Welcome to my monthly book recommendation for June! On the first day of each month, I’ll recommend a book, new or old, fiction or nonfiction, pulled from my own reading experience. In my recommendation, I’ll introduce the book, discuss why I found reading it worthwhile, and what major themes the book touches upon. I won’t include any major spoilers, but I may discuss some of the characters and specific details or locations from within the book. My recommendation for June, 2024 is The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu.
The Three-Body Problem - Cixin Liu
Available on Amazon
Author: Cixin Liu
Genres: Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction
Description:
Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.
My Thoughts on This Book
I was first introduced to The Three-Body Problem via Netflix recommendation. The premise looked interesting, but when I saw that it is an adaptation from a book, I decided to read the book first, then come back to watch it on Netflix. Less than two weeks later, I not only read the book, but I also read the two sequel books as well, The Dark Forest and Death’s End. I was enthralled by the unique style of storytelling, the author’s ability to raise the stakes over and over again, and the unique and interesting science fiction elements. This was one of the rare instances where my day-to-day life carried some of the atmosphere of the fictional universe even while I was not actively reading.
One of the most essential elements of the plot is the asymmetry between the human civilization and the Trisolarian civilization, referred to as the San Ti in the Netflix adaptation. Without revealing too much, the Trisolarians have significantly more advanced technology across the board: computation capabilities, space travel and propulsion, and a greater understanding of fundamental physics. However, humans do have certain advantages of their own, one of which is their capability to create cunning and deceptive strategies and tactics. These strategies and tactics make these books fascinating to read, both from a science fiction perspective and an adventure/storytelling perspective. The necessity of survival breeds ingenuity, and the author does an excellent job of weaving that ingenuity throughout the series.
The first book in the series does an excellent job of building up the intensity and asymmetry of the situation between the humans and Trisolarians, building up to a final climax and realization of the near hopelessness of the situation for humanity. This existential danger sets the stage for the subsequent books, where the desperate human civilization scrambles to create schemes and implement strategies at the forefront of their technological and scientific capabilities, grasping at straws to improve their changes of survival on the day of the Trisolarian’s arrival, and possibly beyond.
This book series is an excellent read for people of all walks of life. The science-fiction aspect, while fascinating at times, is not too technical for the average reader, and the storytelling, character development, and world-building are all masterfully executed.
