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A review by carnitas_
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.75
A lot of my problems with this book are from it being a translation. The prose can be hard to follow at times and the Chinese names made it hard for me to remember minor characters.
As a trilogy the Three Body Problem is an excellent series. If you can stand highly detailed/involved sci-fi technical writing, it's a must-read series in my opinion.
The plot structure is somewhat unfamiliar, but the timeline of the book does an excellent job of establishing character motivations. The viewpoint characters (I believe there's primarily two in this book) can come off as kind of flat and don't really develop as characters, but there are some other characters that stand out and are likable (such as Da Shi.)
I found that viewpoint characters in one book, would be infinitely more likeable/interesting in the next book. This book specifically almost feels weighed down by the responsibility of setting up the "main" story in the subsequent books.
Where this book stands out is using imagine future technology in memorable "wow" moments that really make think. You'll think about the fragility of nature, the scale of the universe, and the complex culture of humanity. The book can be philosophy heavy at moments.
I also like to think that the main character in this series is human civilization, and in that case there's a ton of character development.
As a trilogy the Three Body Problem is an excellent series. If you can stand highly detailed/involved sci-fi technical writing, it's a must-read series in my opinion.
The plot structure is somewhat unfamiliar, but the timeline of the book does an excellent job of establishing character motivations. The viewpoint characters (I believe there's primarily two in this book) can come off as kind of flat and don't really develop as characters, but there are some other characters that stand out and are likable (such as Da Shi.)
I found that viewpoint characters in one book, would be infinitely more likeable/interesting in the next book. This book specifically almost feels weighed down by the responsibility of setting up the "main" story in the subsequent books.
Where this book stands out is using imagine future technology in memorable "wow" moments that really make think. You'll think about the fragility of nature, the scale of the universe, and the complex culture of humanity. The book can be philosophy heavy at moments.
I also like to think that the main character in this series is human civilization, and in that case there's a ton of character development.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Gaslighting