The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Loved it. Fantastic, mind-blowing ideas and many-layered cultural setting, social systems, and characters. My only complaints are 1) the dialogue comes off as stiff and overly-constructed (which I assume I can attribute to the difficulty of translating from Chinese), and 2) the exposition and plot advancement (especially as we begin to learn more about the Trisolarans) often feels very heavy-handed.
Let’s see how it scores on the Nalin Scale of SciFi Elements that really hook me:
- Ideas: Excellent
- Wonder and Awe: Excellent
- Identity: Excellent
- Myth/Ritual/Infinity: Very Good (and I suspect the sequels will push even further)
Some of the best science fiction I’ve read in awhile. Will definitely read the sequels.
