The Three Body Problem

I would never expect a science-fiction novel to start in 1967 in the middle of the Cultural Revolution in China. But that’s how this book starts. It’s very unexpected start moves on to a very unexpected book overall. And I’m happy to find that this book reignites my long dormant love for science-fiction.

About the Book

In 1967, physics professor Ye Zhetai is killed after he refuses to denounce the theory of relativity. His daughter, Ye Wenjie, witnesses his gruesome death.

Shortly after, she’s falsely charged with sedition, and told she can avoid punishment by working at a defense research facility. More than 40 years later, Ye’s work becomes linked to a string of physicist suicides and a complex role-playing game involving the classic physics problem of the title.

~ Synopsis from goodreads

My Review

The Three Body Problem is the first book in the three body series. This series was originally written in Chinese and then translated into English. I mention this because there are a few reviews that talk about it being very clunky and dense, but I guess this could be because of the translation. Once I got into the book, I didn’t have any problem with the writing style, in fact, I think it suits the book.

The title The Three Body Problem refers to a known physics problem that has intrigued physicists for centuries.

I don’t want to talk any more about how this problem relates to the story; the whole pleasure of the book is in finding this out. What I can tell you, is if you are even the least bit interested in science, you will love the three body problem at the heart of this book.

However, the book takes its time getting to the three body problem. The first half deals with the Cultural Revolution in China. Since I am visiting this place next week (and am not very familiar with its history), I really enjoyed reading about it. I almost forgot this was a science-fiction novel, and just completely immersed myself in the historical plot.

The focus of the novel changes in the second half when we move into the present day world, which is filled with scientist suicides, odd hallucinations, all the way to a fantastic virtual reality game that draws intellectuals from around the world before revealing itself to be an epic space opera featuring some of the most interesting aliens I’ve read about in a long time.

You can tell I really loved this book, can you? Yes, I did. And I can’t wait to read the sequels – The Dark Forest and Death’s End. I’m now a hard-core fan.

I was looking through the internet for more information about these books, and it seems this series is a massive rage among sci-fi fans. I guess I’ve been living under a rock or something all these years. But better late than never, right?

Have you read this trilogy? Do you like sci-fi? What are your favorite sci-fi books you like to recommend?