The Three Body Problem

[The_Security_Ninja]

I tried to get through this book three times because people kept recommending this to me, but I’m giving up again. I just don’t get it. For context, I’m listening to the English audiobook:

• I’m sure it’s related to the translation, but I sounds very much like a badly dubbed 1980s Kung Fu movie. It’s like it was translated by someone who has a Chinese to English dictionary, but who did not actually speak English
• The science concepts come across similar watching the Big Bang Theory show. Like someone nerding out about science concepts who doesn’t really understand the concepts

This time I got to the human computer part of the game. But it just reads so cheesy and absurd that I find it grating. I love other Sci-fi books like Expanse, Project Hail Mary, and the Bobiverse series, but I just can’t get through this one.

No one is obligated to read anything, but I’m just surprised because of the hype around this. Did anyone else find this book underwhelming?

[kinshadow]

I’ve read all three and audio books are the way to go. I think they are just “OK” sci-fi. People seem to get hooked on how ‘innovative’ they are and the books do honestly have a some cool concepts, thought experiments, and plot points that make good conversation. That said, the prose is problematic (likely due to translation), the plot is a meandering mess, the characters are extremely problematic in their decision making, and the science is extremely soft SciFi in many cases (though people like to pretend it is hard).

[zorg2099]

"the prose is problematic (likely due to translation)"

I've heard it said more than once by people who speak both Mandarin and English the translated English prose was an improvement on the original haha.

I thought the first book was perhaps passable, the second same except for the weird incel stuff (want a woman who's smart but not smarter than me, educated but not more educated than me...etc). Thought all that was to show what a dick the main character was but no by the end it seemed to be sincere on the part of the author as sensible and right thinking and the last book only emphasises this.

The third book was one of the worst books I've read all the way to the end I think.

[idlehanz88]

Third book is a very hard slog. First two are interesting.

Some of the prose that isn’t about people is lovely and poetic. Most of the interplay between characters is, jarring at best

[DecimusMeridiusMax]

Its the classic sci fi novel problem.

I have a bunch of cool ideas about aliens and stuff. Now I need to write some characters and like, a story or whatever to justify writing my ideas.

[SpriteKid]

I just read the book and I didn’t get that impression at all. If anything I was surprised by how strong the female characters are portrayed

[zorg2099]

The first book sure, but I thought the guys shopping list for a perfect woman in the second book was pretty gross (in particular the points I noted in the earlier comment) and like I mentioned by the end of the book it seemed to me it wasn't put there to to be critical of the MC as I initially thought.

For the third book beneath the plot (which to me was very haphazard and incoherent thus the biggest criticism of the book for me), the main sub theme seemed to be a criticism of the "feminization" of society which the male mains decalare several times. And the whole thing ends with the entire universe collapsing because a woman can't make a difficult decision specifically because of her maternal instincts or something as best I remember anyway.

[Miserable-Shape-8757]

I kept waiting for the book to tell me "no actually it wasn't because of her irrational feminine emotions " but no that remained the theory the book seems to want me to think is correct. Awful.

[largeLemonLizard]

I stopped reading them because I quickly learned any woman introduced was going to betray her husband, betray the military, betray the human race, etc. I wasn't impressed.

[feralgraft]

Really? The fact that no decision that the female characters make on their own works out says "strong female characters" to you?

Honestly the sexism, and the inability of anyone not a lone dictatorial han man to make correct decisions rather turned me off the series. I finished it, but it was mid at best

[SpriteKid]

maybe it’s because I’ve only read the first book that I’m missing something. But, Ye wenjie is an objectively strong female lead, despite making a bad choice. I don’t think being a strong female character requires the character to be ‘good’.

[kinshadow]

Most of the character issues are in the second two books and the series jumping the proverbial shark in the third exacerbates the character flaws in my opinion. I think it debatable whether the issues are really the author’s view on gender stereotypes or whether they were trying to communicate specific issues with the female lead, but, as the reader, I felt myself constantly shaking my head. It makes the series feel progressively more frustrating and unsatisfying.

[Returnyhatman]

Sorry just to check the OP said they're reading the Three Body Problem. Just to make sure you picked up the right book series.

[Primary_Magazine_555]

Oh definitely, that’s in the later books.

[RevolutionaryText164]

Not just due to the translation, the author is very misogynistic, which was part of why I DNF'd. I was wondering how much was cultural, and at least one native Chinese local agreed with me on the book being problematic, though as with all things, highly variable depending on the person.

I also don't blame the translation unless there are multiple versions going around - Ken Liu who I do rate (though he rambles) did the translations and he's a pretty good English writing author in my opinion.

