A review by savvylit
The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu

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!
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