A review by ilikewords
The Three-Body Problem 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? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Engaging and provocative start to one of my favorite sci-fi trilogies. The Three Body Problem takes a simple and common premise from much of western sci-fi-
how does humanity respond to discovering alien life
and then engages with that simple premise through a staggering, spiraling hard sci fi plot that jumps from space to society to biology to computer science and a thousand topics in-between, all while feeling cohesive. Uniquely, this story is written from a Chinese cultural context, which provides a wonderfully engaging antidote to a genre often dominated by white western ideology. I have two critiques of the story that readers should consider. The first is that characters feel more like tools or lenses for engaging with the plot rather than actualized people who are a part of the story. The second critique is critical- and surprisingly mitigated by the relative unimportance of characters in the story to some extent- but the book builds an inherent sexism into its characterization of women's capacities throughout the story. This is not too pronounced in the first book, but becomes absurdly blatant further into the series.

All in all, an excellent book and series for readers who are interested in engaging with genuinely creative hard sci fi topics and a fascinating plot, but not a great fit for readers who need to feel engaged with well actualized characters to stick to a plot.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings