The Three-Body Problem

Incredibly original SF book. I could not see where it was going to progress to as I was reading. It makes the beginning of the book difficult to read, as you don't see a point in what is happening. But it all comes together in the end. Written very well. The ending leaves it open for the rest of the trilogy. I look forward to the next translations.

The best science fiction book I've read since Ender's Game, which was the best science fiction book I read since Foundation. Wonderful use of principles and ideas from the world of physics, specifically celestial mechanics. Plus, as a bonus, an inside view on the Cultural Revolution in China. Absolutely top-notch.

I feel like at least half of this book went straight over my head. The details about multiple dimensions and proton folding and unfolding made whooshing sounds as they passed me by. Despite that, though, I'm pretty sure I got the general gist of the story.

It was very interesting reading a book set in China by a Chinese writer. There were a lot of things, like the Cultural Revolution, that I was sort of aware of from history classes, but reading about it from this point of view made it much more real.

My 14-year-old has read and loved the entire series. He's much smarter than I am. :)

Ein wirklich interessanter Science-Fiction Roman!Man merkt, das er von einem Naturwissenschaftler geschrieben wurde, er wirkt korrekt. Die Idee, die im letzten Drittel dann deutlich wird (ich will jetzt nicht spoilern), ist wirklich interessant und auch, was der Autor im Nachwort schreibt, finde ich bedenkenswert.

It is simply wow... I saw Netflix series and was really into it, but did not know it was based on actual book. Then I came across this book when looking for another book on multi-dimensional worlds and was so surprised to find out it was the basis for TV series. I did not miss anything on character elaboration - all of them were unique. I believe, big credit should be going to the voice of the audiobook - loved, how each character got their own personal vibe. Talking about science behind the book - it was comprehensible due to other scientific books I have listened through latelly. This really helped to follow the plot and listen to the audio book not as a fairy tale, but as science fiction.

I think this would be amazing if you really enjoy physics and aren't a character focused reader. I'm not that person. I think the story is interesting and makes you think but the characters fell really flat to me and the physics bored me. That said I did really enjoyed the trisolaris world and how the game aspect was done.

Re-reading it for the second time around, I was prepared for various sexist undertones and hollow characters so I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I watched the Netflix series and really loved it. The original book had lots more science in it and the series had more characters and the plot had their relationships as a focal point. Both are great for their own reasons.

What a refreshingly intelligent book. Love the characters, the scientific and technological depth with its ethical conundrums and the intermingling of politics.

This might be some of the worst sci-fi I have ever read. It feels like someone read Asimov for the first time and was compelled to try to write like him. Maybe some of it is lost in translation but it was just klunky and dry in every imaginable way.

It even fell into classic 1960s holes like having the most flat, boring characters imaginable. I couldn't keep track of which character was which because they all had so little personality and were just ways to info dump a ton of science lessons on the reader rather than actual people. There's zero emotion at all to the characters except when they have meltdowns at the slightest hint of weirdness. Even had the crazy pseudoscience and casual misogyny. Really the only thing I think the author missed in trying to copy Asimov's style was that he didn't write it in old timey 1950s talk.

This book is just excellent, and the reading is fantastic

Book is incredible, the Chinese pronunciation of the narrator on this audio book, however, is terrible!

Great book very interesting with all physics involved in the book one of my favorites

The first book in the trilogy of the best sci-fi novels ever written. The Remembrance of Earth trilogy is the most imaginative, yet realistic tale of alien invasion. The Three-Body Problem is the slowest of the three, but it establishes the base for the terrifying and mind-altering realities to come in the next two books. The glimpses of the horrifying future we get in this book chill you to the core and make you feel desperate to read the next one!

Fantastic book. This is a fresh perspective on sci-fi for me and I'm instantly going to read the next in the series. The only reason it didn't get a 5 was because I felt a few parts were overlong and dragged a bit, and some of the characters weren't fleshed out a huge deal - I don't know whether this is my western perspective or just the way this guy writes though! Translator did a brilliant job explaining historical context with footnotes where needed and integrating explanations with text if that could be done, great work.

I feel like I've read this whole book and now I'm ready to read the book. Good thing there's a sequel.

I had been hearing about this book for a while now so I was able to get a review copy and try it out for myself. The story is set a few years ahead of us with the VR tech but it is very much in the modern time. There are several flashbacks to the Cultural Revolution in China that sets up motivation for the person that causes first contact. We don’t see the aliens except in a VR world that was set up by followers of the aliens to recruit more people to their cause. The book is studded with footnotes to give the reader historical and social context to the story since all the action is set in China. Nothing is resolved by the end of the book since there are two more in the series but the ending is interesting enough to leave you wanting to see what comes in the next book.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

This left me a little cold, even though it's highly rated. I kept reading to the end though, and didn't regret it.

