Science Fiction

The Three-Body Problem

The Three-Body Problem

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  • Create Date：2021-04-01 13:52:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Liu Cixin
  • ISBN：178497157X
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Summary

1967: Ye Wenjie witnesses Red Guards beat her father to death during China's Cultural Revolution。 This singular event will shape not only the rest of her life but also the future of mankind。

Four decades later， Beijing police ask nanotech engineer Wang Miao to infiltrate a secretive cabal of scientists after a spate of inexplicable suicides。 Wang's investigation will lead him to a mysterious online game and immerse him in a virtual world ruled by the intractable and unpredictable interaction of its three suns。

This is the Three-Body Problem and it is the key to everything: the key to the scientists' deaths， the key to a conspiracy that spans light-years and the key to the extinction-level threat humanity now faces。

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Reviews

Yi Ru Ng ，

fooken space protons

Adam Omidpanah ，

This book is unexpectedly Chinese， scientific， and imaginative。The highlights of the books are the journeys into a game called 3 Body， where the surreal exposition and exquisite narration of a human-like otherworld rivals Ringworld。 In particular， there is a description of a gravitational rarefaction of a planet that is supreme in imagery and prose and makes reading the entire book worthwhile。While most of the protagonists are intellectuals， the book carries a surprising anti-intellectual wind。 This book is unexpectedly Chinese， scientific， and imaginative。The highlights of the books are the journeys into a game called 3 Body， where the surreal exposition and exquisite narration of a human-like otherworld rivals Ringworld。 In particular， there is a description of a gravitational rarefaction of a planet that is supreme in imagery and prose and makes reading the entire book worthwhile。While most of the protagonists are intellectuals， the book carries a surprising anti-intellectual wind。 Unlike the Western flavor of anti-intellectualism that depicts intellectuals as mentally instable and out of control （e。g。 Frankenstein， A Beautiful Mind）， the Chinese flavor depicts intellectuals as highly susceptible or gullible to external influences。The minus: this translation really suffers。 There are frequent footnotes where the translator fails to convey the original text。 For instance， when Ye's experiment to point the radio at the "red sun" is vetoed on the basis that it could be seen as a symbolic attack on political leadership， "red sun" is footnoted to clarify it's a nickname for Chairman Mao。 They should either drop the footnote， and let the reader infer by the negative reaction who or what the "Red Sun" might mean， or Red Sun should be translated to something like， say， "supreme locus" without taking us out of the story。 Also the dialogue is very poorly written。 It is a mix of cliches， and interjectory statements that are typical of ESL speaking Chinese， and any topic regarding science is written to us， the reader， rather than part of the conversation among peers。 In general the dialogue isn't as impactful as it should be。 。。。more

Aivry ，

I hate this book I hate this book I hate this book I hate this bookIf you've been hating a novel this is your sign to just DNF it， don't force yourself to read something you're not liking。 The only reason I powered through this one is cause I got it on recommendation from a teacher that wanted to know my thoughts。 It was A。） long as frick B。） a literal physics textbook C。） horribly difficult to understand， I felt so stupid reading it。 Being the farthest thing from a "math person" or "science per I hate this book I hate this book I hate this book I hate this bookIf you've been hating a novel this is your sign to just DNF it， don't force yourself to read something you're not liking。 The only reason I powered through this one is cause I got it on recommendation from a teacher that wanted to know my thoughts。 It was A。） long as frick B。） a literal physics textbook C。） horribly difficult to understand， I felt so stupid reading it。 Being the farthest thing from a "math person" or "science person" I'm sure my opinion is almost completely swayed by my limited knowledge of physics， mathematical equations and general Chinese history however， despite these things I should've been able to have a basic grasp of what was going on without having to be really confused since the author layed it all out for me。 Despite this， I still had a really hard time understanding and caring about the science of it all。 There's nothing wrong with a science fiction novel that's heavy on science， it's literally in the name of the genre。 However， when the reader is miserable because they don't have a degree in physics and all they wanted to do was read an alien book， then we have a problem。 I did like the concept， and the look into the Chinese Cultural Revolution and maybe I just got a bad translation since the novel is originally in Chinese， I don't know but this one wasn't for me。 I honestly kind of feel bad since this novel is beloved in both China and the US （it did win the Hugo award and it's being turned into a Netflix tv show） so my opinion is pretty much invalid here。 What's a 17 year old who doesn't know 2+2 doing criticizing a multinationally acclaimed novel am I right？ Oh well， I'm just glad it's over。 。。。more

