Review: The Three-Body Problem (Liu Cixin)

My dad and I read The Three-Body Problem around the same time, which allowed us to talk about it a bit, which is always lovely. One of the few things I miss about school is the opportunity to talk about my reading with someone besides my cat. While Rory is a very vocal little kitty, “meow” isn’t the most intellectually stimulating contribution (though still better than some of the things people contributed to college English courses, to be entirely honest…). Education is a mixed bag. 

The mark of a good book is the feeling of it squirming in the back of your mind for weeks or months after you finish it. To be fair, that’s also often the mark of a traumatically terrible book, but in this case, it’s definitely the former. Every so often, I will read a book that fundamentally changes how I read and how I want to write. I haven’t attempted a true science fiction story in a long time, but after reading Liu Cixin’s work, I know that the next time I do, I will be thinking constantly about this book. 

This story’s more ludicrous science fiction elements were supported nicely by juxtaposing the historical aspects. Liu Cixin took actual events from Chinese history and pushed their implications for human nature to the extreme in a terrifying way. The actions of several characters when faced with the knowledge of extraterrestrial life, though arguably unrealistic when viewed in isolation, make a certain sense in the context of the Chinese cultural revolution.

What has stuck in my mind the most has been the imagery within the Three Body game, which serves as a test for certain humans to gauge their reaction to the existence of Trisolaris. The whole population creating circuits to make calculations is a fascinating image that perfectly highlights the difference between humans and trisolarans without relying on exposition to familiarize the reader with this alien species and culture. There is no info dumping, and I cannot express how refreshing that was after some of the other books I have read this year. 

Introducing the physiology of an alien race by explaining why they evolved in that way brought an element of emersion that a lot of science fiction lacks. So many books/movies throw scary aliens at us with no real explanation of why on (insert planet) such a species would/could possibly exist. Being introduced to Trisolarans as a species forged as opposed to imagined, the story is made so much richer. 

I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series immensely, but I have decided to take a little break to read something lighter! I wouldn’t want to be desensitized too much to fully appreciate this fantastic work’s following chapters.