Takes on a heart-pounding immediacy. The non-western take on hard SciFi is interesting. I particularly liked the message-passing and middleman deception that adds complexity to the typical us vs them dynamic.

This was a tough one for me... I kept losing the narrative. It may have had to do with the book being an e-book, because when I switched to a hardback things went more smoothly. Also, when I read when I was tired, the page would show a character's name as "Sha", but my brain autocorrected to "She", and I kept wondering who "she" was and when a female entered the scene. Thank you Tor, for the ebook, and javaczuk (via Harriet) for the hard copy.

A highly scientific journey to doomsday
Wordy at times, and info dumps struggle reader’s ability to keep focused, but i will read the 2nd book to see if the plot overtakes the science
Very cool ideas

I guess I just don't care for hard sci-fi that takes place during the current age.

Obviously a very good book. I think I just wasn’t in the right headspace for it (and also from the first time in I opened it until finishing the last page it was over 3 years, which can’t have helped).

Interesting book. Great narration, really makes the incredible story come alive. Technical but not at all hard to follow. Funny at times. A treat very for any fan of science fiction.

4/5 of this book was really awesome. Felt like the editor kind of fell asleep at the end--it's rare for "the slog" to be in the last 40-50 pages.

This science fiction novel from China treats the theme of first contact with an alien species through the lens of the Cultural Revolution and subsequent Chinese history. The science fiction I read is usually a little lighter on the heavy science than The Three Body Problem, but I still really enjoyed this novel. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who is not already a science fiction fan though.The aliens in question (who have the "three body problem") are the Trisolarians who reside on a planet light years away from Earth. Their planet orbits three suns, and the resultant unpredictable gravitational pull and climate changes wreak havoc on their civilization. At times they experience stable periods during which their civilization flourishes; at unpredictable times there is chaos with weather patterns, they may broil or freeze, there are violent storms and earthquakes etc., and their civilization is destroyed.During the Cultural Revolution a dissident scientist sends an unauthorized message to the universe describing earth and its location. Years later, the message having reached Trisolaris, a dissident there sends back a message warning Earth to beware of the Trisolarians. It turns out that the Trisolarians are seeking a stable planet, and are launching an expedition to Earth to conquer and destroy human civilization. The expedition will arrive in 400 years. In the meantime, the Trisolarians have sent special bodies called "sophons" which will ensure that Earth science will progress no further during the ensuing 400 years until the arrival of the Trisolarian fleet.The Three Body Problem is the first of a trilogy relating to Earth's preparation for an alien invasion. This particular book concerns the initial reactions on Earth, the discovery that science can progress no further, issues about how a life will be lived under a death sentence, albeit one not to be executed until 400 years in the future. I found it impossible to read this book and not continue on with the second volume of the trilogy, The Dark Forest, to see what happens. If you are a science fiction fan, this is a great addition to the genre. (I think it won the Hugo--I will check),3 1/2 stars

The thing that I really love about Cixin Liu's The Three Body Problem is that it feels so real it feels more like a nonfiction book more than a science fiction book.

It's so well-researched and carefully crafted that it transcends a lot of what I know about sci-fi (admittedly not a lot) and it doesn't bother with a lot of tropes that other sci-fi novels or stories tend to rely on.

Space and interplanetary worlds aside, I was introduced to something I'd never experienced before - rural China. I read about the Greater Khingan Mountains, its trees, its birds, its sky, its earth. I read about the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and the setting of the red sun.

The isolation in this book is paramount to the craft of the characters and their development. They are singular, they are complex, and you'll find yourself thinking about them when you don't have to.

Cixin Liu takes these huge concepts about space, lightyears and the stars and carefully unfurls them until it's almost as if you've hovering above this world he's created, watching everything happen moment by moment. He takes genuine scientific theory and makes it accessible, applies it to his story and makes it readable.

This book moves like water down a mountain, gathering momentum until it rushes out into the ocean. Liu creates an atmosphere that will grip you from start to finish, and stay with you long after you've finished.

All I can say is I can't wait until the next book in the trilogy comes out. c:

Very original in some ways, but deeply cliched in others (especially where it comes to characterization and human interactions). Might appeal more to those who love hard SF.

This first book in the trilogy was a bit challenging for me to get through, but it kept on paying off and then I got to The Dark Forest. If you initially find this a difficult but intriguing read, keep going because it explodes into one of the most epic stories I've ever read. To put that in perspective, sci fi is my favorite genre. It's all I know. It's my hobby. Its references are permanently tattooed on half of my arm. I know good science fiction, but this....THIS is the trilogy that kept me up at night. That I still think about literally every day at least once. This is a once in a lifetime book and a perfect story spanning many many years with a clear beginning, middle, and end. It's the kind of story that stays with you the rest of your life.

One of the bast hard science fiction titles out there.
If you are a fan of this genre, this whole trilogy is a must-read.