Adriii ，

Hacía tiempo que no leía scifi tan hard y lo he disfrutado mucho; Liu no solo tiene facilidad para exponer conceptos e ideas complejos sino que me gusta cómo utiliza términos científicos para hacer alegorías emocionales。 Mi ventana a la literatura oriental ha sido siempre Japón， así que me ha resultado interesantísimo este marco político y cultural tan diferente。 Liu es hábil contextualizando inicialmente en la Revolución Cultural China de los 60 para después hacer su exploración y reflexión ide Hacía tiempo que no leía scifi tan hard y lo he disfrutado mucho; Liu no solo tiene facilidad para exponer conceptos e ideas complejos sino que me gusta cómo utiliza términos científicos para hacer alegorías emocionales。 Mi ventana a la literatura oriental ha sido siempre Japón， así que me ha resultado interesantísimo este marco político y cultural tan diferente。 Liu es hábil contextualizando inicialmente en la Revolución Cultural China de los 60 para después hacer su exploración y reflexión ideológicas entrando más en la trama de ciencia ficción y cómo los personajes reaccionan a lo que ocurre。 Aunque precisamente le pondría el pero de los personajes; es algo que， como alguien a quien las ideas le entran mejor a través de la emoción， siempre me ha pasado con la ciencia ficción más hard， incluso en títulos que me han encantado y que son hitos como El Fin de la Infancia （del que esta novela tiene muchos ecos）。 El mundo virtual de Tres Cuerpos （que me ha dado ganas de releer El Juego de Ender， por cierto） es un elemento tan intrigante y original que no puedo esperar a ver qué más imagina Liu en el resto de la saga。 Bueno， y tras ese final， claro。 。。。more

LucianHou ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It's a good book， I must say， from all aspects。 However it's noticeable that the English version even had more details than the Chinese version and had different narrative sequences out of the concern of culture backgrounds I think。But as a Chinese native speaker and the one who had read the original version many years earlier， it's not as attractive as Chinese version that made me stayed up late to finish it。Indeed three body is an amazing story， but the linguistic barrier diminished its charm。 It's a good book， I must say， from all aspects。 However it's noticeable that the English version even had more details than the Chinese version and had different narrative sequences out of the concern of culture backgrounds I think。But as a Chinese native speaker and the one who had read the original version many years earlier， it's not as attractive as Chinese version that made me stayed up late to finish it。Indeed three body is an amazing story， but the linguistic barrier diminished its charm。 So if you speak Chinese I strongly recommend you to read the original version。 。。。more

Rupert Legge ，

I've been a sci fi reader since I was 12 and have seen a lot of themes and concepts over the years， but three body has some new ones （well， to me anyway。。。。）。 The story and its pacing are also good。 I would have given it a 5， but character development could have been better as I didn't really find one I wanted to fully invest in。 I've been a sci fi reader since I was 12 and have seen a lot of themes and concepts over the years， but three body has some new ones （well， to me anyway。。。。）。 The story and its pacing are also good。 I would have given it a 5， but character development could have been better as I didn't really find one I wanted to fully invest in。 。。。more

