From the Bookshelf of Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy…

The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)

Liu Cixin,

Ken Liu (Translator)

Start date: January 21, 2015

Finish date: March 14, 2015

Discussion: Book Discussions

Discussion leader: Ben Rowe

Why we're reading this: Group Contemporary Novel discussion for mArch 2015
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What Members Thought

Jan 31, 2022 Richard Guion rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I came into this book after ignoring it for years, but after I finally started reading (prompted by Yun's review), I was swept away by the story. It's more of a classical science fiction story about scientific discoveries and extraterrestrial beings, but what makes it special is the setting of the story inside China, starting with the Cultural Revolution. There are some truly heartbreaking scenes where the Revolutionaries persecute the professors/intellectuals, which affects the remarkable life ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Aug 24, 2019 John rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I give this a real solid 4/5. This is definitely hard sci fi and iithe entire book feels like laying the groundwork for next two books. For being a translated book this is very well written. Sometimes the science got in over its head especially for laymen. Some chapters were filled with jargon that was a bit hard to keep straight. Very little actually happened in this book which is why I gave it a 4. The chapter titled bugs near the end nearly gave me the chills and made me excited to finish the ...more

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Jan 17, 2017 Ivy rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

I don't usually read much hard sci-fi. Quite honestly I'm more of a Dr. Who kinda girl. I was intimidated at the thought of reading TTBP, but found myself lost in the narrative almost from the start.

The premise of TTBP sounds simple enough. Contact has been made with an alien culture, but the details of said contact are left mostly hidden until the final pages. There were some surprises involved, and set up for the next installments. Some reviewers found the historical background included in th ...more

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Mar 30, 2024 Phillip Welshans rated it liked it

The first 380 pages of the novel are engaging and provocative with an interesting story that is a mix of hard sci-fi, drama, and mystery. Unfortunately, the last 40 pages both literally and figuratively lose the plot for me.

No spoilers, but the last chunk of the book is spent discussing a series of experiments involving subatomic particles and folding and unfolding them through multiple dimensions. Obviously, this is super deep, super hard science fiction, so I would say if you don't like hard ...more

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Jan 16, 2017 Chris Massey rated it really liked it

A thoughtful take on alien invasion that begins in 1967 and stretches into two more books. Lots of interesting science, a race from a strange world, and sentiments that grew from China's Cultural Revolution. Great stuff. ...more

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