The Dark Forest

I loved this book. The first part of the trilogy was great, but this one manages to elevate itself above that. All the aspects that made the first book so good can be found here. There's some good, and interesting science here, which provide food for thought as well as a framework for the story. Being told from a Chinese perspective gives it a fresh feeling - I get the same sense from some Russian sci-fi as well. The cultural differences provide an additional layer to the tale which I appreciate.The opening scene grabbed my attention immediately, and it's cleverly told from an ant's perspective, which helps bed the thought of the dark forest concept. In a book full of fascinating ideas, this really stood out for me, and on occasion I found myself musing on it.The book is split into two, the first half concerns humanity's preparations for the alien invasion. The presence of the alien technology limits options, although many of the developments are as you'd expect, there's some different ideas here. The author does a splendid job of conveying and inferring a lot of information, without being bogged down in too many details.The second half takes us into the future, and again the author's imagination is evident with how society has changed. The culture shock of those who awaken into this new world is well described, and brings a human element to the story. We see the ingenuity of humankind, but also learn more about the full capabilities of the Trisolarians before they reach Earth.The only real issue I had with the book was one of the aspects of its conclusion. The ending itself works well, and fits the build-up, while still leaving the story open for the third book. But there's a part that's related to the human condition that is often used as a fundamental truth, or key difference for humanity, and for me it feels a little overused. Although many great sci-fi authors have used the same construct, so maybe it is a fundamental truth :-)With the two books so far, I think this trilogy stands out as some of the finest modern science fiction. It demonstrates great imagination, but also understanding. These are books that any fan of the genre should check out.

After finishing the Three-Body Problem, I went straight on to this sequel. It was a very different novel in many ways, with quite different strengths and weaknesses. It starts a few years after the end of the first book and ends more than two hundred years later, and there's little to no reappearance of characters from book one even in the early sections.Right from the beginning, the world feels different. In the first book, it was the real world, as we know it, with just some hints of mystery and strangeness. Here, the whole world is aware of the approaching Trisolarian fleet, and cultures and economies and outlooks are changing in response, making everything feel much more futuristic and sci-fi even though only a few years have passed. I thought it did a good job in attempting to answer the question of how the world would react knowing that aliens would invade in four hundred years time and the extent to which we should make sacrifices now and seek near-impossible solutions, or accept our fates and live for the moment.Once the book jumps forward in time, things feel more stereotypically sci-fi, with most of the action taking place in space and the depictions of life on earth also seeming more fantastical. This part was still inventive and enjoyable, just not quite as original and attention capturing, and I did miss the modern Chinese vibe that made the first book and the first part of this one so unusual.On the plus side, I thought the dialogue and characters were much better here. There were quite a few POV characters, and while some of them blended into one a bit or didn't hugely capture my imagination, Luo Ji, probably the foremost main character, was pretty memorable and attention-capturing.Definitely worth a read.

ridiculously good trilogyRememberance of Earth's past is a must read Liu has surpassed Arthur C Clarke

An amazing story that could easily occur. Woe betide us should it do so. Brilliantly written. I'll be seeking more work from the author.

A very different book compared to The Three Body Problem, but an excellent continuation of the storyline. This series continues to be my favourite modern day science fiction (not that I’ve read a lot!), and I’ve actually loved the hard science in the series so far (convincing myself I’m understanding most of it, suspension of disbelief is after all a large part of enjoying fiction).A few characters from Book 1 make it into the second book, one favourite of mine in particular, but the new characters are interesting as well. Though the brilliance of the book lies not in character development, but in the mind-blowing concepts.A very ambitious story that will stick with you for a long time.

There is quite a bit of meandering in the first half, without a clear indication for where it is all going. But it's all set up for the second half where the pace really picks up. Characters often go into deep scientific or technical musings, which can make the characters sound alike and a chore to read through at times.There are some good philosophical sci-fi concepts and a couple of cool turns. Some of the viewpoints in how humanity would deal with crisis is interesting and believable.The dialogue can often feel clunky, and characters sometimes slip into the voice of others (perhaps it's a translation thing). The exchanges with Trisolarans are particularly awkward and unconvincing, in my opinion. Not sure about its ending, especially. But I am still interested to read the next installment.

One of the best books I've read recently. Picks up after the events of the first book and, although it is a slow burner, it definitely pays off in the last pages.The worst thing is that I still think about the implications of the main 'theory' of the book, even though I read it weeks and weeks ago... Scary.

La continuación del problema de los tres cuerpos es igual de interesante y emocionante.

It's well paced, the subtext and characters are well written. The science or even the fictional science is well constructed.

Ottimo libro anche se letto come stand alone e non come secondo della serie di tre. In alcune pagine un pò pesante dovuto alla "cinesità militante" dello scrittore, ma le pagine sono poche. Consigliato per gli amanti del genere hard sci-fi.

Little other view on science fiction. Something I'd recommend

Hard Sci-Fi in it's best. A lot of recent physics concept and new technologies that are in development today and will be among us in the near future. But the more creative in this book is the concept of Cosmic Sociology: how civilizations of others planets in our galaxy will interact between them once they discover the existence of one another. A must reading for Sci-Fi fans.