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A review by iamjudgedredd
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Very well written hard sci-fi that's not in a western setting. I really liked this book, but also just know that it's 100% just the first in the trilogy. You could read this stand alone, and it'd be a good book, but much of the book is setting up the broader situation we will explore next volume.
Having this science, culture, and social commentary set against the background of The Cultural Revolution, and communist China frames research questions differently from western sci-fi. There's a lesser (although not absent) focus on individualism at the root of the issues. I also really liked how in theory it's setting up a larger cooperative effort across humanity, which I always like to see (as a change from our reality and my pessimism).
All in all, I had a blast, and flew through this book and am desperate to start the next one.
Having this science, culture, and social commentary set against the background of The Cultural Revolution, and communist China frames research questions differently from western sci-fi. There's a lesser (although not absent) focus on individualism at the root of the issues. I also really liked how in theory it's setting up a larger cooperative effort across humanity, which I always like to see (as a change from our reality and my pessimism).
All in all, I had a blast, and flew through this book and am desperate to start the next one.