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The Three-Body Problem
Group Reads Discussions 2015
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"The Three-Body Problem" - First Thoughts *No Spoilers*
I read it from the Hugo nomination media pack. I thought it worked well as a cross genre novel. I enjoyed the opening and found the plot engaging once I got into it, but I agree with everyone the characters felt flat. I worked hard to ignore it as I read which meant I didn't enjoy the book as much.
30% and it has not wowed me yet. The atmosphere is so dystopian and even though there are some parts set in the present, the uneasy feeling still lingers. The three body game is rather distracting as well.
I bounced off it. Hard. It was the bit about the laws of nature not being consistent.
Really? We figured that out the first time someone found out it takes longer to boil an egg in the mountains. I can not imagine a scientist whose reaction is not, "All right, what are we missing?"
I liked it OK, of the Hugo novels it fell in the middle of the pack. Not sure if I'll continue the series, though the setup for book 2 is good. I just didn't much care for the characters.
This is from National Geographic re Pluto fly-by that is occurring right now. "Is it carrying a message for aliens?
"Not yet. There is a project, called the One Earth Message, that aims to upload a digital message to the spacecraft once it’s done collecting data and sending it all to Earth. That could be years from now, if New Horizons flies by another body in the Kuiper Belt. The message would be something like a new version of the Voyager Golden Record, which carried the sights and sounds of Planet Earth into the cosmos aboard the Voyager I and II spacecraft."
I agree about some of the science references - that put me off more than the flat characters. Again - blood doesn't boil! And for me the 'game' is more a virtual reality sim, since they do not show anyone doing anything, just watching the show.
This book is quite different from what I normally read, and I admit to having a bit of a hard time relating to a protagonsist so different from my own cultural experiences. Still working my way though the book, though.
Finished it. It's a very idea-driven book, with some mind-blowing concepts. But at least for me, the novel fell apart in the second half. There were some jarring plot holes, and the characters eventually felt paper-thin. I wouldn't even really say this is a story, but more of a platform to talk about cool ideas. Still, an interesting read.
I think we're used to character-based SF in the US these days, so the emphasis on ideas reads a bit strangely. Ken is such a lyrical writer in his own fiction. I'm pretty sure that his translation is true to the author's intent. I loved the translator's notes; I would have missed all of those things without his calling attention to them. Ken translated the first and third novels in the series. I think the choice of another translator for the second book had more to do with his lack of time (his own series launching this year) than anything else.
Sarah wrote: "I think the choice of another translator for the second book had more to do with his lack of time (his own series launching this year) than anything else."I wondered about that. I too thought the translation excellent, he really kept the oddities of the chinese alive in the english. It makes it even more special I thought. I disagree about the characters though, I found them fascinating.
I'm just about 1/3 of the way through this. Though it is keeping my interest, I'm feeling like the pace is a little slower than I would like. Maybe it's because the last 2 books I read were the fast paced "Old Man's War" and book 2 of the "Black Company" series. Regardless, the previously mentioned flat characters and the slow progression of plot so far have left me a little disappointed. And thank goodness for the "List of Characters" at the beginning of the book.
I too, had a hard time with the second half after loving the first half....the science didn't always make sense, and there were some missing parts of the plot...I was sad because the first part had me so hooked!
I was actually kind of bored at first because of the lack of character depth, and that lasted until 2/3 through. The characters had a memorable mannerism or two, but other than that, they were just names to me. However finally in chapter 26 or so, with Ye Wenje's backstory, I was hooked by at least one character.That was the first point that anyone felt fully human. And I was fully engaged from that point on!Maggie, I agree the science didn't always make sense in the last half, but it was much, much more imaginative than the first half and held my interest much better for that reason. More of a stretch. If Iwanted science as it was with no elaboration, I'd read a science book. That's purely a matter of personal taste though.
I think the real reason it picked up for me was that there was at least one character I could understand on a human level starting around chapter 26.
I don't think I'll finish the series, but I'm glad I read the first one anyway. It was worth reading, though it felt slow for the first 2/3.
This book was the most popular sic-fi book in China. IMHO it is likely because the author includes descriptions of many places in the west that most Chinese have not seen and will never see. The most fascinating parts to me include descriptions of China that I will never see, including parts of the Cultural Revolution.The hard science and predicted near future progression based on today's science are intriguing, too -- especially when projected into the second book. I am almost finished with that, too.
Some of the plot is predictable, and the characters are less developed than in many western novels, but the change in author's style and viewpoint is intriguing.
I am past the halfway point. I hope that others will be joining me for the September 2017 bookshelf reading of this book.
Just completed the third book and granted the whole trilogy 4.5 stars, with the 1. And last books the best.It's definitely a philosophical work more than anything else and from a cultural totally different source than we are used to, which only add to the enjoyment of reading ( or in my case hearing) it.
I am grateful for the book since it opened my eyes to the great Chinese sci-to that I was not aware of. I finished the a trilogy and it deserves to be a classic must-read I think.
Agreed I think it's pretty awesome!