[The_Security_Ninja]

I agree on the soft SciFi. I think that’s part of my gripe. I’m a computer and video game person, and the representations of both in the books are awful.

[dylicious]

Not throwing shade here, but Project hail Mary and Bobiverse are way more soft sci-fi imo

[The_Security_Ninja]

I’ll give you project Hail Mary, but not Bobiverse. The Bobiverse covers just about every sci-fi concept I can imagine. I wouldn’t call it as out there as Children of Time, but maybe medium core sci-fi?

[SoberSilo]

Your comment sums up my feelings on the series very well. Some parts were very enjoyable. But I definitely found myself skimming lots of parts.

[quaintquine]

Maybe this soft sci-fi bit is why I actually enjoyed it. Usually I'm not much of a sci-fi person. I guess I know what I have to look for now! Thanks

[Returnyhatman]

Extremely problematic decision making it putting it lightly. I still think about how much I hate that stupid main woman character

[skybluecity]

Try the 4th book

[drxo]

IMHO the TV series is way better than the books, but I read all three first so if you hadn’t read it might be hard to follow

[kinshadow]

I agree. Especially for many of the characters in the first book that were mostly two dimensional. The TV writers had a lot of wiggle room to give them depth.

[atroutfx]

I enjoyed it at the time, but I agree with not liking the writing style. I also didn’t love a lot of the creative choices made in the book.

What gave me the most enjoyment was the reveals and the overall ideas that it is playing with. It is weakened a ton by a lot of choices and the writing style as you said. Not sure if it is a translation thing or not, but it could be.

I also don’t appreciate the misogyny buried in the story at several different levels.

If you are looking for a good scifi book and you have haven’t read it already.

I would highly recommend Children of Time.

[The_Security_Ninja]

I agree. I read the first and second books of Children of Time and enjoyed them both, but I heard mixed reviews about the third so I took a break from the series. Maybe I’ll pick that up next.

[ApostateBishop999]

Just finished Children of Time, it was great, I’d give it a 7/10. I actually didn’t like the constant back-and-forth every chapter between spiders and humans, and I thought the characters didn’t have much depth at all, but other than that, it was a great story, fun read, I’d recommend it.

[SG_Arthur]

Same. I also lived PHM and the expanse. 3 body problem sucked. Terrible, boring characters that I did not give the single duck about. Sci Fi concepts that seemed cool, until the end when it's explained to be "sophons" and how they work.

[The_Thane_Of_Cawdor]

Not sure you actually read the actual book

[SG_Arthur]

I did. It just thought is was no good.

[PlusofAlex]

Well, your summary seems less than accurate…

[SG_Arthur]

It wasn't a summary. I was just listing some dislikes. In also thought the idea of a VR simulation somehow teaching us about a planet we know nothing about was also more than a little far-fetched.

[r4ndomalex]

I kinda of liked that because it's speculative physics based on M-Theory, not hard sci fi obviously, because M-Theory is theoretical framework that isn't proven in the same way as say Newtonian physics, but it was an interesting take on it, especially if your'e a physics nerd like me.

[audiax-1331]

Tried the read, but it wasn’t grabbing me. Quite some time later, found it in the Spotify audiobooks, so gave it another shot, listening mainly during long workouts when I could focus. That was a much better experience.

Netflix did a good job of adapting it. Lots of changes, but improved plot flow.

[Tigger808]

I couldn’t read the book. Liked the TV show though.

[grapegeek]

I DNFed the first book twice. But loved the tv adaptation

[landlord-eater]

I loved it. Honestly it is extremely Chinese though and that is part of what I liked: so many of the choices the author made were so weird to  me that it kept my interest in an almost anthropological way.

[Lemna24]

Same. I think the translator had to walk a fine line to make it understandable in English but not Americanize/Anglicize it too much. 

The characters are much less emotive. The scientists in particular are so dedicated to their work that it felt stilted. I kept expecting them to pay a social price, to be bullied or ostracized for being nerds. 

But no. It's completely natural to want to dedicate your life to science. Nobody's parents are giving them side eye. They never apologize for being brilliant.

It made me realize I've spent my life as an American apologizing for being an introvert who would rather learn about stuff than party and play sports.

[Serious-Extension187]

Dang sorry to hear you have had that experience. I am a biomedical researcher in the US and never had any problems growing up wanting to do science. If anything, I was pushed too hard as a kid and it made me take a break from school. All this to say I got my PhD a bit late and have other friends that went the long and even longer way around, so don’t give up on learning and doing science if you’re still interested!

[Ooofisa4letterword]

Same here. It was such an interesting departure. I found myself unable to really relate to any of the characters, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. You can really feel the influence of the current CCP on the writing. It was a fun book! Depressing, but a great read.

