Book Review : The Three Body Problem

TL;DR, 3.5 out of 5 stars

I really really wanted to like The Three Body Problem a lot more because of the numerous positive reviews I’ve been hearing. I thought it was very interesting (Gobbled it up in three days straight!). It was full of great ideas and very imaginative. The parts in which we enter the game simulation were so fun to read. It was unfortunate when the game came abruptly to an end.

This may be spoilerish now. The characterization was not great. Take police officer Da Shi for example. He was such a cliche. And I did not understand whether the author sympathized with Ye Wenjie or opposed her. Then there were these other wooden characters devoid of any feeling- Shen Yufei, Wei Cheng, Wenjie’s mother, Yang Dong etc. I admit much of the physics stuff went over my head. (Jeez, how many people could really imagine an 11-dimensional object unfolding in 2-dimensions as a proton?). Also, I am not a fan of the overall theme of misanthropy subscribed to by 70% characters in the book.

Regardless, I am looking forward to reading Dark Forest (second in the Remembrance of the Earth’s past trilogy). It’s always a good idea to be reading books that produce conflicted feelings in you.