waves whipped up on the inky black surface of the lake as if the flames had ignited the water itself.
Like the first book in the series, this one is a bizarre mix of brilliant and cringeworthy.
Spoiler
Luo Ji’s tryst with an imaginary lover is treated with an absurd level of gravitas. The betrayal of one of the characters by his wife is done without any of the foreshadowing or character development that would be needed to render it emotionally affecting. The same character's decision to repeat an experiment on himself immediately after seeing it have dire consequences on someone else is completely ridiculous. The most groan-inducing moment, though, is when humanity decides to send its entire space fleet to make first contact with an alien probe; the author doesn’t even bother to an invent an excuse for this to be necessary. Gosh, I wonder what’s going to happen?The novel's premise - how do you deal with a more powerful enemy, determined to destroy you, who can see your every action? - confronts the reader like a sort of impossible logic puzzle, and to some extent the book’s success rides on whether the author can present a satisfying solution. He does… sort of.