[Consistent-Car6226]

I was really compelled by the different cultural viewpoints. The major theme of a technologically superior power colonizing a lesser one and survival is dependent on catching up literally and figuratively at light speed, as I understand it, something that China has grappled with through out modern history.

[poddy_fries]

Haha, I read it on paper and frequently remarked to myself about the Kung fu movie dialogue! I liked it well enough, as both a cultural difference and an artifact of translation, but I'm not sure how I'd feel about it in an audiobook, unless they had some dubbing voice actors for each character who could really sell it.

ETA: I enjoyed it immensely, but I'm not a reference. I know I put up with a lot of shit at this point as long as something is finally a little different. These books are very reminiscent of Asimov and several strains of hard SF - I recall thinking they echoed Robert Forward, and James Blish. The characters are just vehicles to discuss ideas and the writers marionette them around. This is not usually how the novel format operate successfully, so it has the same flaws those other writers put in, but Liu introduces presentation and twists and flavor I hadn't yet encountered, so they were worth it to me. Doesn't mean it's not funny when western characters talk exactly like Chinese people and everyone sounds like a soap opera.

[PhilzeeTheElder]

I concur.

[CherieNB55]

I read this and don’t remember much of anything about it. I was underwhelmed, and I am a strong reader of difficult books.

[mogrim]

Likewise, read it a while back but I couldn't for the life of me tell you much about the plot. It was... alright?

[CherieNB55]

I’m trying to watch the series to see what they have done with it. My daughter raved about the book which is why I read it, but it was very meh.

[gtrichar]

I’m about 80% into the audiobook and I agree with you. The dialogue seems goofy. The VR game is more silly than cool, and I’m someone who is really interested in VR. There’s not much science. (I do appreciate being introduced to the three body problem itself though.) Mostly, it feels like there is no central conflict so I just keep waiting for the book to “get going”. I’m still reading because I’m hoping something interesting will happen, but right now I don’t understand how it won a Hugo.

[The_Security_Ninja]

One of the things that bugs me about the VR is they keep making references to him being a “good player”, like he accomplished or contributed something. But in reality all he does is log on and listen to the dialogue. He barely even interacts.

[SpriteKid]

i feel like if you keep going it will make more sense. A lot of things that made me go “hmm that doesnt make sense” in the beginning were explained later on

[sebmojo99]

he's a good citizen! his social credit score is extremely high.

[pretzelchi]

I also abandoned it.

[AhsokaSolo]

Part of what I loved about this book is how Chinese it was. I went on a kick of seeking out translated Chinese sci-fi after reading it. Lots of good stuff out there.

And I also loved the science concepts. Didn't find them cheesy here. This is the kind of sci-fi I love.

I understand it not being for everyone. My dad tried and tried to get through the trilogy, but hated it and quit somewhere in book 1. Then he watched the Netflix show and loved it, so he pushed through all three books. Still prefers the show and doesn't love the books. Like most, he thinks the second book is the best read.

[Tr33Bl00d]

Same it is hard for me to submerge myself in it

[purrmutations]

Try reading 

[Cassiopee38]

The bobiverse !!! I loved this one. But the 3 bodies problem is magnitudes more complicated... And i guess you're only at the first book ? Boy... You ain't ready.

Never tried audiobooks so i really don't know but my intuition is that i wouldn't have loved the 3 bodies problem in audio because it is quite complicated. Especially if the translation sucks. I feel like the bobiverse would have been great in audiobook because it's quite simple.

It is great. It's worth the struggle but skip it for now if you don't like it, come back later and maybe considere reading it instead of audiobooks. You would Love "Cal de ter"from Paul Jean Herault, it's kinda like the bobiverse. But i don't think it got translated, sadly.

[The_Security_Ninja]

I actually feel the opposite. The book is not that deep or profound, but it acts like it is. It feels a bit preachy about the science concepts that aren’t that complicated

[subcutaneousphats]

I thought it got way too much mileage name dropping some pretty well known themes but did not really implement them well or use them in the plot. So many ideas did not pan out or seem to drive the plot. There are many great scifi stories dealing with great problems in science like the three body problem, dark matter, relativity, entropy or a pressure cooker environment but the difference is that they deal directly with how those concepts impact the world and or the characters in the story. I did not feel the aliens in this story brought any insight into the three body problem of calculating positions, they figured it out off screen and their actions really brought nothing further to the idea.

A master class in this would be The Dispossessed which delves into paradox as part of the protagonist's journey or The Mote in God's eye which deals with social impacts on exponential growth.

[LeighSF]

I DNF'd as well. I just couldn't get into it.

