A review by couldbestephen
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

4.0

 I heard that The Three Body Problem was a hard science fiction novel, but I didn’t realize how hard it was until I actually started it. TL;DR - I think this book passively taught me physics while keeping me entertained with a first contact narrative.

The Three Body problem is a hard science fiction novel that chronicles Ye Wenjie’s first contact with the Trisolaran aliens and Wang Maio’s involvement 40 years later. The entire novel is steeped in Chinese history and culture; the structure of the book is not conventionally “western,” the way characters are written are not explored in a “western” way, and the way China approached science and discovery is definitely not “American.” I loved this book a lot, and while I do intellectually understand why readers who are more used to “western” stories (particularly Americans) and science fiction that is mostly fiction over science do not enjoy this story. But once you get used to the rhythm of the story and approach it with a different mindset, you’re going to be sucked into a fascinating tale that spans years and light years.

Hard science fiction (according to Wikipedia) “is a category of science fiction characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic.” The book immediately throws you into the midst of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, where science itself is questioned. As the story progresses, we meet scientists (and other... non terrestrials) who throw around very real science to discuss real scientific and philosophical problems. Pages of theory can happen that may pull readers from the story. BUT IT’S WORTH IT, I PROMISE.

I enjoyed this story and look forward to continuing the series. I understand it may be harder for some people to read (if you don’t like a lot of “science” with your science fiction, this will not be the book for you), whether it be from the science part or how the story is structured. I’ll be recommending it to other readers for sure.