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preetib's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
bellahenry's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
I really enjoyed the writing style and balance of sci-fi and politics. Cixin Liu has painted a convincing picture of humanty's response to the three body problem and trisolaris. The prose was great- this book had some of my favourite lines I've read in sci-fi and I'm looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy.
epeecurean's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Excellent, compelling concepts and brilliantly imaginative. I rank it lower only because a change in the voice of the narrative is jarring and feels comprised of exclusively exposition at a certain point, with very abrupt 'oh and this was going on this whole time' explanations that contextually gloss over reactions to the plot. That said, I admit that in reading a translation it is impossible to say whether that is in the way this section of the book is translated, or if the omniscient exposition instead of character-focused narrative is in the original text in this way. Still, an exciting, dark and brilliant examination of what awaiting the result of contact would do to humanity.
matt00794's review against another edition
5.0
this book was so different from the first book, it's a lot more character dense, while there's still not much too them, there are more characters. That and the science here is far more expanded going into crazy hypotheticals and even venturing into interesting ideas of post alien politics and to a degree culture. I loved this book, but yes the gender dynamics and to a degree even racially this book isn't the best. there's long passages of a guy describing his perfect woman and it's all a bit tedious, cultural and political ideas are kind of just vague here as well there were some good moments like the us wanting to stop a world wide collective science and resource plan because of course we would. like a lot of great first books in a series it ends up that three body problem was just a start for greater things to come. hopefully book 3 is also great, I've heard mixed things and it's my least favorite cover, but death's end is an amazing title and maybe my favorite.
lordbyrum's review against another edition
4.0
The best modern hard sci-fi book I’ve read. It treads on the ground of Asimov and others works but does so eloquently and in a unique manner. Hard to find things to truly dislike about it but I couldn’t find myself to give it a full five. I rather enjoyed the first book as well, can’t wait for the final one.
Edit: the largest complaint about this book is the decrease in the usage of women protagonists. An absolutely fair critique and if it was an American work And the previous book didn’t have such great female characters then I’d have been more harsh about this.
Edit: the largest complaint about this book is the decrease in the usage of women protagonists. An absolutely fair critique and if it was an American work And the previous book didn’t have such great female characters then I’d have been more harsh about this.
msridhar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
4.5
buddha_chic's review against another edition
4.0
(This review is for the trilogy, Remembrance of Earth's Past, aka The Three-Body Problem)
The Three-Body Problem is one of my favorite science fiction series I've ever read. Specifically, I really loved book 2 the most, book 3 second and book 1 the least - and that alone is a difficult thing to pull off in any trilogy! (Sidenote: I'm already looking forward to the Netflix adaptation coming out in 2023.) Liu Cixin's Hugo Award winning series is not for the faint of heart. It's a blistering 1,300+ pages total and so it's a commitment in duration alone. It was written in Chinese and translated into English, which at times interfered with the flow of the story. BUT - all still worth it. It's a dive into deep space, into human ingenuity and technology, into quantum physics, into the ways culture shifts over time, and into philosophy, cosmology and spirituality. There's an encounter (0r more - because, no spoilers) with alien life that at times feels TOO plausible, and there are sometimes messy, imperfect answers and endings. There's more to say and to discuss, so friends, please pick this one up! (4.5/5 stars.)
The Three-Body Problem is one of my favorite science fiction series I've ever read. Specifically, I really loved book 2 the most, book 3 second and book 1 the least - and that alone is a difficult thing to pull off in any trilogy! (Sidenote: I'm already looking forward to the Netflix adaptation coming out in 2023.) Liu Cixin's Hugo Award winning series is not for the faint of heart. It's a blistering 1,300+ pages total and so it's a commitment in duration alone. It was written in Chinese and translated into English, which at times interfered with the flow of the story. BUT - all still worth it. It's a dive into deep space, into human ingenuity and technology, into quantum physics, into the ways culture shifts over time, and into philosophy, cosmology and spirituality. There's an encounter (0r more - because, no spoilers) with alien life that at times feels TOO plausible, and there are sometimes messy, imperfect answers and endings. There's more to say and to discuss, so friends, please pick this one up! (4.5/5 stars.)
poleancuisine's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
topology_of_nerves's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0