The Three-Body Problem

Three-Body Trilogy #1

by Liu Cixin

Hardcover, 400 pages

English language

Published Sept. 12, 2014 by Tor Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-7653-7706-7
OCLC Number:: 868276526
Goodreads:: 20518872

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(39 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.

15 editions

Matthew Royal reviewed The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

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

5 stars

The best unexpected part of this book is all the perspective shifts. The presentation of miracles, and their explanations were satisfying, and the historical descriptions of the Chinese Cultural Revolution were tantalizing peeks into what the original Chinese language version of the story was like in structure.

It's a pessimistic view of what encountering extraterrestrial life would be like, without applying the same fear and dread to the emergence of strong AI, so while it's food for thought, it's not a perspective I feel I will ever share.

PaperbackReader reviewed The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

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

4 stars

Man, this was a conceptually thick book. I can't vouch for most of the science as presented, but I can say that the effort expended in incorporating that much science into a story of an impending apocalypse was impressive. I didn't love it, but I enjoyed it.

Alyanorne reviewed The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

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

3 stars

I didn't know what to expect when picking this up. I added it to my "to read"list after hearing an interview with the translator, who was talking about his own writing. Overall, I liked it. It has a lot in common with classic science fiction in style, written in a very straightforward matter and with an eye not so much on the robots and gadgets as the effect of these things. It deals with the psychological and social issues involved with technology and our attempts to find others like us in the universe. The characters are fleshed out enough to make them relatable, but this isn't the kind of writing where the character spends paragraphs contemplating fire or mooning over a love interest. It is set on the backdrop of the Cultural Revolution in China which makes the story feel authentic, and would attract anyone interested in history. I will …