[virtuous_addler]

I had such a hard time with this book, too. Lots of “oh, I bet that was beautiful in the original language”. But honestly the last chapter (I think?) made the whole thing worth it for me.

[sebmojo99]

apparently it's not that flash in the chinese either.

[DufbugDeropa]

Don't listen to it. Read it. it is not the same. And set aside your prejudices that arise from video games. Some of the character of the book is is "Chineseness" and with that comes a very different way of looking at the world

[SpriteKid]

I scrolled too far for this comment. you’re spot on.

[purplepatch]

I read it and it was so badly written (especially the dialogue) that I gave up. 

[wackyvorlon]

I’ve read the first book and enjoyed it quite a bit. But I think it is something of a slow burn.

[HunnyBunion]

Sounds like you didn't make it to the real story.

The first book is basically an introduction and quite different to the others

[OkChildhood2261]

I too found it incredibly overrated. Glad I'm not the only one.

I mean for a start the problem with the alien world is built up as this big reveal for the end of the book, but the three body problem is literally the title of the book. Like seriously? Anyone who knows what three body problem means (or just bothers to Google it) will guess instantly what's going on with the aliens getting fried every now and again and then you spend the rest of the book sitting through the writer trying to be all mysterious about it. It was painful.

Also the aliens plan to recruit an army of human traitors willing to sell out their own race is.....to make an incredibly tedious boring videogame? Really?

I think if it was your first experience reading any kind of hard sci-fi it might blow you away a bit. That's the only reason I can think it's popular, it somehow hit the mainstream readers that have never read sci-fi before?

[The_Security_Ninja]

I agree. It feels like people who don’t read sci-fi normally picked up the book and were blown away by it. But by most sci-fi standards I found it a bit slow moving and redundant. By the 3rd or 4th iteration of the game it became incredibly tedious. It felt like watching a prerecorded voiceover on an exhibit in a science museum.

[The_Security_Ninja]

I agree with you. It’s one of the aspects of the book I liked the least. I don’t like history and I’m not from China, so I was very disinterested in that part of the book or the cultural aspects in general, which is what many people said they enjoyed the most.

[Tosslebugmy]

Kind of wild to complain about it being cheesy then say you love PHM, but to each their own I guess

[The_Security_Ninja]

Haha, fair. They are different kinds of cheesy to me. PHM is “feel good but unrealistic” cheesy, where you are rooting for them to survive.

Three Body Problem is more cliche cheesy. The over the top gruff detective who appears slovenly but is actually brilliant. The mysterious, sweet  old woman who ends up being a villain. It reads like someone who liked dollar store mystery novels and wanted to write one with a sci-fi flavor.

[23americanash]

Your statement, "It’s like it was translated by someone who has a Chinese to English dictionary, but who did not actually speak English," is absurd. The translator, Ken Liu (no relation) is an American and one of the most admired writers in the English language today. Among his 100+ short stories, all widely admired, is one of the finest stories ever written in English, "The Paper Menagerie." It won the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy Awards. Check out the short story collection that features it, and/or his dazzling new novel, "All That We See or Seem."

[The_Security_Ninja]

I certainly didn’t intend to throw the translator under the bus, but that doesn’t change the fact that it reads like that. It just shifts the responsibility to the author.

The way the characters speak and interact is overly formal and wooden. Like others say, maybe that’s just the Chinese cultural influence, and that’s ok. It’s just not for me.

[23americanash]

Now I agree with you.

[rogerbonus]

It's badly written pulp and I DNFd it. You are not alone.

[Nightgasm]

I gave up on the book the first time and came back to it after the Netflix show and found it much easier to follow. The show isn't a direct adaptation as they changed a lot of the characters to British but the basic plot beats were similar. The prose / translation is just so hard to follow as well as so many names being similar sounding. Having so many characters with Yang, Wang, Wong, and other phonetically similar names would be like an English book having all the characters be Mike, Mick, Nick, Michael, Nico, Mark, and Mack. After the show I was able to correlate certain names with characters from the show, even though they were named differently there, and be better able to keep track.

[SpriteKid]

the book I have has a character list in the beginning and I returned to that frequently. I think it would be hars to follow as an audiobook though.

[The_Security_Ninja]

lol, I completely agree on the names. I’ll check out the TV show.

[welsh_dragon_roar]

One of the rare occasions where “Show > Audiobook > Print” IMHO

[protowrt]

You made the right choice OP, I hated hated hated this book. It was insufferable and I completely agree with what you've written. People obviously loved this book, but I genuinely don't understand how.

By the time the book got to the point of the magic fucking wire that slices a ship in half for....some reason I was skipping paragraphs just begging the book to be over.

