Book review of the fascinating The Three-Body Problem, by Liu Cixin

f you like hard science fiction, you will enjoy this book. While the characterization, plot arc, and writing are quite good, the setting and use of science makes it a fascinating story. The other element that makes it unique is that it is an English translation of a Chinese work.

Written by Liu Cixin, the most popular SF writer in China, trained as a computer engineer, makes use of what is known in orbital mechanics as the “three-body problem.” (This refers to the problem in classical or quantum mechanics of predicting the motions of three orbital bodies—such as the Earth, Sun, and Moon.) Using that problem and its mysteries, Liu creates a story about the Chinese Cultural Revolution, its aftermath, the possibility of alien life, and the survival of humanity.

Along the way, we experience the political and social toll of communism, the ability of single-minded devotion to make both great discoveries and great danger, and to raise questions about whether humanity is worth saving.

The scope of the work is large in time, space, and thought. Even as a Westerner, I found myself drawn to the characters and their perspectives. The translator, Ken Liu, appears to have done an excellent job in making it a fine work of literature, while retaining some of the sense of Chinese thought and perspective (his notes about the translation work is worth reading, too.

The ending seemed a bit abrupt and unsatisfying to me, but perhaps that is because it is the first in a trilogy—and it does make the reader want to grab the next volume.

The book won the Hugo Award for best novel in 2014, after winning the Chinese Science Fiction Galaxy Award in 2006. It has been adapted for a film by the same name, set to be released this year (2017).

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