On March 21, Netflix premiered the sci-fi series «The Three-Body Problem». This is an adaptation of the first novel of the same name from the cult trilogy «Remembrance of Earth’s Past» by Chinese writer Liu Cixin. The first book won the «Hugo» award, and the third book won the «Locus» award, so these works are considered to be iconic fiction not only in China. I read the entire trilogy in preparation for the release of the series, which we will also review, and in this article I will share my impressions and reading experience. Do we really have a treasure that every science fiction lover should have on their shelves? Who are the novels for, and who shouldn’t even start reading them? Read about all this and much more below.
Author Liu Cixin
Translator Yevhen Shirinos
Publisher Bookchef
Language Ukrainian
Number of pages 432, 704, 816
Cover Solid
Year of publication 2020, 2021
Size 130×210 mm
Website bookchef.ua
During the Chinese Revolution, the astrophysicist Ye Wenjie’s father was killed, and she was repressed. After some time in labor camps, the girl is invited to a secret research station «Red Bank». Here they send signals to the universe to establish contact with aliens. It was Ye Wenjie who managed to get the first response, where she is asked not to answer and to stop further attempts at contact because this civilization will definitely come to Earth and occupy it.
Disappointed in humanity, the scientist sends a reply anyway. On the other side, she is received by a developed planet that has suffered from three suns nearby throughout its history. Forced to survive for thousands of years in extremely difficult conditions, the Trisolarians decide to take over the Earth and make it their new home, instead of their destructive world.
On Earth, people learn about Ye Wenjie’s actions, the aliens, and their plans for invasion. Part of humanity is waiting for the aliens, considering them Gods, while others just live and enjoy life as long as they can. But most countries are united in the upcoming war against the invaders, who are already on their way to occupy the planet.
As you can see from the brief description of the plot, the problems of the earthlings in the trilogy resonate with the modern realities of Ukrainians. We, too, want to be occupied by a more powerful, stupid neighbor, but we fight and fight back. This makes reading the «Remembrance of Earth’s Past» series unexpectedly relevant. According to the books, the Trisolarians are located in Alpha Centauri, which is very close to Earth by cosmic standards. This is what makes them neighbors.
Liu Cixin’s trilogy is powerful, epic hard science fiction that skillfully captures the reader. The books are interestingly written, and the translation and adaptation are top-notch. However, the genre does not make for easy reading. There is a lot of physics and various scientific explanations of certain phenomena and processes, especially in the first book. This not only slows down and complicates the reading, but also makes the plot sagging forced and frequent.
All of this is not to say that it is a disadvantage, but it definitely does not benefit novels. This is on the one hand. On the other hand, in hard science fiction, it probably won’t work otherwise, so events are often interrupted by long expositions. Nevertheless, the author does his best to keep the reading interesting. His language is colorful and sophisticated, with lots of descriptions and details that enliven the reader’s experience.
In various interviews, Liu Cixin has said that he wrote in the style of science fiction «Golden Age» because it was the kind of fiction he read a lot in his teens and younger years. He is most impressed by Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury. And although the influence of this period is definitely there in the novels, especially in the scientific presentation and sterile characters who act as the story’s movers and shakers, the biggest similarity for me was quite different.
Some readers unexpectedly compare Liu Cixin to Dan Brown. In some ways, I agree with them, at least in the meticulous presentation of details. But Brown’s books are dry, if you know what I mean. And the Chinese science fiction writer writes brightly and lively as soon as the genre allows him.
The trilogy «Remembrance of Earth’s Past» reminded me most of a combination of Peter Watts and Haruki Murakami. From the former, there is a powerful scientific plot, a whirlwind of events, and a combination of several subgenres in an interesting mixture. The latter is characterized by the meditative presentation of the story, the simplicity of the narrative with a powerful deep artistic subtext.
«The Three-Body Problem», «The Dark Forest», «Death’s End» are always science fiction, but there is a detective component, cyberpunk, drama, and social fiction. These are multilayered novels that are filled with Chinese and classical culture, science, and philosophy of life. These are books about the search for meaning, about the self, about despair and hope. These are novels about forgiveness and pain from the past. They are also space fiction with almost no battle scenes or action. But this does not prevent the books from capturing your attention and making you want to read them again and again.
As you can imagine, such works are definitely not for everyone. Despite the author’s attempts to extract as much artistry as possible from hard science fiction, there is still a lot of science, tons of complicated explanations, and many references, including footnotes. I strongly recommend reading the latter, as they explain certain points, the history of China, etc., and without this, there will be no understanding of the context.
The quality of the books themselves is of a good level. Although the covers do not really show that we are looking at science fiction, they still attract attention. However, I prefer the design of American editions. The artwork is up to par, and the style is appropriate.
There is also small print, so it will not be easy to read, but I understand the reason for the publisher’s decision. There’s a lot of text, especially in the second and third books, so they either have to reduce the font or make the books heavy bricks. From my experience of reading similar talmuds, I would choose the former, so I thank Bookchef for this decision.