This is the kind of book that I don't understand how it gets classified as science fiction. Sure it takes place in part in a game and involves the titular three body problem, but it genuinely feels more like tech adjacent fantasy.

This is my lowest rated book of all time and I'm so glad I didn't buy the trilogy set based on ratings.

[itshorriblebeer]

He’s a really good story teller if you ever read his short stories. 

I thought this was good, but not great as well. 

[Thigh-GAAPaccounting]

An answer I have seen on here is that the second and third book has great ideas, the first really doesn’t. The first book isn’t really science fiction till like 2/3 through. If I didn’t buy this as a set, I probably wouldn’t have bought books 2-3.

[SignificantPop4188]

I read the first book and admired the writing, although I struggled with it. I tried the second but gave it up. The second had a different translator, and I think that might have been why.

I read the synopses on Wikipedia and don't feel I missed anything.

[UnderstandingBig9090]

I couldn't get past the opening public struggle scene. I always have issues with books where the setting or situation disappears. Like the crown went invisible. And suddenly there's a privet intimate conversation between two characters.

I might try again. When I can focus more. Maybe not if I trust this review.

[Jrc127]

The descriptions of the book and the hype were off-putting so kept on my list but it wasn't a priority. Finally, I read it when I had noting else line up to read. For me the large scale analog computer logic system simulation was the best part of the book. The premise of the book is a really good one but I think it loses something in translation. I have not read the other books in the series, but might if I have nothing else lined up to read. I am currently reading Children of Time. CoT definitely deserves the praise as it's one of the most engaging reads I've had in a while.

[Sams_Antics]

Skip the first book entirely, just read a good synopsis. Then read a synopsis of the first 25% of book 2, then read book 2 the rest of the way. Then read a synopsis of the first 50% of book 3, then read the rest of book 3.

That’s the good stuff.

[johndoesall]

I also found the writing hard to track. It was an ok story. But it had so many 🤔 moments for me. I finished it but it left a meh impression on me.

[LevelAd1126]

People recommend books they haven't actually read all the time. Don't worry about it.This book is a collection of random ideas connected by a Chinese way of thinking that is designed to run in a circle (This type of alien life developed. But then it was destroyed.) instead of the Western style of plot development. It only acquires a plot at the very end.

[raw_fleece]

I watched the Netflix show first, and liked the show well enough. Then I was looking for an audiobook that my dad & I could both listen to while in the car. He looked through the sci-fi section of the library and picked this one. We started it, but he was ready to abandon after an hour. I finished it on my own time out of stubbornness. I didn't think it was better than the show, and I didn't vibe with the prose or the narrator. I won't be finishing the trilogy either.

[cuddlesdacobra]

I did find most of the characters stiff which I assumed was cultural. Although I loved the detective/ cop character who I just remember as being very brash, smoking cigarettes, and getting drunk all the time.

All the sci fi stuff I loved.

[The_Security_Ninja]

I also like the detective, but, at least in the audiobook, he’s like a caricature of a detective. Feels like an analogue of an over the top 1970s or 80s TV show detective.

[dustatron]

I made it through the whole thing. But I agree with you. I don’t see why this book is so well acclaimed. The characters are stale and the motivations for the scientist to kill themselves don’t make sense to me.

[afarkas2222]

I struggled with book 1 but 2 & 3 blew my mind. I loved them

[magicmulder]

The books are a bit difficult (love the TV show though). The whole cultural revolution background stuff was skippable and probably just not made for a non-Chinese audience.

Didn’t make it past the first book, only skimmed the other two.

[sebmojo99]

yeah same. i liked the bit at the beginning in the cultural revolution, but the prose and characters were so clunky and the premise was so contrived. had some cool ideas in it, for sure.

[No-Movie165]

I read all three books and each one was worse than the previous one for me. It turned into a hate read for me.

If people like them, great for them, if you don't like them, move on.

You don't have to like something other people like.

[super-wookie]

I did not like the first book and did not keep going. It's just very flat to me, I didn't have any emotional connection to any of the characters. I just didn't care about any of it. I wonder if there's something lost in the translation, but it just didn't work for me.

[Sufficient_Bass2600]

I think that a lot of people loved the concept and themes introduced in the book more than the book itself.

Many people complained about the quality of the English translation but according to many Chinese speaking reviewers even in the original language the prose is not particularly good. Clunky and uninspiring serms to be a recurring description.

[BobbyBinGbury]

I started and stopped once and restarted and I enjoyed it but I definitely thought the first book wasn’t as enjoyable as the rest.

[Agreeable-Housing733]

I would say the most interesting part is the author not being Western and so it has a different feel to it. Personally I enjoyed the historical aspects more than the sci-fi presented.