Rachel wrote: "I am grateful for the book since it opened my eyes to the great Chinese sci-to that I was not aware of. I finished the a trilogy and it deserves to be a classic must-read I think."omg agree. i actually got the first one free on amazon somehow... and i was hooked! i couldnt help but finish the series. so GOOOOOOD! one of my fave series now. there are only a few authors out there that can work within the scifi confines and still create a fantastical story.... such imagination and yet can still keep all the science folks happy!
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@Allison- it was very sad. It gets better though! There is lots of humor woven into the book to break up the tension. Part One is the hardest.
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rated it 3 stars
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I'm starting sooon (over the weekend, probably)! I'll get tissues ready for Up-like beginning :)
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Good haha! (side note: I went to see Up for my birthday one year. Probably the most depressed bday celebration ever. I still haven't recovered.)
Oops! At least you'd really be in the mood for cake afterwards? I do always bawl like a baby during those ten minutes, but I think they're one of the most beautiful pieces of animation I've ever seen. I don't really care for the rest of the movie actually (it's a bit too gimmicky with its robot dogs, zepplins, and emus), but would happily watch those two moments again and again (tissues on hand!)
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I can’t watch Up. That is definitely a depressing birthday Allison.
I dived in yesterday - and oof those first three chapters (esp the very first) are heartbreaking. Then the tone (and time) shifts completely and we settle into a mystery-like set up, which was a little jarring after the intensity of the beginning. I do have a question: for the buddy read, should we keep commenting on the no-spoilers thread or head into the final thread with spoiler tags? Personally, I feel as if it’s confusing to have multiple threads at once, at least for BRs.
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Ok, I won't be able to start for a few days yet, and will have to do it as an audio. And I'm not real accustomed to audio, so may miss things. And then there's footnotes?! Oh dear.
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Sorry Francisca, I just saw this. I would say let's just do this like we suggested for EotW. First impressions can go here, go to spoiler thread and use tags for ongoing discussion. I'll clear some space there, too, to avoid accidental spoiling.
Cheryl wrote: "Ok, I won't be able to start for a few days yet, and will have to do it as an audio. And I'm not real accustomed to audio, so may miss things. And then there's footnotes?! Oh dear."There are footnotes- but they aren't entirely necessary to understanding the overall story. They provide a lot of background on the Chinese Cultural Revolution which was very helpful, but I think you can manage without them (if they aren't included- I'm not sure how footnotes would be managed in audio format).
I've jumped into this a few times in the past and really really struggled to get going. The Cultural Revolution scenes really don't do it for me.
I started reading last night and wound up staying up late to finish the first section. I agree with the above comments about the sad/heart-breaking feel to the first 3 chapters. I feel like it brings the reader to a definite place, time, and mindset for the story. It has definitely flavored my read of the next chapters, even with the change of pace. Looking forward to the rest of the book
I’m at 38% and really, really enjoying it! It has captured my attention in a way that none of the other books I’m reading right now have. I can’t wait to see what happens!
Audio seems slow and/or unengaging to me. Of course, I've never liked anything to do with politics, so that's a real problem... as is the fact that I know so little about the history of China. And the names have patterns unfamiliar to me. I wish I could read the print, or at least an ebook, so it wouldn't be so much like learning a whole new language.But take out the context, and the politics, and there doesn't seem to be much left. I wonder how far I am... I'm actually about to go listen to another 40-50 minutes so let's see....
Sarah wrote: "@Allison- it was very sad. It gets better though! There is lots of humor woven into the book to break up the tension. Part One is the hardest."Francisca wrote: "I dived in yesterday - and oof those first three chapters (esp the very first) are heartbreaking. Then the tone (and time) shifts completely and we settle into a mystery-like set up, which was a li..."
That's good to hear. If the few Chinese movies I've watched are any indication, the Chinese like their drama and tragedy so I was a bit wary, especially after that very sad first chapter.
I was not quite 1/4 of the way through when I was complaining earlier. Further along now, more interesting... but still difficult on audio. Especially one particular chapter, which you'll know when you get there.I'm pretty sure I'm going to persevere to the end, but I really hope it doesn't leave me needing the sequels.
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Here's a link the the full discussion thread which will be better suited to talking about your points of contention, I think:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Allison wrote: "Hi Grant!Here's a link the the full discussion thread which will be better suited to talking about your points of contention, I think:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/......"
Thanks Allison!
I started reading this a couple of weeks ago and am about 35% in on the audio book. I’m enjoying a lot so far. More than I expected actually. Not sure what I thought I was going to dislike, but it’s easy to listen to. I’m listening at 1.4x speed.
@Diane: I'm glad it is so accessible to you. I really loved it.
Yes, so glad you like it! Even though the topics are complicated I always felt they were extremely fascinatingly explained. Never had a boring moment with this!
I really enjoyed this when I read it, even though the topics went flying over my head, the narrative was so well crafted.
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I have this on Mt TBR. Perhaps it's time to read it.
I just read this earlier this year, but as you can see I'm not a fan. I didn't bother reading the next two.
my library recently bought the audio books for #2 and 3, so I recently re-read this and yeah the concepts are really interesting! but I gotta say, there's a big pile of sexism going on in the story, so I didn't finish the series.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Grace of Kings (other topics)The Grace of Kings (other topics)
The Dark Forest (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Ken Liu (other topics)Ken Liu (other topics)
They really are interesting! I'm glad Liu included all the translator notes.