Space Opera Fans discussion

The September 2019 Themed Pick is The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. The theme is Invasion. Please use this thread to post questions, comments, and reviews, at any time.

Official description:
The Three-Body Problem is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience this multiple award winning phenomenon from China's most beloved science fiction author, Liu Cixin.

"Fans of hard SF will revel in this intricate and imaginative novel by one of China’s most celebrated genre writers. In 1967, physics professor Ye Zhetai is killed after he refuses to denounce the theory of relativity. His daughter, Ye Wenjie, witnesses his gruesome death.

"Shortly after, she’s falsely charged with sedition for promoting the works of environmentalist Rachel Carson, and told she can avoid punishment by working at a defense research facility involved with the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. More than 40 years later, Ye’s work becomes linked to a string of physicist suicides and a complex role-playing game involving the classic physics problem of the title.

"Liu impressively succeeds in integrating complex topics—such as the field of frontier science, which attempts to define the limits of science’s ability to know nature—without slowing down the action or sacrificing characterization. His smooth handling of the disparate plot elements cleverly sets up the second volume of the trilogy." —Publishers Weekly

Read this book a few months ago. It's pretty good, although also horribly dense at times. It's basically hard sci-fi, although luckily whatever complex concepts it uses it also manages to explain in layman terms.

While I liked the book, I didn't run to purchase the sequel, since while entertaining it lacked that something to make it awesome, at least for me. Still a good one that I'm sure many people here will enjoy :D

I wrote a proper review back when I read it, if anyone wants to know more on my thoughts on it :P

I also read this a few months ago. My review:

3.5 stars. The plot was interesting, and it gave me the feeling, more than most books, that each idea and plot point was meticulously thought out. It was a little slow, however, and much of the beginning seemed to be largely irrelevant. The plot got quite nutty with the reveals at the end, but it was certainly interesting, and it set up nicely for the sequels.

The sequel is on my to-read, but like Tizzy I'm not in a big hurry to read it. I could be convinced to read it if someone wants to buddy read!

I ended up starting the Dark Forest after all. Still in the first part but it seems like an interesting setup so far. Will be happy to talk about either of the books!

On its own, it's a great story, and the Trisolaran game sequences are some of my favorite parts. What sets it apart more for me is that I am exposed to history and cultural ideas that are absent from most Western sci-fi books.

I really like the idea of getting exposed to this non-western perspective in sci-fi, but, for me, the book falls flat with some of the characters. I feel like they are sort of one-dimensional and I just want to know more about them. The speculative science is fascinating though. I think I'll probably read the dark forest at some point.

I liked it a lot. It reminds me of older stuff by Asimov and Clarke where the idea is more important than the characters. Also of books like Ancillary Justice where you don’t realize the importance of a lot of the things until he ties it all together at the end.

I go into this and more in my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I definitely agree about this book being more about concepts than characters, which just so happens to be the inverse of what I like to read! I did like a lot of the Chinese cultural details that we don’t necessarily get in more western style literature. I think this book, and the following books (dark forest, deaths end) could have benefited from a bit more time developing the characters. That being said, I liked the book overall! I think it is at least worth checking out.

I really liked this book when I read it. There were parts that went way over my head. But the plotting and world-building was so good, it didn't matter.

oh but how this novel STRETCHED the Imagination with these concepts! This is why I also admire Adrian Tchaikovsky, Alastair Reynolds, Tim Powers, Peter F. Hamilton, Arthur C. Clarke (yes, I know, all UK and American male Caucasians). But still, I greatly admire SF that makes my mind expand.