Brian Stein ，

I enjoyed "The Three-Body Problem" most when it came to the many heady philosophical and scientific concepts presented throughout the book。 Unfortunately， the character development and narrative structure mostly fail to thread these concepts together into a satisfying whole。 In that respect， it very much resembles old-school sci-fi where science heavily outweighs fiction （I'm thinking mostly of "The Disposessed" by Ursula LeGuin here）。 As far as science and philosophy are concerned， "The Three B I enjoyed "The Three-Body Problem" most when it came to the many heady philosophical and scientific concepts presented throughout the book。 Unfortunately， the character development and narrative structure mostly fail to thread these concepts together into a satisfying whole。 In that respect， it very much resembles old-school sci-fi where science heavily outweighs fiction （I'm thinking mostly of "The Disposessed" by Ursula LeGuin here）。 As far as science and philosophy are concerned， "The Three Body Problem" stands at the apex of the genre。 I only wish the characters and narrative were up to the same standards。I'm interested to check out the next two entries in the series to see if Liu can improve his character and narrative skills while maintaining his high scientific and philosophical standards。 Even average plotting and characterization would elevate this series into something truly special。 。。。more

Shawn Misener ，

8。3/10

Carl ，

Great story， felt like it could stand on its own but also handle a sequel。 Also could tell it was a translation， but that added to the story rather than detracting from it。Good balance of hard science and sweeping narrative， with some great social commentary sprinkled in （subtly but clearly， and it didn't feel tacked-on in the least）。 Great story， felt like it could stand on its own but also handle a sequel。 Also could tell it was a translation， but that added to the story rather than detracting from it。Good balance of hard science and sweeping narrative， with some great social commentary sprinkled in （subtly but clearly， and it didn't feel tacked-on in the least）。 。。。more

Stan Lanier ，

I do not， usually， read much science fiction。 The Three Body Problem had me hooked in the first twenty pages such that I bought the trilogy。 This first volume kept me interested as a thriller would， yet it felt much more meditative than a page-turner。 While it could stand alone， I am now driven to read the next two， thinking the experience cannot yet be complete。 The translation reads smoothly， but there is an aspect which seems to make it "hum" in a way different to my expectations。 Perhaps tha I do not， usually， read much science fiction。 The Three Body Problem had me hooked in the first twenty pages such that I bought the trilogy。 This first volume kept me interested as a thriller would， yet it felt much more meditative than a page-turner。 While it could stand alone， I am now driven to read the next two， thinking the experience cannot yet be complete。 The translation reads smoothly， but there is an aspect which seems to make it "hum" in a way different to my expectations。 Perhaps that is the cultural residue hinting at what is lost in translation。 。。。more

Mark ，

This is one great sci-fi， containing a lot of excellent “science “。 Full disclosure， this is one of three！

Ned Davis ，

This is sci-fi on a higher level。 Thinking out of the box， Lei Cixin weaves a story so complex and imaginative it earned the Hugo Award。 Imagine one person effecting the fate of the world by communicating with another world。

Scott Markley ，

2021 Reading Challenge Book ReviewTopic: A Book In TranslationBook: The Three-Body Problem by Liu CixinBack in 2019 I was in China when The Wandering Earth hit theaters。 I heard all about how it was the first real hit Chinese sci-fi blockbuster that had the potential to break into western audiences。 I eagerly awaited it to come to Netflix， as my Chinese is not good enough to risk a theater showing。 It was a good movie， but I can see why it didn't catch one with western audiences。 However， I enjo 2021 Reading Challenge Book ReviewTopic: A Book In TranslationBook: The Three-Body Problem by Liu CixinBack in 2019 I was in China when The Wandering Earth hit theaters。 I heard all about how it was the first real hit Chinese sci-fi blockbuster that had the potential to break into western audiences。 I eagerly awaited it to come to Netflix， as my Chinese is not good enough to risk a theater showing。 It was a good movie， but I can see why it didn't catch one with western audiences。 However， I enjoyed it enough that I knew I had to read the seminal book by the author。The Three-Body Problem is an example of how to expertly lead your reader。 Dropping hints， feeding bits of development。 Liu knows what he's doing when it comes to building suspense。 It's not until about halfway through the book that pieces begin to be placed together and things begin to make sense。 The writing is intelligent， and that type of sci-fi that leans HEAVILY on that dash between the two terms。 Liu is a master at explaining the science of the real world and then taking the necessary steps to make it fantastically interesting in a fictional twist。 There is even one editor's note to a real mathematical journal！ Further， just as the science is explained， the translator does a good job explaining the Chinese cultural aspects that may go over many western reader's heads。My main complaints， from a westerner's perspective， are as follows。1。 Some of the Chinese history went above me。 I spent some time wikipedia-ing events and locations that I wasn't familiar with。 I am not taking away a star for this however。 This book was not written for westerners， and I can't dock it for my own ignorance。 2。 The end of the book feels like an info dump。 The pacing goes from a drip to a flood and it almost comes in a way that ruins the feeling of incoming peril。 I understand why it happened the way it did， as putting it earlier would spoil the impactful reveal， but I feel the ending's info dump was done to wrap up loose ends efficiently but not really in a story telling way。Beyond that， it's a fantastic bit of sci-fi that kept me on the edge of my seats and even had me going "what what what whaaaattt？！" a few times。Final review: 8。5/10 。。。more

