The Three-Body Problem

Three-Body Trilogy #1

Hardcover, 400 pages

English language

Published Sept. 12, 2014 by Tor Books.

ISBN:
9780765377067
OCLC Number:
868276526
Goodreads:
20518872

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4 stars (19 reviews)

Within the context of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, a military project sends messages to alien worlds. A nearby alien society receives these messages and makes plans to invade Earth.

11 editions

reviewed The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

Needs rehydration

4 stars

I really enjoyed the first half or so for the interesting backdrop of the Cultural Revolution as told by a Chinese author and the lively dialogue and general good humour. Later on, however, so much of it is recounted rather than played out through the characters which was disappointing and felt like lazy storytelling. I wasn't super interested in the long departures into physics, but that's down to taste more than anything. I'd still recommend this, though.

Pas mal mais je ne comprends pas trop l'engouement

4 stars

J'ai passé un bon moment à lire le problème des trois corps. C'est bien écrit, avec une structure narrative intéressante qui fait qu'on rentre facilement dans l'histoire. J'ai beaucoup apprécié de lire un livre chinois, dans un contexte et une histoire qui change du tout-étatunien de la science fiction, que je connais mal et que j'ai trouvé vraiment intéressant. Le côté science-fiction "dure" est aussi plaisant, on comprends dès le départ qu'il est féru de physique et qu'on va se plonger dans des questions théoriques, et ça fait du bien. Maintenant venons aux aspects négatifs : déjà il faut bien le dire, si j'ai trouvé que c'était un bon livre, je ne comprends pas sa réputation internationale, il y a plusieurs points (comme la société des tri***) que je trouve assez bancals et pas très crédibles. Si le sujet est amené de manière originale et prenante, on en arrive au …

Review of 'Three-Body Problem' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Content warning Discusses elements of the plot

The Three-Body Problem

4 stars

Imaginative and thoughtful "hard" science fiction. Fingers crossed that Netflix will do a good job with the series. The setting in China was interesting. Some parts were excellent, while others were a little tiresome (e.g., some of the military/police conversations), but I enjoyed it quite a bit overall. The chapter with Newton, Von Neumann and the human-formation computer was a fascinating and humorous highlight for me.

Not just bizarrely nihilistic and cynical, but also pro-authoritarian propaganda

1 star

Content warning This book is intensely political.

Science Fiction

5 stars

Spannend aufgebaut mit verschiedenen Handlungssträngen, die sich irgendwann zusammenfügen. Technische / physikalische Grundprinzipien auch für mich als Laien verständlich dargestellt. Und die Frage nach dem "First Contact" mit all ihren Implikationen wurde toll beackert. Zusätzlich erfährt von noch etwas über die jüngere chinesische Geschichte.

Good, but watch out - sets up trilogy

5 stars

The first few chapters had me darting to and from Wikipedia to help add some context to a story that is deeply set in the Chinese Cultural Revolution. It',s a triviality to call the story complex, a mystery than unfolds through the book. Be warned this is the first in a trilogy and a very much sets itself up this way, which was a little frustrating in the last few chapters.