"The Three-Body Problem" by Liu Cixin

The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Three-Body Problem tells the story of an Alien Invasion; but it’s an unusual invasion, told in an unusual way. The book was a big hit in China where it was written, and it has gained lots of critical praise and achieved international success. I can see the appeal of the book right in the first few pages. It has an explosive start, right in the middle of the Cultural Revolution, giving an unprecedented look into modern Chinese history - at least unprecedented for Western readers, where a deep look into Chinese history and culture might feel like a look into an alien empire! It is a horrific setting, full of corruption and threats.

Its appeal might also stem from its first main character: a strong female lead, incorruptible and stoic, surrounded by corrupt men using the revolution for their own political gain, or at least to protect themselves from the witch-hunt that was the revolution.

The book seems to have been written by someone who likes physics, but is not a physicist; and from its tone, it seems aimed at people in the hard sciences. It uses a lot of jargon and scientific details. I am a physicist, and I don’t see how other people can appreciate all the details and nuances (could a lay person understand the importance of chaotic systems?). At the same time, the science has been dumbed down - for accessibility sake, I hope, rather than a failure of the author. Also, it has a grandiose prose that no physicist would use when describing his/her work; it sounds the kind of language a physicist would use when giving an interview to a non-scientific publication, and is trying to get an impressive soundbyte in; but instead of just a few grandiose lines, it’s the entire book. Perhaps this is indicative that the author has learned everything from popular publications, rather than actual study.

Then we get to the revelations of the second and of third part, when the author really seems to have no idea how physics works - both the science and how physicists work. First of all, the book describes a four-body problem, not a three-body problem - it’s hard to tell if the author is aware of that. He then talks about physicists hushing the results from accelerator experiments, as if the work wasn’t completely public (just look at the amount of press and information leaked about the LHC, and the big hoopla every time there is a hint of something weird). Towards the end, there is a lot of talk about extra dimensions, and it’s so out there that it feels more like wizard fantasy than science fiction.

The whole second part is very weird, and reads like one of those Japanese existentialist/fantastical mysteries, with a little bit of sci-fi thrown in. The characters behave in very “arbitrary” ways (that is, serving the purpose of the narrative, but not in a way that normal people would behave), and talk in a very flourished manner, so their behavior and speech is not natural at all (although that could be due to the translation from Chinese to English). Another thing I didn’t like is that the whole book also feels very elitist; it explicitly says several times that only the elites matter.

Despite its faults with the science and characters, the *story* is good. It has an incredible scope, starting in our history, bringing us to the present day and flinging us out into space. It keeps a good pace, and it’s constantly introducing us to new concepts and plot points. It builds slowly, but never slows down. There are several big reveals, but the plot never feels convoluted (only the science). It’s the kind of story in which there is a secret history / secret truth behind everything, and only a few are involved. On the other hand, it goes on the opposite direction of the “Chosen One” trope; the main characters are important to the world because of the work they do, because of the choices they made, and because of their sacrifices. The characters might speak and act in a weird way, but they aren’t flat at all; they have complex desires and driving forces. They get confused, they despair, they make mistakes, and they aren’t all good nor all bad. The conclusion is also just as ambiguous as the characters, and it feels satisfying. All in all, a good read.

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