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A review by huerca_armada
Death's End by Cixin Liu
3.0
The final send-off to the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, Death's End seeks out and explores many of the themes that have been present so far in the series including the nature of civilization, the struggle for life in an incredibly hostile universe, and the nature of love that undercuts (for better or worse) the most cynical rationalism that was explored in The Dark Forest.
It's not without its problems, though. Liu has, in my opinion, had a hard time after The Three-Body Problem marrying the narrative core of his novel with the expansive scope that is on display. The dilation of time in the final chapter of the series, which was previously seen with the time-skip in the middle of The Dark Forest has expanded to a detriment; multiple eras happen in very rapid succession and, while important to structure of the novel itself, leaves one with the sense of being rushed through the passing scenery when some parts may have been condensed or omitted entirely. At several points, I was struck with reader's fatigue as the course of events were both moving too quickly (in the text of the moment) while the grand scope seemed to be dragged down by the pacing required for these sections.
Ultimately, however, Liu's exploration of the final fate of humanity and that of the alien universe outside of the Solar System is poignant and bittersweet. The dial of cynicism may have been turned up to 11 here, but the parting words of the series leaves a lot to reflect upon. If you're struggling with this novel, or Liu's previous two in the series, you owe it to yourself to complete them.
It's not without its problems, though. Liu has, in my opinion, had a hard time after The Three-Body Problem marrying the narrative core of his novel with the expansive scope that is on display. The dilation of time in the final chapter of the series, which was previously seen with the time-skip in the middle of The Dark Forest has expanded to a detriment; multiple eras happen in very rapid succession and, while important to structure of the novel itself, leaves one with the sense of being rushed through the passing scenery when some parts may have been condensed or omitted entirely. At several points, I was struck with reader's fatigue as the course of events were both moving too quickly (in the text of the moment) while the grand scope seemed to be dragged down by the pacing required for these sections.
Ultimately, however, Liu's exploration of the final fate of humanity and that of the alien universe outside of the Solar System is poignant and bittersweet. The dial of cynicism may have been turned up to 11 here, but the parting words of the series leaves a lot to reflect upon. If you're struggling with this novel, or Liu's previous two in the series, you owe it to yourself to complete them.