Catherine Henderson ，

I almost gave up on this several times。 I know its award winning but I found it rather souless。 It felt like reading a science textbook in parts。 Maybe my lack of physics knowledge didn't help but I'm not dumb。Also the characters I found unengaging and unsympathetic （apart form the cop Da Shi who injects some much needed lightness and humour into the story）。Maybe hard Sci Fi isn't for me！ I almost gave up on this several times。 I know its award winning but I found it rather souless。 It felt like reading a science textbook in parts。 Maybe my lack of physics knowledge didn't help but I'm not dumb。Also the characters I found unengaging and unsympathetic （apart form the cop Da Shi who injects some much needed lightness and humour into the story）。Maybe hard Sci Fi isn't for me！ 。。。more

Steve Payeur ，

This sci-fi book from a renowned Chinese author has great science and sci-fi ideas but also gives a look into life in China over a span of the latter half of the 20th century。 I'm definitely going to read the other two in the trilogy。 This sci-fi book from a renowned Chinese author has great science and sci-fi ideas but also gives a look into life in China over a span of the latter half of the 20th century。 I'm definitely going to read the other two in the trilogy。 。。。more

Jeffrey Good ，

There's something about the this story that remains so lasting in my memory。 What started as a physics thriller soon became an epic story that would span centuries and generations。 Liu's work is imaginative and ingenious for the genre of science fiction and gives a much needed breath of renewal for the modern， technological world。 Can't wait to read the entire series！ There's something about the this story that remains so lasting in my memory。 What started as a physics thriller soon became an epic story that would span centuries and generations。 Liu's work is imaginative and ingenious for the genre of science fiction and gives a much needed breath of renewal for the modern， technological world。 Can't wait to read the entire series！ 。。。more

Will Mitchell ，

3。5/5Great book marred by some strange storytelling decisions。 I could tell this was originally edited as a magazine serial and it showed in the ending and some of the pacing。 The segments on Three-body were some of the most compelling sci-fi I've ever read。 Very excited for the Netflix show。 3。5/5Great book marred by some strange storytelling decisions。 I could tell this was originally edited as a magazine serial and it showed in the ending and some of the pacing。 The segments on Three-body were some of the most compelling sci-fi I've ever read。 Very excited for the Netflix show。 。。。more

