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turrean's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
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? No
I found the premise of the book inexplicable at first, but that feeling quickly faded as the details of the “struggle session” unfold right in the first chapter. There are some not-so-subtle parallels between the effects of Trisolaris’s anti-science campaign against Earth and the Cultural Revolution’s effects on China’s own society that make me curious about Liu Cixin’s reputation and what Chinese schoolchildren learn about their own history. Any student of human history, however broad or narrow, can see that people have always been good at manufacturing Chaotic Eras even in our “paradise” of a stable climate, through religion, politics, climate change, deforestation, and pollution.
I loved the parallels between Ye Wenjie and the Listener on Trisolaris who sends the warning (right down to the echo of “slender fingers.”) The use of Three-Body, the video game, as a mix of recruiting tool, an identity theft scam, and a crowdsourcing campaign was just brilliant.
The scientific explanations were wasted on me, as I lack the understanding to see where the “science” ends and the “fiction” begins. Interactions among humans felt a little distant, but I don’t know how much of that was due to the translation and how much is the author’s storytelling.
I loved the parallels between Ye Wenjie and the Listener on Trisolaris who sends the warning (right down to the echo of “slender fingers.”) The use of Three-Body, the video game, as a mix of recruiting tool, an identity theft scam, and a crowdsourcing campaign was just brilliant.
The scientific explanations were wasted on me, as I lack the understanding to see where the “science” ends and the “fiction” begins. Interactions among humans felt a little distant, but I don’t know how much of that was due to the translation and how much is the author’s storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Torture, and Violence
metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gaslighting, War, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Medical content, Colonisation, Suicide, Gun violence, Classism, Body horror, Alcohol, and Blood
alquick's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
lonelylooper's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Classism, Murder, Suicide, Xenophobia, Death, Gore, Gun violence, and War
Moderate: Pregnancy, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, and Genocide
max_pink's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
3.5
3.5 Stars
The stakes could not be higher in this utterly unhinged, very hard sci-fi novel. And yet I leave it feeling rather cold. Maybe this is a lost-in-translation issue, but this book is so emotionally distant from its characters. It seems to care far more about themes and science than people.
Is it technically proficient, with science that makes you feel like you're trying to solve an abstract puzzle? Yes. Will I probably forget 95% of it because I had no characters to latch onto? Also yes.
The stakes could not be higher in this utterly unhinged, very hard sci-fi novel. And yet I leave it feeling rather cold. Maybe this is a lost-in-translation issue, but this book is so emotionally distant from its characters. It seems to care far more about themes and science than people.
Is it technically proficient, with science that makes you feel like you're trying to solve an abstract puzzle? Yes. Will I probably forget 95% of it because I had no characters to latch onto? Also yes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
maiahhtratchh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
I was surprised how much I liked this and how easy it was to read considering the material of the book and how heavily it relies on scientific principles. I would definitely recommend anyone who doesn’t know Chinese modern history very well read up or watch some videos on the Red Guard before reading this because it kind of just jumps into the cultural revolution without a ton of context (fair enough - people should know the basics) but after that it is very easy to follow I found. I really like the interweaving of the story and how it’s written (like the flow and storyline of jumping to Red Coast on and off) and the translation and translators notes are amazing! I do really like that it kind of hints that its aliens throughout but in a very subtle way. The one part that kind of lost me was the very end, I didn’t really understand the particles the Trisolarians sent to earth
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Religious bigotry and War
Religious bigotry and war I used as reference to the cultural revolution and the themes/ideas surrounding itsorashi's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide
e_l_k's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I knew I had to read this book long before the Netflix show was announced, when I discovered that such a profound, multilayered novel had been created - not just created, but lauded - in China of all places. I could not have been prepared, however, for how intelligent, reflective, and impossibly massive the tale Cixin Liu spins in this novel is. His postscript particularly resonated with me and elucidated much of his motive and writing style, which I recommend finding if you're hesitant about the book. A very difficult read, but a fantastic science fiction novel that belongs up with the greats of the genre.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Torture
pretzelocity's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Fantastic sci-fi, both abstract and eerily real. A poignant reflection on scientific progress and what it means to be part of humanity. Only thing I didn’t like was the main character being a little flat, he’s just a vehicle in the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, War, Death, and Violence
dawntin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is science fiction that goes really hard on the science. The explanations were long-winded and a slog to read through. I thought the majority of the characters were flat, with Ye Wenjie being the most interesting one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, and Violence