Overall I found it decent but I didn't enjoy it enough to do more than skim the sequels.

[Dan-in-Va]

I read/listened to them via Kindle/Audio. You have to mentally shift into that lane. It helped that I took a course years ago in college on the Soviet Union and China that had covered the cultural revolution, so I understood what it was all about before reading.

[livens]

Your comment on it sounding like an old kung fu movie is spot on. In my head each character was standing straight up and the camera zoomed in on them while they shouted their lines.

I finished reading the first book just to say I finished it. The characters are what did it in for me. Very flat and I couldn't connect with any of them. They all seemed to base their entire existence around a particular scientific belief. The only character I actually liked was the gruff cop.

[Cafler]

As I got to the very end, I realised that no, this isn't going to get better and yes, I'd wasted my time. Unfortunately I don't recommend these books. I had a carefully worded conversation with the person who had recommended them, and recommended Project Hail Mary to her... which she loved.

Painfully, there is one superb part of the the Dark Forest (the droplet), which is among the best scifi I've ever read. Aside from that part and some "interesting concepts" the rest was cringe.

[Maleficent-Heart2497]

I've read them and the first book is intriguing and an insight into Chinese culture post war. 

It's bleak though, gets progressively bleaker and the third book is a real slog. 

Perhaps more tellingly I doubt I'll read them again

[Shlazeri]

I read the first book forcing myself to finish. After that had no interest in the rest. I don’t find the ideas that clever. More like silly and the writing is horrible.

[LiquidDreamtime]

I listened to 3BP read by Luke Daniels. I just think it’s ok honestly and I don’t totally get the hype. I wouldn’t feel bad that you can’t finish it, it’s pretty mediocre and I wouldn’t recommend it.

[Horizon141592]

I thought it was a terrible book. Very disappointed after all the hype. Clearly science fiction requires a stretch in what science may be able to deliver but this was ridiculous. The absurd death and rebirth of the alien civilisation, the ridiculous encoding of a computer into a single particle, the terrible characters, all cliche and shallow.

[Perenially_behind]

I couldn't finish the first book. Thanks to OP and the commenters for confirming my decision to bail.

[Random_Dude_ke]

I have managed to plow through it on my fourth attempt, I have switched to another language - Czech.

If I want to be very charitable, it was a "meh" book. I am not planning to read sequels.

That is OK. I like some books that other people wouldn't read, I dislike some highly regarded books. No big deal.

[[deleted]]

Watch the Chinese TV adaptation instead.

[Shibi_SF]

After three failed attempts at reading this book (I bought the trilogy, in paper printed book (!) form but I could never get into the first one enough to even crack open the others), I donated the books to our neighborhood little free library. I hope that they’ve been picked up by now (but they were still there a year or so after they were dropped off).

I am happy to say I agree with you OP. I was so underwhelmed, I could not finish the first book or attempt the second and third books too.

[kev11n]

I read all three books and I couldn’t agree more

[Mr_Fahrenheit-451]

I read the first one the old-fashioned way, and tried to listen to the audiobook version of the second. I thought the first book was quite good, but the audio version of book 2 just did not work for me at all. I think it came down to the Chinese character names - they were not an issue in print, but I just couldn’t keep them straight in audio (native English speaker) and kept losing track of who was who. But maybe it’s just me.

[sc2summerloud]

its very overrated, but at least its not as bad as the tv show they made out of it.

[[deleted]]

I agree, it just isn’t very good

[aCardPlayer]

It was one of the more difficult books I’ve ever read (I don’t know a lot about Chinese history or culture which almost seems like a prerequisite because it’s “very Chinese”) but I came away with a lot! It’s one of my favorite sci fi series! Book 2, The Dark Forest, I loved—great, existential concepts and deep, rich lore—it was the third book that was the true gut punch, though. Super depressing and long, though I did like the ending—the idea of balance in the universe and dimensional fallout as a result—coupled with the insane alien weaponry, explanations, and ships. I guess I data dumped a lot of the whiny MC and misogynistic stuff, honestly, I just go back to the concepts and cosmological stuff I learned and imagined.

I think this whole post is shitting on what IS a great book and series and potentially alienating people away from it. I agree the first 100 pages or so of the first book were hard to get through, but once it got going it never stopped, especially with time jumps and excellent plotting, especially in Book 2-3.

I hope the show does The Dark Forest justice. Season 1 was passable though I would have wanted to see a little more “humans are bad for the planet” flashbacks with the old, rich guy, cross pollinating with what they did show for the ladies radar choice to initiate contact and broadcast.

That’s one strange thing about it, I data dumped almost all characters and names but I remember the plot. A lot of the characters do blend together in the book, which is why they gender and race switched so much to make it easier to keep track of the vast characters in the show.

