Interesting hard sci-fi concepts from China, I give The Three-Body Problem 3.5 stars out of 5. This is the first book of a trilogy by Chinese science fiction author Cixin Liu, who won the Galaxy Award. I think the world is big enough for other non-Anglo cultures to tell stories like this, and for this reason alone, I would recommend fans of hard sci-fi at least give The Three-Body Problem a chance. Perhaps the fact that I'm listening to a translation of the original Chinese story is what's reducing some of my enjoyment of this book, which isn't necessarily the book's fault. I'll continue this series if for no other reason than it presented an interesting idea that I'd like to see to completion. The Three-Body Problem trilogy combines so many things I love: rich, multi-layered characters and true existential stakes all told as an elegant and deeply human allegory.

Ultimately, much like the Broken Earth trilogy, I can understand the hype this book had received, even if it didn't fully grab me when I listened to the audiobook. I would have liked to connect with the characters a bit more, but The Three-Body Problem seemed too bogged down in trying to get its complex science across to spend enough time creating characters that I liked. Nothing stuck with me other than the sense that it was a bit of an Ender's Game ripoff. I still vaguely know what this book was about and what science was explored within its prose, but that's about it. Nobody can figure out an algorithm to predict the movements of the three suns as a result, civilizations are continually collapsing when confronted with extreme weather events and have to be rebuilt from scratch. It's been about five months since I read this book, so this review is a long time coming. The three-body problem of the title is the motivation for the abandonment of Trisolaris and the invasion of Earth. In fact, I hardly think of literature that wasn't written hundreds of years ago.

I was intrigued that this book came from China because I don't usually think of hard sci-fi when I think of that country. I'm usually down to read some hard sci-fi since it's a niche genre I enjoy.

A few years ago, someone suggested that I read the Remembrance of Earth's Past series, so of course, I added it to my Overdrive wish list so I could eventually listen to the audiobook.

The three body problem book review