Note: The following review has no spoilers outside of anything you see in the book description on Amazon.
This book, and it's two sequels, are a triumph of science fiction literature. Everything that a good sci-fi novel should have is in here: government conspiracies, aliens, incredible future technology, and mind-boggling physics. Cixin also manages to fit in everything that makes up a good book: nuanced characters, an enthralling story, and a plot that expands to universe-scale before Cixin expertly wraps everything up and sticks the landing.
The first book sets up the story with a mystery that seems unsolvable, and it just teases the reader with some of the main concepts of the series.
The second book raises the stakes on everything presented in the first book. It comes to such a satisfying conclusion that you might wonder why there is a third book.
Then the third book strolls in and dumps the entire story on its head, taking everything to a completely new level.
Good books change the way you think, and The Three-Body Problem made me think about the universe in an entirely new perspective. What Cixin Liu has done here is a major accomplishment. My only issue is that I didn't read it earlier.
The first book sets up the story with a mystery that seems unsolvable, and it just teases the reader with some of the main concepts of the series.
The second book raises the stakes on everything presented in the first book. It comes to such a satisfying conclusion that you might wonder why there is a third book.
Then the third book strolls in and dumps the entire story on its head, taking everything to a completely new level.
Good books change the way you think, and The Three-Body Problem made me think about the universe in an entirely new perspective. What Cixin Liu has done here is a major accomplishment. My only issue is that I didn't read it earlier.