Play Book Tag discussion

I actually give 3.5 stars to this deeply science-based SciFi novel, the first in a trilogy. I'm not much experienced with SciFi, but it not only embraces classic SciFi style, but also heavily cyberpunk and LitRPG subgenres. Written by a leading Chinese SciFi writer, it kept me engaged and committed. I might even read the rest of the trilogy!

Warning: every single jacket summary, publishers promotion, and sales blurb contains massive spoilers. This is written so that the reader is becoming informed at the same pace as the main characters, and you are over half-way through before the bigger picture is revealed. In fact, The Three-Body Problem is really the foundation book of the trilogy, barely the beginning of the story.

It opens with scenes in China during the late 1960's when civil wars between factions were dominating the Cultural Revoltion, and science, scientists, and education were under constant attack. It's a pretty brutal opening, and as astrophysicist Ye Wenjie's story of survival during these early years unfolds, you wonder at that survival and the full extent of what it cost her. We do find out much later in the book. After this initial context, we move forward 40 years to China around 2009 and another physicist named Wang Miao, and a disgraced policeman named Shi Qiang a/k/a Da Shi. Physicists are commiting suicide under odd circumstances, and an influential international organization called Frontiers of Science seems to be attacking high level scientists in a variety of ways. The main thrust of the story begins here, and other than saying there is a virtual role playing game that is a key component to the story, I really can't say more about the plot without adding more spoilers than are already out there. I will just add these words from the author in a very informative and intersting afterword because essentially all he says are in this book:
And so, satellite, hunger, stars, kerosene lamps, the Milky Way, the Cultural Revolution’s factional civil wars, a light-year, the flood … these seemingly unconnected things melded together and formed the early part of my life, and also molded the science fiction I write today.

I also want to comment on just how excellent I found Ken Liu's translation. He also translated the 3rd in the trilogy and I would certainly look for his translations of other Chinese authors. The writing and language flows, is alive. His use of footnotes to inform western readers was so helpful -- and in ebook super easy to consult. The writing is easy and accessible. Yes, there are some info dumps - too many for this non-science geek really -- but they were not too long, or were tempered by dialogue or light commentary by a character that brought relief and kept me from stagnating. The author also used a variety of formats to impart information: notes, letters, interviews, reports, depositions, and flashbacks. While the bulk of the story unfolds sequentially, there are leaps spatially and across time.

I learned a great deal about the Cultural Revolution and the Chinese science community then and now. While I am curious as to where the story goes, I felt this actually works as a stand alone, even though the fate of our world is not settled. I was left with a smidgen of hope, one even touched by humor, thanks to Da Shi actually, who was a superb character to add, as he stirs things up but also brings a non-science, outsider, down to earth, perspective to the events. He's also the most outrageous character in the whole story.

Hmm, I have this already on my want to read shelf. I'm not usually keen on cyberpunk (once in a while) and am not sure if I'll like LitRPG or not. That said, I have read quite a bit of scifi.

But if you rounded it down from 3.5, it can't be bad.

I have been avoiding the blurb and all of the details in reviews because, as my manner is, I'll start the book, then read the ending, and then probably go back and finish it. But I a. don't want to know the end of it before I start it and b. that means everything in between is something I don't want to know ahead of time and I count it as a spoiler.

Thanks for the warning about the blurb :)!

Karin wrote: "Hmm, I have this already on my want to read shelf. I'm not usually keen on cyberpunk (once in a while) and am not sure if I'll like LitRPG or not. That said, I have read quite a bit of scifi.

But ..."

It is such a massive spoiler -- and while I only glanced at it, it did affect my reading. This is described as in the classic scifi manner. However, there is a LitRPG theme which is cleverly used BTW. The cyberpunk is more minimal.

I read up on the author a bit - he's real estimed as the greatest Chinese SciFi writer and is the first non-American to win the Hugo for Best Novel. His passion for scifi was fed by Orwell and Arthur C. Clarke. He also worked as a computer engineer so the science knowledge is first hand.

Great review! I read this last month on audio. I'm not sure that I understood even half of the physics and philosophy but I was still completely engaged in the story and how it all unfolded. It was so well done.

I loved learning more about the Cultural Revolution and the scene of reckoning when she met with the 3 girls. I was also so intrigued by game and how he solved each level.

Thanks! Ye's emotional journey was incredible, and believable I thought. Shows just how skilled Liu is as a writer.