Anna ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 In diesem Sci-fi Roman aus China nimmt eine außerirdische Zivilisation mit der Erde Kontakt auf。 Diese Zivilisation fürchtet um den Bestand ihres Planeten und hat sich nun， da sie von der Erde weiß， mit einer Flotte dorthin aufgemacht， welche in 450 Jahren eintreffen und die Erde erobern wird。 Eine Gruppe Dissidenten will den Außerirdischen ihre Eroberung erleichtern， die Staaten der Erde kämpfen dagegen an。Im Roman werden spannende Ideen， vor allem aus dem Bereich Naturwissenschaften， eingearbe In diesem Sci-fi Roman aus China nimmt eine außerirdische Zivilisation mit der Erde Kontakt auf。 Diese Zivilisation fürchtet um den Bestand ihres Planeten und hat sich nun， da sie von der Erde weiß， mit einer Flotte dorthin aufgemacht， welche in 450 Jahren eintreffen und die Erde erobern wird。 Eine Gruppe Dissidenten will den Außerirdischen ihre Eroberung erleichtern， die Staaten der Erde kämpfen dagegen an。Im Roman werden spannende Ideen， vor allem aus dem Bereich Naturwissenschaften， eingearbeitet。 Auch gefallen hat mir der Einblick in die kulturelle Revolution im China der 1960er und 70er Jahre aus der Perspektive einer Naturwissenschaftlerin。Wnoger gefallen haben mir die Charaktere， die weniger Menschen und mehr Vehikel für die Ideen des Autors zu sein scheinen （einmal ist Wang Miao， einer der beiden Hauptcharaktere， zwei Tage von zu Hause durchgehend weg und mit keinem Wort werden seine Frau oder Kinder dabei erwähnt）。Die Geschichte hat sich teilweise etwas gezogen und manche naturwissenschaftlichen Ideen haben zu viel Vorwissen vorausgesetzt， wodurch ich nicht alles komplett verstehen konnte。 Zum Beispiel war mir zu hoch， wie es möglich sein soll， mithilfe von 30 Millionen Menschen einen Computer zu simulieren。 。。。more

Katie ，

4。5🌟

Epilot42 ，

Good storytelling

Teck Wu ，

Very thought-provoking。 Makes me want to study quantum physics tbh

Zach ，

I suppose I can see why some like it， but after halfway through I started skipping whole paragraphs because I just couldn’t care about the character or story。 I tried， but ultimately gave up。 Did not finish。

Azeem Putra ，

The Three Body Problem is wild。 A science fiction that is underpinned by what felt like （or actually is？？？） real science。 Astrophysicists will definitely appreciate this book even more。 There are a lot of references to history which I found very intriguing。 And I can’t help feeling that this book， as a whole， felt like a big metaphor of how China operates。 Unfortunately the story lack one critical aspect， which is in-depth characterization; most of the characters are not memorable at all; they a The Three Body Problem is wild。 A science fiction that is underpinned by what felt like （or actually is？？？） real science。 Astrophysicists will definitely appreciate this book even more。 There are a lot of references to history which I found very intriguing。 And I can’t help feeling that this book， as a whole， felt like a big metaphor of how China operates。 Unfortunately the story lack one critical aspect， which is in-depth characterization; most of the characters are not memorable at all; they are just there as tools to deliver the whole premise of Alien-Human interaction。Still a fantastic read for Sci fi lovers。 。。。more

Nick DeAngelo ，

Wow。 The whole book is merely the story’s exposition， but Liu’s fresh approach to science fiction promises it will be a good one。Loved it。

Ciprian Sf ，

A different kind of SF， in a good way， a more humnan and cultural one but incredible perspective。 Also reply enjoy the Chinese version of a SF which balances a little American and Russian way of dealing with this genre

Jeff ，

It’s hard to review this book without spoiling anything （something about the Cultural Revolution， advanced physics， a virtual reality video game， extremist environmentalists， and genocidal aliens）。 In fact， it’s hard to review it， period。 I felt like I was in a fog for about 90% of the book。 I’m not sure if the fog was caused by the complicated physics talk， the massive amounts of exposition， the non-linear plot， or the author’s choice to play his cards close to his chest until the very end （and It’s hard to review this book without spoiling anything （something about the Cultural Revolution， advanced physics， a virtual reality video game， extremist environmentalists， and genocidal aliens）。 In fact， it’s hard to review it， period。 I felt like I was in a fog for about 90% of the book。 I’m not sure if the fog was caused by the complicated physics talk， the massive amounts of exposition， the non-linear plot， or the author’s choice to play his cards close to his chest until the very end （and to be 100% honest， some of the Chinese names were difficult to keep straight in this Western-thinking brain）。 That being said， the pay off was well worth it。 Despite my confusion， I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 I look forward to reading the sequel。 。。。more

