The Three-Body Problem

Hi ATS!

I have just finished a crazy good book about science, technology, religion, aliens, and the Glorious Revolution (and China’s history).

Title: The Three-Body Problem
Author: Cixin Liu
Warning: A trilogy and soon to be a Netflix feature

The novel is a translation from Chinese so that may make one hesitate. Next, philosophy, religion, history, and science are at the forefront of this novel. And yes, “conspiracy theories” can only arise from the East-West tensions and the rise of Communism.

There is a human side as well: both sides, good and bad.

Overview: China had the Revolution in 1968 where a daughter watches the death of both her father and education “for the glory of the people”. Intellectuals are lumped in with Imperialist West, and former scientists are sent to “rehabilitation centers” to learn the errors of their ways.

The new state has an issue between applied science and theoretical research which follows the story through out. What follows questions what humanity means as a species versus the individual. What is “evil” and what is the response? The daughter/scientist is taken out to help the State with their project concerning radio telescopes (and the application as a weapon).

Ultimately, the question lies with the reader, “where should blame lie?”, as all great literature leaves the question!

Fast paced, funny, lonely, evocative, and questioning, the pages fly by.

Problems and questions of the literature nature arise but that doesn’t take away from the story.

FYI: The gravitational interaction between two space objects can be solved using Newtonian calculus. When you add in another object you have to add in relativity and then you have a problem that depends upon starting conditions. This failure of mathematics (and physics) is often overlooked. And looked at as the interaction between individual, state, and extraterrestrials, is the theme of this book.

Book II: The Dark Forest
Book III: Death’s End

Worth the effort to read.

Like my other “finds”, sorry about being late to the game!!

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
youtu.be... audio book

a reply to: 727Sky

It is an eBook at my local library.

And has been checked out for months so I purchased the first two with the little money that I have.

I am not disappointed!!

I just read the preface to book II… “squee”!

With the relationship between amps, volts and resistance, where did it all start? With the attitude in China after Korea then Vietnam, don't hear many stories of it getting Pol Pot like.

It was the gold mines here in Australia that helped a China community find some ground. Looks like China tried setting up a colony over the centuries, those that made the journey either blended with the aboriginal community or died off. A lot of nations and cultures tried over the millenniums.

As China did get into manufacturing, it was a bit rough in the early days. Has improved a lot since.

Ultimately, the question lies with the reader, “where should blame lie?”

In the past. Nothing we can do will change it. Learn from it. Try to avoid the cyclical headbangers next time if we can.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Its a great book.
I read it about a year ago when I was laid up for a while.

Has a bit of everything and a bit different from the run-of-the-mill Sci-Fi books.

The bits about The Cultural Revolution were eye-opening.
Obviously I'd been aware of it but it got me interested in the subject and I've read a bit more about it since finishing the book.
I really didn't realise the full extent of it.

Some of the science went a little bit over my head but I found it gripping and a really different take on things.

I've never got round to reading the rest of the series, but I certainly intend to at some point.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

I liked the first one. Really fresh with great innovative ideas.
The second just annoyed me so I never read the third.

Though interestingly it's my opinion b2 is a pretty accurate description of the pr9blem humanity is currently actually facing.
The issue I had was with the solution they thought up. Won't work guys. Annoyed me so much with the 'hero' and his rebellious hedonism
What stupid bs?

But ey right, it's just that I was so impressed how much the guy 'gets it' my expectations were unreasonably high.
...still not going to read the 3rd yet.

a reply to: kwakakev

And the “issues” with China continue…

All the manufacturing and it was only a few years ago that they could manufacture a ball point pen for their own use!

Then the problem of wealth in a Communist country has resulted in the dumping of money into real estate. Crappy oversight, cheap materials, and this mad dash has created ghost cities where nobody lives! The buildings are falling apart. And they are still building!

Now, like the rest of the world, the birth rate is declining. And they will have as big a problem with the older generation as they have with the Imperialist West. India is poised to have a larger, growing, birth rate (population).

It is a strange thing to have a sci-fi novel making one ponder about what to do with mega populations!

I also don’t think Space Brother is the solution. Nor is the nihilistic destruction of humanity anything more than “I told you so”.

We can solve this problem but money (and its love) has to die. And that is a bigger trauma than 9/11.

I really think you have to flip the switch to nuclear fusion, a hydrogen economy, vertical farming, and a less nationalistic mentality. Heck, just the creation and transport of liquid hydrogen gets you a global infrastructure with maglev thrown in as a transport system! Add in high temperature superconductors and energy storage and you’ll have a future proof grid with enough excess energy to actively scrub the atmosphere of both CO2 and methane. Crack the CO2 into CO and make fuel, bioplastics, fertilizer, and other industrial chemicals!

It takes the will to do it and not care about cost or profit.

Stoopid monkeys..,

Finished the second novel in the trilogy.

First, the OP is a true novel. It has detail, metaphor, and a resonance of your soul that any good piece of literature invokes in its reader. I believe because that was the intent of the translator: keep the Chinese story feeling but in English.

The second novel has the same problem as any “second of three” stories have: how to tell a good story without having people skip to third story to get resolution.

The Dark Forest is almost all plot. The metaphors are poorly handled and the story resolves the plot so I can see why you might skip the third novel.

The third novel, Death’s End, is even more encompassing than TBP, and basically starts with the fall of Constantinople. The pace is the same and we skim through familiar characters from the first two books while the timeline is expanded.

I haven’t finished it yet but I like it better than the second book already!

As an aside, Liu has another book out called Supernova Era about a nearby star exploding and causing chaos on Earth. For those Doomporn inclined, there is a thread here about Betelgeuse possibly on the verge of going nova!

They [say] life is stranger than fiction. Has anyone said anything about life and science fiction (besides complaining about not having flying cars…)??

To add some fuel to shaken then stirred metaphors… one of these days ALICCE, to the moon!!

🌖

I haven't read this yet, but I've heard good things, and I just saw today that there's a Netflix series coming out next year.