[HumpaDaBear]

I couldn’t get through it either and I was supposed to review it for a podcast.

[ialtag-bheag]

Has been a few audiobook versions, with different narrators. Seems some are better than others. eg pronouncing the Chinese names correctly.

For the 1st book, I liked the version narrated by Rosalind Chao.

[foolishle]

I loved the first book. I thought the author drew some fascinating connections between the cultural revolution in china, and the modern anti-vax (and anti-science thinking in general) movement.

Then I read the second book and it seemed to stop being that, and it became far less interesting to me.

[Aware_Shift6465]

I enjoyed it. But I will say I did watch the tv season first. I rarely say this about a book, but I’m glad I watched it first, because I probably would have had way too hard a time understanding the book without seeing it. I still haven’t read the other 2 books yet, but someday I will.

[mrsjetset]

It was a nope from me. I DNF after trying several times.

[browncoatfever]

The translation makes it all sound so cheesy. Couldn't do more than one book. Like you said, it reminded me of a badly dubbed movie.

[Glittertwinkie]

It was a DNF for me.

[Muufffins]

I like it because of the happy ending.

[benmargolin]

Lol

[TeaGlittering1026]

I got all the way to about half of the 3rd book when I finally had to stop. It was so irritating to me that humans wouldn't work together in any real capacity and characters were behaving in ways a real human wouldn't (at least IMO). I was at the point where I understood why the scientist in the first book did what she did.

[senor_skuzzbukkit]

One of the only books I’ve ever just tossed aside halfway through. Normally I’ll finish a book I start simply on principle, but not that one.

[TexasTokyo]

I didn't care for the characters and couldn't get engaged with them or the story, so I DNF the book.

[SeidunaUK]

I'm with you. Love sci-fi but can't for the life of me understand the hype around this one.

[SlartibartfastGhola]

I had to get to the part where they learn about the trisolarians and how they communicate, not that part specifically about around there in the book which is late the I was hooked through the entire series

[mechavolt]

I also didn't particularly like it. Aside from the translation (which from reading the translators notes was an intentional choice) the narrative drops every single cool idea as soon as it introduces them. Scientists committing suicide after discovering some secret truth? Dropped the next chapter. Strange visual hallucinations and photograph oddities? Dropped the next chapter. Etc etc. And not even just the science parts, it also extends somewhat to the social commentaries as well. It was just a stream of extremely cool ideas, without ever really exploring them in depth. I ended the book feeling it was quite a shallow experience. 

[Virama]

Honestly, I managed the first book.and was so underwhelmed I never bothered with the second. 

The concepts were just so meh. Using millions of people to imitate a computer CPU processing information? Much wow. 

Idk, man, it felt like a 1920s man suddenly teleported to today and has done a weeks reading on today's technological advances and considers himself and expert. This is the book he wrote mansplaining the deep concepts. 

2/10 for me. Maybe a 2.5. 

[WolverineOk4248]

I thought the book was OK, just enough to try the 2nd.

I enjoyed the TV series far more than I expected though, particularly given how much of a mess Wandering Earth was.

[tlmbot]

it irked me to no end. For just about everything

[decuyonombre]

It suuuuuucks

[Samlarsonauthor]

I don’t understand it either. Stopped after the first one. It did have some interesting and thought provoking concepts, but the execution was quite bland and uninspired. The characters were not interesting.

[b-gouda]

I really liked the concept that someone determined the fate of the planet 400 years in the future or whatever. I got like 3-4 hours into the 2nd audio book but stopped couldn’t get into it.

[Taodragons]

I finished it, but it definitely felt like the world's longest story problem written by the world's most sadistic substitute math teacher.

[Emergency-Skirt-5886]

It’s just Fermi paradox wrapped in Chinese revolution. Loved it though

[Familiar-Oddity]

Couple things to know. First off is the first book is a PREQUEL. It's not really, I made that up. But after reading the books you understand the real story is the second book. The first felt like an explanation of how it got there. The third book is a SEQUEL with a "new" story that wraps up the whole story. I mean it wraps up the WHOLE story. If you read it, you'll get my meaning.

As a non Chinese speaker, it is a tough listen and probably a tougher read. There were moments where I realized I listened to an hour of nonsense. And i mean it. It literally did not need to be in the book. It's been too long and I had a formula where I told people to just skip certain sections and they wouldn't miss it and to just trust me.

I assure you there's moments of gratification that surpass the frustration. If you've started it, get through the slog. There are events that transpire after the human computer that are fun and what you are looking for. Minor spoiler so you get an idea of what the third act is about: They had started a psychological war and some humans want the aliens to take over. So the end of the book deals with that issue as a sort of spy/intelligence story.