Pedro ，

I wanted to read this in one sitting but， alas， I have a family， a job， and school。 Engaging science fiction in excellent translation。 Part thriller， part AI adventure， part "first contact" narrative， this novel is a wonderfully human narrative that explores some of the trauma of the Cultural Revolution in the context of a cosmic （or at least planetary） moral dilemma。 What happens when one person ends up with the ability to completely change human destiny？ Read and find out。 I wanted to read this in one sitting but， alas， I have a family， a job， and school。 Engaging science fiction in excellent translation。 Part thriller， part AI adventure， part "first contact" narrative， this novel is a wonderfully human narrative that explores some of the trauma of the Cultural Revolution in the context of a cosmic （or at least planetary） moral dilemma。 What happens when one person ends up with the ability to completely change human destiny？ Read and find out。 。。。more

Samya ，

A very weird piece of hard sci-fi work from China ！

Ben Zimmerman ，

The Three-Body Problem was a refreshing juxtaposition of a lot of sci-fi elements and styles， which I felt was executed very well。 The book begins with a mystery and an almost “New Weird” tone。 You’re left to imagine a lot of the content of people’s experiences。 At the same time， the book uses sci-fi to explore elements of humanism – what is it like to be human， and what is the nature of humanity in different contexts？ There are definitely elements of the writing that I am guessing stand out to The Three-Body Problem was a refreshing juxtaposition of a lot of sci-fi elements and styles， which I felt was executed very well。 The book begins with a mystery and an almost “New Weird” tone。 You’re left to imagine a lot of the content of people’s experiences。 At the same time， the book uses sci-fi to explore elements of humanism – what is it like to be human， and what is the nature of humanity in different contexts？ There are definitely elements of the writing that I am guessing stand out to me because of Chinese vs。 American cultural differences。 Certain aspects of systems， motivations， or reasoning seem overexplained， while other social interactions seem more subtle than I’m used to。 There is a greater focus on how categories of humans act in different contexts than on individuals， and much more emphasis on social status。 Sometimes this differences in emphasis reduced how complex individual characters felt to me， but after reflecting on the book， I think this is a difference of presentation more than a truth about the characters。 Unlike “New Weird” novels， all of the absurd mysteries end up being explained toward the end of the book。 For me， I had given up hope that the mysteries could be explained in any satisfying way。 I thought that the reveal was extraordinarily imaginative and satisfying， where we are presented with both the why and the how of the mysteries that unfold throughout the book。 I was extremely satisfied the book， especially after reading the end。 I thought that the beginning and middle were interesting but a little slow。 For readers who are more imaginative than me and might have their own theories or expectations about how the mysteries should be resolved， the end might be come across as too “easy” of an explanation。 I commend a sci-fi author who is willing to take the risk in explaining how an advanced sci-fi element works。 I’ve read a lot of sci-fi now， which would be categorized as “hard sci-fi，” but still includes a lot of almost miraculous elements。 In these novels， we， as the reader， know that the miracles are from technology， but we never learn how they work。 Usually those miracles are at least somewhat believable。 In The Three-Body Problem， we are introduced to miracles that I couldn’t even begin to imagine were technology， and then we find out are technological elements towards the end， which is consistent with a major theme in the book。 That to me was super-impressive。I would definitely recommend this book as just good sci-fi， but I would also recommend going into reading this book with some attention devoted to Chinese vs。 American worldviews。 I believe that some of the elements that didn’t feel “right” to me about the writing of the book were differences in focus， which end up making the book even more interesting when understood that way。 。。。more

Ryan Panzer ，

Unpredictable throughout， The Three-Body Problem is a page-turner full of sci-fi suspense。 It's only drawback is the occasional complexity of it's technical jargon。 Unpredictable throughout， The Three-Body Problem is a page-turner full of sci-fi suspense。 It's only drawback is the occasional complexity of it's technical jargon。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Three-Body Problem

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Three-Body Problem&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Three-Body Problem&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0