Review of The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
A bold, imaginative sci-fi novel that paints a thought-provoking and startlingly believable picture of the first contact between humans and a mysterious, extraterrestrial species, weaving complex science into an accessible, gripping story that consistently delights with its strange surprises.
With The Three-Body Problem, Liu has accomplished an impressive feat: successfully combining elements of gritty historical realism, hard science fiction, offbeat humor, and edge-of-your-seat suspense. His characters are clearly flawed but instantly likable, and even as the novel candidly examines human brutality (specifically through scenes set during China’s Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and ‘70s) and dives into existential pessimism regarding the future of our species, there remains a lightheartedness in the language that reminds the reader to be hopeful and notice the good in others. Translated into English from its original Chinese, Liu’s storytelling style will likely feel unfamiliar at times to those who are used to western literary conventions. Our main character disappears from the story for long sections, and extended flashbacks interrupt the progress of the present storyline. There are references to people, events, and concepts that many American readers will not recognize, but translator Ken Liu has provided explanations in footnotes. While some readers may find the rather drastic tonal shifts between bleak scenes of violence and scenes of fantastical, almost cartoonish action and comedy to be jarring, others may enjoy this as part of the book’s charm. There is also plenty of heavy exposition disguised as dialogue, but such is necessary for the story to make sense to those of us who aren't experts on physics. Among The Three-Body Problem’s show-stopping scenes are those involving an enormous computer made up of millions of humans, and the "unfolding" of a proton into multiple dimensions, though there are many more that the reader will need to discover on their own.
It’s hard to fathom how Liu has managed to pack so many original ideas into a single book, especially one that is as (nearly) effortless to read as this. Even when describing the intricacies of dense mathematical theories, Liu keeps the reader turning pages.
With The Three-Body Problem, Liu has accomplished an impressive feat: successfully combining elements of gritty historical realism, hard science fiction, offbeat humor, and edge-of-your-seat suspense. His characters are clearly flawed but instantly likable, and even as the novel candidly examines human brutality (specifically through scenes set during China’s Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and ‘70s) and dives into existential pessimism regarding the future of our species, there remains a lightheartedness in the language that reminds the reader to be hopeful and notice the good in others. Translated into English from its original Chinese, Liu’s storytelling style will likely feel unfamiliar at times to those who are used to western literary conventions. Our main character disappears from the story for long sections, and extended flashbacks interrupt the progress of the present storyline. There are references to people, events, and concepts that many American readers will not recognize, but translator Ken Liu has provided explanations in footnotes. While some readers may find the rather drastic tonal shifts between bleak scenes of violence and scenes of fantastical, almost cartoonish action and comedy to be jarring, others may enjoy this as part of the book’s charm. There is also plenty of heavy exposition disguised as dialogue, but such is necessary for the story to make sense to those of us who aren't experts on physics. Among The Three-Body Problem’s show-stopping scenes are those involving an enormous computer made up of millions of humans, and the "unfolding" of a proton into multiple dimensions, though there are many more that the reader will need to discover on their own.
It’s hard to fathom how Liu has managed to pack so many original ideas into a single book, especially one that is as (nearly) effortless to read as this. Even when describing the intricacies of dense mathematical theories, Liu keeps the reader turning pages.
Fantastic Kirkus review! The last line is great!
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