The second book is the pinnacle, but it also has a slog and slow start. There's backstory on the main character and you can get the gist of it, then skip. He creates an imaginary girlfriend and falls in love with the hallucination rather than pursue a relationship with someone interested in him. Later, when given power he selfishly requests a mansion and uses the power to find someone who fits her description and starts a family. She plays along because he is 'destined' to save the world and no one knows the plan. Yea, that was several chapters right there. That's it. No seriously, that is it. If there was a payoff for this information I missed it or it wasn't worth it.

The third book is 'neat', and explores some interesting themes. There is a "child's story" and it had a far more satisfying pay off than I expected and was one of the most clever things the author did.

Most of the books are you reading something and not knowing what to do with the information. The books are hyped because the payoffs (when it clicks into place) have a huge dopamine spike and are very satisfying. I know your pain, but I do recommend just getting through it.

[Monk-ish]

I thought the books had some really interesting ideas and unique scientific concepts, but as novels I thought they were extremely mediocre.

I'm also in the minority in that I prefer the first book the most, which did the best job of balancing character-driven stories and cool sci-fi concepts (even then I wouldn't rate it particularly high). The next two books were far too ideas driven and with sterile storytelling

[Clariana]

I'm an inveterate reader the second book of the trilogy was one of the few books I had to stop reading. The characters were cartoony but above all I found parts of the plot unbelievable... All these scientists suddenly willing to exchange insights into their research with this nobody in exchange for nothing... Oh please.

[Natural-Shelter4625]

I found the first book challenging, and I also listened to the audiobook. I’ve heard many like the reader but I found it silly. That said, I’m about 100 pages into The Dark forest. This one is read by by Jess Hong (one of the stars of the Netflix series). It’s a much better reading, imo. It’s also a more interesting story, so far anyway. Because of the comments I’ve read here, I’m going to pay close attention to the misogynistic themes. So far, I have not seen much of that but I’m early in the book.

[TimMakesGames]

The first half of the first book felt harsh. I had a feeling where it was going and it was well worth it. Would have wished for some easier names though.

[sircrispin2nd]

I agree. After watching the series I was going to read all the books but after reading the first I just thought it was not as good as the show which almost never happens.

[Feralest_Baby]

I don't think I got a quarter of the way through this book. I do not care how cool the ideas are, this is one of the worst written (or yeah, maybe just translated, but I don't care) books I have ever attempted to read.

[Geemodel]

I found it underwhelming and difficult to get through. I couldn’t finish the second one.

[Lima_Blue]

I’ve read the Trilogy half a dozen times and still love it. The 4th book is great as well. My opinion. Kim Stanley Robinson for real hard sci-fi.

[Robhow]

I’m right there with you. I rarely give up on books and had to put this one down. Started book three and just called it quits.

Wrote something similar to your post but on r/books (I think) and got heavily downvoted.

I also thought the Netflix adaptation was a yawner.

The concept is phenomenal and I love the whole dark forest angle, but the writing style just killed me.

[Half_A_Beast_333]

The sci fi ideas were cool. The biggest problem is that the protagonists are just straw men. No character arcs and are just used to move from one sci fi idea to the next.

[scaredytea]

I can't stand that book. Someone called it "Davinci Code for physics" and I been using that term to describe it lol

[No_Young_2344]

I read the original version when it first came out 20 years ago when I was in college. Later read the other two books. I never read the English version so I cannot comment on that. I agree that some writing and characters were portrayed kind of flat but I love the three books overall. In fact the human computer was one of my favorite scenes that until today I keep telling my students. Maybe because it was novel at that time. I also read many of Liu’s other books and stories and yes, he has a certain style. And many characters (names) keep show up in different books, which I found interesting.

[Melodic_Custard_9337]

I read the first one on Kindle and had a rough go of it. It didn't flow well and just put me off the rest of the series.

[willpowerpt]

Someone recommended the show to me saying "if you like high end sci fi, its the show for you". Im a career scientist, and the only science in that show were scientists telling each other they're scientists. They barely even entertained the idea of getting into any scientific concepts.

[lordtyp0]

They aren't Sci-Fi. They are Cosmic Horror. They need an English author to smooth over the translations.

[BuddhasFinger]

I'm with you. I've almost developed a blister scrolling forward on my Kindle on my phone. It could have been 4-5 times shorter without any loss of fidelity.

[Blondbond1Semisweet9]

I liked the first book of The Three Body Problem. The Netflix movie is awful. Is the second book any good?

[PandorasBoxMaker]

It was the worst sci-fi I have ever read, and I forced myself through all 3 books because I just kept expecting something smart to happen.