Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Nominated for four major speculative fiction awards (Hugo, Nebula, Locus, John W. Campbell) and winner of one (Hugo Award for Best Novel of 2015), Three-Body Problem is a truly remarkable work in certain aspects, deserving of the attention it has received. Cixin Liu’s novel is a strong example of hard science fiction with fascinating depictions of particle physics, radio astronomy, nanotechnology, and others.
While the first 330 pages are compelling, the last 50 pages mysteriously descends into straight up infodumping. The total abandonment of the narrative results in an unsatisfying, nearly fatal ending.
The novel spans numerous decades and takes place largely in China from the height of the Cultural Revolution to today. Probably one of the greatest human tragedies no one knows about, the Cultural Revolution destroyed millions of lives in what was a bizarre civil war between Communist factions. It wasn’t a cultural revolution so much as a cultural genocide. The events within the book along with the fundamentally tragic experience of living in a totalitarian state shape the cold, cynical attitudes of the characters.
The two main characters are scientists who notice several strange phenomena somehow connected to an online game called the Three-Body Problem. One of them, Wang Miao, begins to suspect a vast conspiracy to undermine scientific research, driving some scientists to suicide. He learns of a secret society, which seems to hold the key to the bizarre phenomena and a small group of government officials desiring to stop them.
I loved reading of the unique experiences of Chinese scientists in the 20th century and how they contrast with those from the west. Most Western writers and intellectuals of the time knew almost nothing about China or the Soviet Union, and could only depict what they believed were the experiences within these oppressed societies. The cultural differences are also evident in The Three-Body Problem. Due to the familiar feeling of utter powerlessness and hopelessness in a Communist society, many of the scientists do not react with awe at the incredible scientific innovations and miraculous phenomena going on around them. Their lack of faith in human nature led to feelings of dread at the things to come.
In fact, there is little to no emotional reactions to anything and virtually no internal monologue. One character concludes she wants to help destroy the Earth in an instant, without any real reflection or thought. You never get to understand their reasoning or get a glimpse as to their inner thoughts. Everything just happens.
While The Three-Body Problem largely takes place in the late 20th, early 21st century, the series clearly intends to go into the future. The best way to describe it is, a hard science fiction thriller similar to a Michael Crichton novel.
The discussions on radio astronomy, particle physics, and other technical topics are actually interesting and well explained. I am no expert but was able to follow the explanations easy. Cixin also kept the exposition squarely focused on what was relevant to the story, with limited infodumping (except for the last 50 pages). The online game element was also a powerful element as well. The metaphorical depictions of real world scientific challenges within the game were awesome and made the book worth reading by itself.
I was enjoying it all the way up to about page 340. There, Cixin abandons the narrative entirely and enters into a 40 page subplot loaded with infodumping, diving deep into theoretical particle physics. The story went from interesting and plausible to ridiculous, shattering suspension of disbelief as well as boring me to death.
I was left rolling my eyes wondering “if all this is possible, then there are no rules, it might as well be magic.” For those with backgrounds in theoretical physics, the ending might be an interesting thought experiment but for me it read like a term paper.
The beginning and middle of The Three-Body Problem deserved consideration for genre awards, as well as the unique perspective of Cixin Liu. There isn’t much Chinese science fiction on the shelves. At the same time the ending is severely flawed and will disappoint many. Those with a background in physics and radio astronomy may find the ending interesting but for most it will be painfully dull.
It is encouraging to see works from the People’s Republic of China break through but there were other novels more deserving of the Best Novel award. Awards should be given based on merit not on agendas, and certainly should not be used to make political statements as many feared would happen with the Hugos earlier this year.
The post Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu appeared first on Jacob Foxx.
