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mrajan13 's review for:
Death's End
by Cixin Liu
My husband repeatedly asked as I read this series if I recommended it. Each time my first response was, "It's long."
A week after finishing, I'm still not sure if I would recommend it, even though I'm glad I read it. Ken Liu, the translator of books 1 & 3 said the third book is his favorite, and I think I agree. I wasn't wild about the ending, but I think it was fitting for the series.
I read the three books back to back. One thing I do like about them is that they stand alone - there isn't so much character overlap that the reader can't space them out more. With a 1500 page trilogy, I think that is an important fact in its favor.
One thing that struck me is each book has a "main character" who is the hero of the era. It seems much highly individualistic that I would expect from a Chinese saga. The emphasis on the individual is something I would have expected more from a Western series.
The science in the books seems impressively detailed and well-researched. I don't know how accurate any of it is, but I seemed believable and impressive to me. Often, the technical emphasis detracted from the plot.
If science fiction is your thing, then read this. If you aren't sure but want to read Chinese science fiction, then read Invisible Planets. (Even the Liu Cixin adapation in that anthology is better).
A week after finishing, I'm still not sure if I would recommend it, even though I'm glad I read it. Ken Liu, the translator of books 1 & 3 said the third book is his favorite, and I think I agree. I wasn't wild about the ending, but I think it was fitting for the series.
I read the three books back to back. One thing I do like about them is that they stand alone - there isn't so much character overlap that the reader can't space them out more. With a 1500 page trilogy, I think that is an important fact in its favor.
One thing that struck me is each book has a "main character" who is the hero of the era. It seems much highly individualistic that I would expect from a Chinese saga. The emphasis on the individual is something I would have expected more from a Western series.
The science in the books seems impressively detailed and well-researched. I don't know how accurate any of it is, but I seemed believable and impressive to me. Often, the technical emphasis detracted from the plot.
If science fiction is your thing, then read this. If you aren't sure but want to read Chinese science fiction, then read Invisible Planets. (Even the Liu Cixin adapation in that anthology is better).