LoveReading Says
This is a blow-your-mind reading experience. I first read Three-Body Problem about ten years ago, it was originally published as a novel in China in 2008, with the English translation arriving in 2014. It forms part of the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy, and in 2024 was made into a TV series. My second deep dive was just as awe-inspiring as the first. Cixin Liu is such an exciting author to read, his mind really does work in a unique and inspiring way and I find myself pondering life, the world, and universe after spending time immersed in his words. Ken Liu has done an amazing job as translator, a round of applause for the way he opens up the unknown. This story is quite simply epic, I found it almost exquisitely painful in terms of the concept. Earth is in danger after a scientist takes action because she believes humans are not capable of living in harmony. The plot moves in a non-sequential timeline which actually allows a greater understanding to grow. The science is believable, even when it strays out of this world. The characters add heart and soul, ensuring a connection, allowing reality to slide in alongside the science fiction, so as I read, it didn’t feel outlandish, it felt as though it was all possible. There was no choice other than to include this as a LoveReading Star Book, it really is that good. Three-Body Problem throws wide open a thrilling reading experience, go on, try it, I dare you!
Liz Robinson
Find This Book In
Cixin Liu Press Reviews
Wildly imaginative, really interesting... The scope of it was immense -- Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States
A marvellous mélange of awe-inspiring scientific concepts, clever plotting and quirky yet plausible characters, all conveyed in in a plain style capable of signalling hidden depths - The Times
A milestone in Chinese science fiction - New York Times
The best kind of science fiction -- Kim Stanley Robinson Liu Cixin's impressive The Three Body Problem won the 2015 Hugo award for best novel, the first time a Chinese writer has taken that prize - Guardian (2015 Books of the Year)
It's a stunning, high-concept, rollercoaster of a novel which offers an intriguing Eastern perspective... this is a trilogy which, like Asimov's Foundation epic, looks set to quickly become an essential science fiction classic' - Starburst Magazine (rating: 9/10)
China has a lively SF scene inaccessible to western audiences until recently, so it's a great pleasure to read this book by Cixin Liu – the country's most popular SF writer – in English. Handled expertly on the terms of the genre, it is seeing this tale played out through a different cultural lens that makes the book fascinating. The translation is exemplary. The book is top-flight SF; smart, informative and engaging - SFX
Hard science fiction at its finest, and fans will appreciate the superb attention to detail that drives this constantly evolving and impressive series - SciFiNow Magazine
The writing is superb... The ideas are astounding, real eye-openers that expand the mind and really get the old grey matter going... A stand-out, award-worthy novel and one that deserves a place amongst the science fiction classics' - SF Book Reviews
For a book that makes you think, and holds true to some of the traditional values of SF, this one can't be beat - SFF World Magazine
[The Three-Body Problem and The Dark Forest are] the works of fiction I am most enthusiastic about - Bloomberg
A breakthrough book... a unique blend of scientific and philosophical speculation, politics and history, conspiracy theory and cosmology, where kings and emperors from both western and Chinese history mingle in a dreamlike game world, while cops and physicists deal with global conspiracies, murders, and alien invasions in the real world' -- George R.R. Martin
A celebration of science as saviour - The Hindu
This book lives and dies by the quality of its ideas. Fortunately, the many, many different questions posed are fascinating and imaginative and I barreled through this novel right up to its gripping conclusion - Bending Over Bookwards
A book rich in ideas, puzzles and theories but each of them is explained in a way that isn't only accessible but is also absolutely engrossing... The ideas are vast but they are beautifully expressed and, for this, credit must also go to Ken Liu who has done a fantastic job of translating this masterpiece. I loved where The Three Body-Problem took me – it is tense, wondrous and fascinating and I am so ready to read its successor, The Dark Forest, the next in this exciting, original and gobsmacking trilogy' - For Winter Nights
A really fascinating book and I'm delighted that there are two more to come in the series... I'd recommend to readers who want to enjoy the science as much as the story' - SFcrowsnest
A book that you must have read, whether you are a Science Fiction fan or not. Cixin Liu tackles so many different topics from action, thriller and a strong emotional backdrop... I cannot imagine what effort it must have cost to translate such an epic story to English but it paid off really well. A great performance' - The Book Plank
Even what doesn't happen is epic - London Review of Books
Cixin Liu began his massively ambitious trilogy with this dazzling work of SF... Hard to sum up in a few short lines, but one you read it you'll be doing your best to tell everyone else to follow suit' - SciFiNow
